Hey there!

I’m Mary and I am happy you came across my site! I started my business with hopes of providing valuable information to other moms, to have a creative outlet, and frankly, have something to call my own while providing for my son as a single mom.  

I coach women to heal from their breakup, improve their self-worth, and navigate coparenting. I am super passionate about the work I do because I was the one who needed healing and help years ago when the father of my son and I separated. My son was almost one and I felt like the rug was pulled out from under me. Completely unexpected.

I struggled with situational depression soon after. I felt incredibly lost, felt like I had no value, and to top things off, I had to navigate and figure out what coparenting looked like. I did not have a healthy coparenting model to follow, something to aspire to, or even people to talk to about this. I did not have community. Thankfully however, I sought out help for my depression.

Through therapy I made significant mental shifts. The darkest time of my life became the one I am most grateful for. It changed the trajectory of my life. Years after the separation I decided to enroll into Northwestern University’s master’s in counseling program and I am excited to say I FINALLY graduated in June 2024. It was quite the journey but I made it 🙂

My dark period guided my interest into mental health, and my mental health master’s program has guided my interest back into helping women who are currently in space I was at years ago. Going the coaching route instead of doing clinical work allows me to serve and work with the population I feel most connected to while also being able to reach a wider amount of people through the online space.

I know coaching and therapy get used interchangeably at times unfortunately, but I would not provide clinical therapy in our sessions. Women come to me with specific goals in mind and we collaborate to attain them. I will refer individuals to their local therapists if it seems they need clinical help. I am not in the business to provide clinical treatment under the guise of coaching. I do not condone that and would never practice in such an unethical manner.

I like to make that clear because even though I have a clinical background through my education and an extensive number of clinical hours, coaching is different. Many skills I have acquired certainly apply to coaching, but I am not clinically assessing and treating my clients through my coaching.

If you ever have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Reach out at marygissellbarahona@gmail.com or my Instagram @_marygissellbarahona. I would enjoy connecting with you!