the mother instinct

the mother instinct
a one-day retreat for pregnant women, new mothers & those becoming.

Becoming a mother changes everything. Your sense of self. Your relationships. The way you move through the world. And yet so much of that experience - the unravelling, the grief, the wonder, the confusion - goes unwitnessed and unspoken.

the mother instinct is a space to change that.

This is a one-day retreat for people who are pregnant, living in the thick of post-partum, or exploring the path toward becoming a mother. It's a deliberately small, held space designed not for surface-level conversation, but for something real.

This is not a workshop about doing motherhood better.

It's about understanding the profound transition you are moving through and trusting yourself to find your own way forward.

Who this is for

This retreat is for you if:

• You sense there is more to this experience than just getting through it

• You're navigating the tension between who you were and who you are becoming

• You're carrying the weight of expectations, both from others and from yourself

• You're craving real, honest connection with people in the same season of life

• You value depth, reflection, and taking responsibility for your own growth

This is not for those looking to be told what to do. It's for those ready to look inward, and trust what they find.

What you'll experience

Drawing on the ancient wisdom of Rites of Passage and contemporary human development practice, the day weaves together guided reflection, honest group dialogue, and embodied experience.

Together, we'll explore:

• The identity shift of matrescence... who you were, who you are now, and who you are stepping into

• The gap between external expectations and your internal truth

• How your conception journey, birth, and postpartum experience are shaping you

• Where your energy, attention, and values are being renegotiated - and what you want to do about it

Learning is not one-directional here. The wisdom in the room is as important as anything we bring to it.

A pilot retreat... come help us shape it

This is the first time we are running the mother instinct, and we're keeping it intentionally small and community-focused. Tickets are free because we want to build this with the right people around us from the start.

We're also asking everyone to bring a plate of food to share.

Kim Dawe
Kim is a senior leadership development professional, executive coach, adult development practitioner, and birth doula who has spent nearly 20 years working at the intersection of leadership, human transformation, identity, and gender. A mother to two young boys, she intentionally leant into the experience of birth and becoming a mother knowing it held the potential for profound growth and transformation - an experience that deeply reshaped her own identity and calling. Most recently, Kim trained as a birth doula with Rhea Dempsey, deepening her work to include birth, matrescence, and rites of passage. She is passionate about bridging the worlds of leadership and motherhood, helping women make sense of the complexity, transformation, and untapped potential that can emerge through matrescence.

Lou Keck
Lou is an experienced facilitator with more than 15 years' experience in human development, identity, and supporting people through change that reshapes who they are. Currently pregnant for the first time, she originally came to motherhood as a stepmother to two young boys, a role that transformed her own life in a myriad of ways. Lou has lived and is currently living the very transition this retreat is designed to hold. She brings to this work not just professional depth, but the lived experience of someone who has felt the absence of ritual and community acutely - and wants to change that for others. She is also co-host of Unnuclear, a podcast exploring non-nuclear family structures and the full spectrum of how people come to parenthood, that she co-hosts with the mother of her stepsons.

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Between them, Kim and Lou bring more than 30 years of experience in human development, leadership, identity, gender, and rites of passage. What unites them is not just their expertise - it's the fact that they have both lived or are currently living the transition they are here to hold space for.

They share a deep commitment to creating spaces where people can do real inner work and a conviction that motherhood, when properly honoured, is one of the most powerful invitations to growth a person can receive.

We want the mother instinct to be accessible to anyone who needs it and we know that showing up isn't always simple when you're pregnant or a new mother.

Whether you have financial constraints, childcare needs, a physical access requirement, or anything else that might make attending difficult - please reach out and talk to us. We will do everything we can to find a way to make it work.

No question is too small and no need is too much trouble!