Meet Elissa Cherry | Birth Keeper

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elissa Cherry and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elissa, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?
Become aware of and start to heal my own childhood traumas. I believe that children are mirrors of all that is unhealed within us. They show us the hurt within us that we were avoiding before they arrived and we have the choice to look at those hurts, and heal them, or ignore it and likely pass those hurts/traumas onto our children. I chose to take the invitation and work on myself so that my son can have a childhood where he gets to be a kid. I am teaching him about how to express his anger without hurting others. He is allowed to feel and express all of his emotions which is something that I didn’t get as a child. It’s very important to me that he is allowed to express himself. One of my mentors taught me about structuring my life so that it is child-centered and adult-led. My child’s needs are centered, and my husband and I are leading how we attend to his needs in a way that works for all of us.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a birth keeper and I work with women through all stages of their life. As a birth keeper I support women who are choosing to birth outside the medical system, typically at home with their family. I also offer support for women who have experienced a traumatic birth. Some women may have had a wonderful birth but need support around their postpartum time and I offer that as well. Truly I support women at any stage of life and I offer an introduction to the conscious leadership tools. It was less than a year ago when I left my job as a registered nurse to pursue women’s work. Making that decision was easy, but actually following through with it was very challenging. I got through those challenges by working on myself, focusing on my healing, and showing up in my life where I was previously numbing out to survive. I have learned that being your authentic self and showing up in your authenticity even when you feel afraid is the best way to allow people who want to work with you to find you. I am most proud of every time I have to remind myself that the things I am doing are actually “work,” it just doesn’t feel like it because I love it so much.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Some of the most fun places around LA to me are the hiking trails. My current favorites are Sunset Ridge in Altadena and Placerita Canyon in Newhall. For good grub I like Millie’s Cafe or Homestate, both of which are in Pasadena. I’m all about relaxation so we would probably get a facial or massage at Sparrow’s Nest Massage in Pasadena.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shoutout so many women who have helped me. I have learned so much from Rachelle Garcia Seliga at Innate Traditions; she taught me about centering my child and has helped me remember our design as human beings. My mentor, Emilee Saldaya, who introduced me to the conscious leadership tools and was instrumental in me meeting many of the women in my circle of support. She helped me heal from my traumatic birth which I’m forever grateful for. My circle of women who support me: Sparrow Harrington, Cristy, Victoria Gyore, Rosie Hernandez, Sherri Perez, Stefani Luna, Kaila Faifili, Mallika Madhukara, Lis Craft, Ita Mori, Holly Leever, Adelaide Meadow, Serendipiti Day, Adriana Parada Chandley Logsdon, Amanda MacGillivary, Marianne Konstantaras, Jaime Goldman, Jasmine Bishop, Ayla Sellers, and so many more. Two books that have made a huge impact on me are Untamed by Glennon Doyle and The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by the Conscious Leadership Group. Lastly, my best friend and biggest supporter, my husband Billy. Without him, I would not be who I am today.

Website: www.lacomadreluna.com

Instagram: @lacomadreluna