We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jessica Rena. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Jessica , it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Anything related to being surrounded by bodies of water, music or stargazing will always make me lose track of time and find myself. It’s something spiritual about the quiet and calm of the beach or a lake knowing it also has the power to wipe away everything. Seeing how far away the stars are and how they’re also a part of each one of us, it puts things into perspective.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Jessica Rena. I’m a student midwife, birthworker, doula, educator, mom, and so many other things. I am committed to empowering, educating, and supporting Black & Indigenous birthing folx & their families.
I am the creator of Birthing the Culture, and I’m currently working a few different things, I’m launching my apothecary, my childbirth ed courses and something I’m really excited about is an event I’m creating called Soul + Spoon; it’s a spiritually guided postpartum healing offering for Black families. Did I say, that I was really excited about it? I’m in the beginning planning phases, working to get sponsors, donations, and such to put on this beautiful offering of nourishment, restoration, and soul-centered community care filled with healing rituals, collective support, and visibility. It is going to be all about pouring back into people in their postpartum period to include those who have toddlers up to 2 years old.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
The relationship I had with my grandfather, who transitioned when I was around 9 years old, is probably the most impactful relationship of my life. He was my biggest cheerleader and loved me in a way that felt impenetrable, as if no matter what I did he would always be there to cover me. It helped me build confidence and self-love that literally no one has been able to take away from me. It is a gift that I cherish every day of my life. Because of the way he loved, protected, and cherished me it is a constant reminder that I can do whatever I put my mind to.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Oh my gosh, was there? There are so many times I question myself, my sanity, everything while doing this work.
Most recently, I had been working to gently ease myself back into taking birth clients. I had to withdraw from my midwifery program in 2023 due to a lack of support and childcare, and I had another birthworker share that they would support me with childcare if I decided to take on a client. So, I excitedly accepted a client. Once, my client headed into labor, the birthworker ended up not being a secure source of childcare, and I missed the birth. That experience shook me to my core, I mean it almost stopped me from doing any other work in this field and focusing solely on motherhood. It was heartbreaking for both me and the client. I had promised to show up for someone and wasn’t able to do that and it felt like another nudge from the universe telling me this work isn’t for me right now and my job is to focus on motherhood. I laid on my floor and sobbed for days.
Luckily, I have a group of women who love, support, and uplift me in these kinds of moments. So, I decided to use the energy attached to that grief and create and that is a portion of how Soul + Spoon was born.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I am committed to the empowerment, education, and liberation of oppressed folx. I deeply believe that none of us are free until we all are. There are so many systemic and systematic issues that we face globally, structurally, individually, and more of us should work towards liberation in all capacities. I’m committed to showing up and supporting my community and other intersectional communities, no matter how long it takes.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I’m in nature, on a beach, surrounded by water, listening to the waves crash, or lying beneath a sky full of stars. There’s something deeply calming and grounding about it. Staring into the vastness of the universe, I’m always reminded of how small I am in the grand scale of things. And yet, there’s a kind of wonder in realizing that out of all the generations before me, someone from my ancestral lineage chose for me to exist here, now. That awareness carries a quiet power. It’s peaceful, just being present with something so much bigger than myself, that’s also alive and being able to witness it. It’s peaceful, it’s a beauty I can’t fully describe.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://birthingtheculture.com/
- Instagram: themidwifebitch
- Youtube: Birthing the Culture
- Other: Tiktok: SoulandSpoonPP
Image Credits
Photos by: Beauty Gazer Imagery, all other images belong to me
