Dear Friends,

Last week, I spoke at the Doula UK conference — my first ever paid speaking gig. To say I was nervous would be an understatement.

Not just because of my complicated feelings around the organisation as a whole but also with imposter syndrome… Seeing my name alongside such huge names in the birth-world as Katie James and Lyndsey Hookway. This had me questioning whether I belonged there.

My presentation didn’t come with lots of heavy references or information - it was based on community connection and quite simple, often devalued ideas. What if it wasn’t professional enough? What if my words didn’t land?

Hi love 🌸,

_{A little housekeeping before we get into it — as part of moving the newsletter from Substack over to Buttondown, everything (including paid subscriptions) has come with us. So, if you're already a supporter, nothing changes for you. If you need to adjust your payment details, you can do that via your Stripe account, but just give me a shout if you need help ❤️.}

_{And if you’ve been thinking about upgrading to a paid subscription, you can do that here. It’s £3.50 a month (the price of a coffee) or £36 for the year (which covers two days' rent for Women’s Health Hartlepool, our free community space). Every single penny makes such a difference — thank you.}

Hello, friend!

For those of you reading this via email, you probably haven’t noticed much of a change. But for those who have followed us on Substack over the past year and a half, you’ll know we’ve made some significant shifts.

Over the last 12 months, the direction and ethos of Substack as a platform haven’t aligned with the vision of Postpartum Matters. As individuals, I believe we have a responsibility to understand where our money goes and which companies we engage with. It’s a nuanced topic, touching on issues of price, class, disability, and more— but, where possible, I feel it’s our duty to make conscious choices about where we place our money and energy.

For me personally, this has meant moving my bank account from NatWest, a bank notorious for investing in fracking and fossil fuels, to a building society that aligns with my environmental values. I’ve also been making an effort to reduce my reliance on Amazon—though, let’s be honest, that’s a tough one!

we got a new rug at The Women’s Health Hub and the photograph can never explain to you how soft it feels under your socks 🥰

Welcome to your final installment of Mindful Bookbinding!

You can find all of the previous letters at this link here, as well as your tutorial showing you how to get started.

So far this year we have learnt how to make signatures and we’ve gone deep on our preferred ways of journaling into them. We’ve made our own book press out of repurposed materials and we’ve made our own book cloth and book covers😍.

We’re coming to the end of our year together and so, to finish off, this turn of the wheel we will begin bringing it all together. Finally, after twelve beautiful months of connection, you will have your final book to hold in your hands - a celebration of the past year.

I have tried writing this multiple times this week and have really struggled to find any words.

The news is so heavy. Life is so full and loud and full of the million holiday season things we’re all meant to do at this time of year. I have new doula clients to welcome, get to know and hold. I have a real life community struggling with isolation and loneliness, magnified by the capitalist image of connection splashed all over every single TV, media platform, bus. So, I’m choosing to start my yearly break from newsletter writing after this one.

Paid subscribers will still get their final installment of Mindful Bookbinding, complete with a video tutorial showing you how to complete your journal, with lots of Yuletide prompts and activities. But everything else will have to wait for 2025.

Don’t forget that our next Community Connection Circle is this Sunday, at 7pm. Catch the Zoom link here.

Thank you for joining me in this space where we come together to share and honour the powerful stories of postpartum experiences. I’m Sophie, and I work closely with Zoe - the founder and director of Postpartum Matters CIC - and together we’re passionate advocates for women’s health and well-being. In this monthly segment, I’m privileged to share the voices of women who have opened up about their journeys— their stories are filled with pain, resilience, and strength.

🌟 Exclusive Benefits for Paid Subscribers! 🌟

Before we begin, I’m thrilled to remind you of the wonderful perks available to you as a paid subscriber! 💖

Hi team,

So this week I am meant to send out our ‘What’s On in November’ post but, honestly, I just can’t bring myself to write it. Not because there isn’t wonderful things happening - including a brand new group for local BME parents to build community and for those new to the area to receive culturally sensitive support with settling in - but because I myself just feel done.

Welcome to your next installment of Mindful Bookbinding. You can find all of the previous letters at this link here, as well as your tutorial showing you how to get started.

So far this year we have learnt how to make signatures and we’ve gone deep on our preferred ways of journaling into them. We’ve made our own book press out of repurposed materials and we’ve made our own book cloth and book covers😍.

We’re coming to the end of our year together and so, to finish off, this turn of the wheel we will begin bringing it all together. Finally, after ten beautiful months of connection, you will start to see your final piece come together.

Just me and the cat working on our business success together, in our ideal environment - at home, with the cool autumn air keeping us calm, with no other sensory stuff to pile up on us and overwhelm us 😍

✨ Unlock Your Full Experience as a Paid Subscriber! ✨

Thank you for joining me in this space where we come together to share and honour the powerful stories of postpartum experiences. I’m Sophie, and I work closely with Zoe - the founder and director of Postpartum Matters CIC - and together we’re passionate advocates for women’s health and well-being. In this monthly segment, I’m privileged to share the voices of women who have opened up about their journeys— their stories are filled with pain, resilience, and strength.

Today I want to share with you the seed of an idea 🌱

I hope you’ll join me in helping it grow?

Running our local community space is a full family affair, it has literally taken over my entire life 😅

Hello 🌸,

This is your monthly newsletter showcasing everything that is coming up for Postpartum Matters CIC and The Women’s Health Hub in the month ahead. If you are passionate about our work, and if you want to keep up to date with events, do consider subscribing below.

We are a non-profit and most of the work we do is free to access, if you are able, we would so appreciate you supporting us financially by becoming a paid subscriber, you can also make a one off payment of support here.

Paid subscribers get access to a couple special thank you offerings too.

We have bi-monthly Community Connection Circles - which is an hour and a half to have space held just for you. In the comfort of your own home, screen on or off, I will guide you through some personal reflection prompts, we’ll have space (for those who wish to) to share and I’ll end with a guided meditation to leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed.

You also get access to our Mindful Bookbinding course which is a gentle invitation to connect with the seasons, to slow down and to mindfully hand-sew your very own keepsake journal 😍🌸. There are eight workbooks and video tutorials in total and you are guided through these over a 12 month period to reconnect with yourself away from your phone.

Hi Friends,

This is your bi-monthlyish Community Connection post, where we come together to connect around a shared theme. We met online on last night and it was lovely, as always✨ I know not everyone can make or wants to participate in online groups though and so I always also want to offer it up as a written invitation too.

Below I share a poem, alongside some related journal prompts and invite you to share your thoughts here on Substack ❤️. So we can witness one another, so we can see our shared experiences, so we can feel less alone. There is also a guided meditation to connect you to your inner love & gratitude. It is the perfect invitation to turn off your notifications, make yourself your favourite soothing drink and sit with yourself for 30 minutes, an hour, as long as you like.

For those who have attended a Community Connection Circle before, I’d be so grateful if you could take a few minutes to fill in this quick feedback form - to help me continue to grow & improve & better serve you 🙏🏻 and also to let others know what it’s all about, so they can decide if it is for them 😊

Gentle reminder that we have our Community Connection Circle this evening at 7pm London time - it is online, via Zoom and you can find all the information & the Zoom link below ✨ come along and take 90 minutes just for yourself ❤️

Come sit in circle with us?

Welcome to your next installment of Mindful Bookbinding. You can find all of the previous letters at this link here, as well as your tutorial showing you how to get started.

So far this year we have learnt how to make signatures and we’ve gone deep on our preferred ways of journaling into them. We’ve made our own book press out of repurposed materials and we’ve made our own book cloth and book covers😍.

We’re coming into the final quarter of the year now and so, to finish off, we will begin slowly bringing our final book together. This turn of the wheel I shall be showing you how to make envelopes to stitch into your book, to keep all of the odds and ends and magic pieces of paper, stickers, receipts or whatever found objects which can’t make it onto your final journal pages ❤️. This is ahead of our October installment where we will begin sewing everything together ✨.

Before we dive in, I’d love to share all the amazing things we have coming up this month for our paid subscribers ✨

Next week I will be releasing installment 6 of my Mindful Bookbinding course, just in time for the autumn equinox. There will be seasonal journal prompts and a video tutorial guiding you through how to make your own envelopes 😊🌸

And on September 25th, we are gathering for our next Community Connection Circle - it’s held over Zoom and is 90 lovely minutes to reset, relax and connect with others ❤️ we’ll journal, we’ll share, and I’ll end it with a lovely meditation just for you 🥰.

Paid subscriptions are £6 a month or £60 for the year and all of your money goes directly into the non-profit bank account and helps pay for all of the free-to-access support we provide daily at The Women’s Health Hub.

Hello 🌸,

This is your monthly newsletter showcasing everything that is coming up for Postpartum Matters CIC and The Women’s Health Hub in the month ahead. If you are passionate about our work, or if you want to keep up to date with events, do consider subscribing below.

We are a non-profit and most of the work we do is free to access, if you are able, we would so appreciate you supporting us financially by becoming a paid subscriber, you can also make a one off payment of support here.

Subscribe now

Thank you for joining me in this space where we come together to share and honour the powerful stories of postpartum experiences. I’m Sophie, and I work closely with Zoe - the founder and director of Postpartum Matters CIC - and together we’re passionate advocates for women’s health and well-being. In this monthly segment, I’m privileged to share the voices of women who have opened up about their journeys— their stories are filled with pain, resilience, and strength.