Johanna is the director of Afloat. She moved to Heidelberg in the summer of 2017 with her husband and two kids and has been building a life in the Rhein Neckar region ever since. Having spent fifteen years moving frequently throughout Europe and the United States, she is familiar with the challenges and opportunities of being a newcomer and is thrilled anytime she can support others in similar situations.

Johanna is a social worker and doula certified through Doulas in Deutschland. She has a Masters of Social Work from Columbia University and draws heavily on this experience as she works to provide non-judgemental support to women* and families of many backgrounds. She knows first-hand the importance of having people to lean on as one navigates parenthood in another culture, often without extended family or friends. 

Lilian is originally from Monterrey, Mexico but moved to Germany in 2013. She has 2 sons and has experienced the challenges that come with mother*hood but that also increase with being in a different country and culture. After dealing with PMADS herself, she wants to help bring more awareness to this topic and hopefully help other international mothers* through her experience.

Lilian es originaria de Monterrey, México y se mudó a Alemania en el 2013. Mamá* de dos niños, Lilian ha experimentado los retos que conlleva la mater*nidad y que se incrementan al estar en otro país, otra cultura y lejos de la familia y amigos. Al lidiar con depresión postparto se dio cuenta que es un tabú y que no hay suficiente información sobre el tema. Gracias a ello, ahora busca crear conciencia sobre el tema y así poder ayudar a otras mamás* internacionales a través de su experiencia.

Linder is a Black mom* of two kids, ages 8 and 2. She was born in Kenya and moved to the States with her family at a young age. She earned her B.S in Biology at the University of Stony Brook NY and her master’s in healthcare management. Linder moved to Germany 8 years ago and she lives in Hamburg with her husband and kids. As a mom* of two kids, she believes that self-care is very important and necessary. Some things that she likes to do for self-care include reading, drinking tea, visiting friends, spontaneous weekend trips, and meditation. Having lived in New York her whole life, she was not prepared for the challenges that she has had to navigate daily while living in Germany. Linder’s goal for this group is to celebrate, support and empower other Black moms* on their journey to mother*hood.

Amanda is an American mom* of two young boys living and working in Frankfurt, Germany since 2014. She is the founder of Mindful Mama* where she offers holistic childbirth education courses, coaching and birth doula services. Amanda has a B.S. in Family Studies and Human Development and an MPH in International Health and Development with an emphasis on Health Education.

Having navigated the birth of her first son, before she could speak much German, she discovered a gap in the services available for non- German speaking parents and parents to be in the Rhein-Main area. This experience, along with her journey through Post Natal PTSD, inspired her to train as a Childbirth Educator and Doula in order to support other international families during their transition to parenthood. Amanda is a self-professed “brain nerd” and uses her experience and education around Mindfulness to inform her practice as she supports families in person and online.

Ruth is a British-born mum* living near Weinheim in Southwest Germany.

She moved to the region in 2019 whilst heavily pregnant. Prior to this move Ruth had lived and worked for over a decade in Hong Kong. The transition to both mother*hood and life in Germany was challenging but ultimately left Ruth motivated to support other international mums*.

Ruth has been immersing herself in information regarding perinatal social support via Postpartum Support International and is looking forward to a Pre and Post Natal Yoga Teacher Training later this year. She is excited to support other mums* in the Heidelberg area.

Es una mamá* Mexicana con un hijo maravilloso de 7 años, que llegó a Alemania en el año 2017, enfrentándose a una nueva realidad fuera de su país de origen y con la necesidad de construir una red de apoyo que la ayudará a encontrar su camino.

La mater*nidad real le rompió la idealización que tenía sobre ser mamá* y descubrió su complejidad dentro de la sociedad. Ahora desea acompañar a mujeres* que, como ella, se enfrentan a situaciones no previstas, brindando una escucha activa y contención emocional para vivir el proceso en tribu.

Kate is an American-born mom* living in Mannheim, Germany. She moved from the Washington, DC area to Germany in 2020, during the COVID pandemic, with her husband, dog and cat with the plan of staying for one year. Three-plus years and one pregnancy and birth later, she has first-hand experience dealing with the challenges and joys of pregnancy, birth, and raising a baby in Germany.

Kate found Afloat and attended not one, not two, but three of the Afloat virtual pregnancy support groups. She later went on to attend the Heidelberg In-Person group, where she built her support network in the local area. She is excited to be a part of an organization that has been central to her experience abroad.

Kate is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and founder of A Care Above Therapy Services. She works with clients from infants to adulthood with a specialty in providing direct client and family support to neurodiverse populations, youth, and adults with disabilities, as well as working with members of the LGBTQIA+ community, namely voice-affirming therapy with transgender and gender-diverse populations.

LC De Shay is a genderqueer IBCLC, Doula, and public health analyst specializing in reproductive psychosociology. In addition to practicing in local Midwifery and Pediatric private clinician groups, LC assistant taught for the UC system lactation program and worked in UC, Providence, & civic hospitals & clinic systems.

In the last few years, LC expanded their career work to helping healthcare technology companies of the sexual and family health fields, manage social media & tech content, as well as conduct diversity health impact evaluation.

She has over 10 years experience in community advocacy, support group facilitation, and JEDI analysis for reproductive and sexual health research and development. They are currently completing graduate school for global sociology in health development, and working hard to maintain polyglot status speaking Spanish, German, & French as a recent immigrant to Europe.

LC has birthed and breastfed 4 children, and is a dedicated ecofeminist.

Johanna is a French visual artist born in Marseille from Greek and Italian origins, based in Berlin. She has been a long-term member of Afloat almost since its beginning. She is very much looking forward to creating a mothers* support and discussion circle in Berlin.

After a first career in marketing in electronics and luxury perfumes in Shanghai, London and Paris, she started over and became a multidisciplinary visual artist using ceramics and photography as media. Her current focus is the exploration of what it means to be a woman* and all the physical, psychological and emotional changes women* go through. In her photographic practice, she is a visual storyteller creating narrative portraits and audio pieces of her encounters.

Johanna uses her photographs and interviews as conversation starters to create a safe space of reciprocity for mothers* to share and helps them navigate their often unspoken challenges. She is convinced of how her work can help mothers* experiencing PMADs to recognise that they are not alone and encourage those who, for now, remain in the shadows, to open up. Her goal is also to educate the population at large as well as facilitate a broader and more accurate dialogue around the image of mother*hood and woman*hood.

Karina is an American mom* who moved to Germany from Chicago in 2019. With a degree in French and Arabic, she had dreams of living in Europe - she just didn’t think she would end up in Germany! Karina found Afloat in 2022 and participated in several groups during her first year as a new mother. Having been so supported by Afloat, she even wrote her master’s thesis in partnership with Afloat. Karina works in healthcare marketing and is passionate about bringing people together, in particular international mothers living outside their home country. She is grateful to be a facilitator of Afloat’s monthly drop in group and to give back to an organization that gave her so much.

Alissa Lorentz Arzner grew up in Tokyo but now lives in a slightly smaller town called Waldshut with her German husband and twin daughters. As a half Thai, half American who grew up in Asia and subsequently moved around for her studies and work, she is familiar with both the highs and lows of a nomadic life. What she was unprepared for, though, was the extreme difficulties she would face raising twins in a foreign environment during a pandemic. Joining Afloat support groups was immensely helpful during these challenging phases.

Although Alissa has a marketing background, her postpartum experience spurred a desire to work in mental health, so she is thrilled to be able to contribute to Afloat and support others. Alissa holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Princeton University and an MBA from St. Gallen.

Hello! I’m Omar David Munoz, a Mexican American from Ventura, California, now living in Braunschweig, Germany. After marrying my beautiful wife in 2016, we promised each other an adventurous life together, and moving to Europe has certainly delivered on that!

I studied electrical engineering and work in the technology sector, but my most challenging—and rewarding—role yet has been that of a father. We welcomed our baby boy in 2023, and life has been a delightful whirlwind ever since.

I discovered the Afloat Father’s Group through my wife as we awaited our little one’s arrival. As a first-time father, the support from this community has been invaluable, helping me connect with other international dads navigating similar experiences. I love that I can give back by helping facilitate the group and fostering connections among fathers living abroad. Looking forward to sharing this journey with you all!Item description

Stacie Waldmann has been living in Germany since 2022 with her husband and three children. Becoming a parent is a wild ride made even more complex by navigating a new culture and language. Having experienced birthing and postpartum both at home and abroad, she understands the importance of a solid support system no matter where you are. 

Originally from the United States, Stacie has a Masters of Clinical Mental Health from George Washington University. She is a member of Postpartum Support International (PSI) and is passionate about creating safe, supportive spaces for parents.