WellMama Staff

Andria Peterson, Executive Director
Andria is married and raising five children ages nine to twenty-three. A couple of them have  moved out, but surely still need their mama! She has lived in Eugene since 2003, where she became a certified birth and postpartum doula and childbirth educator. After loving her doula business, she went back to school to stretch toward a new horizon.

Andria graduated from Prescott College with her degree in nonprofit administration and began a career in grant writing. Shortly thereafter, she was asked to join WellMama as executive director. She feels fully blessed with the opportunities to write grants and manage an organization built on a deep passion and love for women as mothers.

Andria not only has vast experience as a mother, but she has also experienced depression, anxiety, and other maternal mental health issues. She has felt the fear of leaving her house due to anxiety and the depths of wanting to be a great mom, but not believing she could be. She knows what it feels like for many WellMama clients and strives to understand others. Most importantly, Andria believes in recovery for all moms experiencing the heartbreaking feelings that frequently occur around pregnancy and childbirth. She has overcome them and supported many others through the process.

In wellness, she loves to be outdoors soaking up the rain drops or the sunshine. She loves to hear her sweet children playing together, which usually means planning practical jokes on dad. She is a happy person who wants to improve life for moms. She believes moms and dads who are emotionally healthy contribute to emotionally happy babies. She loves her job at WellMama and wants all to break the silence and speak up for maternal mental health as a normal function of good health.

WellMama Volunteers

Starr Amrit, Warm Line Volunteer

Jaimie Bemisdarfer, Provider Support Volunteer

Meredith Calzia, Warm Line Volunteer
Meredith and her husband moved to Eugene nine years ago to start their family. They have both a young son and daughter. Meredith studied child development and has taught as a preschool teacher for over ten years, although she is currently taking time off to stay home with her daughter.

Meredith began volunteering for WellMama shortly after the birth of her second child. Since she was in the thick of it herself, she figured no better time to start. Speaking with and supporting local moms has been such a pleasure and quite rewarding. Parenting is a huge job. The phrase “It takes a village” is no joke. Meredith is happy to be part of such a great village of moms helping moms!

Deb Catlin, Lead Trainer & Postpartum Doula Task Force

Jessica Derstine, Support Group Leader

Tatiana Efremova, Warm Line Volunteer & Provider Support Volunteer

Courtney Freitag, Logo Design

Kallen Korin, Support Group Leader
Working with women during their pregnancies and through their postpartum period has always been Kallen’s passion. She is co-owner of the Willamette Valley Lactation Consultants, LLC, which opened in April 2012 and shares an office space with WellMama. She has been a nurse for over forty years, a childbirth educator, doula, and a lactation consultant. Until a year ago, she lived in New Jersey and worked with families struggling with postpartum depression as part of Virtua Health and Wellness Center. Kallen ran support groups, answered the hotline, and conducted follow-ups for several years. Kallen also serves on the WellMama Board of Directors.

Kerstin Lind, Warm Line Volunteer

Mandy Lindgren, Executive Assistant
Mandy Lindgren is a business manager at the Center for Applied Second Language Studies at the University of Oregon. She has always been an advocate for women’s rights. During her pregnancy, she conducted research on the U.S. medical community and birth outcomes. Her research led her to choosing to have a home birth in May 2010. She successfully worked with a group of women to advocate for re-instating licensed direct-entry midwives into their insurance policy. She volunteers with WellMama, because she believes every woman and her family should receive support during pregnancy and the postpartum period and that the medical community is often not structured to provide that support. Mandy is a fitness and nutrition junkie who enjoys spending time with her son and boyfriend outdoors – even in the Eugene rain.

Isabella Prybil, Volunteer Support

Brianna Robbins, Postpartum Doula Task Force

Lillian Shoupe, Support Group Leader & Postpartum Doula Task Force
Lillian Stroupe is a birth and postpartum doula who offers individualized support to families. She volunteers with WellMama because she has a long standing admiration and desire to be with young families. Teaching HypnoBirthing; infant massage; and prenatal, parent, and baby yoga classes give her more time to connect and help many blossoming families in meaningful ways. Lillian is a retired Rolfer and movement therapist. Holding the space for WellMama’s Tuesday support group at Parenting Now! is another in this continuum and truly makes her life richer and more meaningful. She also likes to quilt, do needlepoint, knit and crochet things, play in the garden, interact with her flock of chicken and ducks, and ride her bike. Lillian has two grown sons, Ben and Abe, and a grandchild, Lupin. After twenty-five years in Sacramento, Lillian and her husband moved to Eugene in December 2009. And she couldn’t be happier.

Sara Smith-Spahn, Support Group Leader

Min Yi Su, Support Group Leader

Linda Walling, Warm Line Volunteer

Darcy Weinshienk, Warm Line Volunteer