The women behind the
No Taboo Mom Project
"But behind all your stories is always your mother's story, because hers is where yours begins."
Ewa Gillen
Born 1985 | Mother of Milou | Polish Berliner
My name is Ewa Gillen, I was born in Poland and since my high school graduation I have been studying and working in Germany, Canada, Australia and Spain. I hold a master’s degree in Creative Industries and since 2014 I have been running my own business, traveling all over the world and gaining new experiences. My husband Benjamin and I have always had an active lifestyle, ticking off one goal after another. Everything seemed so clear. I felt strong and invincible.
My life flipped upside down on the day that Milou was born. Everything changed. My body changed, my perception changed, I have changed. Finally, as a mother I realized I have known so little about my own body and mind. Due to my traumatic birth experience followed by birth injury, postpartum depression, surgery and a very long recovery, I have experienced the dark side of Europe’s healthcare system. I was downhearted, frightened and angry. I realized that all this time, I have been fed with sugar-coated information for young mothers. I entered the stage of motherhood completely unprepared and with a distorted picture of reality. I had to do something about it. As soon as I gained some strength, I have decided to leave my comfort zone and take actions.
I knew I was not the only one feeling such injustice. Julia and I have always been on the same wavelength. As moms of little girls, we quickly understood that this world had to change for our daughters to have a better life. Therefore, we have decided to create the No Taboo Mom Blog. We created an online platform where we could speak freely of our experiences, where women of all ages could share their stories and create a bull-shit free source of information for every woman to profit from. Without a doubt motherhood is the most beautiful, fulfilling and purpose giving thing that ever happen to me. I love my family beyond measures. Unfortunately, this world is not yet ready for women to carry children and give birth with dignity as well as adequate medical support – even in Germany. There is some much room for improvement. I want to change the world for better and I start with No Taboo Mom.
Julia Kolbe
Born 1986 | Mother of Ida & Elsie | German
I used to be a very restless young woman. I was moving frequently from place to place (even to the other side of the world). I will never forget all those special moments full of adventures. I loved to dance and hang out with my awesome friends. I worked as a nurse for couple of years and recently started studying to becoming a teacher. I reached many of my personal goals but still have so many dreams that I am working towards to every day of my life. I think I am still the same woman, only the restless part left me, and I am thankful for that. When I met my husband, now a father of our two children, I felt more at peace. At this point I started the most precious and wild journey of them all – Motherhood.
I have all kinds of feelings when I think of my new role as a mother, wife, and woman, especially in our society. I feel all the deep love and gratitude, but sometimes I also feel so much exhaustion as well as anger. No Taboo Mom allows me to share all my gains and losses with a community of great women. I need to share my stories, in order not to get lost in this new reality. First of all, I shared a lot with Ewa and we quickly recognized our similarities. We then came up with the idea of connecting with like-minded people. We asked ourselves: “Where are all the women, who had similar experiences to ours?” We were convinced, we cannot be the only ones out there. So we have taken the decision to take action and create No Taboo Mom. I want to connect; I want to share stories and learn from other women. I want to grow with this special journey called motherhood and womanhood.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all who contributed to this meaningful project. Special thanks to our husbands, Benjamin and Robert, for their unwavering support, and to Shannon, Constance, Ashley, and Golnaz for their invaluable assistance with this initiative.
