​The Held Project started in Mackay in 2025, and its purpose is to bring peer support to mothers either pregnant or postpartum on the maternity ward or in the community who have been flagged for perinatal mental health risk, feeling lonely, stressed, overwhelmed, or anything else that makes an impact on mental health. Our founder, Amanda, came up with the concept after her second pregnancy and her perinatal mental health journey with both her girls.

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Mothers who are in the maternity ward or in the community at any gestation of pregnancy up until a year postpartum can request a visit from one of our ambassadors via the 'request a visit' tab on our website. Our ambassadors arrive with a wellbeing bag full of goodies, a coffee in hand, and a whole lotta love to give these mothers the encouragement they need to make the first step and reach out for help to one of the many amazing organisations we have here in Australia.

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The idea of The Held Project was conceived from a dark place, where founder Amanda Potter experienced severe mental health issues in both pregnancy and postpartum with both of her children. Amanda spent almost two months in total at a mother and baby mental health unit with postnatal depression and anxiety, and spent three days under an involuntary treatment order whilst pregnant in perinatal psychosis. Amanda gave birth to her daughters Sarah (2020) and Georgie (2022) in Northern NSW.

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Amanda moved to Mackay in 2023 after she lost her home in the Lismore floods and needed to relocate, and after 12 months she met Courtney, then ran another maternal mental health initiative for 18 months as a dynamic duo, reaching hundreds of mothers in the Mackay region. They were then joined by Alison and Maria, who share the same passion for transforming perinatal mental health standards and the lives of mothers and happily joined as directors.

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The Held Project is the next big step, and hopes to bring better maternal mental health outcomes for mothers across Australia.