Hello! my name is Ashley AKA Mama Yum

First and foremost, I am a heARTful mother of two spirited boys, mothering with intention and integrity to heal a broken world.

I am a professional NURTURER, combining 13 years specializing in Holistic Child Development, holding a Teaching Credential in Early Childhood Education with 20 years in the Healing Arts as a bodyworker, meditation teacher, ceremonialist, and Advanced Theta Healing Practitioner. I am a certified
Innate Traditions Postpartum Care Practitioner, Ayurvedic Doula, Community Supported Postpartum Facilitator and center my work around Mothers and their beloveds.

My quest is to protect and preserve the sanctity of childhood by helping stressed, overwhelmed, exhausted and reactive parents move beyond their limitations, unconscious beliefs/emotions/patterns and generational cycles of trauma and hardship and replace them with more empowered, thoughts and feelings so we can all thrive. We work on small, manageable shifts in lifestyle and utilize tools, techniques and the power of Theta Healing and Integrative body-based modalities to create Energetic Wellness and Spiritual Vitality, shifting mindsets so that parents can meet the needs of their children in a more present, patient, and playful way.

I offer guidance through private sessions, workshops, group series, mediations, and ceremonies. I live with my beloved husband and two young boys in the magical realm of Asheville, NC. The unceded traditional lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee and Yuchi Nation.

The evolution of my work started when I, myself was a child. I learned early on that I was to help others break away from suffering, this is my dharma. I have always been deeply connected to Source and I knew that I had many unique gifts. I was giving hands on healings and ceremonies in early childhood, it was obvious that I was born with a nurturing spirit, as I demonstrated great care and compassion for the world around me. I had two loving, extremely hard working parents. My gorgeous mother taught me how to create beauty upon the earth and the importance of nurturing. My father demonstrated how to be a maverick, an innovative powerhouse and how to think for myself. Both taught me the value of play.

In my youth, I was a supreme athlete. At 12, a series of serious physical injuries significantly altered my life. At 14, I was in a terrible care accident. That became a karmic theme in my life for far too many years. In high school, my life took a radical hit with illness, extreme trauma, and abuse. This left me with incessant cycles of toxic relationships, decades of chronic illness and pain, autoimmune issues, and extreme insomnia. In reflection, for every hardship there has been an enormous lesson and subsequently, a conscious upgrade. These life experiences led to me completing a B.A. in Religious Studies with an emphasis on Cultural Anthropology and Eastern Studies as well as becoming certified as a Massage Therapist (LMT), Energy Worker and Meditation Teacher. I owned a Healing Arts practice for a decade and spent many years listening to the wounded stories of others. My experiences fueled a desire to work in the world of diplomacy, generating a path towards benevolence.

After spending many months in South East Asia. I had the realization that the path to real peace, must be nurtured in childhood. I headed back to the States to earn a Teacher’s Certificate specializing in Holistic Child Development, then spent many years serving in the classroom as a Lead Kindergarten Teacher and Parent Educator. I was on a quest to find the most beneficial and balanced educational philosophies, so I invested deeply with my training in Waldorf, Lifeways, Montessori, Pickler, R.I.E. and am still tenacious in continuing my education. For many years I taught children and held body/energy work sessions for adults. While I was supporting others in various ways, my personal life was a disaster. Still fighting to get out of a venomous long-term relationship, I was exhausted and depleted. My health started spiraling downward. I became increasingly ill. It took me years to be diagnosed with chronic lyme and several more to understand how to come back to wholeness.

When I least desired or expected it, the most marvelous miracle happened by way of a kind, highly evolved, phenomenal human named Drew, whom I am now blissfully married to. We had severely life-threatening complications with our first child while in utero which is a very long rabbit-hole of a story. It was then that I became privy to how much birth impacts the rest of our life, leaving lasting imprints that carry on into adulthood. The statement “peace on earth, begins with birth”, lives in my heart daily.

My son, Zavier Maverick was a catalyst for me entering into birth work and becoming an Innate Traditions Postpartum Care Provider and Ayurvedic Doula, first serving survivors of human trafficking. Since then, I have combined two decades of my knowledge in the realm of healing arts with 13 years in child development and birthed Raising Our Rootz. While striving to survive and navigate the complications from Zavier’s birth story, we found out we were pregnant again when “ZZ” was barely 11 months. Shocked and scared, we held ceremony, prayed, and trusted. Zeo Santo was born healthy and became (still is) the medicine our family needed.

Of all the many modalities that I have received and provided, it was not until I started addressing my underlying emotional issues, and later finding Theta Healing, that I felt myself truly and fully begin to heal physically, emotionally, and mentally. I am constantly amazed at how profoundly this modality has worked for myself, my children, my husband, my relations, and my clients. We can address trauma in countless ways, but until we acknowledge, clear, and then repair the root memories and beliefs hiding in our subconscious field, they will remain and hold us hostage in a perpetual spiral. I feel healthier in all parts of my being at 40, then I did in my 20s. I no longer bear the weight of my emotional baggage, nor suffer from chronic pain or insomnia. This is why I offer integrative wellness practices focusing on somatics, subconscious and energetics, to nurture body, mind, and spirit.

When we heal ourselves, we heal our children and our lineage. It is through the lens of compassion; witnessing and understanding our resilience, that ignited my passion to support children and parents. I have poured my life forces into my mission so that we have the resources needed to thrive.

If my Bookings page is down, please contact me: ashley@raisingourrootz.com

Testimonials

"Ashley "Mama Yum" would come over a few times a week for a few hours. She would bring me the most nutritional and healthy food, she would give me tinctures, she would pray over me, she would listen to me, we would draw cards, she would massage me. She helped massage my stomach when I was so constipated from all the pain meds. She was an angel. And became more like a sister. Her knowledge was and continues to be inspiring. Of course I paid for her services, but I would have paid double. It was absolutely priceless. All the while I was falling deeper in love with my son. She is still my go to for child/mother questions, and will forever be a soul sister and a touchstone for me. "

Hayden

" Wow. The tumor is definitely smaller. And feels very, very different to the touch! As soon as I saw my daughter, the energy between us was waayyyy different. She has been more lovey-dovey and it feels so easy between us. That was absolutely amazing work. I feel the difference definitely!!!! Hard to put into words but I am very, very grateful. The Theta session was instrumental on helping me get back on track."

Pennie

" I was remembering back to last year at this time, andfeeling lots of heart warmth and gratitude "You were also a wealth of information, knowledge and traditional wisdom about nurturing, holistic postpartum care, as, for example, you helped P adjust to new motherhood and brought in a colleague to help advise with lactation issues she was experiencing. And you also suggested P have an in-home session pre-birth with a specialist who helped P physically prepare for the birthing experience—I was amazed at what P learned, and I believe it contributed to the short amount of time P spent pushing before A arrived on the scene! Your devoted care of P and A last year was truly extraordinary. You prepared and brought wonderfully nourishing foods for P. You gently massaged her belly to put her in a relaxed state and speed the healing process, and you had many great recommendations for P’s further physical healing. You are an amazing postpartum practitioner, Ashley. I am in awe of everything you did for us, and especially for P’s and A’s first precious postpartum weeks together. Your love and care were foundational to giving our family the most precious start on their journey as a new, young family. Words cannot really express my deep gratitude to you for all you did for us last year in those early weeks. I learned so much from you about how to be a supportive grandparent, even though that was not your mission. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ❤️"

Client Name

"I attended a mama’s/women’s retreat afternoon that was facilitated by Ashley. I have attended many women’s circles over the years, and this was by far the most beautifully and thoughtfully organized. I am beyond grateful to Ashley and co-facilitator Jess for creating a safe and soulful container for us all to express, connect, explore, and integrate in community with one another. The somatic and self-reflection exercises that Ashley lead us through taught me new skills to support me in processing and regulating my own emotions so that I can show up as a more whole-hearted and embodied woman for myself, my family, and my community. "

Julia

"If you are searching for real magic, wondering how to "do the work", or looking for ways to get out of negative patterns and loops in your life, it is here. Ashley is so knowledgeable, intuitive, and nurturing in her guidance and presence. She generously offers new ways of being. I have seen real shifts in my energy and reflected in my life from just one session."

Lindsey

"Mama is officially outside of her most tender 2 week window and let me tell you.....I feel amazing! My bleeding is gone, my energy levels are up, my hormones feel stable and I can quickly feel my body gaining strength each day. Without a doubt, I contribute this to a very strict postpartum plan I developed and that care that I have received. A very special shout out to my postpartum practitioner Ashley of Raising Our Rootz who has poured so much love and energy into me. Her tender, loving care and my complete gratitude can not be put into words."

Krissy

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere."

"Ashley is a divine human being. I felt deeply cared for and nurtured by her during our Theta Healing session. Deeply intuitive and insightful into the deeper patterns I am working with and helping remove blocks in my life to live my full potential. I highly recommend her for Theta Healing and for any workshop she offers. She is a gift to the world and all she touches."

Raising Our Rootz