I’m Maureen. I’ve been there.

When my daughter died shortly after being born, the grief was so overwhelming it was hard to do basic things like pay bills. I had been working in a traumatic brain injury rehab center, where I learned how long and hard it can be for the brain to heal after trauma, particularly arrested developments, cognitive delays and the ability to function “normally”—the same challenges I was experiencing during my emotional trauma. 

I wish someone had told me that what I was experiencing was normal, and would get better, so it wasn’t so overwhelming in my time of crisis. I wish I’d had some supports in managing daily life to help me get through the hardest time. 

Years later when my son was in treatment for addiction and I was going through a divorce, I recognized that the emotional crisis would impact my ability to deal with daily life, so I put a support structure in place to handle money, legal issues, and all the overwhelming financial responsibilities—and it made all the difference. I set myself up for success. I attended graduate school for non-profit administration to redirect my social work and mental health career. I decided I wanted work that was rewarding. I studied social entrepreneurship and hybrid non- and for-profit business models. I received a fellowship to study financial inclusivity and scalable models for it to make significant social impacts. The fellowship coincided with my son’s recovery and his struggle to make simple financial decisions despite his education in finance. I recognized the same trauma response factors that impact brain functioning and saw the connection to what I—and so many others—have experienced in trauma. Addiction is trauma. It takes time to reset the brain. So, I created Bedrock Financial Health to be the safe place for anyone in crisis or transition to find stable financial ground.