Shelli Spotts, Carolina Allen, and Alma Olaveson discuss what it means to work in the advocacy space as mothers referencing Alice Walker’s book, We are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Light in a Time of Darkness and her daughter, Rebecca Walker’s book, Baby Love: Choosing Motherhood After a Lifetime of Ambivalence.

“Advocacy is such an innate maternal thing to do, to advocate for other people that are vulnerable and can’t help themselves… it just comes with the territory of being a mother.” - Carolina Allen

“The best advocacy, the best… changing of the world, the best community building happens as we do the things that we’re doing in our lives… It’s not stepping outside of ourselves, it’s just expanding our efforts within our own sphere.” - Shelli Spotts

“I think that we just need to live more mindfully; the minute we walk out the door, to just live, ... have more integrity with who we are in our cause. I think having integrity actually allows for connection.” - Carolina Allen

“I think one skill that we all need to learn is a deep awareness and then a deep love and compassion of whatever comes up.” - Alma Olaveson

“The best way to teach is by being.” - Alma Olaveson

“I think one of the quotes from Rebecca’s book, Baby Love, that I really loved is, ‘When it comes down to it, what life is about is showing up for the people you love again and again, and again and again.’ And I think that that’s a lot of what we’ve been talking about: that what we can do in the spaces we have and in the time we have is just [to] show up for those people again and again, and again and again.” - Shelli Spotts

Carolina Allen is the founder and leader of Big Ocean Women, the international maternal feminist organization representing perspectives of faith, family, and motherhood throughout civil society. Carolina holds a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Utah with an emphasis in cultural religions and philosophy of science. Her inspirational and philosophical work has been presented at various international U.N. conferences. She is a native of Brazil, and a fluent trilingual. She and her husband Kawika are parents to 7 children. She is an avid soccer fan and had a brief career as a semi-professional player.

Shell Spotts is an advocacy writer and creative writing teacher. She loves to spend time with her husband (usually in the garden) and their four almost adult children. She also loves to sew, to read, to write, and to drag her family outside to look at the sky. Shelli is passionate about poetry, Broadway show tunes, and telling stories—of ourselves, our families, and our communities.

Alma Olaveson is a dedicated advocate for women's empowerment and a passionate leader within Big Ocean Women. As a full-time mother, Alma is on a mission to create a paradigm shift in the collective consciousness of women by emphasizing one crucial element: reminding them of their innate worth, true identity, and the natural milestones in female development. Alma focuses her efforts on women who are considering pregnancy for the first time and preparing to welcome their first child. She is a firm believer that the most profound developmental milestone a woman can experience is becoming a mother for the first time. Alma is concerned that misinformation and beliefs that conflict with the natural progression of a woman's biology and feminine nature are adversely affecting the well-being of first-time mothers. Her passion lies in nurturing the spiritual, emotional, psychological, and social well-being of women as they transition from Maiden to Matrescence and ultimately to Motherhood. Alma graduated from BYUI with a degree in psychology and is currently a student at Peterson Academy. When she's not working, Alma enjoys exploring nature, hiking, chasing waterfalls, basking in the sun, and spending quality time with her kids and husband. She also loves reading, writing in her journal, and connecting with friends.

Carolina Allen shares the op-ed she wrote for the Deseret News, Published May 10, 2025. https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2025/05/10/what-is-maternal-feminism/ including some parts that were not included in the published article.

“Creating life is not only about giving birth, however miraculous that truly is. And when we say ‘maternal,’ we are not only referring to women with children. We’re also speaking of a maternal way of being — a capacity to see and fill needs, to nurture, and to lead with fierce compassion. This includes women who mother communities, mentor youth, and tend to their neighbors — all intentional women who shape our culture for the better.”

“When we lift mothers, we fortify the foundation of society itself, recognizing that nurturing the next generation is not just a personal role but a sacred, collective calling.”

“More than 500 million women and girls today suffer from period poverty because of the natural rhythms of their uniquely female bodies. Daughters are perceived as intrinsically inferior to sons and denied basic educational opportunities. Many are excluded from participation not only in public life, but are also found voiceless within the family context.”

“At the same time, the commodification of female bodies persists with seven out of 10 victims of sex trafficking being women and girls. The Women's Stats Project, which tracks over 350 variables related to women's lives, confirms a powerful truth. The security and behavior of places we live are directly linked to the situation and safety of women within them.

These are not peripheral issues. Recognizing biological realities is key to creating real solutions. Solutions that uplift women and in turn strengthen entire societies.”

“This vision of feminism honors our differences without division; it honors our embodied reality as women, and embraces the spiritual depth that so often grounds our lives. No one is required to choose between public influence and private nurture. Rather, we can remain rooted in the belief that the home is the foundation of every society, and healing the world begins right there, around dinner tables and bedside prayers.”

Join with Big Ocean Women - the world’s leading Maternal Feminist movement! www.bigoceanwomen.org Start or join a WAVE. Subscribe to our newsletter!

Carolina Allen is the founder and leader of Big Ocean Women, the international maternal feminist organization representing perspectives of faith, family, and motherhood throughout civil society. Carolina holds a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Utah with an emphasis in cultural religions and philosophy of science. Her inspirational and philosophical work has been presented at various international U.N. conferences. She is a native of Brazil, and a fluent trilingual. She and her husband Kawika are parents to 7 children. She is an avid soccer fan and had a brief career as a semi-professional player.

Carolina Allen discusses motherhood with Erica Komisar, LCSW and Madeline Wallin from FEFAF and Haro

“Free women. Free women from feeling terrorized and imprisoned by the narrative that unless they are a hard driving career woman, making lots of money competing with men out in the world, that they have no value. Free women, and give them permission to embrace instincts that they feel, but society doesn’t give them permission to feel.” - Erica Komisar

“How can we talk about the future of the world if we can’t talk about, and especially in a forum that’s supposed to be for women, [if] we are not using the word ‘mother’ or ‘family’ and we’re talking about the future?” - Carolina Allen

“We need to use the words more. We need to show motherhood. We need to talk about it so much more and use the correct words. … Nobody exists without the mother!” - Madeline Wallin

https://bigoceanwomen.org/our-work/subscribe/

A graduate of Georgetown and Columbia Universities and The New York Freudian Society, Erica is a psychological consultant bringing parenting and work/life workshops to clinics, schools, corporations, and childcare settings, including The Garden House School, Goldman Sachs, Shearman, and Sterling and SWFS Early Childhood Center.

Erica Komisar is a clinical social worker, psychoanalyst, parent coach, and author. With 40 years of experience in private practice, she works to alleviate pain in individuals who suffer from depression, anxiety, eating, and other compulsive disorders. By helping them live better lives and have more prosperous, more satisfying relationships, she assists them in achieving their personal and professional goals and living up to their potential.

Erica is also the author of the book Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters and has appeared on major media networks such as CBS, ABC, FOX, and NPR. She regularly contributes to the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Daily News, and FOX 5 NY. She is a Contributing Editor to the Institute for Family Studies. Her second book, Chicken Little The Sky Isn’t Falling: Raising Resilient Adolescents in the New Age of Anxiety was released in 2021. Her upcoming book, guiding parents through divorcing healthily, will be released in 2025. She lives in New York City with her husband, optometrist, and social entrepreneur Dr. Jordan Kassalow, with whom she has three teenage and young adult children.

Madeleine Wallin is General Secretary of the European Federation of Parents and Caregivers at Home (FEFAF) as well as the International Coordinator and Board Member for Haro: she previously served as President of both organizations. In her work at FEFAF and Haro, she advocates freedom of choice and equality for parents in Swedish family politics and wants to raise awareness about children's needs and the importance of motherhood. She has been interviewed by and written articles for many magazines, newspapers, and international media including the Wall Street Journal and the BBC. She is a mother of five children between 22 and 36 years of age. She lives in Hyssna, in the countryside close to Gothenburg in Sweden with her husband. Together they founded Malwa Forest AB, a business that manufactures and sells small forestry machines. Madeline is currently one of the owners and a member of the board.

Carolina Allen is the founder and leader of Big Ocean Women, the international maternal feminist organization representing perspectives of faith, family, and motherhood throughout civil society. Carolina holds a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Utah with an emphasis in cultural religions and philosophy of science. Her inspirational and philosophical work has been presented at various international U.N. conferences. She is a native of Brazil, and a fluent trilingual. She and her husband Kawika are parents to 7 children. She is an avid soccer fan and had a brief career as a semi-professional player.

Shannon is joined by Big Ocean Women members Diane and Alina Fisher to discuss promoting life culture in the womb, the home, and our ecological environment.

The WAVE that Diane and Alina run throws baby showers for women who have unplanned pregnancies.

Connect with us at our Virtual Wave Meeting. Find out more at bigoceanwomen.org

“Some people believe motherhood starts when you have the baby. Motherhood starts when you get pregnant.” - Shannon Russell

“Something that I hope is something we give is no judgment and more love. I hope that’s what they feel and that we can give to each other regardless. Whoever we are, wherever we are.” - Diane Fisher

“I believe the genius and the secret of motherhood is other mothers. We need each other. Women need each other. And it's so important to both see and connect with those who are doing the same thing.” - Alina Fisher

“Your ability to nurture life within you is something that should be honored in and of itself.” - Alina Fisher

“As we reach out to each other and give support, we are enough. We are enough together. And the whole world, the planet, depends on mothers who understand who they are and are willing to support others, other mothers to become, and that's a powerful thing.” - Diane Fisher

“Do we value that incredible power to create? Do we understand that motherhood is a unique and sacred place of power? And do we act like that ourselves? Do we treat other women that way? How do we treat other children? The biggest change comes in our hearts, that culture of how we talk and treat each other. And I think that would be the biggest difference.” - Diane Fisher

“Motherhood is a sacred journey. It's a challenging journey. It's a journey full of joy. I wouldn't trade it for anything and I would encourage myself and each one of us to find ways to encourage, inspire, lift the mothers close to us and everywhere we find them, to make the world a better place.” - Diane Fisher

Diane Fisher is a mother of 8 children, professional educator, studied in the Middle East and lived in South America. Passionate about motherhood and family.

Currently seeking to share ways to pass on identity and belonging through family stories in a fledgling instagram @FamilyStoriesMatter. She loves nature, hiking, children's books, and dark chocolate. Alina Fisher is a lover of life and of Him who gives it. She has traveled and lived among many different cultures and enjoys discovering the similarities present in the hopes and hardships that we all face. Inspired by living in remote villages in India and Nepal, she aspires to be a traveling humanitarian nurse and is currently completing her Bachelor's in Nursing. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and is the happy mom of two kids and counting. She strives to fill her time with great literature, great music, and association with great women.

Shannon Russell treasures her roles as a wife and mother, finding that the journey of learning and growing alongside her family is the most rewarding experience of her life. At her core, Shannon is passionate about helping others. Whether it be as a real estate agent guiding her clients to one of their most significant investments – their homes, or volunteering at the Columbus Center supporting refugees in learning English and become assimilated in the United States, or creating nonprofits focused on educating youth, she loves serving those around her and is committed to making a positive impact in her community and supporting human rights for all. Shannon loves connecting with women from diverse backgrounds and perspectives through Big Ocean Women where women are empowered to generate solutions that enable them to live a life of joy and abundance. Her favorite pastimes are playing pickleball, board games, hiking, anything that puts her in nature, and being a beach bum.

Carolina Allen is joined by Maddi Cheers to discuss Life Culture.

*Trigger warnings for abortion and abuse.

“I'm a big proponent of the divine feminine and where that intersects with the divine masculine. And that. . . when you start, it doesn't matter what culture you're looking at, I do a lot of looking at Celtic culture, you can look at Native American culture, the Mother Earth, that the womb is the center of the woman's power.” - Maddi Cheers

“I think that what you said is so important, Maddie, and I'd love to revisit it. The womb is the center of the female power. And if you have a society that's kind of framed around obscuring that power, making it seem like it's actually your, your Achilles’ heel, so to speak, and for you to be powerful, you have to negate that power. I mean, that's the ultimate lie. . . [H]ow different would the world look if we had this mass awakening within women? That we. . . took these scales from our eyes and we were able to see that truly this power to create life is the greatest power of all. And if we safeguarded it in ourselves and in each other, and that became the norm, everything would change.” - Carolina Allen

“Real men, men who are connected to the divine, men who are connected to the divine masculine, as they grow older, don't behave that way. They take responsibility for themselves and for others. And they're not in a 24/7 [search] for pleasure.” - Maddi Cheers

“Ask yourself the questions, ‘Where am I heading? What am I doing?’ And you have that power to carve out the future that you want. And I want to testify that if you can just stop for a minute and be self reflective, take a moment to center yourself and ask yourself those critical questions that you have the power. Carve out your own trajectory and take, to make that shift in your life. You can do that and you will find tremendous joy, tremendous peace, and harmony.” - Carolina Allen

Maddi Cheers is not just an interfaith minister and spiritual guide; she is a vessel for divine wisdom, a storyteller weaving the sacred thread of poetry and art through the tapestry of life's intricate moments. As an author and artist healer, her creative spirit has been nurtured by over 25 years of rich exploration into the vast landscape of the world's spiritual traditions, with a profound resonance with the indigenous practices from the Americas. https://www.maddicheers.com/

Her artistry in "The Mandala Meditations" encapsulates this harmonious blend of global wisdom and her own intuitive rituals, manifesting in poetic verses and mandalas that offer guidance and reflection for the soul's journey.

https://www.amazon.com/Mandala-Meditations-Enhance-Spiritual-Journey/dp/B0CXP3NC5L

Carolina Allen is the founder and leader of Big Ocean Women, the international maternal feminist organization representing perspectives of faith, family, and motherhood throughout civil society. Carolina holds a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Utah with an emphasis in cultural religions and philosophy of science. Her inspirational and philosophical work has been presented at various international U.N. conferences. She is a native of Brazil, and a fluent trilingual. She and her husband Kawika are parents to 7 children. She is an avid soccer fan and had a brief career as a semi-professional player.

Dana and Shannon are joined by Susana Lopes and Laura Uplinger from the Prenatal Alliance. They are preparing for their upcoming virtual summit on prenatal wellness, March 21-23, 2025 and the celebration of World Pregnancy Day March 22.

“There’s no frontiers for what human beings can do when we are together and we value and cherish humankind.” - Susana Lopes

“Mothers are nurturers; they are teaching through love and care. Mothers are healers; they are soothing their babies with their voice, their presence. They are naturally intuitive, naturally knowing what feels right for their babies. And they are guides; they help their babies feel secure, feel loved through every beat of their hearts.” - Susana Lopes

The Gift of Giving Life - book that Dana read

“That’s why we need the sisterhood, we need to know that we belong together . . . it’s a divine polarity, we were made the ones that can deal with matter, and matter matters! My physical body matters, otherwise I won't be here, bridging heaven and earth. I need this body, it is my instrument! Please let’s give better and better instruments to the newcomers on this planet. “ Laura Uplinger

https://prenatalalliance.org/

Register for free for the summit

https://worldpregnancyday.com/

Dana Robb is joined by Proviah Tutoreinwe from Uganda as they discuss inherent worth, the value of loving and serving those around you, and the importance of education for mothers and empowering women.

“I am worthy of respect because of how unique I am with the gifts and the talents that Heavenly Father has given me. And this is the time to act.” - Proviah Tutoreinwe

“That was a time when I needed to kneel down in prayer, and through personal reflection the Holy Spirit helped me to realize that my worth was not tied to what I could achieve with my academic, quality credits, credentials, or family title, but what my efforts were to love and care for those I was going to meet.” - Proviah Tutoreinwe

“Remember your worth is inherent and not determined by circumstances. I would say take time to count your blessings, name them one by one, just like a song says. And similarly, reflect on your strengths, if they seem to be small or teeny, you can surround yourself with people who can uplift you… You can also try to seek spiritual guidance. Like I said, praying to reaffirm your value, like I had lost it, but through prayers I came back, I said, ‘No, I'm supposed to be this.’ Because growth comes through challenges, … that's the time that you have to realize your worth.” - Proviah Tutoreinwe

“I love what you said at the beginning of that: your worth is inherent. The root of that word is the same as the word inherited or inheritance. And that reminds me that, that's something that we come with. It's not something that can be taken away or changed or devalued no matter what we lack, no matter what we have, we don't get to change our worth. It is just inherent.” - Dana Robb

Proviah Winnie Tutoreinwe Katsigazi aka senga

The Professional Nurturer

Creative and innovative

Passionate Farmer

Rooted in Faith

Honoring ancestral wisdom

Guided by truth

Thriving in purpose

Cultivating strong families and holistic self reliance

Whenever presented with the opportunity for adventure, Dana Robb is all in. Currently, this includes riding the local mountain biking trails with her husband, canyoneering, and climbing the hills of southern Utah. She loves to learn and explore with her six kids. She is drawn to the opportunities being involved with Big Ocean Women provides. Dana loves connecting to a global sisterhood where women’s issues are being addressed through reframing and an abundance mindset.