​"The wellbeing of mothers is the fabric from which the future of our society is made"
Dr. Oscar Serrallach
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I love feeding women, mothers, & families.
Some of the most important work I do is crafting beautiful, restorative, and delicious meals to support the threshold of pregnancy- from laying the foundations in preconception to caring for the body after the big moment of birth. I combine my skill for developing lick-the-bowl food with other delicious forms of care to truly support mothers. Cross-culturally, the birth continuum is regarded as an important time to nourish and rest the body- and we often put more emphasis on pregnancy than we do on preconception and postpartum. Certain foods, herbal remedies, healing touch, and vital rituals have been carried through the generations to support a mother but many have been lost in theage of modernity that we find ourselves in. The quality of care a mother receives lays a foundation of wellness for the rest of their life- It's incredibly important that we culturally remember the skills to support life at it's very beginning.
I believe that nourishment includes restoring the body with nutrition & herbs but must also be widened to hold things like the pleasure of delicious flavor, sensation of healing touch, and the deep witnessing and creation of threshold marking ceremonies.
At this historical juncture for both humanity and the Earth, I believe that the mammalian need for prenatal & postpartum care must meet the physiology of the body AND the ceremonial needs of the spirit. Flavor married to nutrition. Ritual married to physiology. Beauty making in every step.
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As we draw upon the well of ancestral wisdom for guidance, we will forge a path of care that also shapes around what is needed for the times we are living in. I call this approach ancestral living in modern times and it's a theme that brings flexibility and context to the material we'll discuss. I've poured finger-licking recipes, foundational frameworks, & experience I've gained as a postpartum chef & practitioner into 3 months of classes, hands- on work, deep council & yes, art. Forever, always, beauty.
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This course is a deep dive into nourishing the birth continuum from
Preconception - Pregnancy - Postpartum
with an extra emphasis on postpartum care.
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Come to learn how to cook, craft remedies, develop menus, & deepen your understanding of what both care and nourishment mean.
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Immersive classes
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Recipes + Cooking demos
Personalized Support
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Mother Mammal
is a place to be held in your honest inquiries around what true, lasting nourishment looks & tastes like for a mother.
We Will Orbit Themes Like:
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When to incorporate meat after birth
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Preconception - Pregnancy - Postpartum
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Customizing recipes, remedies, & rituals for each person
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Menu design for vitality
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Crafting rites of passage
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Digestive, hormonal, & thyroid challenges
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I believe that a large piece of how we might make our way back to honoring the sacred is housed in the flesh of mothers. This work invites our gaze to the origins of humanity, & to the powerful thresholds all of us pass through. What we feed expecting and new mothers & the way we curate a safe & supportive nest for them matters. It doesn't have to be perfect, and there will surely be fumbles along the way, but every step in that direction counts.
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This course is a deep exploration full of perspectives, approaches, techniques, skills, & hands-on experiences that will create a foundation of confidence to serve your family, yourself, and/or your wider community.
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This is sacred work.
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Are you ready to join us around the table?
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A Taste of What We'll Explore
Hormonal Dance
Physiology
Depletion vs. Depression
Baby Brain
Thyroid & Anemia
Lymphatic Health
The Animal Body
Sprays, Tea, & Baths
Mother's Milk
Oiling & Touch
Herbal Ghees
Vehicles of Healing
Herbal Compresses
Culture
Remedy
Well Fed
Postpartum & Pregnancy Nutrition
Digestion & Metabolism
Nausea
Foundational Foods
Stock vs Broth
Ancestral Ways
Birth & Death
Weaving Webs of Care
The Modern Mother
Beauty, Art, & Ritual
Birth Amid Collapse
You're in the right place if
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✵ You want to learn from someone who can break down heady topics like nutrition into something that you'll easily understand and remember.
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✵ You crave information, language, frameworks, AND skills to practice
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✵ You want a combination of study, hands-on classes, & embodiment practices to really get into the material
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✵ You know it doesn't have to be perfect, that its ok to make mistakes , AND that you don't need to be an expert to offer the human art of caring for mothers
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✵ You want to be pregnant, are pregnant, are a birth professional, or someone who wants more resources to take care of yourself + friends/partners/ others after birth
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✵ You want to unpack how individualism and capitalistic culture challenge a sense of community on personal and collective levels
✵ You want to expand your repertoire of healing and flavor recipes & remedies plus feel confident developing a meal plan.
✵ You believe that nourishment isn’t just about food- and are curious about ecology, spirituality, mysticism, myth, & the power of things like hope & rest
✵ You want to feel confident making choices that support the mammalian design of the body & meet the ceremonial needs of the spirit.
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✵ You honor that each body is different but want to understand *why* one healing food or herb might be great for one person but terrible for someone else.
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✵ You know that postpartum depression and postnatal depletion have been normalized but are NOT NORMAL- and you want to understand root causes.
✵ You value & are excited to participate in self-inquiry practices like journaling, mirroring, and council.
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✵ You seek intimacy, art, beauty, connection, and poeticism in an online container
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✵ You respect & make space for diverse identities, bodies, genders, & perspectives to be celebrated.
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"Attending Mother Mammal with Kearsley was a fabulous gift I offered myself. Her facilitation style is clear, kind, and woven with poetic attunement. I loved the format of the course, weaving information and intimate sharing. A spectacular blend of high quality discussions about food, kitchens, community and how we can support mothers. Anyone interested in supporting a mother (especially for themselves or as a non-professional), will gain valuable knowledge from this course! "
Krista H
Testimonials
What You Recieve:
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3 month long container held by Kearsley Tate
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9 2-hour Zoom calls
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Cooking Demos
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Recipe & Remedy Guidebook
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Course Documents to Help You Stay Organized
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Visual Learning Tools
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Council Sessions & Deep Witnessing
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Live Q&A During Class
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Class Recordings
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Weekly Prompts & Practices for Deepening Inquiry
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Intimate WhatsApp Group for 3 Months
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Resource List for Continued Learning
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Handmade Art Print for your Altarpiece
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Feedback and Support Developing Menus
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*Bonus* Ayurveda & Food Document
*Bonus* Guest Teacher Anja Robinson of Mana Medicinals
*Bonus* Belly Birth Repair Class
Course Format:
TBA
Investment:
Early Bird // $600
I recognize the difference in access and equity to resources and offer this program on with payment plan options *at no extra charge* to accommodate for that.
Scholarships are available for BIPOC at a 50% discount and for single moms and folks with disabilities at a 40% discount. Click the link below to apply (Scholarship Applications Open Until July 31st)
Apply Here: MOTHER MAMMAL SCHOLARSHIP
Meet the Facilitator
Hello
I'm Kearsley and I am a postpartum chef, practitioner, author and educator. Years ago I was diagnosed with an endocrine disorder that led me down a shape-shifting path of learning how to radically care for myself. Guided by many great mentors and a reverential relationship with the Earth, I forged a way of living rooted in seasonal, local, & creative living. I've known what deep exhaustion feels like and I also know the slow, steady path of courting vitality back. It is now my greatest pleasure to pour that lived experienced into the hearts and homes of other women, mothers, and those who care for them. My approach to postpartum wellness is multi-faceted because I know that true wellness is an estuary fed by many rivers. Beauty is at the heart of it all.
I call a cozy cabin home in a small valley at the base of the Black Mountains my home. It is a humble place filled with extraordinary people & hemlocks that give me reason to believe in hope.
Guest Teacher
Anja Robinson
Founder of Mana Medicinals
Anja is the founder of Mana Medicinals, a small business supporting Women’s Health with an emphasis on Plant Medicine, Ancestral Nutrition, Prenatal and Postpartum care and helping Mothers and families to THRIVE.
Anja will be sharing her expertise as a Lymphatic Breast Specialist, Clinical Herbalist, Innate Postpartum Care Provider, & Apprenticing Midwife in Mother Mammal for 2 classes (you don't want to miss these!)
She currently lives and practices on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico.
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How do you describe your style of cooking?My style of food can best be described as local and seasonal. Many of the ingredients I source come from local farmers markets or have been wildcrafted in the area. I am also deeply inspired by traditional cooking methods that both celebrate flavor & leave you feeling alive, not slugged down. The dining experiences I offer are layered with my values for local ecosystems and economies, deep nourishment, & plates spiced with story. For my postpartum services, my style of cooking can be described as nutritionally dense, warming, Ayurvedic, & crafted to restore the body after birth.
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What do you charge?The cost of working varies depending on factors like the type of support needed, size of group, menu choice, & location. Reach out to me through my contact form to request a quote and we can begin planning something delicious together. I have a $750 minimum fee for all private dining events ( that includes the cost of food) For certain events we may have to hire on servers or food service professionals to support your event and charge a flat rate minimum of $250 or more per professional. Reach out and tell me all the details - I'll give you a customized quote from there!
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How do I book you?Send me an email through my contact form or email me at kearsleyskitchen@gmail.com Please include the date, number of people, & occasion of your special dining experience. I will reach out to you soon after with a seasonal menu and we can create something special from there! Once we settle on the details, I ask for a 20% non-refundable deposit to secure the date.
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How many people can you accommodate?We prefer smaller sized events and our kitchen has capacity to feed up to 25 people.
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Do you travel?Yes! Locally, we serve events within a 1.5 hour radius from Burnsville, NC. Globally, I love curating seasonal events around the world. Want to host a multi day event or retreat? Let's talk!
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How can I prepare my home for a Private Chef?A clean kitchen, clear dishwasher, and available stovetop are my three main requests for working in any kitchen. I bring my own cooking supplies but I prefer to plate food using the plates and utensils in the home. If you do not have the number of dishes needed- that's ok! Let me know and I'll take care to bring enough for everyone.
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Cancellation/Reschedule PolicyRe-Schedule: Rescheduling dates must be done 5 days prior to schedule date and may result in a service charge. I do my best to accommodate flexible plans and find a date to dine together. Cancellation: In the event that you need to cancel, your initial deposit will be kept. If you cancel within 72 hours of the event, Kearsley's Kitchen retains up to 30% of your fee to cover the cost of ingredients and materials already purchased for your event. Thank you for understanding.
May you gather often
to savor slow meals with those you love
© Kearsley Tate Schweller 2021