Originally from Washington, DC, I’ve been living in Germany for nearly six years. Like many immigrants, my time here has been shaped by big life transitions—including losing my dad and becoming pregnant with my first child, all while far from my usual support network. Navigating pregnancy and preparing to give birth in a new country, and in a language I didn’t speak, felt overwhelming at best and impossible at worst, leaving me unsure of where I belonged.

Everything began to shift when I joined Afloat’s 4-week pregnancy group and later the in-person Heidelberg group. Connecting with other women going through similar experiences—many also becoming first- or second-time moms while adjusting to life in Germany—made me feel like there were other women feeling the same thing. It helped me feel more grounded and much less alone. I became a facilitator initially for the in-person group, taking a short break to welcome my second baby in August. I am very excited to be facilitating the Pregnancy Group this time around. 

Professionally, I am a Speech-Language Pathologist serving the English-speaking community in Germany. I’m passionate about helping others feel seen, supported, and connected—especially during life transitions—and I’m so grateful to now be part of creating that space for others.

I moved, heavily pregnant, from Hong Kong to the Odenwald in 2019 and was unprepared for what postpartum would feel like in a new country and during Covid. In 2024 I welcomed a second baby, (this time thinking I was more prepared!), but we were met with a congenital heart defect that would require lengthy hospital stays and major surgery. This latest chapter of motherhood away from home has been isolating at times, and yet I was struck by how many of the people looking back at me across wards and waiting rooms were also navigating this away from home and not in their mother-tongue. Afloat has been the ‘red thread’ woven through this season - a leaflet about one of it’s first groups was lovingly pressed into my hand back in 2019 and I was honoured to facilitate the Heidelberg In-Person group a while ago. After a break from facilitating (during which I loved attending the online groups as a participant again) I am so glad to now be able to volunteer with this wonderful community again! My professional background is in classical music and I recently qualified as a yoga teacher with further training in pre and post natal yoga. I look forward to meeting you!

My first child came at a time of many transitions; from a student and work student to unemployed graduate, which also meant that my Aufenthalt was up for review. I was caught in a space where everything that had become my normal in this foreign country was changing. And while home was only a phone call away, I couldn't expect that everything  I was feeling and imagining would be understood without the environmental context of living in Germany. I would explain myself and pause to search for a sign that I was understood, and the sign never came; so I carried on, each day ending with a heavy sigh.

I spent a lot of time finding resources and information, just anything to give me a sense of direction and instruction. Having a child in Germany is definitely different from the way preparation is done back home. So many to do lists, forms, appointments, applications - before, during and after. In all of this, I found Afloat, even without knowing it was exactly what I was looking for.

My first session in Afloat lifted this heavy feeling I carried, as for the first time, someone had put in words what I have tried to communicate so many times. And when I expressed myself, I was met with a nod in agreement , an empathetic smile; sets of experienced eyes….all from women who understood, because they know, they have been there, they feel it too. In that moment, I felt held; kept Afloat. 

So when I am asked why I facilitate with Afloat, I think back to how it felt to be able to lay down the heaviness which I've carried with me between sessions, to speak freely without fear of judgement, ridicule, or a misunderstanding I have to defend. I want to be able to create that safe space for a mom* waiting to exhale.

Soy Alessandra, mamá de Maxi, mi maravilloso niño de 4 años.

Llegué a Berlín en noviembre de 2018. Desde entonces, esta ciudad se ha convertido en el escenario de una gran aventura en mi vida: una experiencia llena de aprendizajes, satisfacciones profundas y también desafíos. Entre todos ellos, dos han marcado especialmente mi camino: migrar y convertirme en madre.

La maternidad ha sido, sin duda, el proceso más transformador que he vivido. Un reto inmenso, pero también una puerta hacia un redescubrimiento personal. En medio de esa experiencia, volví a conectar con mi creatividad y con el deseo profundo de encontrar espacios donde pudiera compartir y sentirme acompañada por otras madres.

Cuando nació mi bebé, atravesé momentos de mucha soledad y vulnerabilidad. Estaba lejos de mi país, de mi familia y de mi red de apoyo. A veces me resultaba abrumador acercarme a otras mamás en un idioma distinto y dentro de un contexto cultural nuevo. Sin embargo, esa necesidad tan humana de pertenecer, de sentirme comprendida y acompañada, fue lo que finalmente me llevó a Afloat.

Primero llegué como participante del grupo en español. Con el tiempo, ese espacio tan valioso se transformó también en un lugar desde donde puedo acompañar a otras mujeres. Hoy soy facilitadora, y tengo el privilegio de compartir experiencias y sostener a madres que, como yo, están atravesando la maternidad lejos de casa.

Acompañar a otras madres en este camino es, para mí, una forma muy significativa de unir mi vocación profesional con mi propia historia. 

Soy psiquiatra con 10 años de experiencia, especialista en sexualidad y terapia de pareja. Mi principal área de interés es la salud mental de la mujer, especialmente durante el periodo perinatal, una etapa tan profunda, sensible y transformadora en la vida de muchas mujeres.

Mi nombre es Evelyn, soy mexicana y soy madre de dos maravillosas hijas pequeñas.

Llegué a Alemania en 2019 por motivos académicos, pero después de encontrar a mi compañero de vida aquí, decidí quedarme y hacer de este país mi hogar permanente.

Desde el momento en que decidí formar una familia lejos de mi país de origen la felicidad y la ilusión se mezclaron con las dudas y los miedos propios de cualquier mamá primeriza, pero también con la nostalgia y tristeza del duelo migratorio que nunca se va del todo.

A pesar de tener a un gran compañero a mi lado y de contar con un círculo de amistades cercanas aquí en este país, la maternidad es un proceso sumamente complejo que solamente quien lo ha vivido lo puede entender, y por esa razón yo necesitaba conectar con alguien que hubiera pasado por lo mismo, una especie de guía que me dijera que todo iba a estar bien.

Fue así como llegué a Afloat, al grupo de apoyo “De mamá a mamá” en donde me encontré con mujeres de distintos países de habla hispana que viven la maternidad en Alemania y conocen los retos que conlleva el formar una familia en una cultura y un idioma que muchas veces se sienten abrumadoramente ajenos a los nuestros. Esas mujeres son a quienes he acudido con mis dudas y miedos desde mi primer embarazo y hasta el día de hoy, con quienes me siento en un lugar seguro, y a quienes intento también apoyar y sostener desde mi trinchera.

Ser parte de la comunidad de Afloat ha marcado mi experiencia como mamá migrante de una manera muy bonita, me ha permitido conectar con otras historias de migración, crear comunidad más allá del idioma compartido y sentirme acompañada y comprendida en las diferentes etapas de la maternidad. Por eso, en mi rol como co-facilitadora del grupo “De mamá a mamá”, quisiera regresar un poco de lo mucho que Afloat me ha dado y seguir construyendo y expandiendo la tribu junto a otras madres migrantes.

When I became a dad*, I realized I wasn’t the only one figuring it out.

I joined the Afloat Fathers* Group while waiting for our first-born, and immediately found a space where dads were open about the real highs, lows, and everything in between. I’m extremely grateful for the insights I gained during that time. It gave me confidence as a first-time father and continues to guide me now with our second child.

I’m a Mexican American living in Braunschweig, Germany, and since welcoming our son in 2023 and then our daughter in 2025, life has been a whirlwind of learning, laughter, and discovery. 

Facilitating the Afloat Fathers* Group allows me to give back and help other dads* navigate this journey with the same support, honesty, and connection I was fortunate to find.

Fatherhood* is full of surprises, but it’s better when you don’t have to figure it out alone.

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.

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.

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.

When I moved to Germany from England back in 2012 I thought I knew what challenges faced me: learning a new language, navigating new systems and processes, all the paperwork… Becoming a mother in Germany brought challenges I could never have even imagined. I had been in Germany for 10 years at that point and yet still felt like I was entering a whole new world and felt totally unprepared. 

Fortunately, I came across a link for the Afloat Pregnancy Online Support Group which gave me an instant community of people facing the same challenges and once my son was born, I was able to join the in person support group in Heidelberg, Having a community to share both the serious and less serious times, and who understand what it means to be bringing up children in a different culture to the one you grew up in, has been life changing. 

In my professional job as an InCorporate Trainer, I help people understand different cultures and facilitate communication between businesses. I’m very excited about being able to use some of that experience to create the space I have had in those in person meetings in the days, weeks and months post-partum.

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*.

Moving from the US to Germany while 7 months pregnant was one of the hardest seasons of my life. It felt overwhelming to navigate a new country, a new language, a new home, and a new addition to the family all at once.

It was ultimately other international moms*, often who I met around town and at playgrounds, who surrounded me with support and care - even after only knowing me for a few weeks. They knew what it was like and how lonely it could be, and there was no pretense of being able to "do it on my own" because we shared in the understanding that help was necessary.

Shortly after I gave birth I was able to join several Afloat groups, sometimes just a drop-in online meeting, or sometimes an in-person group that met more consistently. Through these touch points I felt like I had a growing sense of community that was providing me stability.

Now that my kids are older and I'm more settled, I'm really enthusiastic to join Afloat this time as a volunteer for the Warmline. I've volunteered as a suicide crisis counselor in the past and this felt like a great way to use my skills and training.

In my day job, I work professionally in the mental health sphere but as a researcher. I am currently pursuing a doctorate at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in mental health literacy research and have a Masters degree in social psychology from Claremont Graduate University.

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.