Where Spirit Meets Space with Kelly Robinson

Photo of Kelly Robinson by Britany Gill

I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Kelly Robinson, conscious spiritual interior designer, doula and author of Where Spirit Meets Space during an event that we hosted together.

During our powerful discussion, Kelly shared how we can leverage creative design to help us create space and make room for that which we would like to invite and call into our lives; career growth, love, pregnancy or otherwise.

I thought that would might catch your attention! Please read on to learn more about Kelly, her work in spiritual interior design and ways in which you can start to connect and align your spirit and space.

What inspired your design work with spirit and personal journey?

My design career sort of fell into my lap, but ever since my early twenties I’ve been a pretty devoted spiritual seeker. My spiritual path has unfolded consistently over the past 15 years, and naturally became a part of my approach to design. My spiritual curiosities have been quite varied; beginning with cultural exchange and travel, then to yoga and meditation, then to shamanic studies, birth doula-hood, and more recently the path of the priestess; so there has been a lot of inspiration. But ultimately, my greatest design inspiration and spiritual inspiration will always be the natural world.

Mother nature is the original architect; and the ultimate interior designer.

What moved you to take your focus from corporate work towards supporting women to leverage design as an extension of their spirit?

I had been looking to step out of workplace design for a few years, as I felt I couldn’t be my fullest self in the corporate environment, even though most of my clients have been very open minded. When the pandemic hit I had some panicky days, as I know we all did.

I asked myself, how can I be of service right now?

I realized that the design brief of our homes had changed overnight. I knew that millions of people would struggle to suddenly be quarantined in their homes. I began giving out free design sessions to try to help people change their spaces to hold them better and women and couples from all over the world began signing up.

It surprised me how much of an impact I could have through Zoom, and seeing people take my guidance and recreate their spaces themselves was so rewarding. It felt so natural being my full spiritual self while working with women, and coming into the home felt like a homecoming for me personally on so many levels.

How can designing our personal spaces give us a balance of both spirited creativity and meaningful control?

When we look to nature, we can see how intentionally and creatively the animals make their nests, their cocoons, and their dens. They use the gifts of nature they have access to, and then they are very discerning with which items they bring inside. It is no different for us. When we cherish what we have, choose items that are as close to nature as possible, and design to make space for our future self we are able to create both with joy and with focused intention.

How is this balance important to the fertility journey? Our life journey?

I believe that the fertility journey, much like the journey of life, is a dance between taking intentional action and surrendering to the unknown; the divine order. Or as Arianna Huffington says, “Life is a dance between making it happen and letting it happen.” I believe that the way we craft our homes is a part of what we can do to take intentional action around what we want to call into our life.

Making physical space for our future self, our future partnership, or our future baby is a way of communicating to the universe that we are clear with what we want and we believe that we are worthy of it.

It is one piece of the puzzle. Now of course, nature does her thing, and sometimes that isn’t aligned with what we desire, or it may not happen in the timeline that we long for. So while we can do the work to ready our homes, we also must surrender to the unknown, trust in the divine timing, and find happiness with all that we already have.

You’ve mentioned a connection between the womb and our home. Can you please elaborate?

One very profound thing all humans share (whales, elephants, and lions too!) is that our very first home is the womb of our mother. This is so powerful. We are so developmentally tender while we are being carried in the womb of our mother, and we receive cellular imprints during this time that we carry throughout our life. This means that as we grow up and into adulthood, one very powerful way we can mother ourselves is by the way we create our own living spaces. Our first home is connected to every home we live in during our lifetime. It is where we eat, sleep, and grow, just like when we were in the womb.

What is your personal mantra?

There are many gems I’ve gathered throughout the years, but the one that I keep coming back to is a mantra that my mother gave me. It is very simple, yet so profound. “Follow your heart.” In a world that is moving so quickly, it is so easy to get stuck in our heads. The mind can be tricky sometimes, and doesn’t always provide the best compass. But the heart doesn’t lie. Along with our womb, it is our most trustworthy intelligence center.

Do you have a s spirit animal?

I feel very connected to so many animals, so this is a tough one for me. I’d have to say I am part mountain gorilla, part dolphin, and part sea hawk. I had the incredible blessing to see the gorillas in Rwanda last year and burst into tears when I saw a mama gorilla breastfeeding her baby. The dolphins are also so inspiring to me because of how they play together and their pod dynamic. And sea hawks are so free and amazing fliers, but they mate for life and always hunt with their partner, which I think is so romantic.

If you could collaborate with any one person to design a space, who would it be and why?

Cleopatra! I am fascinated by the architecture of the pyramids and of ancient Egypt. I want to know all the secrets she carried. A more grounded answer to that question would be a friend and inspiration of mine, Clive Wilkinson. He always thinks outside the box!

What is a fun fact that we would likely not know about you?

My mom is one of 10 children so I have an enormous family. And as a child I tap danced for 12 years. I still have a few moves!

Ready to embark on your own design journey? Kelly provides 1:1 design sessions and also leads the Where Spirit Meets Space design journey each month timed with the 28 day cycle of the moon. The journey brings Kelly's teachings to life in a progressive course that includes five 90-minute virtual sessions with a small community of other female participants. Together and with Kelly’s guidance, you’ll make simple yet powerful changes to your space that deepen your connection to your home, your spirit and our mother earth. The result is a transformative personal experience to not only reimagine your home but also who you are becoming.

The next Where Spirit Meets Space design journey begins October 3rd and runs through October 31st with live sessions each Saturday from 10:00am PST –11:30am PST. Learn more about the course and signup here. Fertilust readers receive an exclusive offer of 20% off the design journey.

ABOUT KELLY ROBINSON

Kelly Robinson is a conscious interior designer and spiritual guru, known for creating functional homes for pioneering companies like Airbnb, Headspace and Soundcloud among many others. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, she turned her focus to helping women navigate the new normal of working from home and authored a digital design guide entitled Where Spirit Meets Space, which weaves together ancient practices of Feng Shui and yoga with her holistic approach to interior design. To bring the book’s teachings to life, Kelly hosts sought-after workshops, private design sessions, as well as an intimate 28-day design journey offered monthly. 

A devoted spiritual seeker, Kelly is also a yoga teacher, birth doula, and naturalist. She is driven by a deep desire to nurture the human spirit and deepen our relationship to the planet and positively change the way we treat it. 

Kelly currently lives in Vancouver, Canada, and is dreaming up plans for her future off-grid home on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Want to stay in touch? Please contact Kelly through her site or follow her on IG!

Getting grounded with Valerie Oula

Valerie Oula

I met Valerie Oula in February this year at Self-Love Rituals, an event that I programmed for HeyMama at the Detox Market in NYC.

Valerie set the tone for the event with an awe-inspiring kundalini yoga meditation. It still gives me chills thinking about the change of tone in the room, from excited frenetic energy to tranquility at the conclusion of the meditation. Experiencing that shift in a room full of 50 people was transformational. It was clear that Valerie has a gift.

Since that time, Valerie has taken her practice online and has been sharing her gift of guided meditation which has helped ease my angst and provide some grounding during this unsettling time. So much so that I thought that this community could also benefit by meeting Valerie - both through a virtual event and getting to know a bit more about her on my blog.

I am delighted to announce that I am launching a series called Sunday Sessions to introduce you to incredible experts including Valerie who are available to support you during your fertility journey and beyond. Valerie will be kicking off our first-ever Sunday Session event with a guided kundalini yoga meditation this July 12th at 8p. You can register for the private event by sending your RSVP to hi@fertilust.com

And now, I am pleased for you to “meet” Valerie…

As a native New Yorker, how did you find spirituality?

I was never looking for spirituality. I was never a seeker but I’ve always been curious about a lot of things but also a super skeptic. I grew up Catholic but didn’t consider myself religious let alone spiritual. Having heard about Reiki for awhile, I finally decided to book a session in early 2006. I experienced seeing colors and feeling as if I was flying through space in my my session. I subsequently told myself that it was just my imagination but it planted a seed: there might be something more than what’s obvious to the five senses.  Reiki was literally my gateway to spirituality. At the end of that year, my guy and I had no plans and he suggested going to the Zen Buddhist meditation place one block away from my apartment for a 5 hour meditation. And strangely enough, I had never meditated before but I said yes. It was through that meditation that I “heard” that I should sign up for Reiki training. I did so the very next day.

Was there a moment or experience that led you to practice vibrational energy healing?

The moment that I decided to embrace energy healing was around 2011 after a photo shoot from hell in Arizona that I produced. We drove to Sedona after the job and while I was sitting up in the mountains, I “heard’ that it was time to start my professional practice. 

The foundation of New York City is crystalline bedrock. Do and how do you think that this contributes to the energy of the city?

There’s a fair amount of quartz and other crystals in the bedrock which absolutely contributes to amplifying the energy of city - which can be a lot. 

Where/how are you finding peace and stillness right now?

I’m finding joy in my sourdough starter, that took me seemingly forever to cultivate. Finding peace and stillness through a meditative baking process. Practice makes progress with sourdough boules!

What ritual might you recommend to someone facing infertility who is looking to quiet their mind?

Sound healing meditation helps to quiet the mind. Nothing to do but tune into sound. Meditations utilizing binaural beats are also excellent since the frequency in the background working on the brain paired with guided meditation is a win-win.

What do you recommend to get started in practicing mindfulness at home?

Insight Timer is an excellent free app. The Well offers meditation classes through their digital membership and also open for drop in classes as well!

Your mantra?

When nothing is certain, everything is possible.

Favorite healing ritual?

Gua Sha with rose quartz and a luxurious face oil

Spirit animal?

Raven/Crows

One word to describe your state of mind right now?

Surrendered

Valerie Oula is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor, Reiki Master Teacher and a practitioner of many energetic healing modalities. She is the founder of Modern Ritual NY, a holistic lifestyle offering for mind, body and soul. From healing sessions, workshops and gong baths to specially curated crystals, these offerings designed to serve the divine light within all. Valerie is also the Director of Vibrational Energy Healing at The Well located in NYC.

Valerie’s spiritual name, Saranjeet means sanctuary and victory. Her one-on-one healing sessions and classes provide a strong container for clients and students to come into balance, to align with their true selves. Her path is to create sacred space for all to experience victory through energy work and the transformative technology of Kundalini Yoga.

Valerie’s first book, “A Little Bit of Reiki” published by Sterling Ethos was published last year.

Get connected with Valerie @valerieoula and @modernritualnyc

NIAW Feature: Faces of (In)fertility

Photo by Alexis Mera. Shirt design by Erin Halper.

At first glance it would be hard to detect that Stephanie Rapp is a fertility warrior. Stephanie is young, beautiful, vivacious and currently pregnant. And while Stephanie is entirely transparent about her story and the challenges on her path to building her family, you would probably assume that she sneezed and got pregnant. During our interview, Stephanie shares how (in)fertility has many faces and also affects young women. Read on to find out why we should never judge a book by its cover.

Stephanie’s story

My story began when I went on the pill at age 15, and was on it for the next 10 years. Fast forward to high school and college, where I struggled to maintain 100 lbs and hard a hard time putting on weight. After UPenn, I went into finance, working at Goldman Sachs in Fixed Income sales & trading, (through the financial crisis) for eight years. Soon after starting at Goldman Sachs, I was working 14 to 20 hour days and feeling the immense stress and pressure of the job and culture, (which were exacerbated by the climate of the time), and I stopped getting my period. My OBGYN, who I saw at the GS health center, reassured me that it was normal to not get a period while on the pill. After witnessing fertility struggles of people close to me, I decided to take my health into my own hands.

I went searching for a good OBGYN, I started making changes to try and get a cycle back and I went off of the pill. A year after going off of the pill, my situation was still the same. I was still very slender, still working intensely in a highly stressful environment, still working out regularly, still going out often. And still without a period.

I was sent for ultrasounds, CAT scans, MRIs, rounds, and rounds of blood work and more, to no avail. My hobby and passion is nutrition so I enrolled in nutrition school in hopes that I could also find out how to get my body functioning. I changed the way that I ate (bone marrow and collagen, ghee and egg yolks, kombu and kefir, grass fed steaks and cheese), and the way I worked out (yoga and walks, pilates and rest days). I added in acupuncture and supplements. And I started to notice positive changes in the right direction. But when my husband and I got married and started to try for a baby, I never, not once, in many months had a positive ovulation test.

I felt called to share my journey with other women who, surprisingly (had experiences which) were not dissimilar. So many of my colleagues also were experiencing amenorrhea or had suffered infertility. One day, after opening up about my struggles, a friend suggested that I see her fertility specialist. My then OBGYN told me to try for a year because I was so young before proceeding down any alternate paths. I had little to lose so I went to the specialist (that my friend recommended), and within an hour she had honed in on my issue and created a path towards pregnancy.

Patches, pills, shots and six weeks later, I was pregnant with Olivia (now four years old)! Seven months after having Olivia, I went back to my fertility specialist. Four weeks later I was pregnant with Cullen (now almost three years old)! Fast forward again, I went back for number three. A few cycles in I was pregnant again, but at eight weeks had a miscarriage. I elected for a DNC days after the diagnosis which ended up being a lifesaving decision because my pathology determined that I had a molar pregnancy, placental tumor.

Had I waited to miscarry naturally, I likely would have had to have a much more invasive procedure followed by a year or more of chemo(therapy). Instead, I suffered through a long and scary six months of constant blood work to ensure the tumor was not growing back coupled with the most intense fatigue, fog, exhaustion, lack of fervor and joy. Total depletion. I was desperate to feel like me again, but was grasping at straws. Again, I went for blood work and tests and labs; to find nothing. I treated myself with alternate therapies, supplements and nutrients, rest and support, eventually coming out of the hole I was living in after six months. I'm now pregnant with number three, due early July! 

I started a wellness company, EMBODY Wellness Company just over four years ago. We are a holistic wellness and lifestyle concierge, who create customized wellness programs for our individual and corporate clients. Our goal is to clear through the clutter and help our clients accomplish (more than) their goals in a sustainable and lasting way. We specialize in fertility, pre and post-natal and getting your body back after baby, as well as weight-loss, gut repair, clean home and beauty makeovers, corporate workshops, events, talks and more! We also do wellness business consulting for budding companies and practitioners. I am inspired by my work and our clients and love being able to help others on their journey to embody wellness!

Your high?

Each positive pregnancy test and then the highest high, holding my healthy babies! 

Your low?

The molar pregnancy rocked me to my core. It was emotionally sad and taxing, and it physically crushed me too. Feeling joy was too exhausting. I struggled to stay in the moment and enjoy the happiness around me. Even laughter was a strain. And my two kids are so funny! I felt despair and helplessness and uncertainty that the future would clear up. The road ahead seemed rocky and unreliable. My medical bills were crazy. (My insurance covered zero percent. Not even my DNC and all of the prescription hormones that I was on for well over a year.) I felt horrible physically and mentally, and felt even worse about that emotionally. I felt guilty about not being "me" for my kids and husband who needed my support and help, and I was just so so tired all of the time. 

Do you have a silver lining? 

This is a tough question. I think I'll be able to answer that more genuinely when I hold baby number three and see that he is healthy and here! A friend recently told me the timing is great because my older two are at ages where they are so excited for baby and cannot wait to be big siblings. They are thrilled to have responsibilities and teach their little brother their favorite songs, how to eat food, pick out his diapers and clothes. They will both be in preschool so I'll have good 1:1 time with the little guy. 

I truly believe I’m an optimist but I think that some parts of infertility are not lined in silver. I didn't need to have a placental tumor (to learn a lesson or appreciate something else). I don't want anyone else to go through that. I'd much prefer every woman have a linear path to motherhood. In the end, my third healthy child will be the silver lining. That's the most important outcome. 

Do you have any words of wisdom?

There are many ways of becoming a mother. Sometimes, ways we don't plan for or expect. But trust that you will hold your baby one day, maybe after an easy and natural conception, maybe through IVF, or even surrogacy or adoption. But, If you want to be a mom, you will be. 

I also want to add that most importantly that this is your journey and your life. Allow yourself to feel however you fee; mad, frustrated, sad, defeated, joyous, excited, hopeful. Whatever your emotions, they are real and don't need to be explained or justified. Give yourself the time and space to feel and heal how you need. And you don't have to do it alone! seek help from friends, professionals, (this growing) community, family, a journal, whatever you need. Reach out and let others in! You are not expected to be the expert on everything, and you are not failing.

Stephanie, her husband and two (soon to be three!) children live in NYC. If Stephanie isn’t creating meals from her farmers market finds for her family, friends or EMBODY Wellness clients, you can find her dancing and singing along with her kids as they rehearse the complete soundtrack to Frozen. To learn more about Stephanie, please visit EMBODY Wellness or follow @embodywellnesscompany on Instagram.

Redefining the Conversation about Infertility

Fertility Warriors from L to R: Andrea Syrtash, Anthea King–Pascual, Jane Jolis, Nathalie Carpenter, Jennie Monness, Rebekah Rosler, Stephanie Rapp. Photo credit: Alexis Mera.

I have thought a lot about the word infertility. It sounds like such an ugly word because there is so much judgement (including self) and lack of awareness around the subject. Even for those embarking on the “journey” there is so much that is unknown. Although the science around it has come a long way, there is still not a guarantee that it will find the underlying cause, let alone solve it to produce a child. 

The word infertile goes against our very basic function as humans to reproduce. And if we can’t do that, we may admonish ourselves for not being “normal” or having tried hard enough, or perhaps not trying the right way (whatever that means). There may be shame, embarrassment, guilt, fear, frustration, jealousy, and, and, and… Societally, we have been taught that all of these emotions are bad/negative and since there is no pride in them, we naturally try to hide them, making the depths of despair associated with (in)fertility even greater. 

I am speaking about all of the above from experience because I have lived it. Do you know how liberating it is to share that publicly? The first time I announced my experience through this blog, I held my breath when I hit publish. I didn’t know what the reaction would be and whether it would be met with public disparagement or disgust, or whether I might even be let go at my corporate job for airing my so-called dirty laundry so publicly. Instead, I was met with responses from people that I knew and didn’t know; that they, their sister, cousin, friend, or colleague was going through it, and would I talk to them about it. In those moments, I understood that I was so far from being alone. I realized that I had been shouldering a greater burden than I had to; and had created more stress for myself by not talking about my (in)fertility story. I will purposely refer to (in)fertility like so moving forward because infertility and fertility are often interchangeable, however I believe that being in the community of fertility is powerful.

By being vulnerable by sharing my own story, I have come to learn that that there are other women who have been voicing their experience and encouraging others to do the same. These fertility warriors are trailblazers, and I recently had the honor and privilege of being in the same room with six incredible women who also see the possibility of change. Alexis Mera was there to capture it all on camera.

To say that it was magical being in the room with these other women is an understatement. We all “knew” each other without actually ever meeting, because although the journey was different for all of us, the end goal of becoming a mother was the same.  Our common bond was cemented in the interest of redefining the conversation around (in)fertility by breaking the silence to get it started.

The silence for all of us at one point or another was deafening. At times the path had been hell both mentally and/or physically, but I believe that we all realized that we could use our strength to give voices and faces to (in)fertility. When. the seven of us met, it was clear that we had found community through authenticity, transparency and vulnerability by sharing, and as a result, the ability to pay it forward by supporting others going through the fire.

This is just the start, by creating community, we discover resources, are empowered by options, and elevate the conversation for support publicly and in the workplace. We have the power to make infertility a safe discussion and promoting its importance for financial support consideration and workplace benefits for both women and men.

Be a trailblazer. Over the course of this week during National Infertility Awareness Week, six fertility warriors will be featured on Fertilust. Each will share their story and their reflections on their experience. Some of the themes expressed by our trailblazers included empowerment, community, perseverance, resilience, options, strength, and advocacy.

We welcome you to join the conversation by sharing your constructive voice in the comments, and/or by reaching out to find out how to tap into the community. 

In collaboration with Alexis Mera who photographed each fertility warrior and provided graphic tees from her collections, you can get a sneak peek into each woman’s story here as shared on Alexis’ blog. Please also be sure to check back each day this week as we highlight each fertility warrior in detail here on Fertilust.

Together we can take the conversation about (in)fertility out of the shadows to normalize it. We can make it inclusive by building awareness and community. By giving it so many voices, we can drown out the judgement, misconceptions and silence around the topic.

Rather than focus on the negative aspects of (in)fertility, we have the opportunity to get IN to the community of FERTILITY. Please join us.