Meet the Team
Nicole McCharenNicole McCharen
- Owner/ Creator of Mama Bloom
- Mama Bloom Facilitator
- 1-1 Parent Coaching
- 1-1 Birth Processing Sessions
Hi, I’m Nicole McCharen. I am the founder and owner of Mama Bloom. My family is very important to me, my husband and I were married in 2003, we have four beautiful children, Jude, Mazzy, Dylan, and Ezekiel. Our house is equal parts crazy and a dream come true. Mama Bloom was born out of my own experiences (mostly struggles) as a mama for which I am deeply humbled and grateful.
My background is in Social work, and I’ve been working with families since 2003 and even led my first parenting group then! I have always been drawn to working with mamas because I truly believe they impact the generations. I am also passionate about community and connection and feel called to create it wherever I go. I am truly here for generational transformation TOGETHER!
I am a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach with some leadership training with Coaches Training Institute (CTI), and a birth doula trained through DONA & Tiny Love Doulas. I’ve trained with Birthing from Within in Birth Story Listening, and am currently training in Somatic Experiencing with SETI, a body and nervous system healing modality for stress and trauma.
I blend my personal experiences with my professional training to further the mission of Mama Bloom and do my part in creating maternal and family wellness and wholeness. I am also involved in Giving Austin Labor Support, an organization near and dear to my heart where the mission is no one births alone and we are committed to impacting the maternal health disparities in Central Texas as well as raise up community centered doulas.
I offer 1-1 coaching with a somatic focus (body based/ nervous system based) around intentional values based living and leadership as a family, processing challenging births, mamas who want to reconnect with themselves after losing themselves in mothering, and emerging leaders in heart and mission driven work. I help mamas embody what’s in their hearts to give to their families and live in a joyful, connected, and courageous way. I also help mamas re-mother themselves so they can be the best mama they can be.
I love to hike, garden, eat with friends and family, travel, play games, be with my huge extended family, and pursue spiritual community and connection. I am honored that you are here. I would love to connect with you!
Book a free consultation and/or email Nicole.
Alison VaclavAlison Vaclav
- Mama Bloom Facilitator
- 1-1 Creativity Coach (the intersection of mothering & creativity)
- Creator and Facilitator of Mama HeART Journaling Groups (private offering for previous Mama Bloom mamas)
Hi there! My name is Alison Vaclav. Things I love: my family, my city, coffee, rich conversations, naps, art journaling, rainbows and dancing (not always in that order).
I moved to Austin from my hometown of Huntsville, Texas in 1998 to attend the University of Texas where I earned (but never used) my degree in Journalism. During that time I met my husband Michael, and we spent a good portion of our time together in coffee shops talking, learning and connecting with friends.
As it turns out, our passion for people and conversation gave us the grit we needed to create our own coffee shop, Medici. We had no experience, very little money and a distinct habit of biting off more than we can chew. But one way or another, it worked. So we have had the honor of creating beautiful spaces and serving delicious coffee to our city since 2006.
In the middle of all that, we had five kids. Talk about biting off more than you can chew! Our first was born in 2004 and our last in 2013, so I spent about a decade as a stay-at-home momtrepreneur either pregnant or nursing. It was a full-throttle first season of motherhood that had great reward and great cost. It’s hard to overstate how being a mother to my four girls and one boy has transformed me—how it has broken and rebuilt me with grief, joy, overwhelm and pride over and over again. I experience parenthood as a raw, gritty, glorious business that requires skill and stamina. I deeply believe that all who embrace the noble and messy endeavor of parenthood deserve empathy, encouragement and connection. That is exactly what Mama Bloom offers.
Hence, it was my total honor to join this unique postpartum team in the fall of 2017. The opportunity to support mothers in an intimate setting that fosters connection and compassionate learning is such a gift—not only to see other moms empowered—but also because I keep learning and growing as well.
In recent years, the practice of art journaling has been a key component of my personal growth and healing in motherhood. It provides me with an accessible way to process difficult emotions and cultivate connection to my inner resourcefulness--both vital processes for parenting and life. In an effort to share this powerful tool and practice, I created Mama HeART Journaling. It’s a six week series based on the Mama Bloom postpartum curriculum, in which I guide small groups of women through visual journaling. This series is a fresh and fun way for moms to explore their creativity and continue connection with the Mama Bloom community.
Mothering requires our creative selves. Whether we identify as “creatives” or not, the process of parenting and crafting family life taps deeply into the reserves of our inner selves. Discovering the truly inexhaustible nature of our creativity as humans has the power to transform our daily lives. In big ways and small, learning to trust and rely on our intuitive creativity can empower any mother’s journey. For this reason, I became a Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach. The tools specific to this coaching model help individuals overcome blocks to their creativity and unleash the power of their intuition in gentle, accessible ways. It’s my joy to offer one-on-one sessions for anyone interested in exploring the intersection of creativity and mothering!
Book a free consultation and/or email Alison.
Adrienne KieselAdrienne Kiesel
- Mama Bloom Facilitator
- Yoga Teacher
- 1-1 Sessions
Hello there, my name is Adrienne Kiesel and I’m a mom! I have two amazing daughters, (and a really cool dog), and I’m married to the love of my life, David.
Through becoming a mother, I realized over and over again how challenging yet simply glorious it is to be a mother; it’s just such a gift.
Once I became a mother though, I began to realize how little I knew about taking care of myself. My journey into motherhood was marked with undiagnosed postpartum depression, health complications and what would turn into years of dealing with autoimmune disease. I continued to do my own work towards healing, but motherhood held up it’s own mirror to who I was and where I was coming from.
Cue support system… I was gifted with a small group of new mothers and friends whom I would walk arm in arm with through this remarkable season. Two of the original mamas from my mama tribe are right here at Mama Bloom, Nicole and Chantel! My entire world and family were consistently lifted up and supported by my people during this transition. This is what led me to my work with Mama Bloom.
I began working with Mama Bloom in 2019 and joined the best.team.ever. I love getting to see and be a part of mother’s journeys as they begin to grow in love towards themselves and one another, become a group of women supporting women, and explore deep ways to walk out this journey. It’s such a unique season for women as they become mothers and I couldn’t be more proud of the work being done through Mama Bloom.
I have a background in social work, working in the foster care system, as well as in working with children and adults with developmental disabilities. My heart is in social work, trauma resolution, as well as movement!
I became a Registered Yoga Teacher in October of 2016 because I realized just how nourishing movement is to the body. I believe that we can receive so much as we focus on nourishing ourselves through movement therefore opening up the possibility for connection to our bodies! I also received an Associates degree in Dance in 2017 after realizing I had an unfulfilled lifelong journey to become a dancer. (And yes, you too can go back to school after becoming a mother…there is so much potential!) I then began training to become a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner through the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute in 2017, to help others find healing from trauma through the nervous system. I also have a specialty in Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga.
I currently have a private practice working one on one with clients to find healing from trauma, reconnect to a felt sense of safety within their own bodies, connect more fully to others and their children, process anger in healthy ways, as well connect to a renewed sense of vitality!
Book a free consultation or email Adrienne.
Chantel Acosta-Saubon, LCSWChantel Acosta-Saubon, LCSW
- Mama Bloom Facilitator
- Licensed Therapist
Mama Bloom creates unique safe spaces to witness your journey of motherhood in the postpartum season with connection and tenderness. My own journey of motherhood began with losses of pregnancies and finally reaching the birth of my first beautiful daughter with all the love and support around me. My postpartum season, I yearned for connection and also missed taking care of myself, because I thought I had to give all to my baby, who I worked so hard to bring to the world. Over the years, I continue to grow and learn the importance of taking care of me, so that I can take care of my family. This is what has really pulled me toward joining Mama Bloom to support mamas in their most vulnerable season and need of connection.
I love hiking in nature, movie nights with friends and family to laugh with (don't forget the sour patch candy), slow stretching yoga, discovering new places, and coffee to keep going! I'm a mom with three bright and creative girls, who have really brought a vulnerable side of myself to light and a wife to my husband who tries to support me in every way (even when I don't accept the help).
I am also a social worker with a big heart, a licensed therapist with a trauma informed mindful private practice, a board member on occasion and a clinical supervisor for social workers. My passion and heart direction has always led me to work with families. I have worked with foster families and families with children with special needs in a variety of nonprofits. Currently I am supporting women struggling in the perinatal and postpartum season in my small private practice. Mama Bloom has been a connection for me to continue my growing and learning alongside three beautiful courageous women leaders and friends. I will be looking forward to meeting you in our safe courageous space.
Book a free consultation or email Chantel.
