Motherhood in Recovery

Claire Bernardo is the founder of Cooking With Company, a Portland-based culinary experience where she shares her love of food, storytelling, and connection. Originally from Northern Ireland with a background in media and a pastry degree from NYC’s Institute of Culinary Education, she’s worked in Michelin-starred kitchens and now brings that passion to intimate, joy-filled cooking sessions. For Claire, there’s no greater gift than feeding people—and making memories around the table.

Chelsea Bieker is the author of the debut novel GODSHOT which was longlisted for The Center For Fiction’s First Novel Prize, and named a Barnes and Noble Pick of the Month. Her story collection, HEARTBROKE won the California Book Award and was a New York Times “Best California Book of 2022” and an NPR Best Book of the Year. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review, Granta, The Cut, Wall Street Journal, McSweeney’s, Los Angeles Review of Books, and others. She is the recipient of a Rona Jaffe Writers’ Award, as well as residencies from MacDowell and Tin House Books. Originally from California’s Central Valley, she lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two children. Her newest novel, MADWOMAN is forthcoming from Little, Brown.

Born and raised in NYC and now living on the West Coast, Meg Lucero is a writer, mother, and survivor who has transformed a life of intense challenges into a story of resilience, growth, and healing. From a successful beauty career to navigating major health journeys, she’s found purpose in sharing her truth through personal essays like How Losing My Breasts Helped Me Heal My Relationship With My Mother and Mom Talk: A Dual Diagnosis of Infertility & BRCA2. She also writes about mindfulness and identity in pieces such as How to Cope With a Broken Brain and Past Lives, Future Selves. Her path hasn’t been easy, but it’s filled with courage, connection, and hope.