Meet Natalie Anderson, Founder of Mama’s Got Grit

My name is Natalie Anderson, and my son has battled substance misuse for over a decade. How many times have I looked into the faces of men who are huddled in doorways or on street corners to see if it was my son? As his mom, it has been both terrifying and exhausting to be on this journey with him. But without a doubt, it has forced me to grow as a human too.

I have honed my intuition and learned to be resilient through overdoses, interventions, emergency rooms, street living, addiction centers, arrests, rehabs, relationships, recovery programs and his fatherhood. I have learned how to navigate the complexities of medical systems and the biases of medical providers. But most importantly I have found the strength to provide ongoing love and emotional support to him through both sobriety and relapses.

No matter how much we might wish addiction away, it’s always there to throw us a curveball when we least expect it.

We can let addiction consume us, or we can allow the experience to make us stronger.

When we take the time to show up for ourselves, it allows us to more effectively show up for others.

Just as an addict must learn to love themselves enough to engage in the fight, we must learn to love ourselves so that we can effectively fight for them.

As mothers, we need to take care of our families, which means we need to make the time to care for ourselves.

Mama’s Got Grit provides an affirming space where mothers of children struggling with problematic substance use can find the strength, connection and joy they need to show up as their best selves.