Meet your facilitators
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MotherCircle Collective was born from our love for mothers, as mothers ourselves. We hold circles because we know the value of being present, cultivating and practicing mother wisdom with each other. This special online edition allows us to gather an international team of facilitators to hold space together, and for mothers to circle from wherever you are, building connection and support with other mamas near and far.
Please join us this fall, we would love to have you!
Aurora, Clara, Laura, Sara and Marion
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Sara Newberry
Bodyworker, somatic practitioner, motherhood care.
Sara Newberry is a devoted bodyworker, and founder of Somatic Sole Massage in St. Louis, MO.
Through barefoot massage, somatic practices, and sacred motherhood care, she guides clients in reconnecting with their body’s natural rhythms and resilience.
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"I invite you to Mother Circle because it’s time to weave together a web of mothers to lift each other up during these complicated times. This framework of seeing yourself through your motherhood journey becomes a resource full of grounded tools to return to when you feel unsteady, unsure, or overwhelmed. Join us as we #BuildMotherCulture."
Marion Tu
Somatic womb healing, movement for trauma, postpartum care.
Marion is a franco-chinese somatic practitioner based in Boston, MA.
Marion is a "COVID mom" who's passionate about maternal health and somatic womb healing. She's a trauma-sensitive yoga teacher, movement for trauma guide, and she has studied postpartum health at the INNATE traditions school.
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"I invite you to MotherCircle so you can experience the freedom that emerges from listening and being heard.
MotherCircle is a space to clarify our relationship to motherhood, to take time to stretch our thoughts, to experiment with new ideas.
When we're clearer, there's ease and space for creativity, hope, and love. Love for ourselves and what we went through, and love for our children who made us mothers."
Aurora Zoff
Yoga teacher, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Born in Italy, I have always been a multi-passionate person. I trained in one of the most fast-paced and demanding industries: veterinary medicine.
I am passionate about holding space for women, especially during transitional phases (such as birth, postpartum and menopause but not only).
I have completed 200 and 300 hour yoga teacher training, and I have been a Mental Health First Aider since 2021 -- undertaking and delivering CPD on organizational psychology and well-being. My lineage includes Sara Avant Stover, Marianne Wells, Kimberly Ann Johnson, and Amy Jones. I am the mother of a fast-paced 5-year-old boy and a cheeky cat called Blu.
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"I invite you to come together, without pressure, without needing to fix anything. MotherCircle is a space to reflect, to listen, and to feel part of something shared. I am excited to welcome people from all over the world. This is medicine for these times. We will explore themes that touch on real parts of motherhood (birth, worth, relationships, seasonality and the body) all held in a way that’s respectful and accessible."
Laura M. Ridenour, MA, SEP
Founder of Brilliant Resilience Embodied and long-time social justice organizer
I live with my 12 year old kiddo and kitty, Jupiter, near the border of British Columbia, on the Salish Sea, in Bellingham, Washington. MotherCircle facilitation is part of a greater calling, particularly as a queer single mother longing for a village and more connection. I believe that reviving the practices developed by women gathering regularly in circles for thousands of years can bring critical innate wisdom and healing resources to all of us.
"I invite you to this unique collaborative offering of MotherCircle particularly because we need more practice building cultures of care. This work, particularly being seen and held as a mother, and understanding the unique needs for expression via movement and the nervous system has been transformative. I look forward to sharing this circle experience with you. "
Clara Rubin-Smith McKie
Somatic movement educator, group facilitator for grownups and families
I am mama to an 8 and 11 year old and live in western Massachusetts. As an interdisciplinary teacher, artist and facilitator, my focus is designing participatory arts experiences, community facilitation and capacity-building, and embodied nervous system learning through play. In my longtime work as a Biodanza facilitator – a practice engaging the power of music and movement as catalysts to grow personal and collective resilience – I offer bilingual (English/Spanish) circles and sanctuary spaces that guide people to tap into the wisdom of their bodies, find and use their voices, and step into greater connection, creativity and healing for themselves and our world.
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"I invite you to join us in co-creating this loving, honest, tender and empowering space to discover and rediscover ourselves, connect and learn from each other. We will make space for deep listening inside and in the circle, cultivate inner and outer resources and learn accessible nervous system practices, sourcing revolutionary community care in our interactions with each other. Our time is always so rich and I am continually amazed by the many gifts of what we make possible together!"