As birth workers, we must acknowledge that true healing goes beyond reclaiming lost knowledge—it requires reconciliation. In my latest blog, I dive deep into the importance of this process, exploring:

Reconciling with the Loss of Women's Wisdom
For centuries, societies thrived on women’s embodied knowledge of birth, healing, and community care. Reconciliation here means honoring, reclaiming, and healing the wounds caused by patriarchal systems that erased this wisdom. It’s about restoring balance through cooperation, intuition, and cyclical wisdom.

Reconciling with Indigenous Ways of Knowing
Colonialism disrupted Indigenous knowledge and birth traditions. True reconciliation means acknowledging this harm, listening to Indigenous voices, and practicing reciprocity. I also share my experience taking the BCAAFC Doulas for Aboriginal Families Cultural Safety Training and how it deepened my understanding of Indigenous maternal health and sovereignty.

Healing and sovereignty go hand in hand. Restoring Indigenous birthing traditions is crucial for reclaiming women’s wisdom, creating culturally safe birth spaces, and empowering Indigenous birth workers.

I believe it’s time to reclaim what has been lost—our innate wisdom. On my latest blog, I dive deep into how patriarchy has gradually shaped and shifted the power structures we live with today. 

From the reverence of female power in ancient societies to the arrival of patriarchal dominance, I share a historical perspective that isn’t often taught in classrooms. But this isn’t just about the past. I also explore how we can reclaim the wisdom of women’s bodies, restore balance, and reimagine leadership, healing, and community.

This blog isn’t just a critique—it’s a call to action! Mamas, let’s rise, reclaim our power, and teach the next generation to embrace balance over control.

Living in Canada made me question where I come from. While immersed in Haida culture decades ago, I witnessed the power of ancestral traditions. Years later, studying for my Canadian citizenship, I saw how history is told through the lens of the oppressor. It made me wonder—who were my ancestors? What songs did they sing?

I traced back through Dutch history—through ancient burial mounds, forgotten languages, and lost matrilineal traditions. The answers aren’t clear, but the longing is. Maybe that’s why I feel so strongly about preserving Indigenous cultures today.

Perhaps weaving, pottery, and storytelling—things I’ve always been drawn to—are my way back. I’m still searching, still listening.

Do you feel connected to your ancestors' traditions?

The Baby Boobely Mufflers Have Retired

For the first time since 2016, I’m neither pregnant nor breastfeeding. I’ve never mothered without growing a child—until now.

I knew this transition was coming and took time to savor the last feeds—the oxytocin, the busy hands, the closeness. Both times, my boys needed me to lead the weaning, a healing moment for me too.

Now, my body shifts, our routines evolve, and love finds new ways to be shared. Later this week, we’ll release petals into the river—a small ritual to honor this ending before stepping into what’s next.

All is Divine

Gathering in a circle of women today was a gift—holding space, sharing stories, and witnessing each other’s truths. Reflecting now, I realize this work is a dream come true.

I wish every woman a beautiful birth—uninterrupted, primal, and empowering. I had that with my second. AND I know from experience that even a traumatic birth holds wisdom and gifts. Not because we must "earn" a good birth, but because every birth shapes us in ways we could never plan.

Like a pumpkin landing upright before shattering, there is grace in the unexpected. When we’ve felt it all—grief, rage, love—we can also see the beauty that was always there.

With this in my heart, I begin every birth debrief.

The Heart of the Circle

With each circle, the feedback deepens—some come for emotional growth, others for storytelling. In December, I’ll shift to a birth debrief and see how that resonates.

As the circle grows, I reflect on safety. Healing happens in trust and presence. My focus is radical responsibility—staying grounded, listening deeply, and choosing connection over reactivity.

Birth challenges take many forms, but trauma is stored in the body, and storytelling allows for healing. “In order to empathize, you must believe someone as they see it.” – Brené Brown. Every birth holds wisdom, even when it doesn’t go as planned.

This circle isn’t about choices or failures—it’s about healing, belonging, and finding meaning in our experiences. Looking ahead, I hope to share even more diverse stories, trusting that the right ones will come forward.

eceiving feedback like “You have such a gift in holding space” reaffirms how deeply aligned I feel with leading birth story circles.

During my postpartum care training, I worried about not having time for a formal apprenticeship. But then I asked—what have I already been apprenticing for? The answer: finding wisdom in wounds, embracing challenge, and always orienting back to repair, beauty, and presence.

I now see how many circles I’ve sat in, how many masterful space holders I’ve learned from, and how much my lived experience has shaped me. My discernment has sharpened—true guidance comes from those who’ve walked the path, not just studied it.

Rather than looking for someone to "fix" things, I now value support that helps me return to my own inner knowing. This foundation has given me the confidence to offer both my one-on-one birth debriefs and group circles.

If you feel called to this work, you are warmly welcome.

I cannot believe I am here - a website and Instagram account!

It’s been a journey of 6 years in the making, with a lot of learning, unlearning, and contemplations on what I have to offer others at this point. What have I been apprenticing for in the last 6 years in particular, and during my whole life in general? What is mine to do, my purpose, and where do I start?