❥ INSPIRING MUSES: ELLEN FISHER ❥

We had a beautiful conversation with Ellen Fisher, where she shared a bit of her journey into natural living and motherhood.

We are always in love with her wisdom and authenticity, and we hope you feel the same way.

What brings you the most fulfillment and happiness?

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100% it’s connecting with my family - building a life with my husband and children in our home and garden.

In your life's journey, what are the core lessons or insights that have shaped you the most, and how have they influenced your perspective on life?

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When I was in middle school I used to get picked on and made fun of quite often and every time I came home from school crying, my mom always comforted me and had the most insightful things to say.

She told me that when someone is picking you apart it’s really not about you, that most likely something is going on in their life that’s making them hurt.

Hurt people, hurt people. She always encouraged me to continue BEING MYSELF and to not bring myself down for other people’s opinions of me.

So I would go to school the next day with my mom’s lessons instilled in me to always be myself and love others, especially when hurting themselves.

And that always stuck with me into adulthood.

You've had five home births, and I'm curious about what led you to choose that path. How has the experience of home birthing changed you, and could you share more about your personal journey and feelings during the process?

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I was already into natural living - at age 19, I became plant-based and was working as a cashier at an organic health food grocery store in town.

So I met a lot of pregnant moms while working and I got into multiple discussions with customers - who were into natural living as well - about the topic of home birthing.

I was instantly inspired because I already knew I didn’t like hospitals - and avoided them unless absolutely necessary (thank you, doctors, for life-saving care when needed!)

but there was something about giving birth in the comfort of my own home, with only people present whom I trusted, that totally resonated with me. I brought the idea to my husband (we were high school sweethearts and got married at 21) and we watched the documentary "The Business of Being Born" and read books by the legendary midwife Ina May Gaskin.

We were completely sold and had an empowering beautiful home birth for my first son and never looked back.

My births have transformed me. There is nothing like pulling your beautiful, slippery baby onto your chest for the very first time, in an environment where you feel safe, supported, and empowered.

Having true informed consent, massively influenced my birth experiences and I’m so thankful for all the women before me who paved the way so I could learn this before giving birth - one of the most important experiences of a mother’s life.

You seem incredibly confident and courageous in the choices you make, living authentically and aligning with your values. Could you share tips on reaching a place where one can express themselves authentically? Particularly, as someone who shares parts of their life on the internet, how do you navigate not letting others' opinions affect you?

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It’s rewarding to be authentic and speak up about the topics I’m passionate about.

A good reminder is that it is IMPOSSIBLE to please everyone, so you might as well save yourself the headache and just be yourself. I spend a lot of time being mindful about my approach in everything I share to be respectful and reach the maximum amount of people in a positive way, but there will always be people who don’t agree with you or like what you have to say.

I’ve definitely had my share of feelings of being overwhelmed when a large number of people have been upset at me for this that or the other or made assumptions about me that aren’t true- but my husband always grounds me in those situations. He is sooo good at not caring what other people think of him,

I admire that about him so much.

I think experiencing this has helped me to become stronger over time and also to be able to receive criticism in a healthy way.

I’m thankful for what I’ve learned from it all!

And also, I’ve maintained boundaries for myself that are healthy for my well-being and mental state. I don’t read most of the comments about me online. It’s pretty unnatural for us as humans to take in a large number of people’s opinions about you, especially from people who don’t know you in person, and hide behind a screen to say things online that they would never say to you in real life.

I have a rule for myself to read the comments only in the first hour or two of posting something because most of the time my most loyal kind audience is there cheering me on at this time and it’s nice to read their encouragement or thoughtful, respectful disagreements & criticisms.

The unproductive or unnecessarily negative comments come rolling in later on and these days I’m tuned out most of the time before that happens. Also these days I’m so busy raising my kids and I have a huge desire to be present with them as much as possible, so the last thing I have time for is to read comments.

Favorite activities to do with your kids?

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Swim in the ocean with them, garden together, and go on one-on-one dates where each kid picks what we do for that night - like go to the movies together and get fun snacks, or visit the trampoline park together, or go out to dinner in town for vegan pizza night and ice cream.

Favorite Song:

It's hard to pick just one, but a few top ones for sure are "Black" by Dierks Bentley, "Nectar Drop" by DJ Drez, and "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John.

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Favorite Book:

If we are talking novels, it's hands down "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. I named my fifth child after the female main character, Dagny. If educational books then "Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition" by Nutritional Biochemist T. Colin Campbell.

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Favorite Playlist:

My BIRTH PLAYLIST on Spotify.

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Favorite Movie:

Father of the Bride, 1 and 2.

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Favorite word of wisdom that you like/ mantra:

“We can best help children learn, not by deciding what we think they should learn and thinking of ingenious ways to teach it to them, but by making the world, as far as we can, accessible to them, paying serious attention to what they do, answering their questions -- if they have any -- and helping them explore the things they are most interested in.” ― John Holt