Much has been said about the early days of parenthood—those sleep-deprived, heart-expanding, chaos-filled weeks—and most of it circles back to one universal truth: it’s incredibly hard. Jen Burke knows this firsthand. As a therapist and entrepreneur, her mission is simple but powerful: to help moms feel more supported, more connected, and more joyful during one of life’s most demanding transitions.
Bloom and Rise is a heartfelt extension of Jen’s therapy practice and a love letter to new parents in the thick of it. Through expertly curated postpartum care boxes, Jen delivers more than just thoughtful products—she offers tools for emotional wellness, resources for nurturing secure attachment, and support for early child development. It’s a business born from personal experience and a testament to the healing power of sharing what we’ve lived through.
We sat down with Jen to talk about the journey of co-founding her second venture, the lessons she’s learned along the way, and how she’s learning to care for herself while holding space for so many others.
What is the underlying mission of your business? How does your work make a difference in people’s lives?
My friend and business partner Aimee Tuck and I created Rise Wellness Collaborative in 2021 to address the unmet need for comprehensive mental health support for women and families during the perinatal period and early childhood. As mental health specialists, we saw firsthand how many families struggled with the emotional and psychological challenges of parenthood, yet lacked accessible resources. My personal journey through fertility treatments and pregnancy loss further deepened my commitment to this mission.
Bloom and Rise—our second business—was created in 2023 as an extension of our work at Rise. Through Bloom and Rise, we provide curated care packages for moms and babies that combine thoughtful products with expert resources designed to nurture emotional well-being and secure attachment. Our goal is to bridge the gap between mental health care and everyday parenting, ensuring that moms feel supported, understood, and empowered. By combining professional expertise with a personal touch, we strive to make a meaningful difference in the lives of families.
“By combining professional expertise with a personal touch, we strive to make a meaningful difference in the lives of families.”
Looking back, what are the most meaningful impacts your work has had? How do these outcomes align with your original vision?
One of the most meaningful impacts of our work was a donation closet at Rise Wellness Collaborative during the formula crisis. What began as a response to an urgent need quickly brought the community together to support moms and families. This experience inspired Bloom and Rise, helping us think about how we could extend our reach beyond the clinical therapy room. By creating a product that combines mental health resources with practical support, we’ve been able to normalize difficult postpartum experiences and provide relief to moms who get to hear things like, “Hey, other moms have that same scary thought.” This shift allowed us to impact even more families, extending our vision of holistic support and fostering broader conversations about mental health and parenting.
What sets your company apart in a crowded market? What do you believe is your unique contribution to your industry?
What sets Bloom and Rise apart is our focus on integrating mental health expertise into every box we create. First and foremost, we are still therapists, and we spend most of our days running Rise Wellness Collaborative, so each package includes expert-crafted resources to support emotional well-being, strengthen the parent-child bond, and address the specific phases of postpartum and child development.
Our curation goes beyond products. We intentionally choose items that directly support the emotional and physical needs of new moms and prioritize sourcing from other women-owned businesses to uplift our community. We hope that Bloom and Rise isn’t just a box, but a bridge between mental health care and everyday parenting, designed to support moms and babies in a truly meaningful way.
Beyond financial success, what metrics or indicators do you track to ensure that your business growth aligns with your values?
For both Bloom and Rise and Rise Wellness Collaborative, our vision for success is deeply rooted in the impact we make on the families we serve and the women and children we support. At Rise Wellness Collaborative, we track the number of clients we assist through mental health services, the feedback they share with us, and the families in our community who benefit from our donation closet, which provides essentials like formula and clothing.
At Bloom and Rise, we prioritize customer feedback to ensure our boxes address the emotional and practical needs of moms and babies, monitor the number of products sourced from women-owned businesses, and evaluate how well our resources spark meaningful conversations about mental health, postpartum challenges, and child development. Together, these metrics guide us in staying true to our mission of supporting families holistically.
How do you balance the demands of entrepreneurship with your physical and emotional health? What specific tools or practices have you integrated into your daily routine to maintain mental well-being?
As a mental health therapist, I should have a perfectly polished answer to this, but as I always tell my clients, “shoulding” ourselves is rarely helpful! When it comes to balancing entrepreneurship with my physical and emotional health, I focus on the basics: exercise, spending time with friends and family, and indulging in a good (BookTok-worthy!) romance audiobook on my drive home to unwind. These simple practices help me recharge and stay grounded so I can show up fully for my business and my personal life. It’s all about finding balance and giving myself permission to enjoy the little things.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your entrepreneurial journey so far?
As cliché as this sounds, the most important lesson I’ve learned in my entrepreneurial journey is that you can’t do it all, no matter how much you want to. It’s easy to get caught up in thinking you need to be everything to everyone, but the reality is that it’s okay to set boundaries and prioritize what truly matters.
What advice would you give to other women wanting to start or grow businesses in an intentional way?
Do as I say, not as I always do—ask for help. I’m still learning that running a business isn’t a solo sport, even though I often try to pretend it is. Trust me: you’ll go much farther with support (and maybe a bit of caffeine!) than if you try to do everything on your own. It’s a work in progress for me, but I promise that asking for help is a game changer.
Jen is a member of Dreamers & Doers, an award-winning community that amplifies extraordinary women entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders by securing PR, forging authentic connections, and curating high-impact resources. Learn more about Dreamers & Doers and get involved here.