TRUCKEE, Calif. – When Julie Bacon became pregnant with her first child, she found herself at a crossroads. One path led to her putting her favorite hobbies on a shelf, hanging her surfboard on the wall, and her mountain bike in its storage rack. The other was a road she had not seen traveled often, and it didn’t consist of giving up what made her happy. She found herself leaning towards the latter. 

So Bacon searched and searched, longing to find like-minded individuals who felt as though they, too, wanted to live the way she was living as an expectant mother – dancing the night away, catching that wave or hitting the trail. 

“I saw this narrow version of motherhood,” Bacon said. “And really, I just kept wondering to myself, ‘Are there other women out there who are mountain-biking pregnant? Are there other women who feel this way…who don’t feel seen?” 

Bacon pondered the very idea of a woman being valued as more than just a mother, but rather, a value that defines a woman based on her passions, her joys, and all the little things that make her who she is. 

And so she began building, brick by brick, a community she was desperate for, and sure enough, The Mothership Collective started taking shape.

“It’s become a lot of things. The Mothership is a resource for people, a blog that shares women’s experiences and stories, it’s now a private facebook community chat.”

After only being launched a month ago, the Facebook page has over 1000 members. The Mothership Collective Instagram page has neared 27,000 followers. 

Bacon has spent hours reading direct messages from women who finally feel seen, heard, and understood.

“People are reaching out saying ‘Hey, I’ve had really gnarly postpartum depression and needed to see this,’ or ‘I’ve had a really rough pregnancy and I’ve read the blog about how it’s okay to not like being pregnant’,” said Bacon. “It’s been so emotional, in the best way. I had postpartum depression myself, and I felt like building this group pulled me out of that, and really brought me back to myself.”

Along with their ever-expansive social media presence, comes the risk of backlash, and poses an answer to the question many outdoorswomen were asking, including Bacon, “can I stay active, in the ways I love, while pregnant?” 

The Mothership Collective says yes, absolutely, and there are tons of other women who are doing it too.

“We just posted a woman rock-climbing, super pregnant, and it’s going pretty viral right now. Some of the comments are gnarly, but it makes me so proud to be a mom when it was something I felt nervous about becoming.”

Through this controversy, The Mothership Collective opens itself up even more to what was once a very undisclosed topic of conversation. 

In response to the negative comments about the pregnant rockclimber, Mothership wrote, “That photoshoot made some people uncomfortable. Not because it was unconsidered, but because it challenged expectations.” 

Bacon created a safe space for women to look at their own interests, experiences and skills, and decide for themselves what motherhood looks like for them. 

“We couldn’t find ourselves represented anywhere online. Not because we didn’t exist, but because we weren’t being shown. And that absence? That silence? That’s loud.”

This concept also ties into the illustration for their merchandise, and with the help of her pregnancy buddy and local Tahoe City artist, Byrn Merrell, Bacon found a way to convey The Mothership Collective’s message. 

“The design is really about empowering women. It’s about women who love being moms, but also themselves, and that’s why you have the really funky alien disco vibes. You have a pregnant woman surfing, you have a woman lounging and eating a slice of pizza,” said Bacon. “Because being an outdoorsy mom isn’t always summiting a mountain, sometimes it’s laying in a park eating a slice of pizza.”

Along with the joys of rocking awesome merch, meeting face-to-face brings an intimate experience to the fellowship. 

“People can connect virtually right now and find that support, which is awesome, but the magic in meeting people in real life, I think, is just hard to describe,” Bacon said. 

Moving forward, Bacon and the Mothership have some exciting things in store. 

Their next upcoming event, Galentine’s Getdown, will be held at Donner Ski Ranch on Saturday, February 14.

This event isn’t just for ripping ski moms or women, either. “Dads also need community, and they can come make friends,” Bacon added. “There’s a lot of partners who are coming.” Bringing the family is highly encouraged.

Attendees can expect retro ski gear, glitter, wigs, and a whole lot of love. There will also be discounted rates for Donner’s magic carpet and tubing, along with food and drinks available for purchase.

“We’re going to have a female DJ there, we’re going to have a gear raffle,” and if you’re looking to just hang out on the deck, and meet people without skiing, that’s great too. 

If you’re interested in attending, visit https://partiful.com/e/mQS77Ca739klEwgvNgan for more details. 

Those planning on taking part in the mountain activities are asked to reserve spots in advance here. 

With goals to take The Mothership Collective across the country, Bacon is hoping to, one day, have chapters in multiple states where events can be held.

Until then, she encourages women to live by The Mothership Collective’s tagline: Stay Weird, Raise Legends.

To learn more about The Mothership Collective, view their blog or to shop their merchandise, visit mothership-collective.com