& CRISIS SUPPORT
Sweet one.
Thank you for being here.
I'm honored you want to learn more.
I'm
Grab a tea and read my story.
My
Story
What Got Us Here - Pilates and Frog Poison
During the pandemic, I got obsessed with mat pilates. By late 2021 I was not only in the best shape of my life, I also found myself dealing with an extreme case of bursitis, a sac of fluid on my elbow, probably caused by one too many chaturangas.
It was so painful I had to stop training. Weeks passed but the blob didn't budge.
A friend offered a few micro doses of Kambo, an ancient frog medicine from the Amazon. Within a few sessions, my elbow healed.
What I didn't know: Kambo is potent medicine for fertility. When my clockwork period was a few days late, I didn't think much of it.
I even spotted a few drops of blood right before Christmas and interpreted them as a sign of my upcoming bleed.
Days went by before I expressed concern to a girlfriend to which she promptly responded, "Audrey, do you know what implantation bleeding is?"
No, I responded, frantically opening a Google tab.
A few hours later, a small word stared back at me from a 200 peso pregnancy test: EMBARAZADA.
Turns out that frog medicine combined with drool-worthy, orgasm-syncing sex had been kryptonite to my oh-so-safe methods of pulling out which hadn't failed me in 20+ years.
Here I was, 37, single, pregnant, on the tail end of a global pandemic in Mexico. Having recently stopped seeing the man whose sperm had fertilized my egg, I had to awkwardly text and locate him. He'd done Kambo too and he wasn't stoked on having a child.
I have wanted to be a mother for as long as I remember. But I didn't want a child with a man who didn't love me.
My child deserved a FUCK YES in the face of its conception. Plus, the thought of being tethered to a man I briefly dated and a life in California or Mexico for eternity made me cringe.
Most of all, I didn't want to give up on my love story.
That's why, on Boxing Day 2021, after coming home from a Christmas party, I induced a self-managed abortion in the comfort of my home. He accompanied me through the entire process. With girlfriends on speed dial, a midwife on Whatsapp for medical questions, neighbors and friends checking in on me virtually and my blood sister who'd offered to donate her savings and move to Mexico for the birth I had all the support I could ask for.
The experience was minimally painful on a physical level, but of course brought challenges on an emotional and spiritual level. However, having the tools and loving support I had available to me, it was ok. I know this isn't necessarily the norm and many women undergo abortion in silence, and some suffer.
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In many ways, the experience changed who I am.
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On a deep spiritual level, my pregnancy has expanded my womanhood, forced me into radical acceptance and self-love on a new level, and served as an unexpected initiation into motherhood.
♡
My Ask
I ask that you respect the choices I have made for my body and life. I would like to note that we often speak words like "I'm so sorry..." that seem kind when they in fact feel disempowering.
I don't want to receive your pity or condolences. Instead, I ask you to celebrate sovereignty with me.
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WHY BECOME AN ABORTION DOULA?
Abortion was illegal in Baja California Sur, so while abortion pills are readily available over the counter, information was not. I wanted to close that gap in my community. My personal experiences have always fueled my desire to help others. Still bleeding from my abortion I enrolled in doula training. Plus, I thought operating an illegal underground abortion network in Mexico sounded exactly like what Audrey would do.
My Background
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Reiki Level 1
Energy Healing
I've intuitively worked with the healing powers of my hands and heart since I was a child. In 2020, I received my training and Reiki attunement from Luciana Naclerio in Baja, Mexico.
Abortion Doula
In early 2022, I completed my training as an abortion doula with BADT, Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings.
Birth Doula
By the end of 2022, I added birth doula training with Kelli Castineiras from Cabo Doula Services to the mix, with a focus on Quantum Holistic Birthing.
Peer Crisis Counsellor for Survivors of Sexual Violence
I was trained as a peer crisis counselor during my volunteer work at Vancouver Rape Relief in 2017, Canada's oldest women's shelter. While grateful for my training, I want to distance myself from their political views.
Co-Founder & Educator
the f school
In 2017 I founded a feminist collective, which turned into my first online business, the f school. Within the first year, we taught 1000+ women from over 50 countries skills to live a more empowered life.
Ally Skills Facilitator
In 2018 I completed the Ally Skills Facilitator Training by Valerie Aurora of Frameshift Consulting, which has enabled me to practice and teach others skills to create more inclusive spaces.
Transformational Coach
Life Coach
I gathered my first coaching experience in my late teens, where I coached peers for jobs, interviews and fun. It wasn't till 2018 that I enrolled in my formal coach training.
Fuck the rules.
Despite growing up in a society obsessed with certifications, degrees, and institutionalized education (Germany), what I rely on in my work is my connection with spirit, my intuition, and, most of all, my heart.