Anneliese Lawton’s latest book, Welcome to the Jungle, discusses mental health, the emotional turmoil associated with maternity, as well as daily life struggles. Her book will be released on October 1st, 2022 in 14 countries and across all major bookstores including: Barnes & Noble, Chapters, Indigo, and Amazon.
Lawton is a small-town mom whose literary journey began when her Facebook post on motherhood and mental health went viral. Her post was translated in seven different languages, accumulated 80,000 shares, six million views, and eventually landed Lawton a book deal.
Prior to Welcome to the Jungle, Lawton was diagnosed with a rare tumor around her facial nerves, which threatened facial paralysis. While navigating her diagnosis, she experienced two high-risk pregnancies back-to-back, which resulted in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and postpartum depression (PPD). During this time, she left her career as a sustainability consultant and pursued her dream of building a successful digital marketing agency. These trials inspired her to bring awareness to issues that mothers face in her latest release.
Megann Henderson reveals that, “Anneliese Lawton’s first book is a thought-provoking and emotional gem. You're bound to find yourself devouring every chance you get.” Henderson continues, “In the true fashion of a good book, the messages she shares will stick with you for hours, days, and months after you've finished reading."
In Welcome to the Jungle, Anneliese Lawton takes readers on an unfiltered journey of self-discovery as she delves into her experiences of facing the unexpected. Filled with unfiltered thoughts and perspectives on womanhood, Welcome to the Jungle isn’t just another parenting book on the highs and lows of motherhood, it will encourage conversations about topics on maternal mental health, marriage, and wellness. Lawton shares, “To say the book is about motherhood is really an underestimation. Motherhood is the backdrop against which the real story unfolds."
I had a chance to learn more in this interview.
What can women do to set them up for success before becoming mothers?
This is a good question, especially because sometimes a woman can become a mother when she’s not expecting or planning to. But with that in mind, there’s never the right time to become a mom. Truly, you’ll never be ready, which isn’t a bad thing! Because here’s the deal: you can’t fully understand what you’ve never experienced. When you’re in motherhood, you’ll get what I mean by that.
For the women who want to become a mom one day, there are some things I’ve learned in motherhood that I wished I knew before. The most important being: that there isn’t one sole thing in life that will fulfill you, especially motherhood.
I think women are conditioned to believe that you need to become a mom to feel or be fulfilled in life, and I think that’s the furthest thing from the truth. In fact, I think motherhood shines a light on many of our underlying insecurities, and trauma’s that we never had the opportunity or tools to navigate.
What I believe is important (and gosh, I’m going to sound like a mom here), is remaining true to where your passions lie and what makes you happy. If your career doesn’t make you happy, that feeling will magnify when you have children. The same can be said for a relationship – if there are some cracks in it…some real non-negotiable things… they will only become more prominent after kids. Like all things, your passions and relationships and your sense of self will change throughout life because we change and grow. But when you have kids, your time and resources become more limited. If you can, try to enter motherhood with an openness to change. And if you’re able to take some time to build your self-worth before you become a mom, that’s important, too.
How mothers can raise children while pursuing a career that they’re passionate about, without experiencing monetary losses?
I made a big career change after having kids. I used to work in the engineering world, permitting roadways for large transportation projects. Today, I write.
My previous career was never a good fit for me. It’s something I fell into because I was too scared to pursue anything that didn’t fit in a pretty little box. Writing certainly doesn’t. And many writers – especially on TV, are shown to be starving artists – I wanted susccess! So, I worked a crappy 9 to 5 and was grumpy for 5 or 6 years.
Mfirst baby came along, and my pregnancy was high risk…I wrote about it to cope. Then, I wrote about birth. And I wrote about postpartum depression. And eventually, I branched out to write about other industries and verticals, too. Now, six years from there, I’m the editor of two magazines, a parenting brand, I run my own freelance business, and am officially a published author! It took many late nights. I worked through naptime. I hustled (which I recommend…with boundaries).
Unless you have the means to do it, don’t leave your career until you’re financially comfortable to branch into something else. BUT, I do wish I invested in at least part-time childcare sooner. It fast-tracked my business and gave me a few more zzz’s at night.
What's important to consider when navigating postpartum depression (PPD) and seeking support for mental health?
Here’s the thing about PPD – you don’t always know you have it. Is it the baby blues? Are you just grouchy? Do all moms feel this way? Here are a few things to keep in mind:
· If you have underlying mental health issues, you’re at a higher risk for PPD.
· If you have a high-risk pregnancy or traumatic birth, you’re at a higher risk for PPD.
· 1 in 8 American woman experience PPD.
PPD isn’t uncommon. It happens. When it happens, it’s not your fault, and most importantly, you’re not alone. Here are some ways to seek support:
· The most important, tell someone you’re struggling: a friend, family member, your partner, your doctor, or even post in a Facebook group. There is always someone willing to help and provide support.
· Postpartum Support International (1-800-944-4773) is a FREE postpartum support helpline run by trained, compassionate and caring volunteers. They can help you identify and access resources within your own community. The best part, it’s confidential. They support grief, and loss, military families, moms, dads, queer families, adoptive and birth mothers, and everything in between. If you’re feeling off, I’d start with a call to PSI.
· Counselling and medication are options as well (both of which I was terrified of, utilized, and now thank for saving my life).
Why do mothers today feel so much pressure?
Because we’re under so much pressure, duh! We’re a generation of mothers unlike any generation before us/ We were empowered to be it all and do it all – but when it comes time to put that power to the test, we crumble – and I’ll tell you why:
North America isn’t built for the greater well-being of the family. It certainly isn’t built for the well-being of the mom. Our generation lacks the village and support mothers before us once knew and valued. This isn’t to say mothers haven’t been struggling for centuries, because I promise you, mothers have been struggling for centuries, especially when it comes to equality, sexism, and little support from their partners. But mothers of today, we know a different struggle. We know the burden of being the mother, the wife, the friend, the employee, the sister, the daughter, and the very twenty-first-century concept: the side-hustler. We know the burden of the work, life, and baby balance. We’re expected to shower, smile, eat, stay fit, build an empire, maintain a clean home, maintain romance, maintain friendships, maintain our eyebrows (don’t even get me started on my bikini line), raise a tiny army, run an envy-worthy Instagram page, and stay totally sane through it all. Nope. Not happening.
Why do you believe that mothers feel that their identity is lost before motherhood?
I believe losing yourself is a long, drawn-out process over the course of your life. Motherhood isn't the sole reason. Women have been taught that motherhood is to blame for the way we look, our careers falling apart, our marriages going through hardship, for not being able to look in the mirror and recognize ourselves. And there is some truth in that, motherhood indeed shakes things up. But man, our society wasn't built to support the twenty-first-century family. Women deserve way more credit.
For example, my book starts in my grade eight classroom. I was fairly new to the school and made fun of for being a bit more innocent than the other girls my age. Most women can relate to being teased or not fitting in at some point in their life. I'm just not sure how many of us reflect on how that impacted our confidence in motherhood. You try to fit in with the "cool" kids, and you lose a piece of yourself. Maybe you have sex for the first time with the wrong person -- and you lose a piece of yourself. Maybe you pursue a certain career, not because you're passionate, but because it's what's expected of you -- and you lose a piece of yourself. You go through 20 years of losing pieces of yourself along the way to motherhood, and then, you become a mom, and you're already a Swiss cheese version of yourself. And motherhood hits you hard, because it is hard. But you haven't been told it's supposed to be this hard, so you think it's you -- because it's always been you. When I share this perspective with others, it seems to create some "ah-ha" moment that they've never considered before and resonates. I also talk very candidly about my postpartum depression, about how kids impact relationships (specifically, romantic ones), and throw in some stuff about hemorrhoids, sex -- and quite a few swear words. I think my humorous and heartfelt approach to writing makes me feel approachable. You're not reading a book, you're talking with a friend.
Where can people find you and get your book?
It's currently available for pre-sale on my publisher's website: https://
Come October 1, it will be available in 14 countries, including in: Barnes & Noble, Chapters, Indigo, Coles, Amazon, independent bookstores and major retailers.
You can come chat with me on:
Instagram: @annielawton_
TikTok: @annielawton_
Facebook: @grownupglamour
About Anneliese Lawton
Anneliese Lawton is the author of the heartfelt and hilarious parenting memoir, Welcome to the Jungle. She is also a blog writer of Grown Up Glamour by Anneliese Lawton, and co-produced the web series, Moms Unleashed. She is the proud mom of three rowdy kids who inspire everything she writes. She described her life’s work as a series of passion projects related to motherhood and mental health.
Welcome to the Jungle is currently in pre-sale and can be picked up here: https://pandamoniumpublishing.
For more information, please visit her website: www.annelieselawton.com
Follow her on TikTok and Instagram @annielawton_
Grown Up Glamour can be found on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/
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