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
My first birth was lonely, traumatic, and disempowering. I was coerced and shamed throughout pregnancy, birth, and in postnatal care, and as a result I entered motherhood doubting everything—my ability to mother, my bond with my child, even my sense of self.
And I soon learned that the world echoes and amplifies the anxieties of mothers, by isolating us, keeping us exhausted, and selling us solutions to problems we think we have.
By the time my daughter was two, my anxiety had permeated my existence to such an extent that I could barely leave the house or do basic tasks. 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. You could say the pen was my doula!
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, the system hadn’t changed—but I had. This time, I came to my perinatal journey armed with knowledge, the ability to advocate for myself, and the confidence that I knew my body and my baby best. That birth was wonderful. And it showed me what was possible when I felt supported, informed, and in control of my own story.
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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I decided to broaden my offer to support mothers one on one, from pregnancy, right through their journeys into motherhood.
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 one of MotherFolk’s spaces.I wasted way too much of my motherhood journey doubting myself, feeling ashamed, or staying silent. I want better for you.
