We recently connected with Chantal Blake and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Chantal thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When you’ve been a professional in an industry for long enough, you’ll experience moments when the entire field takes a U-Turn, an instance where the consensus completely flips upside down or where the “best practices” completely change. If you’ve experienced such a U-Turn over the course of your professional career, we’d love to hear about it.

The necessary pivot to a virtual business was unexpected for most of us. When I began my business in 2019, it was an in-person vaginal steaming business where I supplied clients with herbs, consultations, and private sessions. By 2020, just as I was poised to represent my business at two major local events, they were cancelled, along with all other in-person events. Markets, fairs, and expos came to a close.

By necessity, I took to Instagram as my way of educating customers and introducing my services, but as followers outside of my locality sought me out, I was really confused. Why are they asking me when I’m on the other side of the planet? But, then I quickly realized that it didn’t matter if I was next door or in a different country– everyone was doing business online. The clients who reached out to me felt connected and safe with me, and we were all in need of connection and safety to anchor us through the madness of 2020.

So, I became a completely virtual business serving women internationally, though I started as an in-person local business. I now offer online courses and am getting ready to launch a pilot membership offering.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

As a Womb Wellness Educator, I help women break cycles of period pain and hormonal chaos through body literacy, cycle syncing, and sacred self-care. I also help women protect their fertility, prepare for labor, recover after birth, and raise daughters who honor their wombs.

My professional career began in Nursing, then Environmental Engineering, and later Freelance Travel Writing. But the most important work I’ve ever done has been Mothering. Literally gestating, birthing, and nurturing the future showed me how impactful mothers are on the planet. While parenting is not limited to mothers, early life in the womb begins wiring the way we experience the world and how we expect to be received by it. And for women who are not mothers, the womb is a creative center to birth projects, dreams, and realities into the world around us. If all women were creating, both materially and immaterially, from healthy, honored, and peaceful wombs, I believe that we would shift the reality of the world around us.

In 2019, I certified as a Vaginal Steaming Practitioner and discovered the vast benefits of such a simple, yet effective traditional practice. At first, I was gratified by knowing that women were no longer having debilitating period pain or difficult postpartum recoveries. But, with time, I saw these women blossoming into self-awareness and self-love rooted in the appreciation and care of their wombs. The shifts they witnessed through the practice of vaginal steaming motivated them to continue with dietary and lifestyle changes, and eventually better emotional and behavioral habits that help them set healthy boundaries in their personal and professional lives. The ripple effects of womb work are far-reaching!

At the moment, I walk with women through the stages of womb healing through online courses, private consultations, and (coming soon!) a membership community.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the lesson that I can’t have a successful business while being a present, stay-at-home mom with my children. Just as I was about to launch my business, my husband and I discovered that we were expecting a new baby. While all babies are blessings, the honest truth was that I was feeling conflicted.I had been gestating this other ‘baby’, i.e. my business, and was ready to share it with the world. But, how could I have the freedom of movement to offer my in-person, local services while caring for a newborn? However, the way I mother my children is very hands-on and attentive. How could I have the freedom of movement to offer my in-person, local services while caring for a newborn? I feared that I had to put my business plans on hold for at least a year. However, 2020 forced me to pivot to an online business which enabled me to serve women around the world without leaving my home. I also get to smash the idea of success that I was taught and define it in terms of my own self-satisfaction with how I show up for myself, my family, and community.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

In 2020, when my in-person business came to a halt, I took a business coach’s advice to show up regularly online and give free tips and advice on social media. I committed to one evening every week, which was mostly spent talking to myself for an hour or maybe one other viewer. For months, I consistently showed up prepared with a planned topic, and I got a lot of practice articulating what I do in the clearest way possible. I also invited other lateral business owners to be my guests and we grew our confidence in being seen and heard on social media together. I didn’t wait until I had a ring light, a coordinated wardrobe, or glam team. I showed up bare-faced, consistent, and clear about the work I was here to do, regardless of who was on the receiving end.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @honoredwomb
• Facebook: @honoredwomb