But first,

Santa Pics!

jon& santa Santa and Kate Nance the Chicken “Why yes, that is Rose with Kate Nance. You don’t even want to know what she wants from Santa.”


All I want is for my juicy new Danielle LaPorte planner to arrive, cause i got stuff to plan. Like school year 2016 stuff. think of this as better than a trapper keeper.


December is the last month of business as usual before midwifery madness, so please book your sessions that I either owe you, or a last hurrah before the doors close. Book here!   Not acceptable you say? I will continue to work as a Houston doula or you can join my super small client pool. It’s been an awesome 20 years, Rowan P.S. Some of you know that Parsley left us last week. #trueloveneverdies   Rowan and Parsley

Well, that was scary as shit.

My #WCW Karen Waldrond was caught in the waters, like super close to my house. Sorry I couldn’t come to the rescue, Karen, I was all busy being caught in the East End. And seriously, the only reason I had made it that far was because I had just seen Mad Max, so that and my latent EMS driving skills had me slinging my dog bus all over the road. Thank you Furiosa! AAAAND, Here is pretty much the funniest flooding post I may have ever seen from a former student now friend. #GAWD

and the workshop schedule is banging right along. Need to learn about Labor Whispering? No probs. https://laborwhispering.eventbrite.com Need to learn how to give a prenatal massage that doesn’t suck? No problem. Getting your shiz together and making decisions on the super easy? no prob. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-desire-map-workshop-tickets-15424125976 We got this. Lets all keep breathing.

Hey Loves! First Labor Whispering Workshop went really well! Check out the fun we had! Shout out to Celina for assisting and keeping it legit! And a mega load of sharing, learning, think tanking and OMG collaboration. Big love to Labor Enabler, Village Birth and Babies, and Birth Spring for co-presenting. It was pretty magical, the synergy. I’m really blessed. So next one is getting scheduled for July 25 &26th And in case you were wondering what other shenanigans I’m hosting, you can scope ’em here. “Workshops with an Urban Curandera.

I wanted to update you on #LaborWhispering, like specifically that there is waaaaaaaaay more work than one woman can do. And I’m super clear on why my efforts to create a Labor Whispering self paced workbook didn’t get the traction I’d hoped for last year. Scenario: Pregnant lady is desperate to go into labor, the interventions are howling at the door, she gets workbook in hand, and promptly gets overwhelmed with the sifting, sorting and personal work she needs to do in the final hours. She needs a doula, a labor whispering doula.

Congratulations Jessica and Leo; LW Clients!

So here’s my plan. I wanna get a bunch of birthy peeps educated on the art of Labor Whispering and into the mix.  The more peeps, the better when it comes to working one on one with mamas to help get their labor started and running smooth. And you all know that teaching is MY JAM. Enter my very first Labor Whispering WorkShop, an Advanced Doula Training I’m going to lay it all out there, what I learned 20 years ago to last week. And for doulas who are also massage therapists? Sweet, I have a ceu and a certification waiting for you. Certified Labor Whisperer with some business coaching, oh yes. My dad calls this an honorable profession, and I’ve earned a great living helping women and families. If you know someone who loves birth, or empowering women, and wants to change our society’s fabric for the better then forward them this email. Ask them if they can see themselves as a Labor Whisperer. And of course I’m down if it’s you who feels called. 8 spots total, 5 left. These are the cheap seats. Next go round I’ll have fancy branded manual with a smooth as silk price. Gritty now, smooth later. You pick. Lastly, My phone’s been crapped out from a Sprint/Credo conflict since Saturday, so I haven’t quit you or anything, it’s a technology issue.

I hope you felt loved on Valentines day!
Soooo,​My girl Star is fostering to adopt (fingers crossed!!) And posted a hilarious FB post
​And I get it,Sometimes things are moving so fast we don’t even have time for basic self care for ourselves.   Three options: 1) If you’ve had a surgical birth, and you are interested in having me walk you through self healing your scars, then sign up here and you will be first to know the details. You aren’t committed or anything, just the first in the know when I offer this course. I think it will be a small group, ten folks maybe, with folks I love so we will navigate this type of class delivery together. You get to learn on the cheap, and I’ll see where the bumpy parts are in this course. $20, 2) Come to the Desire Map Workshop. I became licensed in the art of helping people figure their shit out with something called “core desired feelings.” My life is better for knowing mine, I’d like to help you discover yours. Join me?
​ 3) Come get some bodywork. Make your next appointment soon cause hottie hoop camp is coming, which means I have less apptointments to see you, and of course I wanna see yA!Respond asap. Or Book for Later   ->http://urban-curandera.genbook.com <- Either way, come see me!
xoxoxo, RowanPs Shoot me a note, hit reply. keep the connection coming. PPS Pray for me to the canning gods, I’m gonna bust out the canner this weekend.

Gift The Giver. Know what that means?

Take Care of Yourself.

No one else is going to do it. And guess what? When you take care of yourself this also happens:

  • Peeps figure out how to treat you
  • Your kids and your inner circle have a role model
  • You are CARED for, by the best person to know what you need. YOU.

Here’s what I got for ya:

  1. The annual gift yourself a massage special. Buy one for a friend, get a session for yourself (that’s my gift to you, ’cause I love ya).

Or (drum roll, please) 2.  Come spend a day with me while we get our paths charted My very first workshop will be Jan 17th, and I’d love for you to be with me (firsts are special, right?). Scope out the Desire Map goodies, and send me a note (incantation at mac dot com) if attending a Desire Map workshop feels good. Me, you and  8 other peeps, we are gonna keep it small and tight for maximum impact. Happy Holidays Love, Gift the Giver, Rowan P.S.: Heads up, 3 of those spaces are spoken for. I’m in awe, seriously.  #thankyouforreals

OMG. Like many of us, I was looking at facebook laying in bed one night, and I came across this thread where I started laughing so hard I scared the dog. Urban Curandera, Rowan TwoSisters, Vaginal Birth, Home Birth, Doula, , Menopause Monthly, Massage, Prenatal, Pregnancy, Postpartum, Houston, Mayan Abdominal Massage, fertility, Pick Up Line You know, Parsley my great Dane. Who is secretly a Unicorn. And navigates the world much like Helen Keller. Behold: A throw down in the elementary school kiddo pick up line. I also wanna mention that my class is up on Udemy right now. You know, the one about scar reduction. It’s going to be $45 regular price, but right now you can get it for $25. The site will give you a free preview first, so feel free to just click over and check it out. xoxoxoox, Rowan P.S.:  NO #PlacentaTuesday today, but there is always next week!

Dear Van Loc, We get it, times are changing. Doesn’t mean all of Houston isn’t mourning you though. I ate your pho when I was sick, ate green curry for the first time when I was on a magical fist date, would visit you for “after Pat’s radio show on Tuesday” dinner. And my lawd, the people watching!!!! I’ve seen everyone from famous peeps who were playing the Toyota Center to one of our local homeless gents, folks from all walks of life. Simply Awesome. Most recently, I ate two plates of greens with my egg rolls 2 Sundays ago, catching lunch with my love after we hooped our buns off. That was the day BEFORE you put up your “We are closing” note.

Urban Curandera, Rowan TwoSisters, Mayan Abdominal Massage, Arvigo Therapy, Doula, Van Loc , Menopause Monthly, Massage, Prenatal, Pregnancy,  Houston

Photo by: Priscilla Cardona

And a week and a day before you closed early ’cause you ran out of food. You didn’t anticipate how much the city loved you, your cuisine, and quirky staff. We loved you. Super good luck in your next adventure Van Loc owners, and way to have something stellar on your resume to all the employees. XO, Rowan P.S.: Mayan Abdominal Massage, Arvigo Therapy sessions are going well, come on in if it calls to you.

Hey Loves, Just got back from the Arvigo Institute learning Mayan abdominal massage with these lovely ladies and one dude. I was inspired to send this email to my friend Carla, and then I realized I wanted to send it to all of you. Hey Love, I just got back from the Arvigo therapy Mayan abdominal massage training and, different from other times I’ve attended trainings in the past, with this modality I really felt like I GOT it, and how also to best pass it along to my clients. As I was learning, a few of my clients would come to mind, like we would talk uterine prolapse during the training and I’d be all like “holy shit, I wish I’d known this protocol when this happened to Helen, or I wished I’d know this point when Maria’s pelvis was stuck and we needed that extra give to turn the baby,” and on and on and on…. I found it profoundly helpful for me and my menopausal life changing body. Urban Curandera, Rowan TwoSisters, Vaginal Birth, Home Birth, Doula, , Menopause Monthly, Massage, Prenatal, Pregnancy, Postpartum, Houston, MAyan Abdominal Massage, fertility Don Elijio, a traditional healer that mentored this work, said “If a woman’s uterus is out of balance, so is she.” Don’t believe me? Ask a woman with cramps what she thinks about life. Here is a link of all the other shiz Arvigo therapy Mayan abdominal massage is supposed to help with, though mostly it guides a body and soul to find homeostasis. That’s where the real healing happens. And I just gotta use these testimonials till I get my own. So if you are feeling it, book your Mayan Abdominal massage session. I’ll send you a significant intake form, fill it out, and let’s go over it and get the healing happening. Some folks need more than one session, many don’t. Depends on the objective, and what the findings are as we asses your uterus and guide it back to health. I’d like to do this work with you. Thanks a bunch for considering it. And mucho smoocho for reals, Rowan P.S.: Menopause monthly coming up!  I thought we were gonna talk breasts, but now I see it’s all about the uterus. Maybe I’ll bust out an embroidery pattern or something. P.P.S.: NO #PlacentaTuesday today, but there is always next week!

Three things I gotta mention today. 1) One of the reasons folks don’t go into labor is anxiety, right? And I’ve written about that some in the past. What’s a great way to reduce anxiety? Watching birth stories that are uplifting and awesome.

Look what I got for you right here? Mim’s birth courtesy of Bump to Baby Photography. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-fkdohM5ko&feature=youtu.be Labor, or a least tears, will start for sure. 2) The Arvigo Therapy Mayan Abdominal Massage training is going well, and I’m gonna need a crap ton of client sessions to document for my certification level. I’m lookin’ for peeps, both male and female, who are having fertility challenges, painful periods, peeing on yourself when you sneeze, bowel issues, endometriosis gone wild, or whatever else you got rumbling in your abdominal cavity. Two-session certification special, limited to 18 people.  Book soon, ’cause those spots will go fast. 

Urban Curandera, Rowan TwoSisters, Vaginal Birth, Home Birth, Doula, , Menopause Monthly, Massage, Prenatal, Pregnancy, Postpartum, Houston, placenta encapsulation, Placenta Truffles, Raw vegan chocolate,  HBAC
Here I am almost compliant to Hindu ashram dress code. 3) Menopause monthly is getting traction, next one is Oct 10th, Topic? Breast Health. So join the FB group if your roll like that, and RSVP for the monthly get together if you wanna learn how to support the girls. xoxoxo, Rowan P.S.:  I started a not-so-SECRET board on Pinterest for scar healing. So if you have been in to see me and felt overwhelmed by the resources I mentioned, I am aggregating everything together for ya. And its cool to share with your peeps, even though I’m still getting everything up there. P.P.S.: #PlacentaTuesday