Gather, Nurture and Connect
I believe that when a mother feels acknowledged, resourced and a sense of belonging, her health and well-being can truly flourish.
I don’t just believe it, I know it.
After nearly 20 years of working with families, a strong sense of community is a powerful remedy for healing, bonding and belonging in the postpartum year. This is what the Mothering Arts Facilitator training is all about.
Here at Mothering Arts, we are devoted to uplifting the postpartum journey. We do this by supporting you to create multi-generational, in-person heart to heart gatherings. Parents don’t need another online group, they need each other.
At the beginning of every gathering I ask mothers three questions:
- What is your greatest joy?
- What is your biggest challenge?
- What do you wish to gain out of this experience?
As you can imagine, the answers for the first question are rooted in love and gratitude, a thread that weaves mothers together. For some it is easy to find the roses and for some the rose is what keeps us going among the struggle.
The second question is where much of the unseen journey of motherhood can be seen and acknowledged.We speak and witness the tender feelings of motherhood; the depletion, the struggles, the heart ache, the pain and vulnerabilities.
The third question, has surprisingly elicited one answer for hundreds of women. What brings most mothers to our gathering is the yearning for community, a feeling of belonging.
Like many of you reading this, you have read the countless articles online about why parents need support, why we need the village and how parents can thrive when they feel supported by others….so I won’t add to the obvious. What I will add is that so many mothers know deeply the value of being heard and getting together, heart to heart, and are inspired to create that for new parents in their own community.
Mothering Arts offers a clear and inspiring plan which leaves you feeling confident to create your own local postpartum nurturing group. The word Facilitator means “one who makes easy”. This is what our training does for women all around the world. We make it easy to create and sustain a gathering in your own neighborhood that weaves generations together with the common thread of uplifting the postpartum journey. The best part about it, is that you can make it as unique as you are and meets the needs of your specific community.
Our facilitator leader training is looking for people who believe that a strong community is one of the most valuable assets to new parents. The model that we use is inter-generational, asking elders to be a part of our class, we invite members of the community to share their wisdom and give a real in-person connection to the parents in our class. We offer an experience of nurturing to new parents, so that they can then give that experience to their own child(ren).
The women in our local group have stayed in touch long after they leave our class. They celebrate birthdays and holidays together, they share meals and prepare meals together, they share clothes and gear that no longer fit and best of all, they support one another when times are tough. It all starts by creating space for this kind of community to blossom, that’s why we need more leaders like you!
If you have ever wondered how to support parents in the tender postpartum year but didn’t know where to begin, this course is for you. Join our one week online facilitator training, we begin October 13th and have 10 spots only for an intimate experience with plenty of one one one support.
Thoughts from a facilitator (click here to see a video of her local offering, MAREA in Ecuador):
It’s been a powerful week of going back to my postpartum months and see, feel, reconnect with memories, with fears, with joy… To heal and transform. I`ve been going over pictures and pictures and finding appreciating how much I`ve learned, how much I have grow, all the joy that my daughter has brought to my life. I really appreciate this, this was not how I remembered my postpartum…
This week has been an awakening week of rediscovering myself as a mom, as a woman, as a partner, as a human on this Earth. I’ve found here a beautiful community of mamas. It’s been so inspiring to see my story in your stories, to see my fears in yours and my struggles in yours.
It doesn’t matter where each of us is, we’re all moms, and there´s a beautiful magnetism that unite us all together.
Thanks Kerry for holding the space for us to share, to ask, to be vulnerable. Thanks for creating this beautiful platform to connect with so much love, with so make details and thoughtful rhythms.
Sending warmth from the high Andes, hope I can meet you in person someday. ~Alegría
Thoughts from a participant in a local mama-baby gathering:
Mothering Arts was the most impactful thing I’ve done as a new mama – I felt nourished and cared for as a mama by Kerry’s yummy nutritious treats and tender, caring acts. She fed me goodies when my hands were full of baby, made sure I stayed hydrated by filling my cup with amazing herbal teas, brought in inspirational speakers to share baby whispering techniques, self care ideas and much more. I found deep connection with my little one through her delightful finger games and songs and made deep friendships with other mamas.
Two and a half years later, I still meet regularly with more than a handful of the mamas I met in that group and we regularly have each other over for dinner or tea. They are my community of support when I get sick and more than one of them has brought me chicken soup or oranges when I needed it. Our little ones play together often, ask about each other and learn from each other. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better village for my first year of motherhood. ~KM
Imagine a circle of mothers and babies in your community.
… being cared for and acknowledged by others.
… cultivating your unique art of mothering.
… creating a network of support and friendship.
… learning the secrets of self-nurturing from the wisdom keepers in your community.
… in the midst of a joyful gathering with your babies.
This is Mothering Arts. A place to Connect.