Let’s dive right in shall we: You’re the owner of Las Mujeres Divinas Botanica in Charlotte, NC promoting womb wellness. Can you briefly share what womb wellness is and why it’s important for women from all walks of life?
Womb Wellness looks different for everyone, but for the purpose of time and keeping it general, it is healing the spiritual, physical, and emotional trauma that may have been placed on us from previous generations. Just as we inherit the good, we also inherit the bad. Physically, this can look like painful periods, PCOS, anxiety- our womb is the creative drive behind most of our concepts. If you are disconnected from your womb, you’re most likely disconnected from you. Having a womb ritual is so important to healing this space so that you can live from a place of confidence and love. Where there is love, there is life. And where there is life, there is the birthing of a dream. So things like understanding your cycle, your trauma, and your foundational understanding of sex and sexuality, all help cultivate a space of growth and healing. My job as a healer is to guide women through this time so that they may benefit.
Most women are pretty shy around the conversation of womb wellness and sexuality in general, how do you help women overcome their timidness?
At some point in time, we were all comfortable with pleasure. As a child, we may have stumbled across it accidentally. And in most cases, we were shamed for it. Why? Because our parents may have not known how to handle the “masturbation situation.” So I always ask what sex and sexuality looks like to that person. We unpack why that is their perspective and we work towards a common goal for most individuals, which is, enjoying pleasure. Think of it this way, sex is like a four-course meal. It’s meant to be savored and enjoyed. It’s not a fast food joint where the end goal is to eat. While both may have you fed, one will be more satisfying than the other. One allows you to feel pleasure while the other may leave you feeling undernourished and guilty. To many, sex has become the fast-food spot. But it is my goal to create a safe space where I am willing to walk alongside the individual without judgment. It isn’t my job to “fix” individuals. My only job as a healer is to guide people to heal, let go of judgment of self and others, and control. In the end, everyone deserves pleasure and orgasms. Whether it is by themselves or by others.
What advice would you give to women who would like to feel more comfortable within their skin but are unsure of where to start?
It depends on the narrative. For those who may have experienced sexual trauma, therapy is a GREAT first step and essential to be able to explore others. It was the beginning of my own journey with healing that area of my life after experiencing various forms of trauma. It’s okay to be curious about sex, to feel pleasure, to experience orgasms. Secondly, hire a sex and intimacy doula. Do the womb wellness courses. Ask the uncomfortable questions. It’s how we grow and heal.
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Do you offer virtual consultation to chat about your services on ‘understanding your cycle, gender, sexuality, a deeper connection to one’s self’?
Yes, virtual consultations are available and they are personalized to the needs of that individual. Whether it is engaging in understanding how to decolonize their view on sex, sensuality, and intimacy, figuring out what sex and sexuality means to them, or how to eat according to their cycle through herbs and food- all are forms of reconnecting to your womb and learning to listen to your body.
What has been the biggest challenge faced with turning your passion into profit in launching Las Mujeres Divinas Botanica?
So, I am a mother of two (11 months, and 2 going on 22), so there is that. And honestly, some days just don’t allow me to be an entrepreneur, and that’s ok. Why? Because that is not my identity and the perks of being your own boss is you get to call the shots. Secondly, it has been showing the BIPOC community that this isn’t luxury- this is a necessity for us. We have had years of trauma placed on our ancestors through appropriation, racism, and colonization. As a Latina, I feel it’s essential to do this work for my community and my daughters. So that we may reclaim the power that we’ve always had taken from us.
With having a business that’s so reserved, have you found that some people are skeptical of speaking with you?
I think we were all skeptics at one point or another. And a lot of what I do is woo-woo to some. People have a hard time believing you can manifest power through orgasm. But the reality is, women have been oppressed for so long that we have normalized shitty sex and low vibrational connection. The reality is that I am not here to prove what I do is needed. When the timing is right, my work will speak for itself. They don’t call me “the womb bruja” for nothing.
Can you briefly walk us through how Las Mujeres Divinas Botanica went from an idea to conception?
Absolutely, so I started as a birth doula who found myself fighting with doctors during my own birth. A time that should have been peaceful became exhausting. And while I got my way in the end and told the doctors to shut up, I was asking myself why that was even the case. So, I fell in love with the idea of standing in my power and I fell in love with teaching women to do that. Fast forward to my second birth, it was unassisted in my home and my best friend delivered my second. This only happened because I learned to connect and heal my womb and I continue to take the steps to continue that healing. So, I created Las Mujeres Divinas Botanica, which translates to Divine Women in English, a space for individuals to decolonize their sexuality, sensuality, and spirituality through womb wellness and ancestral healing.
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After delivering a baby- postpartum can leave women feeling vulnerable and in a sensitive place, how can partners or even family members be more supportive during this time?
Postpartum support is my JAM! So in Latinx culture, we have a cuarentena period. This is a 40-day sitting period. During this time, the mother’s only focus is to nurse and to rest. We are not to leave the bed for the first two weeks only drinking caldos (broths) and avena client (oat drink). In the second set of two weeks, we are allowed to walk around the bed and eat curated foods to help support healing and breast milk support, in the third set of two weeks we may walk around the house. Certain foods are restricted, mothers are to be nourished, we close this transition into motherhood with a cerrar a las caderas (closing of the hips.) So, for the birthing person, let her rest. Don’t expect her to do anything. Her only focus is to bond and nurse. Provide her with meals, ask her if she’d like to take some time to nap. There is a reason our ancestors cultivated this ritual around postpartum. It’s because it is sacred but helps prevent postpartum depression, anger, and rage. It cultivates a support system and enriches the quality of life for both baby and birthing person.
What are your dreams for Las Mujeres Divinas Botanica over the next two years?
Las Mujeres Divinas Botanica was created as a space for spiritual self-care. I am in the process of creating a womb wellness course that would educate Latinx’s on how to reclaim their power through womb health. I would love for that to be successful and for the courses, I create to sustain me and heal my community. The Latinx culture is no stranger to the hustle and grind. It’s exhausting to work so hard only to be an employee of your own business and not an entrepreneur. So, in essence, I’d like to have programs in place that would allow me to rest and not hustle. For me to grow in authentic connection so that where I cannot serve, someone can. Self-sustainability is so important.
What keeps you motivated to continue working on turning your passion into a profit business?
My daughters. I know that seems so cliche but it’s the truth. And my community. We are powerful Mujeres! We need to reclaim our power through self-care and womb wellness. Sometimes it’s hard because individuals definitely questions “wtf is a sex doula and intimacy healer” and “can you really make a living off of that?!” Honestly, I am so excited to see how much BETTER my dream is compared to what I am thinking right now. Because that dream is forever evolving and growing.
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5 Spotlight Questions!
What is your daily self-care routine?
Wake up and dance. It makes me so happy to dance. Walk barefoot in my garden and honor my herbs and offerings.
Best advice you received…
It’s okay to tell people to “shut the f**k up.” Honestly, it definitely came in handy with some Judge Judys.
Favorite thing to do when you have alone time…
Read, create and sing.
What would you tell your eighteen-year-old self?
Honestly, “pre-mom” me, is still here. She definitely keeps me in check. So I’d just say thank you for not letting me lose myself.
What would be your natural talent if you weren’t doing this?
When I caught my own child without any medical intervention in the comforts of my own home.