Today we’d like to introduce you to Tram Le
Hi Tram, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey here has been all at once marvelous and full of hardship; it has helped me recognize my strengths to be at this point in my life.
I remember that feeling of hopefulness and anticipation when my husband and I lived in Hawaii after we got married. He was serving in the Navy, and I got a job at a local hospital as a Clinical Dietitian. We basically spent two years trying to surf daily, go to as many farmers markets as he could stand, and explore different hikes and local spots. We were moving to Texas next, and I was eager in starting a new chapter in my life, as I was pregnant with our first child.
A few months after moving to Houston, I was in a massive car accident, which left me with a brain injury (subdural hematoma and hydrocephalus), and loss of the ability to talk, walk, and eat. I was in a medically-induced coma, and two weeks later my baby was delivered via Cesarean section. I woke up in a haze, remembering vaguely how my husband wheeled me in the NICU and said, “Babe, she’s perfect.” She was born 2 months premature and was the size of my hand, and I was in a fight to learn how to walk before my daughter did. The road to recovery was long, with endless PT, OT, and speech therapy appointments. But I was supported by the hearts of family, friends, and hospital staff that got to know me and my family throughout this time of struggle.
I am a Registered Dietitian, and my hope when I was in school years before was to enhance the well-being and health of others through my love of food. It was derailed for a few years, of course, with this accident. But my mind and heart were focused on the prospect of continuing on this path the moment I got better, and I started off working alongside my outpatient therapists as a Clinical Dietitian in the rehab hospital.
We moved to the East Coast as my husband took a position as an instructor at the Naval Academy, and I was in self-development mode. I wanted to improve and not be scared of public speaking, so I pitched Asian fusion cooking classes to the Whole Foods in Annapolis, and started teaching there. I also taught community college students a general health elective at the local community college.
I was so thankful that my first daughter was thriving and healthy, and was elated to find that I was pregnant with my second, 6 years later. We had moved back to California to be near family, and I was excited to see how I could continue my growth here. We moved to the Bay Area, and I got a contracting job as a Registered Dietitian working at Facebook, and then the wellness clinic at Apple. The past seven years really honed my skills as a wellness professional and National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach. I was just so grateful for the opportunities I was given and for what others saw in me, because I had deep-seated insecurities about my ability to keep up professionally (I had mental fatigue after long stretches) and physically (I still have right-sided weakness from the accident, and walk with a slight limp).
I felt such great energy and purpose in my sessions with mothers facing different challenges; struggling with identity shifts, returning to work after maternal leave, juggling the increased responsibilities in life, and feelings of guilt and shame. I identified with so many of those feelings, and knew that this was the space in which I wanted to work.
I’ve held over 5,500 coaching sessions in the past few years in the highly-pressurized tech industry, and am well-equipped to now carry my knowledge and empathy to help others struggling with overwhelming transitions in life.
Whether it is becoming a new mom, facing struggles in motherhood, returning to work after a leave, or other, my goal is to elevate the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of moms, so that the support given plays a factor in reducing conditions such as PMADS (perinatal mood and anxiety disorders) and feelings of isolation. I want to show other women that these difficult times aren’t something they need to just “power through,” but they have the tools and strategies to identify what their limiters are and change their thoughts, behaviors, or environment to lead them to happiness and success. Moms are a cornerstone of our society, and we need them to thrive, so they can continue to teach, empower, and nurture others.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I had a TBI in 2010, which involved a subdural hematoma and hydrocephalus. I had brain surgery that removed part of my skull for a few weeks so the swelling would go down. I had a PEG tube (feeding through the stomach), aphasia, and dysphagia. I had locked-in syndrome and hemiplegia. I took me about 6 months to take my first steps, and over a year of inpatient and outpatient rehab. My mom and mother-in-law took turns flying to Texas from California to care of my daughter when she was discharged from the hospital.
Before my accident, I found joy in running and had set my sights on one day completing a half-marathon. After relearning how to walk, running became difficult and more energy-intensive; I had to concentrate on picking up my right foot off the ground and would trip a lot. Last year, I set a goal to run 10K, and accomplished that. This year, my husband and I completed the Disneyland half-marathon together. It was so difficult, but I did it!
My neurosurgeon and therapists say I am a success story, because not a lot of patients come back to them with happy news. My neurosurgeon told my husband years later, that he had to prepare himself mentally about the possibility of telling my husband the night of the accident that he lost his wife and baby.
I had to overcome impostor syndrome while working in the Bay Area, among Silicon Valley giants. I was a high achiever before the accident, and a valedictorian of my high school. It was through so many conversations of helping other people in tech overcome their own impostor syndrome that helped me feel common humanity and be kinder to myself, eventually feeling secure in my strengths and abilities.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The mission of Mother Maven Coaching, LLC is to empower, uplift, and provide specific strategies in which mothers can be mavens, or the experts of their own lives. This is done through a coaching lens, where we build on each mother’s strengths to overcome overwhelm, restructure systems to achieve calm, and inspire confidence and action to lead lives of abundance.
I provide health and wellness coaching for moms who are in difficult transitions in their lives. I help mothers with thought and emotional awareness, help navigate the expectations and identity shifts in motherhood, and implement routines, behaviors, and thought patterns that help mothers decrease stress and elevate moods. I am a behavior change agent and help moms create actionable steps forward to achieve abundance in their lives.
The United States does not regulate who can call themselves a coach, so people need to do their research. Health and wellness coaches credentialed by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) uphold the highest in standards of practice and ethics, and can work with a medical care team for the treatment or prevention of chronic diseases.
Registered Dietitians, or Registered Dietitian Nutritionists, also have to uphold standards of practice and ethics from the Commission on Dietetic Registration.
I hold both credentials and can speak to health and wellness on a holistic level with a lens for evidence-based nutrition. I help my clients see the interconnectedness of nutrition, brain and gut health, how it affects our moods, sleep, and performance. This gives me a unique lens in coaching, as not all coaches are RDNs, and vice versa.
I am an empathetic person, and this helps me be in tune with my clients. I feel that my struggles, trials and growth moments in the past 13 years have led me to this point where I can continue making a positive impact for others in an authentic way.
I’m very proud of the fact that my brand encourages mothers to be the mavens, or experts, of their own lives, by developing the self-awareness and intuition to implement specific strategies in different areas of their lives to amplify their health and well-being.
My services start at two different coaching packages, called the “Here and Now,” which is 4 coaching sessions, and “Matrescence Abundance,” which is 12 sessions. They can be completed within 1-6 months’ time, and are tailored to each person’s needs, because every mother has a unique journey with different environments, supports, and challenges. I also offer a 90-minute Clarity Session Deep-Dive, for the mother who wants to gain a clear understanding of her next steps in certain challenging situations, such as return-to-work after maternity leave, situational challenges, and proactive postpartum preparation.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Professional development books:
-“Supercommunicators” by Charles Duhigg
-“Matrescence” by Lucy Jones
-“This is Your Brain on Food” by Dr. Uma Naidoo
Leisure books:
-Beyond That, the Sea” by Laura Spence-Ash
-“Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano
Podcasts:
-“Work Life” with Adam Grant
-“Another Mother Runner” with Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity Mcdowell
-“Perimenopause WTF?” with perry app
-“Huberman Lab” with Dr. Andrew Huberman
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mothermavencoaching.com
- Instagram: @mothermavencoaching
