Hello! I'm Bethan - writer, doula, and founder of MotherFolk
I passionately believe in the power of storytelling to set us free - not just because it helps us make sense of our own experiences, but because when we share our stories, we give others permission to share theirs. We realise we’re not alone. Storytelling brings us together, pulls us out of the shadows, and makes us stronger as a community.
When we share stories as mother folk, we resist the narrative of motherhood rippling through society; a messy, contradictory, impossible-to-live-up-to narrative with one killer message permeating it's centre - that however we mother, we are failing.
My Story
Becoming a mother is one of the most profound transformations one will ever go through. Bit while babies are treate dliek main characters, mothers are reduced to silent and nameless supporting roles.
Not only are we left to deal with this WILD metamorphosis quietly with little support, but we are constantly reminded that we are doing it wrong. Whether it's in expectations of relatives, passing comments from health visitors, or algorithms of Instagram, you can guarantee there will be someone somewehre reminding you that your motherhood is failing.
By the time I arrived at baby groups with my first baby, I was so anxious that my story did not align with the ideal motherhood plotline, that I couldn't get below small talk for fear that I might reveal my undesirable truth.
We all stuck to the script, making sure we reassured each other that we were "making the most of every minute" while dressing our babies in frilly pink shower caps, snapping photos, sending them to our partners and cooing over the cuteness of it all.
I had found motherhood culture to go no deeper than a photo opportunity.
No other mums knew me deeply, nor did I know anything real about them. Instead, I read between their lines, presuming they had it sussed, while I battled with self-doubt, that was only reinforced by the backhanded comments from friends of GPs or nursery staff.
To be honest, I think anyone could have said anything to me about my child or my mothering and I would have taken it as a criticism.
Writing saved me. When everything else felt out of my control, the pen gave me agency. Simply by putting words on a page, I started to connect to myself in new ways, to make sense of my experiences, and to take up space in a world that wanted me to disappear.
Writing became my way of navigating motherhood—and then, a way to help others do the same.
By the time I had my second baby, I knew that this time had to be different, for me and other mothers.
Two weeks later, I started running writing circles for mothers, creating the space I had longed for as a first-time mum. It quickly became clear how deeply needed these spaces were.
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Having discovered the power of writing to support mothers, I trained with Nurturing Birth, crafting a business that blended my experience as a professional writer with the values of a doula - to hold space for mothers to be powerful, nourished, and communal. Cue MotherFolk!
So, wherever you are in your story - I would love to welcome you to a MotherFolk writing circle, to support your journey into motherhood.