Love Coach Mara

05/22/2026

Sixteen months ago I became ill. It was clear to me because of my family history that a lot of it was autoimmune. My mother had an undiagnosed autoimmune condition and passed from it.

I have seen four rheumatologists and I have been dismissed every single time because my labs are normal. My mom's labs were normal too, and she passed away from pulmonary hypertension, which can be part of an autoimmune cascade, after a long battle with autoimmune symptoms. I have learned a lot on this journey and I want to share it with people who may be experiencing similar signs and symptoms.

Are you living with symptoms that nobody around you can see? The iceberg says it all. What shows above the waterline is the tip, the part you perform for the world, the showing up, the smiling, the getting through the day. Everything else lives below. The pain, the fatigue, the brain fog, the appointments, the fighting for answers, the pushing through when your body is begging you to stop.
Four out of five autoimmune disease patients are women. There is a large autoimmune spike when women go through menopause. This was true for my mom, my sister, and myself.

For my mother and I being helpers might not have helped our health. Autoimmunity does not just affect patients. It disproportionately affects the helpers themselves. The chronic stress of caregiving, of showing up for everyone else, of never fully clocking out, is one of the most significant triggers we know of.
Three months ago I started building a trauma informed practice called Healing the Helpers for just this reason.

Healingthehelpers.com

I have brought together an experienced team of holistic practitioners and medical people who are trauma informed and ready to help begin to heal all the helpers.
Medical providers, veterinarians, first responders, therapists, educators, all you helpers out there, please take care of yourselves while you are helping others. Being a helper under chronic stress does not just burn you out emotionally. The research is clear that it puts your immune system at real, measurable risk. Your body is keeping score whether you are paying attention or not.

Most people only see the top. I see the whole iceberg. That is what Healing the Helpers is built around.

Read the full piece on my blog here. Free resources waiting for you at the end, including a gratitude practice handout and a vagus nerve reset guide that will change your mornings.

https://love-coach-mara.squarespace.com/blog/a-view-from-underneath

Not sure how burned out you actually are? Find out in three minutes.

Take the free burnout quiz here:
https://healingthehelpers.github.io/Healing-the-Helpers/burnout-quiz.html

04/19/2026

🚨 BREAKING MEDICAL NEWS 🚨

https://www.npr.org/2026/04/18/nx-s1-5789859/psychedelic-treatments-mental-health

Todays news has the potential to revolutionize mental health care as we know it.

It doesn't matter what side of the aisle you stand on.
Mental health in this country has reached a crisis point. The pandemic left millions traumatized and isolated. School shootings have stolen the innocence of an entire generation. The drug and opioid epidemic has devastated families in every zip code in America. Su***de rates among veterans, first responders, healthcare workers, and helpers continue to climb. We are a nation in pain, and our current tools are not working well enough.

Today, President Trump signed an Executive Order directing federal agencies to accelerate research, clinical trial pathways, and drug approval timelines for psychedelic therapies, and allocated at least $50 million to support state programs advancing this work.
This is a historic moment.

After 23 years as a physician assistant in a busy family practice clinic, who started her career in emergency medicine and worked in disaster response, I went back to school for trauma and psychedelic care. Through my years of relationship, couples, and intimacy coaching, I had already witnessed the profound impact that healing work can have on people's lives. That, combined with my own deeply personal healing journey, led me to the Integrative Psychiatry Institute (psychiatryinstitute.com), where I became a certified trauma and psychedelic-assisted healing practitioner.

Together, those paths led me to found Healing the Helpers (healingthehelpers.com), a trauma-informed healing retreat practice utilizing the legal medication ketamine, serving burned-out healthcare workers, first responders, educators, and all the helpers. Retreats are held in Sonoma County, and individual and couples work is open to all of California.

I am beyond excited that this Executive Order will fast-track research into ibogaine, psilocybin, and M**A. The science already backs this up. In clinical trials, 68% of veterans with PTSD no longer met the diagnostic criteria after M**A-assisted therapy. That is not a small number. That is a revolution. Unfortunately, the FDA previously turned down those trials. But this new infusion of research dollars will hopefully change everything for the millions of people who desperately need this work.

MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies), the organization that has fought for this for 40 years, said it best today:

"This is a beginning, not the solution. Whether this moment leads to real healing depends on how it gets implemented: with rigorous science, careful screening, trained providers, and respect for the Indigenous communities whose traditions gave us these medicines."

I couldn't agree more. DONE RIGHT, with proper medical and psychiatric screening, preparation, and integration this changes everything. This also means greater equitable access for everyone, not just those who can afford boutique wellness. Veterans, first responders, teachers, healthcare workers, and everyday people who have been failed by our current system deserve a seat at this table.

I caught a wave, and despite a burned-out healthcare system that too often leaves its own behind, this work has given me renewed purpose and something that feels like joy again. That wave only exists because of decades of brave researchers, advocates, Indigenous wisdom keepers, those who quietly did this work underground when it was scary to do so, and everyday people who refused to give up.

If you are a healthcare worker, first responder, educator, or helper of any kind who is running on empty, reach out. This work is for you. Whether you work with me or another provider, I am happy to share resources, referrals, and education to help you find the right fit. The most important thing is that you get the support you deserve.

👉 What's your burnout score? Take the quiz and please take care of yourself!

https://www.lovecoachmara.com/burnout-quiz

📧 [email protected] 🌐 healingthehelpers.com
**A

08/29/2024

Looking for fun plans on Saturday? Come join the 3rd annual African Soul Festival.
I will have a booth in the resource area and can answer any questions about dating, relating and the birds & the bees. Or come by just to chat. 😃

08/29/2024

Looking for fun plans on Saturday? Come join the 3rd annual African Soul Festival.
I will have a booth in the resource area. Come say hi and we can chat about all things dating and relating.

06/02/2024

Calling all singles.

Are you wishing you were more successful at online dating?

or

Are you thinking about starting online dating but are daunted by the entire process.

Have you been using the apps and are burnt out on online dating?

Do you feel that you are doing the work to find good high quality dates but ending up with duds, or even worse bots?

Come join my my Dating Skills Workshop to discuss ways to streamline the process, use the apps to your advantage and be more successful!

Are you suffering from dating dissatisfaction? Are you wishing you knew how to use the dating apps to your advantage? Are you stalling on dating because your past experie

05/06/2024

One of the reasons couples quit having frequent s*x as time goes by is fear of rejection. When one partner reaches out and does not get a response it shuts them down and can make them less likely to try as often for fear of rejection.

Instead couples can work on having vulnerable, honest communication and watch things get steamier!

This is a good listen and reminds us all communication is the key to all things in a relationship, including a great s*x life!!

‎Show Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel, Ep There's You, There's Me, There's US - Apr 28, 2024

04/20/2024

Looking for fun plans on Sunday? Come check out The Trade Marketplace at the Barlow in Sebastopol from 11-4.

Come see myself and my friend April Hirschman at our booth. We will be located near Golden Gate C***r.

April will have copies of her new book Desire Makes Me Brave
and she will be giving an Author talk at 1pm. It is a great read! Plus she will have her artwork available.

If you have questions or thoughts about the state of dating and relationships, come say hi as these are some of our favorite topics!

02/05/2024

Calling all local singles. 10 days until Valentine’s Day. Don’t you worry if you don’t have a date, come join our singles group and join in the fun! ❤️

Check out Dating Done Differently Community on Meetup https://meetu.ps/c/55Dws/N2WkD/a

01/23/2024

Calling all singles.
There are 3 weeks until Valentines day.
Come join the Dating Done Differently Community for a couple fun events.

https://www.meetup.com/santa-rosa-singles-meetup-group/events/298475951/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=share-btn_savedevents_share_modal&utm_source=link

https://www.meetup.com/santa-rosa-singles-meetup-group/events/298523601/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=share-btn_savedevents_share_modal&utm_source=link

Come join the Dating Done Differently Community for a Valentine’s dinner and a Dating Skills Workshop on Self Love. Don't have a Valentine date don't you worry. Come celeb