Inside Mothering

Embodied, emotional preparation for pregnancy and early motherhood

You can read the books. Take the prenatal course. Ask your midwife all the questions. Watch reel after reel.

And still feel like you don't know enough, like you’re not ready.

There are so many questions all the time. What should you know? What should you be doing? What if you get it wrong?

And then there is the bigger question underneath all of that:

How do I actually become a mother?

Consciously. Because our culture does a really poor job of supporting and preparing us for the real lived experience of becoming a mother.

Inside Mothering is about this preparation, a place to practise listening to yourself, making decisions when there isn't one right answer, and staying connected to yourself through pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. It’s about connecting to others going through the massive transition to becoming a parent.

Because we weren’t meant to do this alone.

Curious about what’s included? Jump ahead here.

Curious if it’s for you? Jump ahead here.

Want to find out how to join? Schedule a free call

Schedule a free 20 min call here

Here’s the distinction: preparing for birth isn’t the same as preparing for motherhood.

Birth preparation can be valuable and I suspect you’re here because you want something more. Something that will actually quell the overwhelm, fear and anxiety. Something to let you know if it’s normal to not feel ecstatic all the time to be pregnant or to wonder if there is something wrong with you if it doesn’t feel like this all comes to you instinctually. Something to help you know how you actually feel.

Something that will guide you to how to do this. How to know what’s right when every expert, every reel seems to give you a different answer and something more to worry about. If you’re like me, you probably wish there was a definitive guidebook out there to tell you everything.

I actually believe there is something better. Something that will support you through all the decisions when there isn't one universally right answer.

And that’s what Inside Mothering is about. The inner tools and orientation to navigate your unique journey. Instead of giving you more rules to follow, we practise the skills that help you meet the questions as they come: noticing what is happening in your body, making space for your emotions, figuring out what you actually need, setting boundaries, asking for support, and making decisions that are best for you and your family.

Because you can’t plan for every possibility but you CAN prepare to meet and respond to whatever comes up, expected or not.

I get the desire to plan for everything.

Historically, I’ve been a major planner, wanting to control every last detail. Motherhood has been an incredible teacher for me to soften my grip and actually feel prepared for anything that could come my way.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I was an emotional mess.

I may have been glowing but it wasn't serene and beautiful. It was really rough. The hormones alone were an intense rollercoaster and that highly capable version of myself I'd built for years often seemed inaccessible. I wanted my baby so much and, at the same time, I had no idea how I was going to do it. Every layer of my life suddenly seemed uncertain, overwhelm became a common state, and my old friend anxiety was even louder than ever.

I took the prenatal course that had been recommended and I read the books. I asked my midwife tonnes of questions. Did it lessen the anxiety? No. Instead I learned about more things to worry about.

Nor did they prepare me for what postpartum was really like. I had somehow thought breastfeeding would be instinctual and easy. I wasn't ready for the long days and how I could feel so alone while spending 24/7 with another human.

But I kept doing what I was used to trying to do: get it right.

And the more I looked for the right answers, the more contradictory and confusing all the advice seemed to be. I started questioning all the advice and norms that passed themselves off as one-size-fits-all. I stopped chasing external experts to find the "right" one and turned inward. Toward what felt true in my own body. What supported my listening and the connection between me and my child.

That turning is the work we do together at Inside Mothering.

This is about learning to notice what's actually happening inside you.

Not just what you think you should be feeling.

Not just what the expert on Instagram says.

Not just what your mother, friend, partner, doctor or midwife thinks you should do.

We practise noticing your breath, sensations, emotions, tension, needs and impulses, and getting curious about what they're telling you.

Sometimes that means taking a breath in the middle of a difficult appointment.

Sometimes it means noticing that you're operating on autopilot: “What's the next thing? What's the next thing?”

Sometimes it means noticing you’re actually too overwhelmed to make a decision.

And it pretty much always means attending more to your own needs and prioritising your care. Slowing down even when it feels impossible with all the things to do but realising that all those things become a lot easier when we find our way back to centre first.

How do we do this?

With simple tools and practices that we use IN our lives (this isn’t about finding some idyllic, serene quiet place to meditate all the time. Not only is that pretty unrealistic, it doesn’t prepare us as well as practicing when we’re IN our day to day).

These practices help reconnect us with the somatic, embodied awareness we've been told to tune out. In small moments, we cultivate a deeper connection with our own body's knowing and capacity.

This isn't about staying calm.

I'm going to be clear here: there isn't some zen, always chill place we're trying to get to. Worry, fear, anger, and grief aren't problems to be fixed. They're part of being alive.

What we cultivate is the capacity to feel what's here and come back to centre. What we need are tools that work in the middle of a difficult appointment. In the middle of the night with a newborn. In the middle of a decision that seems to have no right answer.

This is what we practise. We practise being able to feel the hard feelings and come back to ourselves.

Instead of planning for exactly what you’ll do for every possibility, this connection gives us somewhere to come back to when you don't know.

You don't have to fix yourself before your baby arrives.

"I was referred to Twyla's program midway through my pregnancy... Ultimately I wanted to 'fix myself' in time for baby's arrival so that I reduced the likelihood of passing on bad habits to them. I found it incredibly validating that my worries were shared by other women. I learned to hold space for my emotions and that they weren't a problem to be fixed. This also allowed me to better identify what I really needed, and be less afraid of asking for it, rather than suppressing and dismissing my feelings and needs."

—Giuliana F., past participant

Inside Mothering is a membership built around real life

Pregnancy and early parenthood are inherently all over the place.

You might have a week where you have time and energy to work through a module. You might have a week where you're exhausted and just manage a five-minute practice. Or days where you basically just want to sit and rot.

You might join at 20 weeks pregnant.

You might join when your baby is six weeks old.

You might have another child at home.

You might be up to your eyeballs with everything you have to do before you go on mat leave.

The membership is built around a weekly live connection, with a course and practices to support you between calls.

Weekly live calls

Small group calls with me on Zoom. This is the heart of the membership.

Bring what's actually happening for you that week: a decision you're wrestling with, something that's bringing up fear, a relationship that's difficult, something happening in your body, something you uncovered in a module, or simply a sense that you're running on autopilot.

We work with what's here rather than following a predetermined agenda. And meeting regularly gives us the support and accountability to do the supportive coursework and practices.

The Inside Mothering curriculum

The membership includes a 12-module curriculum that covers the foundational pieces in the journey of motherhood: your own knowing, identity, self-care, the nervous system, emotions, relationship, community, and trust in yourself. These are the shifts that make the biggest difference to your experience through pregnancy and parenting, that will support a greater sense of grounding, clarity and ability to self-advocate.

It’s not a course you need to complete in order or finish it before your baby arrives (to be honest, this is ongoing life work that doesn’t end when the baby is born).

You'll get guidance on where to start based on where you are right now, and you can move through the rest at your own pace.

Guided practices

A library of guided practices from 4 to 44 minutes. Some days you may have time for a longer practice. Some days you may have five minutes. Instead of having another thing to add to your list, we focus on practices you can actually use in your life.

Private community

The membership is hosted in Circle, on your phone or computer. This is where you can share what's happening, ask questions, connect with other members, and stay connected between calls (I'll respond within a day). It's also a place to keep the work on your radar when the rest of life gets busy. There is never a requirement to share and past participants loved having a shared space more than they expected (even when they thought it may feel awkward).

“The biggest impact of this program was the feeling of not being alone. Hearing other women name fears and struggles I'd quietly been carrying during our group calls was incredibly validating. The program gave me 'permission' to stop striving to do pregnancy and motherhood 'perfectly,' which became even more meaningful after my baby arrived. It helped quiet the constant noise of conflicting Instagram advice and the pressure to always be doing more and more. I started noticing patterns of pushing too hard, in small moments, like obsessing over exercises to improve my baby's latch, and practising ways to soften instead of forcing.”

— Laura H., past participant

What’s included

Month to month membership

$147 CAD/month

Weekly live group calls One-hour Zoom calls in a small group with Twyla.

12-module Inside Mothering curriculum Video lessons, worksheets and guided practices covering identity, self-care, nervous system awareness, emotions, relationships, community, self-trust and more.

Guided practice library Short and longer audio practices, from 4 to 44 minutes.

Private Circle community A place to ask questions, share what's happening and connect with other members.

Personal support Responses from Twyla within one day in the community.

Guidance on where to start You’ll get support of what to focus on whether you're in early pregnancy, late pregnancy or postpartum and how you’re feeling each day

Schedule a call here

This is for you if...

  • You've taken the prenatal course, read the books, followed the experts and still have a thousand questions.

  • You find yourself consuming more and more information because you want to feel prepared.

  • You can be hard on yourself when you don't feel like you're doing things "right."

  • You want preparation for motherhood, not just preparation for labour.

  • You know you're going through a huge change, but aren't entirely sure what you need yet.

  • You want somewhere to talk about the things that don't have a straightforward answer.

  • You want support but you don't want someone else giving you another set of rules.

  • You know that left completely on your own, you might keep meaning to make time for yourself and then never do.

  • You are willing to get curious about your own experience, even when what you discover isn't what you expected.

  • You don't need any experience with somatic or body-based practices. You just need to be open to noticing what's happening inside you.

This isn't for everyone.

This isn't a quick fix and it isn't a set of protocols. If what you want is a checklist, a birth script, or someone to tell you the one right way to do it, I'm not the person and this isn't the place. This is the place that helps guide you to the right way for you.

And it isn't for someone who already has it all figured out. This asks you to stay curious, including about the things you're most sure of. We go deep and that will feel challenging for someone who isn't willing to look at themselves.

Although the work we do may be therapeutic, this isn't therapy. It is not medical advice or private clinical support.

Why a membership?

Because our entry into matrescence (the transition to becoming a mother that impacts us mentally, emotionally, hormonally, physically and socially) is ongoing for years. Because most of us need more support, need more of a village through one of the biggest transitions of our lives. Because we change more during this period of our lives than we will any other time. Because what we need, how we feel is continually changing. Because when we are practising new ways of relating to ourselves, new ways of planning, new ways of making decisions, we need time (a lot of self-compassion and grace). Because what we need when we’re pregnant is different than what we need when our baby comes home and having ongoing support through it all is invaluable.

The Inside Mothering curriculum gives you a foundation. The practices give you things to use in everyday life. The community gives you somewhere to bring what's happening. And the weekly calls give you a regular place to stop, check in, and reconnect.

I suggest giving yourself at least three months to explore and begin integrating the work.

A bit about me, your facilitator

My name is Twyla. I have a Master's in Social Work, a PhD in Somatics, certifications in embodiment coaching and perinatal mental health. I’m a mother of three with close to fifteen years of experience being a mother.

I started my PhD after my first son was born because I wanted to understand how to make body-based practices more accessible: how to help people notice the cues their bodies are always sending, including the ones we've become very good at ignoring.

And despite all my training and years of experience, I won’t ever profess to be anywhere close to perfect. I still feel anxious at times. I still get it wrong. I’m still figuring out this ever-changing journey as I go (and the teen years are definitely giving me great opportunities for practice!). What I bring to this work is the imperfect humanity and being someone who keeps practising. The deep listening to myself, my body, and my children. And someone committed to deeply listening to and supporting you.

How I see myself is that “external expert” that actually helps point you back to your own expertise.

If you’ve gotten to the end of this page, something inside you is intrigued.

I encourage you to take a moment to pause here. Settle into your seat. If you’re feeling curious, even if you’re unsure (or nervous or certain you don’t have time for this), schedule a call with me so we can see if this is actually what you most need right now.

Schedule a call here

“I started the course looking for my perfect self, only to find that my regular self was pretty great AND better suited to the journey ahead. I began to release my people-pleasing habits and instead started listening to myself. When my pregnancy and the birth of my son took a scary turn, I was able to rely on my newfound sense of calm and my natural instincts (that I normally would have ignored). Twyla checked in with me every step of the way, offering support and a kindness I'd never experienced before.”

— Angela V.S., past participant

Frequently Asked Questions

  • There is no direct join button because it’s really important to me that we connect first and get a sense of what you most need and whether this membership is the best fit for you. I want us to both be sure and to help you find something else if Inside Mothering isn’t quite right for you right now.

  • Weekly on Zoom at 6:30pm Eastern. The time may shift depending on the needs of the members.

  • Come when you can. The calls aren't recorded because I want them to remain an intimate space for sharing. You can bring questions and challenges to the community between calls, and I'll respond within a day. And you never need to show up a certain way for calls. You can join on the go or from your bed if you need.

  • You can join at any point in pregnancy or early parenthood. You'll get directed to a "Start Here" outline when you join that points you toward the material most relevant to where you are now. You can then move through the rest at your own pace.

  • The only fixed commitment is the one-hour weekly call. The rest is flexible. The practices range from 4 to 44 minutes. The curriculum is self-paced. You can do more when you have the capacity and less when you don't. I'll also help you find ways to keep the work in your life when you're busy.

  • As long as it's supporting you. You're welcome to join at any point in pregnancy or early parenthood, and the space and tools are meant to carry you through. Although this membership was designed for early parenthood, these are things we keep on working on through it (and things I continue to practise many years into motherhood!)

  • Yes! This is a come-as-you-are space. You don't need to have showered, be dressed up, or be sitting in front of your screen the whole time. Feed your baby. Change your baby. Eat your dinner. Step away when you need to. You don't have to create a perfect environment to participate. A big part of what we do together is weave all of this into our lives and being able to show up authentically and in the middle of life is really important.

  • Everything is hosted in Circle and can be accessed from your phone or computer. Our calls are on Zoom.

  • Your partner can access the course and practices with you. The live membership calls and community are for the birthing parent.

  • No. The work may be therapeutic, but Inside Mothering is not therapy, medical advice or private clinical support. If you need more support, I'll encourage you to find the appropriate care.

  • Most often the first step is actually recognising when we are struggling with depression or anxiety, which is actually a lot harder to do when you’re in it. As a practitioner trained in perinatal mental health, I make it a priority to ensure you’re well and to reach out and encourage you to get further support if I’m concerned. If you are struggling with your mental health, we’ll work together to see if staying in the membership is supportive for you as you get clinical support.

  • None of us knows how our journeys becoming parents will go and what challenges we may meet. When things come up unexpectedly, we’ll work together to figure out what is best for you.

  • No. Inside Mothering is for anyone who is pregnant or has given birth. You don't need to identify with the word mother or woman. I use "mother" because it names the societal frame and expectations we're living within. And I do use terms such a woman and mother in the coursework. In our calls and community, I'll use the words you use for yourself.

  • No. It's for people having their first baby and people who already have children.

  • "Soma" comes from the Greek for body. Somatic practice means paying attention to the body as you experience it from the inside: sensation, breath, tension, movement, what you feel. It's the opposite of looking at the body from the outside. In Inside Mothering, it means learning to listen to the cues your body is always sending, the ones most of us have gotten very good at ignoring. The practices are simple, and they're how we find our way back to our own body's knowing and capacity.

  • Yes. You don't need any background in it. You'll learn what it means through the practices themselves.

  • The community is private to members, and calls aren't recorded. Because I want this to be a supportive space, I do ask members to keep what's shared confidential.