Womb Coaching Certification Program

February 17, 2026, mark this date on your calendar for a very special day.

The Womb Coaching Certification program is starting February 17 at 6 pm PST with The Institute of Shamanic Medicine. 

I had the opportunity to attend the program last year with Sheryl-Dawn Watson and Gael Carter, both from The Institute of Shamanic Medicine. As an alumni, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to others who may want to participate in the program coming up. 

The womb certification program is a 6-month online program (four modules) with one evening class per week (Tuesday's), and I believe one full day per module is held on a Saturday or Sunday. It's definitely best to check with the staff at The Institute of Shamanic Medicine for any recent changes. Just fill out the website's online information form to connect with them.

Why enter such a sacred space with two incredibly knowledgeable and trained shamanic practitioners?

"Womb Coaching focuses on and assists in the healing of the sacred feminine container; healing the womb space of birthing and power. Womb coaching could be healing from a difficult birth experience, a sexual or physical violation, or it could be a deep desire to know the power of the feminine. Womb coaching gives you the knowledge, tools, techniques, and resources to facilitate within yourself and/or within other women.

• Assist other women in healing their womb space
• Become a spiritual midwife
• Learn the ancient power of birthing
• Foster powerful feminine presence
• Encourage the return of the feminine sovereignty
• Re-imagine balance feminine power and empowerment
• Discover the true heart power of the feminine."

Retrieved from https://www.shamanicmedicine.ca/womb-coaching/

Initially, when I started the program, I felt quite intimidated. If you follow Wake Up to Live! blog, you know my past experiences: developmental trauma (which included sexual, physical, and emotional abuse); teenage rapes; bullying and physical violence; domestic violence. You can read about my story here, Healing Worthlessness: Coming into Self-Love as a Trauma Survivor.

As well, my mom didn't have a difficult birth (as she told me), but as a newborn infant, I was having a difficult time breathing and adjusting to this world. As a result, I was left at the hospital for observation for about one week with the hospital staff. The first week after birth is a critical, emotional, and foundational time for establishing a mother-daughter bond, heavily influenced by skin-to-skin contact, feeding, and responding to cues. This immediate, intense connection helps regulate the newborn's temperature, heart rate, and emotions, while reducing stress for both mom and baby. When the newborn is separated from its mother during the first week, it disrupts crucial bonding, potentially causing toxic stress for the infant, impaired neurodevelopment, and increasing the risk of long-term emotional/behavioural issues. Perhaps, this separation at birth had an impact on me (which was part of my healing journey.) Clearly, I will never really know.

I've done many years of psychotherapy, which has supported my healing. Then I went on to do some somatic healing which released a lot of stored, heavy energy. From there, I bounced around from one spiritual culture to the next which was all fantastic, and I learned a lot. But then I found shamanism. There was something about shamanism that clicked. Deep connection with nature?! That was a "yes" for me. 

When I used to coach more regularly, my clients would always ask me about certain things I would share with them. One was about meditation practice and how to become present. Something that was really easy for me, was not always easy for others. Another was gathering knowledge and messages from the spirit of the trees, wind, or water, for example. I always encouraged my amazing clients to "listen" to nature, to listen to the silence that can be heard from the rustling of the leaves and branches. The silence between foot step. . . etc. In all honesty, I was amazed that everyone didn't have this knowledge. I simply assumed everyone did. The learning of this is so vital! Learning to go within, be centered, and present is essential for our sanity and our health - mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. And I am so glad we have Sheryl-Dawn and Gael to support others in this area and so much more! 

Shamanism is an ancient, earth-based spiritual practice where the land is viewed as a living sacred entity rather than just a resource. Shamanism emphasizes a deep connection with nature, where shamans act as mediators between the human and spirit worlds - including spirits of plants, animals, and landscapes - to restore balance. It's a beautiful, spiritual practice. Working with Sheryl-Dawn and Gael made the process worth it. They listened. They understood. We were all accepted as unique individuals with unique experiences encouraged to contribute because, and as they said, we all had something special to contribute. There was always so much love, compassion, and kindness in each class.

Anyhow, I feel as though the healing process is a lifetime journey as can be seen with my journey. Once we remove the "idea" that healing is done and complete, we can create flow rather than resistance and move about and continue to grow into our never ending future selves. 

If this feels right for you, I encourage you to click the links and check out The Institute of Shamanic Medicine's website. Connect with Sheryl-Dawn or Gael. Ask some questions. Try on something new. It's a short 6-month program, but I can guarantee that you will learn amazing new things and experience a whole lot of love, understanding, and connection!

Until we meet again.

Much love,

Desiree