Calla Naturopathic Doula

20/07/2023

In Naturopathic Medicine we look at patients as a whole, we search for the root cause of illness, we treat using the least force needed, and we teach and empower patients to prevent disease and be an active participant in their health. 🙌🏽

I did my Naturopathic medical training at Bastyr University in Washington, after getting my bachelors degree in biology (with a minor in exercise & health science) at UCSB.

Naturopathic medical school is a 4 to 5 year program, consisting of 4,100 hours of didactic & clinical instruction. We learn how to diagnose, do complete physical exams, do blood draws & IVs, do minor surgery, etc. I focused a lot into women’s health and chose to take the advanced gynecology course & clinical shift, as well as a few of the beginning courses of the midwifery program. On top of this, we also had courses in botanical medicine, nutrition, counseling, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, and physical therapies like massage, myofascial release, osseous manipulation, laser therapy, and ultrasound therapy. All of this to provide our patients with wonderful and unique care:)

Immediately after graduating in 2012, I moved out to Geneva, Switzerland to be with my now husband. Great choice for love, but was a confusing one for my career. In Europe, a Naturopath doesn’t have the same scope of practice and that, mixed with trying to learn French, definitely challenged me, my confidence, and my momentum. I considered doing 2 more years of Geneva’s medical clinic to be a doctor there, but after the 9 years of education I had done I was wiped out. I decided that I would focus more on massage, craniosacral therapy and yoga, and offer my clients bonus ability to get my naturopathic knowledge sprinkled into their appointments. I spent years discrediting myself simply because I couldn’t set up shop the same way I could have in the US. But man, I have so much amazing knowledge and modalities to use and share with my clients that are interested in treating themselves & their kiddos/families naturally first!

With me, you can trust you have someone highly educated and passionate about natural health, who is also there to hold space and support you as a doula 💛

13/07/2023

Welcoming in a new name & more honed-in purpose/vision🙌🏽

With gratitude, I let go of HealiOm Wellness & step into ✨

I’ve combined my Naturopathic medical knowledge and approach, my yoga practice and understanding of the body over the years, my complete awe of women’s cycles, birth, growing families, & wild, sacred, transformational life passages, with my deep love of supporting, caring for, & empowering women & families to find & be their version of how they feel most whole & strong🤍

I am here to connect with, honor, inform, celebrate, question, keep it real (& sometimes silly), & guide my clients in their wellness, preconception, prenatal, birth & postpartum journeys.

I’ll share more about my online consultations and offerings in future posts:)

In service and love,
Calla💛

08/03/2023

My soul’s purpose is to support women through sacred & pivotal moments in their lives. This includes menarche, menstrual cycles, preconception, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, menopause, and loss/end of life. My new logo holds a lot of meaning and I’m so excited to share it.

I was named Calla, after my mom dreamt of a field full of huge Calla lilies while she was pregnant with me🥰

When I did my first doula training back in 2007 (at the same time as my Naturopathic medical school), I felt my namesake take on new meaning. I drew it on the front of my binder for the course- a large white petal hugging a mom & baby. To me, it just fit so perfectly for symbolizing holding a mother/mother-baby/family gently with pure intentions & love, spacious protection, & nurturing support.

Whether it’s for my friends or clients, this is how I strive to show up for the people in my life. Letting them know I’m holding space for them to be heard, to be themselves without feeling judged, to hug them tight or to open my arms & just witness, & ultimately, for them to know I will be there if they need me.

This is imperative for new moms/families- to be there for them as they find their way & their power🤍

The moons in the logo represent our cyclical nature, the seasons of a woman’s monthly cycles, our connection with our intuition & higher self, the unknown & cosmos, & the ebb and flow of life.

The sprigs of lavender are placed there to represent a calming environment that fosters trust & a healthy nervous system, the use of medicinal herbs/naturopathy, & connection to Nature.

I am beyond grateful for my dear soul sister/hype-girl/fellow alternative-lifestyle-in-Portugal friend, , for her illustration talent of course, but also for the process. This logo was nurtured and not rushed, which is what it’s all about. We collaborated while honoring our own, & each other’s, essence, rhythm & cycles. The result is what I had hoped for and more🤍 Thank you Carissa- love you!

In service to & admiration of women and families. Happy International Women’s Day💪🏽❣️

All my love,
Calla💛

30/06/2022

Olá! A lot has happened since my last post and I finally feel like sharing it on here.

A little over a month ago we got the keys to our property in Eastern Alentejo, Portugal. Such a relief after months of delays, unknowns and being in a holding pattern. It was a real mind-F and often we couldn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. We really didn’t know if we’d get the loan from the bank, so everything was rising on that. Fast-forward the last couple years that challenged me like crazy, and we’ve arrived! We did it! We’ve taken the biggest step towards a dream we’ve had for years now and it’s so comforting, mind-blowing, humbling and exciting!

Little by little our plan is to transform our land into a self-sufficient, healing, calming, beautiful oasis that we will raise our kids in and welcome others to experience.

We are working to create family-friendly nature and wellness retreats, with a few glamping/safari tents, yoga deck, garden, and outdoor bathtubs. My husband , / will guide the birding tours, teach about wildlife, etc, and I’ll obviously be offering my treatments, yoga classes, Nature cure goodness, Doula services and workshops. I’m also envisioning welcoming pregnant mamas for their own baby moon retreats to be pampered, nourished, and empowered as they approach their own unique transformation into a mother💗

Since moving in, each day we add to our project list and each day the reality that we’re here is sinking in a bit more. I feel so anchored and feel so many possibilities. I follow my intuition, I don’t question myself so much, I feel more at peace than I have in a long, long time. I believe that with the work I do, this is so important and vital to moving forward as a Naturopathic Doula- holding space for others.

I hope we can have the pleasure of welcoming you and yours to our land and give you a space for healing, peace, wonder and connection with our Mother Earth✨

To follow our adventure, feel free to follow us 🙏🏼

Thanks for reading and thanks for those of you who have stuck with me as I was going through so much life restructuring 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 I’m so grateful.

12/03/2022

Love seeing research like this:)

"Infants whose mothers underwent an eight-week mindfulness-based program had a faster cardiovascular recovery from stressful interactions, as well as more self-soothing behavior, than those who didn't."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220310143732.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&fbclid=IwAR36S4sHHAMPkfQxO9CECesEmX4vd1d1fkmlzEnX7e_hPvn9DY8qc68LTkU

Infants whose mothers participated in a mindfulness-based program during pregnancy had healthier stress responses at 6 months old, a new study found.

11/01/2022

✨Prenatal Yoga Classes✨

Hey there! Looking for prenatal classes for you, your partner, or a friend?

I teach biweekly prenatal classes on Zoom and many of my students have recently given birth or are just about to. The classes have been Sunday and Thursday mornings, but given it’ll be a new group, I am open to working out a schedule that works for you:)

My classes include breathing exercises, movement & postures appropriate for pregnancy. The classes also include mindfulness, better understanding of your body and how it’s changing, tips for common pregnancy ailments, birth and postpartum, and a lovely support whatsapp group community.

I am a Naturopathic doctor, mom of 2, and doula in training. Supporting women through pregnancy brings me so much joy!

If you’re interested, feel free to send me a DM or email me at calla@healiomwellness.com.

📷: .marie.photo

09/09/2021

Hey there! It’s been awhile! The last several months have been a crazy whirlwind and I had to disconnect from social media for awhile.

We got a three month notice to move out of our house, which caught us off guard and made us feel it was time to take a leap of faith into a dream we’ve been talking about for a long time. We got rid of most of our things, packed our two cars with our essentials, and drove to Portugal with one car, two young boys and our dog. 😅

Not gonna lie, I was a hot mess for months and have had some loooooooows, but we’ve finally settled here, gotten into a bit of a routine, and have healed some of that frantic vibration out of my nervous system and chest. We are so happy with our decision and have some exciting things ahead! Lots of unknowns, and easy to get in my head, but it is good and meant to be.✨

I am still teaching Hatha Flow, Prenatal, and Postpartum yoga classes on Zoom. Will put my updated schedule in my stories/highlights. I’m also looking into finding a space to give treatments/workshops here in Portugal, so keep you posted!

Hope you’re all hanging in there with everything going on in the world and that you’re taking time to check in and sit with your heart. Sending love, Calla

15/11/2020

Hi there! New covid measures, new online yoga schedule! I’ve added a few more classes to keep you moving, give you a tool to stay centered and at peace, and for us to stay connected 🧘‍♀️💛
DM for the link🙏🏼

30/05/2020

LOVE.
💛
Do the work to break down the things keeping you from letting love be your light.
💛
Let it purify you. Let it radiate out of your hands, your eyes, your mouth. Let it guide your feet. Let it infuse your thoughts. Let it drive out fear. Let it show you how to be a peacemaker.
💛
Share it with your family, friends, people you meet, nature, animals, the elements, people who are struggling, people who are thriving, and yes, even people you don’t agree with, even your enemies.
💛
The world needs more of it and we have to remind each other that it’s from LOVE that we are most connected to our original source and where our actions will be most authentic, helpful and fruitful.
💛
I won’t stop visualizing a world where LOVE is the main pulse.

27/05/2020

New Prenatal Yoga schedule starts today!

These classes are great for pregnant women in their second and third trimesters & are also open to new mamas who are looking for a gentle class.

A wonderful way to connect with baby, with your changing body, and with others who are in the same life-changing moment of time💕 I’ll guide you through movement, strengthening, stretching, and breathing adapted for pregnancy.

Hope to see you soon!
📷: .marie.photo 🤍

03/05/2020

Go Diaper Free Week wrap up! Yep, I missed a couple days (bc ) but wanted to do one last post to wrap up. 👍🏼

✋🏾 Stop and rethink some common misconceptions about Elimination Communication ✋🏾
🛑 EC isn’t about potty training your babies and expecting them to do it perfectly. It’s about learning their cues and natural timing so that you can work as a team and support their natural process of elimination somewhere other than their diaper. While most youngsters/parents that practice EC end up potty independent earlier, that isn’t the goal:)
🛑You CAN use diapers as much as you need and want, but it’s likely that you’ll be able to reduce the number thanks to them staying dryer longer. Cha-ching!
🛑You are NOT going to psychologically damage your kids. Au contraire!
🛑It doesn’t have to take more time than changing diapers. Once you get the hang of it and your lil one knows they can count on you to give them a pottytunity, it can actually take a lot less of your time. Wahoo:)
🛑You can do it while travelling!
🛑You can work full-time and still do it. You can also teach a caregiver (ours was super up for it and loved it in the end).
🛑You don’t have to be a crunchy granola weirdo;)
If you’re even the slightest bit interested, send me a message and we’ll get an intro/informational class set up. Classes are usually grouped as newborns, mobile babies, 18+ months old EC, and non-coercive potty training for young toddlers.

30/04/2020

😎Day 5 of Go Diaper Free Week 😎
Tonight I interviewed my husband, , about his experience of us doing EC with the boys. I asked him to tell me what he thought about it, what his favorite thing about it is, and what he’d say to parents who might be on the fence about it. Here’s what he said.
“ I think it’s great for both the child and the environment. I’ve been even more amazed this time around (with our second son) to see how incredible babies are and how early they get how to do it if you offer it. My favorite things about doing EC are giving the child independence which builds their confidence/autonomy, earlier/easier completion (aka potty independence), and the amount of money we’ve saved by doing it! We could go on a nice trip from all the diapers we haven’t had to buy! Also, it’s not black and white. It takes the time you want it to take. If there are days I don’t feel like doing it as much, it’s not a big deal. If you’re on the fence about it, just ask yourself how much longer you want to clean up dirty diapers!”