Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Mitchelson.
Hi Amy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My passion for holistic and natural healing and wellness was in my “being” long before I knew it. As a child, I helped tend my grandmother’s vegetable and flower gardens, climbed trees, camped in forests, tromped along hiking trails of the Cascade and Olympic Mountains in the Pacific Northwest, and nurtured my love of all things “nature.” After becoming a certified and registered yoga teacher, I knew I wanted to create something geared toward women and children, but I was still determining what. Having conquered thousands of hours of classes and certifications in clinical herbalism, botany, medicine making, and certification as a birth doula, The Sacred Nest was born—a place of unity, compassion, healing, and, most importantly, a space that honors sisterhood. As a birth doula, I provide women and their partner’s educational information on pregnancy, client advocacy, and emotional and physical support through their labor and birth journey. It’s a blessing to connect with these families and to be able to gently remind them of that intuitive ability that their bodies can do hard things and to trust that journey into motherhood no matter what that particular path looks like. It’s amazing what these women have taught me about perseverance, determination, dedication, love, and more.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Nothing worth it is ever going to be a smooth road; there are always questions on whether this is the right decision, the fears that it may not work out, and the risk of it all. My husband has been my number one biggest supporter on this path for me, and if it wasn’t for that support at home, how would it have worked out? I work a full-time job as well as running this business, on top of being a mother and a wife, and it’s hard. Some days I stand there wondering, “What am I doing?!” and some days, it flows evenly and smoothly. I tell my kids, “It has to be hard to push you.” You wouldn’t feel the appreciation and gratitude if it didn’t make you sweat, cry, or sometimes question your choices. It’s in that “hard” where you find your passion. That’s where you find what is going to feed the hunger in your soul. Much like life, some days are easier, and others are not. My fire for the work that I am doing is brighter and burns hotter than anything a bad day can bring.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am an herbalist and birth doula. I offer custom-formulated herbal apothecaries and “off-the-shelf products” for women in pregnancy and postpartum, as well as for babies. Some examples of products offered are tea blends for specific needs, baby oils, healing salves, teething pain formulas, products to help with earaches, after-ease tinctures to aid in pains from labor, and more. All ingredients used in my products are mindfully purchased from certified organic trusted small businesses.
I am also a member of the United Plant Savers Organization, which is “a group of plant enthusiasts committed to raising public awareness of the plight of our wild medicinal plants and to protecting these plants through organic cultivation, sustainable agricultural practices, and the replanting of native medicinal species back into their natural habitats.” As a birth doula, I offer educational information, emotional and physical support through labor and birth for mothers and their partners, and consistent support throughout labor and delivery. A short period of postpartum care and guidance is included in my service.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happy is seeing the joy in others, learning about people and their stories, and being an ear for them when they need to feel seen or heard. What makes me happy is seeing a genuine smile on someone’s face or hearing them laugh. Being a part of that moment fills my cup as well. Sometimes all someone needs to turn that day around is a hug, coffee, and a good chat.
Why does that make me happy? Because it’s real because it’s not manufactured or filtered for an audience. It’s raw and honest, and those moments captured in my mind are images that are precious. For example, a client’s beautiful smile at her baby shower was pure joy and happiness; I will remember that moment forever. Another is how a client looked at her daughter for the first time in awe, in pure absolute love—or showing up at a client’s house with a tray of food to last them for days after they arrived home from the hospital and seeing the relief on her face.
“One of the greatest secrets in life is that all that’s worth doing is what we do for others.” -Lewis Carroll.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.the-sacred-nest.com
- Instagram: @sacred.nest
Image Credits
Vivianne Rice Photography for Personal Photos – Amy Mitchelson
