Hi guys,
How are you doing?
Like, how are you doing really? I’d love to know - you can always contact me by email or drop into the comments below
I feel like I struggle with summer but then feel guilty for struggling with summer… anyone else?
From a sensory perspective, it’s just such a lot. The heat, the humidity, the suncream. We live right next to a big green field and there’s always so many kids running round, banging on doors, playing. It’s really beautiful but also hard - which is pretty much how I feel about parenting in general.
Me & Han cuddles in the garden with the cat
June has felt like a turning point for me.
It was the last month of our first year of being registered as a CIC and the first month where I managed to make any real money. It all went into the CIC bank account of course, so I didn’t see any of it but still - it’s a huge deal. It’s a huge deal because funders want to see that we can make at least 50% of our revenue (the money that comes into our bank account that pays for our rent, our bills and our time). And for the previous 11 months this has felt impossible, but June has made me think maybe we can do it.
I’ve struggled with making money, not because people don’t want the services I put out but because I find it hard to charge for them. And actually the pure joy I get from supporting someone for free that could not otherwise receive help, is pure magic.
Doula work and space holding is soul work. It wasn’t meant to come with a price tag.
And yet we need to make money in order to be sustainable in order to provide all the amazing free services we offer. You see the issue.
This is the problem I’ve been trying to solve this last month.
Part of that was moving our newsletter here to Substack and charging for some of our content. This has gone so well and, one month in, we have four paid subscribers. Thank you so much to each of you - it means so so much.
We’ve been finding our feet with it this month but, as the weeks go on, we’re hoping to have more and more regular posts - not just about postpartum care but about all of women’s health.
I’ve also made money this month through my Mindful Bookbinding course. This has really felt like a coming together of all of different elements of myself, my self care practices and my passions and people have loved it!
Our settling in activity at Mindful Bookbinding was to make a nature mandala together
The idea is, I hold a gathering - online and also at The Women’s Health Hub - for each turn of the Celtic Wheel of Year. Have you heard of it?
There are eight major festivals, mostly evenly split throughout the year - and they’re a great way of connecting with the seasons and the cycles. Here in the northern hemisphere, we’ve just celebrated Litha - the summer solstice and the longest day of the year.
Eight of us gathered in person at the hub to celebrate the solstice, connect with the season and each other and for me to teach them a bookbinding technique. I will teach them a different part of the process each time we meet and, eventually, when the wheel turns full circle, they will have learnt how to make their journal pages, jottings and experiments into a beautiful, keepsake book.
showing everyone how to put together signatures to start gathering bits for their books
For this first meeting we focused on making signatures - these are smaller ‘books’ which we fold and then sew together to make the final thing. Each person made their own signatures to take away with them to journal on before we meet again at the beginning of August for Lughnasadh. It was really lovely seeing everyone getting into it and each person out their own personal twist on it - I can’t wait to see how they turn out!
You can still join along online by signing up here. The first workbook explains the process and contains journal prompts for the season as well as my favourite foraged nettle cake recipe! I’ll be releasing the next workbook in August - there will be eight in total.
This felt like a really beautiful thing to charge for because it’s just really magical and feels really personal to me. And I’ve really seen that in the energy behind it as people have really invested in it with me.
This nettle & lemon cake is one of my absolute favourites and I loved writing the recipe down to share with everyone
The task now is to look ahead to the next couple months and see how I can keep this energy alive and growing. We’ve got till next March before we have to get back to funders and show them we can turn a profit - I’m feeling hopeful we can get there.
Soul space - my postpartum healing retreat which I used to hold at tipi space - is also back this August! I wasn’t sure how or if I’d bring it back, as the tipi isn’t back up this year but I’ve had a couple people asking me about it and so decided to dive in and set a date and someone has already booked a space - how amazing is that!
Claire’s tipi space was just so beautiful and magic last year. I wonder how the retreat will feel in a bricks and mortar building now..
The lessons I’m taking from all of this is that my work is valuable, people do enjoy it and it’s okay to charge for some things. It can even feel good - the happy dance when someone books a space on a workshop or a retreat day is so real.
“Spending a day with Zoe at her postpartum retreat last month was amazing. I was super nervous but Zoe was welcoming and warm from the moment we met, she was accommodating and if everyone could spend a day with her I’d highly recommend it as I’d do it over again in a heartbeat, as it was such a perfect day to have a day for me.”
We have so many workshops on at the women’s health hub and, as we’ve been growing them and figuring it all out, it’s been hard when some sessions don’t get a lot of engagement.
So when it does work and something you put out into the world does click with people, it feels like such a celebration.
Have you been to the women’s health hub or attended a workshop? What did you think?
I love our shelves in The Women’s Health Hub - just a treasure trove of magic for you to explore
For July, I think I’m most excited about hypnotherapy (I’m going to the Wednesday evening session, how about you?) and the Quiet Pride event we’re cohosting with Queer Yoga North ❤️. I’m also excited to be carving out more time for writing long form content here as well as finalising my second bookbinding workbook.
How about you?
What are you looking forward to/ manifesting for the month ahead?
What experiences or lessons are you grateful for from June?
I’d love to know
For now, I’m just enjoying a weekend way with my family, splashing in the swimming pool and following goslings about the park.
Sending you so much love for the month ahead,
Zoe xx
P.S. Enjoy this newsletter and think someone else would too? Feel free to forward the email or, if you’re in the app you can ‘re stack’ it and share it more widely by clicking the circular arrow button at the bottom of the post. I’d be so grateful ❤️