Part of my mission is to bring academic knowledge of maternal studies into public spaces and to bring greater visibility both to the concept of matrescence, Dana Raphael, and the efforts of other like-minded maternal scholars. By engaging with journalists, podcasts, documentarians and other media platforms, I also help them translate my lab’s scholarship into everyday language that resonates broadly, sparking dialogue and collective change.
Public Scholarship
DOCUMENTARIES
SYNOPSIS: Butterfly in a Blizzard shares a deeply personal look into professional snowboarder Kimmy Fasani’s extraordinary journey into motherhood and what this new phase of life reveals about her past. Fasani and her family opened all doors to capture her metamorphosis from globe-trotting winter sports icon to mom, while exploring matrescence, a newly coined term that encompasses a woman’s transition into motherhood. Throughout the film, the blizzards hit again and again, coming in waves of identity shifts, childhood trauma, relationship struggles and a cancer diagnosis. Through raw and intimate footage captured over five years and supported by leading expert voices in maternal health, Fasani fights through life’s storms while maintaining her place in a sport she loves and evolving to become the mother she strives to be. (Release date: March, 2025) https://www.butterflyinablizzard.com/
Matrescence in the Media
It’s taken a village to finally push matrescence into mainstream consciousness—thanks to the many journalists, writers, researchers, and creators who did their homework and helped apply the concept to their offering with care and integrity. More than a feel-good movement, matrescence is meant to change things for good: how we see mothers, how we support them, and how we shape the policies and science that affect their lives.
