Beloved community: artist, writer, doula, energy healer, herbalist, & teacher Ella St. Hilaire
Ella is a New York based artist, writer and herbalist who works as a doula and teacher. We asked her a few questions about her mission, passion and healing work; and about Bedrock Body — under which she shares offerings for women to re-member ways to lean into the innate and intuitive intelligence of the body & soul.
Ella is also a part of our community and a dear colleague in the world of energy healing, and we’re honoured and grateful for the wisdom she holds and shares.
Artwork by Ella St. Hilaire
Photography by Carolyne Loreé Teston
Who are you and how are you in this moment / in this time of your life?
I am someone who has loved to flow in between identities all of her life. At my core I am an artist & writer, but I presently spend most of my time as a doula, energy healer, herbalist, & teacher. I create online courses for women to blossom into their truest selves by combining ancient teachings with contemporary collective upgrades.
I am feeling surrendered, faithful, & humbled.
What led you onto the path you are on today as a teacher & healer & doula?
A combination of arduous circumstances over the course of my early twenties, which brought me to my knees time & time again! Life has a way of triggering you into your purpose sometimes.
It all started when I experienced chronic illnesses within my womb that made everything about my cycle & sexual life very painful. I learned how to heal myself naturally because I couldn't find the answers from Western practitioners, no matter how many different doctors I went to. So I healed out of a necessity, but also out of a frustration surrounding the lack of education that women grow up with in relation to their bodies. I simply had to find the answers.
I became a doula because I remembered a very vivid past life doing similar work. I dove deep into the akashic records with another healer, & saw that I worked with plants, made my own medicines, & treated people in my home. After that, I kept seeing signs everywhere. This took me many years to surrender to & accept. Finally, my great-great-grandmother appeared to me while I was yoni steaming, & she told me to finish my doula training. She had also been a midwife, sage, & herbalist in her small Haitian village. I thank her for her insistence & guidance, because I signed up for training just moments after that.
Teaching came about after the second wave of the BLM movement in 2020, during the pandemic. Many people within my spiritual community came to me asking for advice & consultation, to navigate their businesses with more consciousness during these times. There was a real need for diversity & intersectionality in the realms of wellness, spirituality, & social/reproductive justice. My first course on Compassionate Leadership came to me in meditation. I've loved teaching ever since, & my guides just keep giving me ideas for more courses! It is truly my greatest joy in life.
Artwork by Ella St. Hilaire
We love the name Bedrock Body — can you tell us about what the name
symbolizes for you metaphorically / symbolically and relationally to
the work you do?
Bedrock Body is all about connecting to our bodies as the first foundation in our lives. Without understanding the body on an energetic, physical, mental, & emotional level, we cannot truly know ourselves. There is so much depth to this process, just like there are many layers of bedrock underneath our feet. It's a way to access a deeper relationship to this earth. After all, the Earth is our first mother in this realm, & I find the psychic connection between women & the natural world to be an essential part of the healing process.
What is one of the biggest revelations about healing you've had in your life?
The biggest revelation is that nothing is impossible in healing — in fact, true healing is miraculous. It goes beyond the logical mind, beyond human knowledge, & into the realm of God — the cosmic intelligence harmonizing all. When you experience miracles within your life & within the life of your clients, it really strengthens your faith.
Photography by Carolyne Loreé Teston
Artwork by Ella St. Hilaire
What practices do you include in your daily life to strengthen the connection to your divine and intuitive self?
Meditation, morning & night, is non-negotiable for me. The night meditations in particular are when I talk with my guides & receive divine guidance.
As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), I also check in with my aura & chakras often throughout the day. If I don't manage my personal energy, I get very easily overwhelmed by all of the psychic stimulus!
I also nap almost everyday. I believe that accessing those liminal spaces before & after sleep is really important for creativity, clearing the mind, & energetically upgrading the body.
In your work with women, womb health, pregnancy and birth; what is
the core teachings / knowledge you wish every woman would hold as they navigate the world?
My greatest desire is for every woman to know how powerful & intuitive she is, & that she can trust her body's intelligence. I always use this example with clients-- when you're pregnant, you don't sit around talking to your fetus saying "OK, today we are going to grow toes," or, "OK, today we are going to develop your lungs." It is not an intellectual exercise to be in communion with your body's divine intelligence. It simply is. You are primed & programmed to grow a healthy baby in your womb. You are the bridge between spirit & earth. Birth is a sacred movement, guiding you back home to yourself. All you have to do is remember, & lean into your innate wisdom.
