In the early days of motherhood, when the house was quiet but her mind was anything but, Jessica Urlichs turned to poetry to make sense of it all. What began as a private way to navigate postnatal anxiety has since grown into multiple bestselling books and a powerful connection with hundreds of thousands of women, including support from celebrities, like Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
“You never know where your book is travelling to,” smiles Jessica, 38, remembering the moment she saw the royal had shared a video of her latest book, They Bloom Because of You.
“I was checking my messages, and there were so many of them with everyone screenshotting the same thing, saying, ‘Oh, my goodness, Meghan Markle has shared your book.’”
The collection of poems had only been out for a fortnight and Jessica froze in momentary disbelief before jumping around her kitchen with joy. It’s not the first time the Kiwi mum’s words have resonated with A-listers. Actors Jennifer Love Hewitt, Hilary Swank and Blake Lively have also all reached out to Jessica via social media in the past. She’s humbled by the international attention.
“Blake told me she had Beautiful Chaos [another of Jessica’s books] at home – it’s still very surreal to say those words – and said, ‘Thanks for making me cry all the time,’” she shares.
Where it all began
Jessica first fell in love with poetry and how she could express herself through it as a child.
“It sounds cliché, but when I was five, as soon as I could pick up a pen, I discovered my love of poetry,” she tells.
For years, Jessica dreamed of being a career poet, before eventually giving in to a more stable life plan, working in event management, bookkeeping and HR. Then, while on maternity leave with her second child, everything shifted. Struggling with postnatal anxiety and intrusive thoughts, Jessica’s husband Drew encouraged her to write about what she was experiencing and share it online.
“It helped to make sense of myriads of emotions I had at that time,” says Jessica, adding she also sought professional help to manage postnatal anxiety.
Finding her voice online
“I didn’t really have any followers in the beginning, but I felt if I could create a mini-village of other mums going through what I was, then that was a win for me.”
Now mum to Harry, eight, Holly, seven, and Heidi, three, Jessica’s mini village has grown into an online community of more than 677,000 followers on Instagram and a career she never expected.
“This is my full-time work now,” she explains.
“It’s very surreal and so lovely to be able to turn a passion into a form of income for the family.”
Understanding her own mind
Jessica has also gained a deeper understanding of herself. Diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention-deficit hyper-activity disorder (ADHD) in 2025, she speaks candidly about managing the two.
“I’m actually really grateful now I know and understand more about how my brain works, so I can give myself grace and use them as a superpower.”
Jessica says OCD can be misunderstood and for her, it presents in many ways.
Beyond stereotypes of OCD
“It’s not that I have to switch this light 10 times before I can go and do something. Sometimes it’s intrusive thoughts – it can be worrying about something terrible happening or the urge to repeatedly check my kids are breathing, and mentally replaying moments to make sure I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s very much linked to anxiety.”
Her firstborn Harry is also neurodiverse and Jessica’s passionate about nurturing the way he experiences the world.
A different kind of strength
“He is extremely inquisitive, he notices everything and feels things really deeply,” she says with wonder. “I really want to keep cultivating that as a superpower.
“Having parents who deeply understand him and the way his mind works is a great start,” says Jessica, who has also written a selection of children’s books, including the newly released You’ll Always Be My Baby.
Stories shaped by motherhood
So many around the world have felt seen by the way Jessica captures motherhood, but most of all, she hopes one day her children will read her words and truly understand her love for them.
“I hope they don’t just think, ‘Wow, she found postpartum really hard.’ I hope they see how deeply I knew them, and tried to know them, and that they feel supported.”
They Bloom Because of You, rrp $35, and You’ll Always Be My Baby, rrp $24 (Penguin Random House New Zealand) are out now.
