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Do It Like A Mother Powerhouse, Keri Jarvis, tells us how it is!
Well ta for having me gorgeous Jayne! I’ve been checking out the other featured Wonder Women and it feels so fab to sit with them on your blog.
I always get a bit overwhelmed trying to explain what I do- there’s a lot of stuff. I’m gonna go with a tactic I suggest to my coaching clients- tell them who you ARE, not what you DO.
I’ve got 6 core values, running though my veins and my business- education, equality, empowerment, community, connection, and change. I hate the idea that anyone doesn’t know their options, know what’s possible for them, or isn’t supported to lock it in. Oppression and injustice gets me riled, ESPECIALLY when people have become blind to it through the magic of conditioning…
Gaaaahhhh. So rather than spending my days ranting about this stuff, I created a brand, which is evolving beyond my wildest dreams. I’m really proud of Do It Like A Mother.
I started off teaching Hypnobirthing, which I retrained in when my eldest was 6 months old. I knew I didn’t wanna return to my old life in Store Management for M&S (although cutting up the discount card broke my heart a bit). Ever since then I’ve been refining the way I present it- there was plenty of good in our first birth experience, but living through it, and hearing other women’s experiences left me utterly convinced that the early versions needed a serious upgrade.
We want women to know that, yes- their bodies are amazing, but more importantly than that, their minds are. This isn’t a nod to “think your way to a perfect, pain free birth” approach. We believe in a capacity to assess their options, and choose what’s right for themselves as individuals. Obvs they can only do that when there’s unbiased info available, and support that acknowledges that birth is about more than delivering babies.
We believe that every woman deserves to emerge from birth absolutely in awe of herself- her capacity, courage and resilience, regardless of how the baby emerges or what drugs she went for.
I keep saying “we”. I have an incredible team working with me. Half of them are called Chloe, which can be confusing… the 3 Cs are midwife and antenatal teacher, Clinical Perinatal Psychologist, and infant massage teacher. There’s also Steph – antenatal teacher, cloth nappy facilitator, sustainable living champion, and Lizzie- Baby wearing consultant and owner of ALL the slings for hire.
Lots of our work is done from the studio, DILAM HQ, which is neatly situated between my house and the School and preschool up the Road. This has been a long time coming, but when we opened it in February this year, I knew it had been worth the wait.
I guess it’s getting a bit cliche to talk about “the missing village” nowadays but it’s a fricking issue. I’m 3 hours from my parents, many of my clients are. After Louis was born, I was a mess. I didn’t know about instagram. No one was talking about PND and the struggle in 2013. At least, no one I knew, or could relate to.
The studio enables us to run donation only groups with feeding support, and we are just recruiting our first round of Brand Ambassadors- essentially, volunteers who will help us with the logistics and give Mother to Mother support so that we can welcome more women through the doors. The unfolding of these groups is my greatest joy l- it’s everything I wish I’d had. An inspiring environment to be held and revitalised in – why are mothers always getting demoted to places they would never have hung out Pre kids?!
As well as all this, I coach other mothers in business. For me, the impact of becoming a mother has been off the charts in a way I never predicted. What’s kept me going, and ultimately enabled me to connect to my children more deeply and with greater love, has been the pursuit of my purpose.
I want women to know – it’s not about having it ALL. It’s about BEING who you want to be – who you truly are. When we give ourselves permission to peel off the conditioning we are subjected to about what it is to be a good mother, a good girl (ugh), a good person, we might just be astounded by what’s available to us. I believe in a world where women hold more of the money, more of the power, more of the conversation, is a better world for everyone.
Our beautiful new website is coming soon, but for now, here we are- pieced together as we’ve gone along…
