Circle of Held

Circle of Held is a maternal resilience initiative dedicated to supporting Spanish-speaking immigrant mothers in New Orleans during one of the most vulnerable and transformative stages of life: early motherhood.

For many mothers navigating life in a new country, the transition into motherhood can be deeply isolating. Far from extended family, familiar systems, and cultural support networks, many women face this stage with limited emotional support, high stress, and few spaces where they can feel understood in their own language and cultural context.

Circle of Held was created to respond to this gap.

Our work centers on building safe, culturally responsive spaces where mothers can come together, share their experiences, and access structured emotional and psychoeducational support. Through our pilot program, Círculo de Resiliencia Materna, we offer small-group cohorts designed to strengthen emotional wellbeing, reduce stress, and foster meaningful community connection.

Each cohort brings together 6 to 10 mothers for a four-week experience that includes guided discussions, practical tools for managing stress and emotional overwhelm, and opportunities to build supportive relationships with other women navigating similar life transitions. The program also includes on-site childcare support, ensuring that mothers can fully participate without additional barriers.

This initiative is intentionally designed as a non-clinical, preventive model — creating early support systems that can help reduce isolation, strengthen resilience, and promote healthier outcomes for both mothers and their children.

Your support will directly fund the implementation of these pilot cohorts.

Every donation helps provide:
• Access to a supportive, culturally responsive space for immigrant mothers
• Childcare during sessions, removing a key barrier to participation
• Program materials and resources
• Facilitation of structured, high-quality group experiences

Our goal is to launch multiple cohorts during this pilot phase, allowing us to reach more mothers, gather meaningful outcome data, and build a sustainable model that can grow over time.

By supporting Circle of Held, you are helping create something many mothers lack but deeply need: a sense of belonging, emotional support, and community during early motherhood.

This is more than a program — it is the beginning of a support system designed to hold mothers, so they don’t have to navigate this stage alone.