Parenting can be challenging

We aren’t out to change that. That’s sort of the gift of it. But, the isolating parts of it… the feelings of shame or the experiences of loneliness…the belief that we need to navigate something so universal… all alone - we want to take a stab at ameliorating that.

  • The Den is a family forward daily retreat that empowers parents through connections to providers, educators, and community builders. We believe in a dignified and expansive parenting experience, and provide a purpose-built environment that is designed with children, parents, and facilitators in mind. We believe that parents and caregivers have important and well-deserved needs, and we exist to meet those needs.

  • When parents are resourced and in community, they have the opportunity to shift their paradigm from meeting requirements, scarcity, and desperation to fulfillment, abundance, and inspiration. When people are in community with each other, they do more than survive - they are invited to thrive.

  • Open Mindedness: We wholeheartedly believe in connectedness and the value of storytelling + curiosity in building that connection. To know one person is not to know every person, and engaging with empathy, even in challenging situations, is expansive and worth doing.

    Dignity: We believe that everyone has inherent worth, and that each person deserves to be met with compassion, care, and respect. When people are celebrated for exactly who they are they are able to direct themselves towards their fulfillment.

    Communication: Asking questions and refining your understanding shows strength and confidence. Seeking clarity helps others seek clarity too, and opens the door to authentic connection. Communication is verbal and nonverbal, and taking care with both is how we show respect. We show up in our communication with directness and kindness. We use communication to push forward.

    Accountability: We can only own our actions, behaviors, and impacts - and as such it’s our responsibility to do so. Your mistakes don’t define you but your response to them does. Accountability is connection in action - the knowledge that what you do impacts the environment around you.

    Trust: When we engage with open mindedness, dignity, communication, and accountability, we open the door to have relationships based on authenticity and trust. Trust allows for the belief that there is an undercurrent of good intention. Trust can be grown, developed, broken, and repaired. We believe that trust is fundamental to engaging with vulnerability and truth in relationships, and we know that it requires effort and maintenance.

Hi! I’m Chandler

My story is not unlike a lot of yours. The transition into parenthood was hard. I struggled tremendously with PMADs (Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders.) What got me through was mental health support, and a community of loving, curious souls. I am, with the help of many others, building The Den to change the way we experience Parenthood.

Our Story

When we got pregnant with our first, I was working in California and traveling frequently to Europe. It was something I loved. I was blindsided by extreme and oppressive nausea. I couldn’t keep any food down and it grew harder and harder for me to get to work. I eventually quit to stay sick in the comfort of my own apartment. Once I quit, I completely lost myself. I had spent so much of my adult life identifying as my career and a blended definition of my and society’s ideals of beauty. With rapid weight gain and nowhere to prove my worth, I spiraled into a very disorienting depression.

Once I had our daughter, and some of my hormones tapered off, I came out of the fog. I realized how much I had been struggling without being able to articulate it. It was about so much more than my career, or my body. This made me wonder how many other people were struggling with only a vague understanding of why. The more I asked, the more I learned. You name it, everyone had their hurdle.

I was moved to become a better listener. So, I spent a year going through the Training and Certification courses at the Co-Active Training Institute. With that skillset I became a phone line operator for Postpartum Support International. I spoke to hundreds of people: moms, dads, grandparents, siblings, those who had had an abortion, those who had experienced loss, single parents trying to make ends meet, etc. It was one of the greatest honors of my life; to be welcomed into a hard time from a stranger in need.

When I became pregnant with our second, which was another very tough pregnancy, I learned of the term Matrescence.It was so validating to the experiences of so many, including my own. I enrolled in Dr Aurelie Athan's course on Matrescence through the Teacher’s College of Columbia. I spent a semester studying Matrescence and opening my eyes to the resources and research that’s already happening on the lives of parents.

The concept of The Den came about as a place to combine the resourcing that Postpartum Support International provides + the validation that comes from data and research + the community that we are all hungry for + a space that is beautiful and uplifting where we can be reminded of our whole selves.

We have an awesome team, and a ton of resources we are connected to. We are here for you, and we can’t wait to meet.

Our Team

Chandler Lipe
Founder | CEO

Michelle Szoke
Co-owner of Den SoBo

Brooke Marquart
Programming & Partnerships

Gracie Smith
Hospitality Coordinator

Katie Linn
Manager - Family Experience

Maia Luem
General Manager