Amanda 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.

When she’s not teaching, Amanda can be found having living room dance parties with her boys, (finally) traveling or attempting to garden.

Soy Alessandra, mamá* de Maxi, mi niño maravilloso de 4 años, psiquiatra, especialista en sexualidad y terapia de pareja. Mi principal área de interés es la salud mental de la mujer durante el periodo perinatal.

He vivido en Berlín desde noviembre de 2018, aventura que me ha traído muchas satisfacciones, al igual que retos. Principalmente, mi nueva realidad como migrante y la maternidad*.

La maternidad* ha sido por mucho el reto más grande y un proceso transformador. Me ha permitido redescubrir mi fuerza creativa y buscar nuevos espacios donde pudiera conectar con madres*. Motivación que me trajo a Afloat e.V..

En un inicio, como asistente al grupo en español y ahora como facilitadora, compartiendo experiencias y acompañando a madres* como yo, en este camino de la maternidad* lejos de casa.

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.

Originally from Finland, Henni found her way to Afloat e.V. over five years ago as a new mom* in Berlin, seeking support and community during those early days with her son. Those connections helped her through the ups and downs of motherhood*, and she's now thrilled to give back as a facilitator.

She believes in showing up with honesty, openly sharing from her own experiences as someone still on her own journey. `

Over the years, she's explored many paths to find her footing in motherhood*, and she's happy to share what she's learned along the way.

She's there to listen and help without judgment, knowing motherhood* can be hard and draining, and no topic should be off the table.

Outside of Afloat e.V., she works full time in tech while keeping up with her now five-year-old son.

Linguere Deborah M. Sock is a Gambian who moved to the east of Germany to pursue a master’s degree in International Management.

Originally from West Africa, she grew up deeply rooted in community and extended family; which enhanced the unexpected challenges after starting her own family far from her support system.

This would be one of her most transformative and challenging experiences.

Raising children in a new cultural, linguistic, and institutional environment pushed her to navigate motherhood*, identity, and belonging in unexpected ways.

With a professional background in marketing (BSc) and international management (MSc), and curious personality, Linguere has spent much of her time working, learning, and travelling across cultures. Still, nothing fully prepared her for the emotional and practical realities of motherhood* in Germany.

Finding a supportive community of international mothers* became a vital source of connection and strength.

Inspired by the impact of Afloat e.V. and her love for bringing people together, Linguere is passionate about supporting other mothers* navigating life, careers, and parenting away from their home countries, and about giving back to communities that foster belonging and resilience.

Johanna is the Director of Afloat. She is a French interdisciplinary visual storyteller and artist working with photographs, interview recordings, vernacular objects, and ceramic sculptures. Born in Marseille with Greek and Italian roots, she now lives in Berlin with her family. She has been a long-term member of Afloat almost since its beginning.

With a background in commercial narrative work and project management for luxury brands —and experience living in Shanghai, London, and Paris — she brings a unique perspective to her approach to visual language. Her work explores the intersections of intimacy, psychological, emotional, and bodily transformation, and the universality of human experience. Through image, voice, and material, she creates bridges across cultures, classes, and identities, fostering connection and dialogue that celebrate our shared humanity.

Her most recent work delves into the complexity and transformations of immigrant individuals with FLINTA* identities, particularly in the context of motherhood*. She creates narrative portraits, collects everyday objects, and records audio memories to amplify often unheard voices. In her ceramic practice, she shapes organic Mother*-Goddess forms that symbolise birth, metamorphosis, and the passage of time.
Her projects aim to dismantle stereotypes and empower marginalised communities through open exchange and genuine representation.

Johanna uses her photographs and interviews as conversation starters to create a safe space of reciprocity for mothers* to share and help 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 motherhood* and womanhood*.

Maria is a psychologist with a deep interest in neurodiversity and motherhood*.

As a neurodivergent mother*, she understands firsthand the challenges of balancing parenting, self-care, and personal growth while living with ADHD.

This experience has shaped her professional focus on supporting neurodivergent people —especially mothers*—who seek understanding, connection, and practical tools to navigate daily life.

With over seven years of experience in psychology, Maria has spent the past two years working with refugees and forced emigrants in Berlin, specialising in crisis counselling and trauma support.

Additionally, she has co-facilitated a psychological support group for politically displaced individuals from Russia.

Having moved to Berlin five years ago, Maria is well-acquainted with the emotional and practical challenges of emigration. She is also raising a daughter while navigating life with ADHD—an experience that has deepened her interest in neurodivergent motherhood*, self-acceptance, and community support for neurodiverse parents.

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.

Since 2004, Tasha Walters has been an immigrant parent originally from the US, living and working in Berlin.

Tasha has been raising two children in a foreign country and experiencing firsthand the challenges of being an immigrant — particularly the isolation that comes with adapting to a new culture and a foreign language without familiar support networks.

A visual artist and designer with a degree in Psychology & Gender Studies, Tasha spent years working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, providing support and advocacy, before returning to study Communication Design. Tasha remains deeply engaged in issues surrounding health, identity, and well-being — themes that are often reflected in Tasha’s artwork.

More recently, Tasha’s own experience with peri/menopause has brought an acute awareness of the unique challenges faced by individuals, especially those navigating life far from their country of origin, during this transitional stage. Despite prior knowledge on the topic, Tasha initially struggled to recognise the symptoms as hormone-related. Through education and finding the right support, Tasha eventually found the help needed — an experience that reinforced a belief in the power of awareness, connection, and shared knowledge, especially when living far from “home.”

Tasha is dedicated to providing resources and support to international community members to navigate peri/menopause with confidence, knowledge, and connection.

Irene moved to Heidelberg the summer of 2021 while she was 7 months pregnant with her second child.

Navigating a new country, new home, and a new addition to the family was one of the hardest seasons she experienced in life.

She remains deeply grateful for the support and care from other international moms* during that time, especially because these were all people she had newly met and barely knew but were absolutely committed to helping.

Irene is currently pursuing a doctorate at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in mental health research and has a Masters degree in social psychology from Claremont Graduate University.

Irene has worked in research for the last ten years and is passionate about increasing mental health awareness and understanding.

Irene also volunteers as a suicide crisis hotline volunteer in her free time.

Afloat e.V. provided resources and a sense of community during Irene's postpartum recovery and she is excited to give back.

Kimberly McArthur is an Australian who has been living in Berlin since 2011.

With a background in psychology, law and politics, she is currently the COO of the Berlin-based Better Politics Foundation, the world’s leading platform for political leadership transformation, which she helped establish in Germany almost 6 years ago. Its mission is to renew leadership and reimagine politics to get better outcomes for citizens.

Over the past several years Kimberly has been leading the Foundation's work on mental wellbeing and safety in office. She has interviewed and surveyed hundreds of political leaders from around the world about their experiences and designed training and development programs to help leaders build resilience and defend against the increasing online and in person violence. She is particularly passionate about the experience of women and other people with experiences underrepresented in traditional politics.

Having lived and worked in Australia, Haiti, Burundi and Germany, Kimberly is a keen observer of how our surroundings fundamentally impact everyday experiences. Kimberly gave birth to her daughter in March 2020, on the first day of the COVID lockdown in Germany. At 11 months postpartum she was diagnosed with postpartum depression and obsessive disorder and has worked hard and been supported to rebuild from this experience.

She believes the work of Afloat e.V. is critical for mums* away from their home countries, going through the simultaneously everyday and extraordinarily difficult experience of becoming and being a mother*.

Sharon is a volunteer with Afloat e.V., a mother* raising her daughter in Germany, and originally from Kenya.

Her journey into volunteering comes from her own experiences navigating pregnancy, early motherhood*, and life far from home, which showed her just how isolating these moments can feel, and how life-changing it is when the right support is there at the right time.

With a Master’s degree in Media and Cultural Works from Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, and a deep love for communication, Sharon is all about about bringing care, empathy, and intention to everything she does.

She is very passionate about creating spaces where families feel welcomed, supported, and gently held. Places where parents and caregivers can take a breath, feel seen, and know they are not alone.

Through her volunteer work with Afloat e.V., Sharon hopes to make the journey of parenting a little less overwhelming, a little more human, and a little kinder.

She believes in the power of connection, and in showing up for others the way she wishes she had been shown up for herself.