Woman, Period. is a collection of stories and musings - from women, for women. Together we explore the taboo, the sacred, the ancient, & the scientific; all within the realms of sovereign womanhood. Woman, Period. recognizes and celebrates the wise woman archetype within us all. So grab a cup of tea, take a seat in our circle, and together we'll remember what it means to be Woman.
In this episode of Woman, Period., Samantha Rose and Zuri Snow dissect the nuances of modern home birth culture and how to choose the right birth team for you. Whether you want a midwife, birth keeper, or some other kind of wise-woman support for your upcoming birth, this episode is a great place to start in navigating the interviewing and hiring process.
We dive into:
-history of midwifery (the genocide of the true midwives, and how the modern medicalization and legalization of midwifery is rooted in colonialism)
-midwifery as a frequency, not a career
-nuances and complexities of modern midwifery and licensing
-different types of midwives and birth keepers
-energetic frequency is more important than title and words (and how to discern it)
-dissecting our subconscious beliefs around birth, and decolonizing our minds
-embodiment, nervous system regulation, and intuition strengthening as preparation for birth & choosing your right birth team
-logistically how to find aligned local birth support
-an intuitive, soul connection approach to choosing birth support
-the RIGHT questions to ask when vetting birth support (not the questions you’d expect)
-frequency work in birth preparation and support team selection
-how to prevent a “bait and switch” situation with a midwife
Resources:
Book: Witches, Midwives and Nurses: A History of Women Healers by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English
Blog: Midwife Interview: Basic Question & Answers
Check out our previous episodes, like "Birth as a Rite of Passage"
Zuri’s website: www.mamabearth.com
Zuri’s IG: @mamabearth
Samantha’s website: www.wholeheartedatl.com
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Special thanks to my dear friend Chris Nabile for creating the music for our show. Reach out to hire him for your musical needs at chrisnabile@icloud.com. He'll create custom music for your own podcast, or play live for ceremonies and events.
—————
Woman, Period. is a collection of stories and musings - from women, for women.
Together we explore the taboo, the sacred, the ancient, & the scientific;
all within the realms of sovereign womanhood.
Woman, Period. recognizes and celebrates the wise woman archetype within us all.
Grab a cup of tea, take a seat in our circle, and together we'll remember what it means to be Woman.
As always, thank you for keeping an open mind and heart during our conversations here. Feel free to take with you whatever resonates, and leave behind whatever doesn’t. Please keep in mind, this is a collection fo stories, theoretical and archetypal anecdotes about the mystical and mysterious nature of womanhood. We are not intending to give any sort of professional, medical, or therapeutic advice, and nothing we say should be thought of as such.
“The Midwife That Couldn’t Be Tamed” with Emily “Ember” Marantz
This is part 2, where we discuss the cultural & political conditions of midwifery in the west, as well as philosophical stories and musings on the spiritual nature of birth (and death). Emily is a conduit of Pure Love and Authenticity and I'm sure you'll feel that as you listen along.
Be sure to go back and listen to part 1, where we dive into Emily’s path into her midwifery calling, as well as her journey through her midwifery education and the shocking story of why she does not hold a midwife license, despite graduating with a 4.0 and completing all of the necessary requirements.
Emily (Ember) Marantz was born at sunrise with the new moon, from the womb of an obstetrician gynecologist and the spark of an epidemiologist & med school professor. Emily has studied and apprenticed with home-birth midwives since 2011, and has since also studied and provided midwifery care within hospitals as well as freestanding birth centers, including The Farm Midwifery Center. Her birth service path is unique in that she has studied birth in many forms, from indigenous shamanic midwives, quantum birth keepers, home births, birthing centers, and hospitals.
Emily also studied transpersonal psychology at Naropa University, and ecological design and natural building at Pitzer College. Emily completed her BSN in Holistic Nursing at Quinnipiac University, then worked as a Labor & Delivery and Postpartum Nurse, before completing her Masters in Midwifery.
She then went on to serve within a healthcare ministry in New York, and taught Health & Body Literacy at The Farm School in Tennessee. Emily is currently serving as a Lead Instructor for a forest kindergarten program with Flying Deer Nature Center in NY.
More from Emily:
Website: www.HealThyYoniverse.com
Email: BirthingTheBeloved@gmail.com
Instagram: @ember.flametender
Spotify: search for artist “ember flame tender” – album coming soon!
Zuri’s info:
Email: Zuri@mamabearth.com
Website: www.mamabearth.com
Instagram: @mamabearth
People and Resources mentioned:
-Whapio and The Matrona https://www.thematrona.com/
-Nathan Riley “the holistic ObGyn” https://www.belovedholistics.com/
-Dr. Stu “Birthing Instincts” https://www.birthinginstincts.com/
-Charles Eisenstein - article about Emily (aka his daughter-in-law) and feminine power https://charleseisenstein.substack.com/p/feminine-power
Did I miss some resources? Email me and I’ll add them in - Zuri@mamabearth.com
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Special thanks to my dear friend Chris Nabile for creating the music for our show. Reach out to hire him for your musical needs at chrisnabile@icloud.com. He'll create custom music for your own podcast, or play live for ceremonies and events.
—————
Woman, Period. is a collection of stories and musings - from women, for women.
Together we explore the taboo, the sacred, the ancient, & the scientific;
all within the realms of sovereign womanhood.
Woman, Period. recognizes and celebrates the wise woman archetype within us all.
Grab a cup of tea, take a seat in our circle, and together we'll remember what it means to be Woman.
As always, thank you for keeping an open mind and heart during our conversations here. Feel free to take with you whatever resonates, and leave behind whatever doesn’t. Please keep in mind, this is a collection fo stories, theoretical and archetypal anecdotes about the mystical and mysterious nature of womanhood. We are not intending to give any sort of professional, medical, or therapeutic advice, and nothing we say should be thought of as such.
“The Midwife That Couldn’t Be Tamed” with Emily “Ember” Marantz
This is part 1, where we dive into Emily’s path into her midwifery calling, as well as her journey through her midwifery education and the shocking story of why she does not hold a midwife license, despite graduating with a 4.0 and completing all of the necessary requirements. Emily is a conduit of Pure Love and Authenticity and I'm sure you'll feel that as you listen along.
Tune in for for part 2, where we discuss the cultural & political conditions of midwifery in the west, as well as philosophical stories and musings on the spiritual nature of birth (and death).
Emily (Ember) Marantz was born at sunrise with the new moon, from the womb of an obstetrician gynecologist and the spark of an epidemiologist & med school professor. Emily has studied and apprenticed with home-birth midwives since 2011, and has since also studied and provided midwifery care within hospitals as well as freestanding birth centers, including The Farm Midwifery Center. Her birth service path is unique in that she has studied birth in many forms, from indigenous shamanic midwives, quantum birth keepers, home births, birthing centers, and hospitals.
Emily also studied transpersonal psychology at Naropa University, and ecological design and natural building at Pitzer College. Emily completed her BSN in Holistic Nursing at Quinnipiac University, then worked as a Labor & Delivery and Postpartum Nurse, before completing her Masters in Midwifery.
She then went on to serve within a healthcare ministry in New York, and taught Health & Body Literacy at The Farm School in Tennessee. Emily is currently serving as a Lead Instructor for a forest kindergarten program with Flying Deer Nature Center in NY.
More from Emily:
Website: www.HealThyYoniverse.com
Email: BirthingTheBeloved@gmail.com
Instagram: @ember.flametender
Spotify: search for artist “ember flame tender” – album coming soon!
Zuri’s info:
Email: Zuri@mamabearth.com
Website: www.mamabearth.com
Instagram: @mamabearth
People and Resources mentioned:
-Whapio and The Matrona https://www.thematrona.com/
-Nathan Riley “the holistic ObGyn” https://www.belovedholistics.com/
-Dr. Stu “Birthing Instincts” https://www.birthinginstincts.com/
-Charles Eisenstein - article about Emily (aka his daughter-in-law) and feminine power https://charleseisenstein.substack.com/p/feminine-power
Did I miss some resources? Email me and I’ll add them in - Zuri@mamabearth.com
—————————-
Special thanks to my dear friend Chris Nabile for creating the music for our show. Reach out to hire him for your musical needs at chrisnabile@icloud.com. He'll create custom music for your own podcast, or play live for ceremonies and events.
—————
Woman, Period. is a collection of stories and musings - from women, for women.
Together we explore the taboo, the sacred, the ancient, & the scientific;
all within the realms of sovereign womanhood.
Woman, Period. recognizes and celebrates the wise woman archetype within us all.
Grab a cup of tea, take a seat in our circle, and together we'll remember what it means to be Woman.
As always, thank you for keeping an open mind and heart during our conversations here. Feel free to take with you whatever resonates, and leave behind whatever doesn’t. Please keep in mind, this is a collection fo stories, theoretical and archetypal anecdotes about the mystical and mysterious nature of womanhood. We are not intending to give any sort of professional, medical, or therapeutic advice, and nothing we say should be thought of as such.
Courting Altered States with Elessar Brugger
Elessar is a full spectrum quantum caregiver, caring for life from womb to death. She has been working as a yoni steam guide, menstrual educator, women’s circle leader, birth and postpartum doula, caregiving for infants, toddlers, new mothers, new fathers, and the elderly, and now studying the ancient calling of midwifery. She is guided by her elders, ancestors, indigenous traditions, and her own womb. She carries songs, dances with the moon, plays the drum and is a forever student of the spiral of life.
On today’s episode, Elessar shares a juicy conversation about the various brain wave states we have access to in life, and how altered states are an inherent and foundational aspect of the human experience. We discus how understanding and courting altered states in daily life can help us prepare for life’s rites of passages, and give some examples and ideas on how to do so. We also touch on how leaning into the inherent altered states of birth, sex, parenting, death, and other transformational life events can initiate deeper layers of healing, empowerment, and ease.
we cover:
-courting altered states
-being a multi orgasmic woman
-accessing altered states in orgasm
-softness and surrendering in the deep delta
-altered states in childhood
-parenting/caregiving as an invitation to drop into deeper & slower states of consciousness
-the importance of birth as an altered state of consciousness and how to protect it as such
-being a doula of altered states
-Elessar’s experience in Ecuador with the Amupakin midwives
-plant medicine, ceremonies & initiations
-pain and discomfort as initiation
-the altered states of death and dying as a ceremony
-Elessar witnessing and doula-ing the death of her grandmother
-respecting and protecting altered states in birth and death
-Elessar’s dream birth and death
Find Elessar on instagram @rootedrebirth where you can connect with her and join her postpartum circle of nurturing, yoni steaming circles, doula services, and more.
PSYCHEDELIC BIRTH with Elessar and Zuri ~ registration closes on November 9th, 2023. Learn more and enroll here : https://www.mamabearth.com/shop
Recourses mentioned:
-Whapio and The Matrona https://www.thematrona.com/
-Carly Rae and her program Nectar https://carlyrae.ca/home
-Kim Anami https://kimanami.com/
-Amupakin birth center of the Kichwa midwives of Ecuador https://amupakin.org/en/welcome/
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Special thanks to my dear friend Chris Nabile for creating the music for our show. Reach out to hire him for your musical needs at chrisnabile@icloud.com. He'll create custom music for your own podcast, or play live for ceremonies and events.
—————
Woman, Period. is a collection of stories and musings - from women, for women.
Together we explore the taboo, the sacred, the ancient, & the scientific;
all within the realms of sovereign womanhood.
Woman, Period. recognizes and celebrates the wise woman archetype within us all.
Grab a cup of tea, take a seat in our circle, and together we'll remember what it means to be Woman.
As always, thank you for keeping an open mind and heart during our conversations here. Feel free to take with you whatever resonates, and leave behind whatever doesn’t. Please keep in mind, this is a collection fo stories, theoretical and archetypal anecdotes about the mystical and mysterious nature of womanhood. We are not intending to give any sort of professional, medical, or therapeutic advice, and nothing we say should be thought of as such.
Chelsey Brēta Orth is a yoga teacher, menstrual cycle educator, postpartum doula, and resource for women along their cyclical journey’s. Currently, she is focusing her time on preconception rituals as she would like to call forth a child soon. She is the founder of Moon Rise Ritual, a place for women to expand into their cyclical rhythms with nature to remember the connection we have to all of life. She hosts the Conscious Up-level Summit, which is in its third year this May 2023
In this episode of Woman, Period., Brēta and Zuri dive into a juicy conversation about preconception awareness and ritual. Brēta shares some insight from her personal journey of conscious preconception as well as some foundational wisdom around fertility and pre-conception health.
You can find Brēta’s offerings on her website here
JOIN CONSCIOUS UPLEVEL SUMMIT 2023: Ways of the Wise Woman.
Join our instagram giveaway for a chance to win full access to the Conscious Uplevel Summit, plus a one hour session with Zuri and lots of other goodies. Giveaway ends April 23rd 2023. Visit @moonrise.ritual on instagram to enter.
Zuri’s Website: www.mamabearth.com
Resources (by order of mention):
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Special thanks to my dear friend Chris Nabile for creating the music for our show. Reach out to hire him for your musical needs at chrisnabile@icloud.com. He'll create custom music for your own podcast, or play live for ceremonies and events.
—————
Woman, Period. is a collection of stories and musings - from women, for women.
Together we explore the taboo, the sacred, the ancient, & the scientific;
all within the realms of sovereign womanhood.
Woman, Period. recognizes and celebrates the wise woman archetype within us all.
Grab a cup of tea, take a seat in our circle, and together we'll remember what it means to be Woman.
As always, thank you for keeping an open mind and heart during our conversations here. Feel free to take with you whatever resonates, and leave behind whatever doesn’t. Please keep in mind, this is a collection fo stories, theoretical and archetypal anecdotes about the mystical and mysterious nature of womanhood. We are not intending to give any sort of professional, medical, or therapeutic advice, and nothing we say should be thought of as such.
I'd thought I'd step out of my comfort zone and try something different on this episode. This is a guided meditation to connect with the spirit of your baby, whether you're pregnant, hoping to conceive someday, or have experienced loss. This meditation is a quantum visualization practice where you'll travel into the angelic realms, through the portal of the womb, to connect with your spirit baby and receive wisdom and guidance from them.
The first ten minutes or so I share a bit about my understanding of spirit baby, and how to navigate this meditation. Feel free to use this meditation again and again, and skip through the intro to dive right in. I keep it straight to the point, so I do suggest doing an embodiment practice or breath work before you begin, especially if you're someone who has trouble dropping into a meditative state.
This meditation is for anyone, woman or man, who wants to connect with their spirit baby. I offered this meditation to my mentees, and they really enjoyed it, even the dads!
If you want to connect deeper with me or inquire about my 1:1 offerings or group sacred childbirth prep mentorship program, check out my website and send me an email. I'd love to chat!
Zuri's website
Zuri's instagram: @mamabearth
Let me know what you thought of this episode! Email me your reflections at zuri.mamabirth@gmail.com
Special thanks to my dear friend Chris Nabile for creating the music for our show. Reach out to hire him for your musical needs at chrisnabile@icloud.com. He'll create custom music for your own podcast, or play live for ceremonies and events.
—————
Woman, Period. is a collection of stories and musings - from women, for women.
Together we explore the taboo, the sacred, the ancient, & the scientific;
all within the realms of sovereign womanhood.
Woman, Period. recognizes and celebrates the wise woman archetype within us all.
Grab a cup of tea, take a seat in our circle, and together we'll remember what it means to be Woman.
As always, thank you for keeping an open mind and heart during our conversations here. Feel free to take with you whatever resonates, and leave behind whatever doesn’t. Please keep in mind, this is a collection fo stories, theoretical and archetypal anecdotes about the mystical and mysterious nature of womanhood. We are not intending to give any sort of professional, medical, or therapeutic advice, and nothing we say should be thought of as such.
Valerie Wiesner is a midwife living in Prescott, Arizona with her soul mate husband of 44+ years. She is also the owner of Sacred Birth Traditions, where she offers local and virtual support and education around the childbirth continuum. In the first half of this episode, Valerie shares wisdom stories from birthing and raising her 14 children to navigating the birth scene thoughout the years. Towards the end we take a deep dive into the sacred postpartum as integration and rite of passage, and how to create better support structures around this vulnerable time.
we touch on:
-living intentionally
-choosing trust
-do-it-yourself home birthing
-birth stories
-women seeking sacred midwifes
-homeschooling 14 children
-living life in general outside of the system
-the father's role as guardian
-the father's rite of passage of birth
-the deep delta of postpartum
-sacred ritual around postpartum tending
-advice for moms preparing for postpartum
-advice for birth workers in better tending postpartum
-community blueprint for reciprocal, accessable postpartum support
-modern re-villaging
-mother-centered culture
-healing the world by holding the mother
LINKS:
The Art of Sacred Postpartum Training
Valerie's Midwifery + Local Offerings
Instagram: @sacredbirthtraditions
Valerie's email: valerie@sacredpospartum.net
Zuri's website
Zuri's instagram: @mamabearth
Let me know what you thought of this episode! Email me your reflections at zuri.mamabirth@gmail.com
Special thanks to my dear friend Chris Nabile for creating the music for our show. Reach out to hire him for your musical needs at chrisnabile@icloud.com. He'll create custom music for your own podcast, or play live for ceremonies and events.
—————
Woman, Period. is a collection of stories and musings - from women, for women.
Together we explore the taboo, the sacred, the ancient, & the scientific;
all within the realms of sovereign womanhood.
Woman, Period. recognizes and celebrates the wise woman archetype within us all.
Grab a cup of tea, take a seat in our circle, and together we'll remember what it means to be Woman.
As always, thank you for keeping an open mind and heart during our conversations here. Feel free to take with you whatever resonates, and leave behind whatever doesn’t. Please keep in mind, this is a collection fo stories, theoretical and archetypal anecdotes about the mystical and mysterious nature of womanhood. We are not intending to give any sort of professional, medical, or therapeutic advice, and nothing we say should be thought of as such.
Episode 4: From TSW to FreeBirth : Skye’s story of healing and birthing
Skye is a creative writer, postpartum doula, free-birthing mama, and healing warrior. She also happens to be a dear friend of mine! Fun fact, we actually went to high school together and reconnected years later when she reached out for pregnancy support.
On this episode, Sky shares her journey of radically trusting her body through healing from TSW and free birthing her son, River.
What we cover:
-healing through Topical Steroid Withdrawal
-pain and healing as a rite of passage
-body sovereignty and medical freedom
-you don’t need anything but your body to birth
-the free birth story of River Kawai
-how fear and tension shows up in birth
-accepting death to embrace birth
-making decisions rooted in intuition and trust vs fear
-the importance of emotional safety and peace in birth
-the value of having a solid birth team
-Zuri’s experience as Skye’s birth witness/support person
-trusting spirit baby intelligence
-the second birth: the placenta
Follow along with Skye’s journey:
Books mentioned:
-Untamed by Glennon Doyle
-Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha by Tara Brach Ph.D.
-Unassisted Childbirth by Laura Shanley
Let me know what you think! Email me your reflections at zuri.mamabirth@gmail.com
Zuri’s website + upcoming childbirth education course www.mamabearth.com
Special thanks to my dear friend Chris Nabile for creating the music for our show. Reach out to hire him for your musical needs at chrisnabile@icloud.com. He'll create custom music for your own podcast, or play live for ceremonies and events.
—————
Woman, Period. is a collection of stories and musings - from women, for women.
Together we explore the taboo, the sacred, the ancient, & the scientific;
all within the realms of sovereign womanhood.
Woman, Period. recognizes and celebrates the wise woman archetype within us all.
Grab a cup of tea, take a seat in our circle, and together we'll remember what it means to be Woman.
As always, thank you for keeping an open mind and heart during our conversations here. Feel free to take with you whatever resonates, and leave behind whatever doesn’t. Please keep in mind, this is a collection fo stories, theoretical and archetypal anecdotes about the mystical and mysterious nature of womanhood. We are not intending to give any sort of professional, medical, or therapeutic advice, and nothing we say should be thought of as such.
Episode 3: Pain as Medicine
I’m back with Samantha Rose, discussing all things Pain.
Samantha shares her profound story through traumatic injury, chronic pain, and emotional pain, and together we dive into the many ways pain can be a gift and a teacher.
We explore…
-pain vs. suffering
-victimhood vs. growth
-the intelligence of pain
-pain as a tool for embodied intuition
-societal fear and avoidance of pain
-pain and pleasure
-pain in birth (of course)
-& a lot more
Let me know what you think! Email me your reflections at zuri.mamabirth@gmail.com
Zuri’s website + upcoming childbirth education course : www.mamabearth.com
Samantha’s website + 1:1 spirit baby readings, fertility education, and birth support : www.wholeheartedatl.com
Special thanks to my dear friend Chris Nabile for creating the music for our show. Reach out to hire him for your musical needs at chrisnabile@icloud.com. He'll create custom music for your own podcast, or play live for ceremonies and events.
...........................................
Woman, Period. is a collection of stories and musings - from women, for women.
Together we explore the taboo, the sacred, the ancient, & the scientific;
all within the realms of sovereign womanhood.
Woman, Period. recognizes and celebrates the wise woman archetype within us all.
Grab a cup of tea, take a seat in our circle, and together we'll remember what it means to be Woman.
As always, thank you for keeping an open mind and heart during our conversations here. Feel free to take with you whatever resonates, and leave behind whatever doesn’t. Please keep in mind, this is a collection fo stories, theoretical and archetypal anecdotes about the mystical and mysterious nature of womanhood. We are not intending to give any sort of professional, medical, or therapeutic advice, and nothing we say should be thought of as such.
This episode is part 2 of our conversation on rites of passage.
Do you love our new intro?? Special thanks to my dear friend Chris Nabile for creating our music here. Reach out to hire him for your musical needs chrisnabile@icloud.com
On this episode, Samantha and I discuss how undisturbed birth is a rite of passage, why it’s so important, how to protect it, and how that ripples into every area of life.
-being initiated into womanhood/motherhood
-confronting our beliefs around pain, safety and fear
-coming home to our power & being rooted in our intuition
-birth as an altered state of consciousness
-radically choosing initiation and transformation
-postpartum as integration & the call for better support
-childbirth as rite of passage for the father, too
-inviting and welcoming fathers to claim their role
-choosing a birth team that truly honors and protects childbirth as a rite of passage
As always, thank you for keeping an open mind and heart during our conversations here. Feel free to take with you whatever resonates, and leave behind whatever doesn’t. Please keep in mind, this is a collection fo stories, theoretical and archetypal anecdotes about the mystical and mysterious nature of womanhood. We are not intending to give any sort of professional, medical, or therapeutic advice, and nothing we say should be thought of as such.
Woman, Period. is a collection of stories and musings - from women, for women.
Together we explore the taboo, the sacred, the ancient, & the scientific;
all within the realms of sovereign womanhood.
Woman, Period. recognizes and celebrates the wise woman archetype within us all.
So grab a cup of tea, take a seat in our circle, and together we'll remember what it means to be Woman.
As always, thank you for keeping an open mind and heart during our conversations here. Feel free to take with you whatever resonates, and leave behind whatever doesn’t. Please keep in mind, this is a collection fo stories, theoretical and archetypal anecdotes about the mystical and mysterious nature of womanhood. We are not intending to give any sort of professional, medical, or therapeutic advice, and nothing we say should be thought of as such.
-with gratitude, your host, Zuri Snow.
............
Today I’m chatting with my soul sister and radical birth keeping business partner, Samantha smith.
Our conversation today is part one of a two part series on rites of passage.
This episode is a more generalized conversation on rites of passage through the lens of the modern world.
Episode two will be all about natural, undisturbed birth as a rite of passage, of course for the mother but also for the father as witness and protector. That episode is really beautiful, so stay tuned!
Today we discuss what a rite of passage even is, why it’s so important, and how we can apply these ancestral initiations into our modern world. We touch on personal healing, soul-transformation, parenthood, adolescence, and manhood in the context of initiation and rite of passages.
We also dissect the consequences of the lack of intentional initiation in the modern world, and what we can do about it.
This conversations invokes the idea of transformation and growth through challenging times. What does it look like when we really show up for transformation as we walk through rites of passage in our lives? And how can we apply that wisdom to the approach we take as parents and leaders in our communities? Can you imagine a world full of people who have been initiated into different stages of life through practical yet sacred ritual and ceremony? A world full of confident, resilient, and community-oriented people who are capable of doing hard things and coming out stronger for it?
Zuri's Website: https://zurisnowmn.wixsite.com/dragonmother
Samantha's Website: https://www.wholeheartedatl.com