“I Felt So Held”: How GPS Training Helped One Parent Coach Through Her Hardest Chapter

“I feel so much more equipped to offer a space that’s trauma-informed and respectful of all. It feels so good to know there’s this outline of what it looks like to really honor a person’s experience.”

 — Mona Best, Transformational Parent Coach, Maternal Wellness Coach, Matrescence Educator, and Spring 2025 GPS MASStrong Facilitator Training Participant

When Mona Best, a seasoned speech therapist and newly certified parent coach, signed up for GPS Group Peer Support’s Spring Facilitator Training, she couldn’t have predicted just how personal and profound the experience would become.

After 25 years in speech therapy, Mona recently launched a parent coaching business, helping moms navigate burnout and triggers. But her passion to support mothers and women didn’t stop there. “It always starts with my own story,” she reflected.

It was during this personal and professional evolution that she stumbled upon the concept of matrescence — the transformative process of becoming and being a mother through all its seasons. As she explained, “Once you hear it, you can never go back in some ways. It’s like adolescence — the biopsychosocial, spiritual, and emotional changes a woman can experience not just at the start of motherhood but through all its stages.”

This idea deeply influenced her decision to earn certifications in matrescence and to journey further into the perinatal space. But she soon felt called to expand her capacity to hold healing spaces, which led her to GPS.

Feeling Held During Her Own Storm

Mona’s time in the GPS training coincided with an intensely difficult chapter: her husband was undergoing cancer treatment. She vividly remembered tuning into training modules during drives to and from the cancer center. “I felt so held,” she shared. “A lot of what I was learning that was intended for training purposes was really supporting me through what I was going through.”

This dual experience — learning trauma-informed care while applying it to herself — left a lasting impression. “That was really powerful for me. Just not just the learning, but embodying it first. That was incredible.”

Mona found that hybrid structure of live and recorded sessions was exactly what she needed, given her life circumstances. “I felt like the experience listening to the recording was equally rich,” she said.

Equipped and Excited to Give Back

Mona emerged from the training feeling inspired and equipped. “I feel really excited and equipped to start. I feel so much more equipped to offer a space that’s trauma-informed and respectful of all. It feels so good to know here’s this outline of what it looks like to really honor a person’s experience.”

Her next steps include integrating GPS practices into her perinatal work and continuing to build connections in her local community. And she’s already making plans to return for GPS Certification when her caregiving responsibilities ease.

A Healing Space for All

At the end of the interview, Mona expressed gratitude for the opportunity to grow while helping others heal. “It feels good in this world to be able to do something positive like this,” she said.

Her story illustrates one of the most beautiful aspects of the GPS model: it’s not just about supporting others — it’s about finding healing and connection yourself.

If you’d like to learn more about GPS training and how it can help you hold space for others while nurturing your own growth, visit our calendar to explore upcoming trainings and resources.