Let's Throw Some Glitter

Our 2024 Exhale Brag Board is here!

Are you a mother craving encouragement and support for your creative endeavors?

At Exhale, we encourage and equip women to re-engage their creative selves amidst the beautiful chaos of raising children—for the enrichment of both experiences.

Our community is made up of writers, photographers, poets, bakers, knitters, musicians, designers, podcasters, painters, and more. At the root, we believe that creativity enriches our motherhood, and motherhood enriches our creativity.

The community and friendship are everything. They push me to be brave. They cheer me on. They celebrate the little things. I’ve never experienced a place quite like this! - Kendra E.

Our doors are open to new members January 1-January 15th. If you’re looking for support, accountability, camaraderie, and inspiration for your creativity in 2025, we’d love for you to join us!

As 2024 comes to a close, we want to tap into our reputation as the Best Hype Girls on the Internet and throw some glitter on our members. At Exhale, we celebrate the little victories just as much as the big accomplishments. From published books to gingerbread houses and everything in between—here’s what some of our members made this year …

*Bethany wrote her first book (!), which comes out April 15th. You can pre-order Perfected: Trading Shame and Striving for Wholeness in Christ here.

*Grace gave birth to her second baby in October and shared her birth story.

*After 14 years, Vanessa rediscovered her love of writing and launched a Substack called Minutes and Moments.

*Hailee shared a vulnerable Instagram reel about approaching advent after the loss of her daughter.

*Karen made a 2024 Family Instax Scrapbook. She used to love making scrapbooks as a kid, but mostly abandoned the practice after college. Karen exclusively used Instax camera prints to avoid the pressure of "the perfect photo" and instead captured life as it was—full of smiles, but often blurry. In an age where so much is digital, it has brought Karen so much joy to see these memories in print with something her own hands helped make:

*Kelsey wrote a piece on Substack about how she’s learning to loosen the reins of control in her life and creativity, due in no small part to walking through The Artist's Way cohort with other women from Exhale.

*Callie wrote a stunning essay—The Improbability of Fossils—which she began writing during the "Tell It Slant" Discord study with other Exhale ladies.

*Allison started a monthly poetry series on her Substack. The cadence has supported her goal to write regularly and share her work even when it feels vulnerable.

*Laura wrote an essay about growth, confidence, and a Rubik’s Cube.

*Becca took the "Curiosity as Creative Practice" Exhale photography workshop over the summer, which inspired her to capture this image:

*Reem published two picture books (!) — The House Without Lights and Do You Even Know Me? are both available now!

*Leslie gave an inspiring TEDx Talk, Leave the Someday Isle and Start Before You’re Ready.

*Lindsey launched a monthly newsletter—Delight Quest—inspired by the Exhale podcast episode on "Fun Mom Summer."

*Ashley wrote this beautiful poem about her youngest son.

*Lisa launched an Etsy shop with a digital quarterly calendar.

*Stacy wrote an essay —Night Calving and Red Velvet Cake—about the time she and her husband saved a calf who was born at -40 degrees.

*Sasha made the cutest Gingerbread house we’ve ever seen:

*Susan had the pleasure of creating a poetry collection with a group of California Bay Area parents called Half Past Eight: A Sleep Optional Chapbook. The poems explore intimate moments of memory, sleeplessness, and the shifting dynamics among those we love and within ourselves. She was honored that a selection of her poems were included!

*After years of complaining about an ugly, seemingly inhospitable part of her front yard, Kendra decided to attempt a "chaos garden" and it turned out better than she imagined. She was inspired by the beautiful gardens of fellow Exhale members, as well as her own success growing zinnias in another part of her yard. She documented the entire process, and wrote a short piece about it for Substack.

*Emma published "The Very Busy Writer" — a parody of Eric Carle's classic children's book, retold as writers facing the everyday distraction of writing life:

*Lindsey won third place in our annual Love After Babies essay contest, intertwining her love for her husband with her love for books.

*Amelia wrote a reflection on pregnancies following loss, inspired by our Exhale Blog Hop, “Sleepless.”

*Michelle Windsor and the ladies of

Part-Time Poets

published their first book (!), In Which I Try To Save The World.

*Laura hand-lettered a decal for storytellers—perfect for water bottles and laptops.

*After enduring a painful injury for nearly two years, Alyssa finally figured out how to write about it.

*Lauren picked up her camera again after years of collecting dust, and started spending more time outside in nature. (“This year, I feel stronger in my motherhood, like I’ve reached the top and can finally enjoy the view.”)

*Sarah wrote an essay capturing the big feelings she had during her oldest's last semester of elementary school.

*Katie wrote a poem as part of our “Linger” Exhale blog hop.

*Susan put up a solo art show in a local bakery!

*Ashley wrote an essay celebrating the changes in her body—and herself—through various stages of motherhood.

*Kristina made a gorgeous quilt—and wrote about it.

*Lindsay wrote a memoir, Holding On and Letting Go: A Life in Motion, set to release in May of 2025, and started to do the next hard part: sharing about it. She wrote a piece called The Bravest Individual, inspired by the Exhale Blog Hop prompt Tender. (“Since the book started in Exhale, it felt appropriate to start celebrating it bolstered by the same creative community!”)

*Allie wrote an essay detailing one of the most traumatic experiences of her life and the ways God held her throughout. (“When I think back on how many Exhale fingerprints are on this piece, it makes me want to cry. Because I believed in this story and because it mattered so much to me, my friends in Exhale believed in it and it mattered to them, too. I’m so proud of what it became, and I know it wouldn’t be what it is without the edits and love mentors and fellow writers poured into it.”)

*A week or two after her son was born, Kendra asked for a few minutes to play with watercolor at the dining room table. She just wanted to feel a little more like herself but it turned out to be one of her favorite things she created this year.

*Aly wrote and shared a poem / mission statement for the writer in OCD recovery.

*Kristin wrote an essay published in the Coffee + Crumbs Fall Collection (“truly one of the biggest highlights of my creative year!” ❤️).

*Kim wrote an essay—Planting Seeds—inspired by our recent Exhale Blog Hop, “Tender.”

*And last but certainly not least, Laura practiced the art of hospitality by planning an Exhale gathering in Virginia for members in the area:

What a joy it is to create alongside these women!

If you’d like to join our community of creative mothers in 2025, enrollment opens on January 1st. Want to test the waters first? Come hang out with us on Zoom this Sunday for our annual Reflect & Reset Retreat to get a feel for what the community is like! Still have questions? Email us anytime at hello@exhalecreativity.com!