This week’s ‘Date With Ains’ Guest is Feminine Embodiment Practitioner, Corinne Konrad of ‘Raw & Rich.’
If you’re thinking ‘what the heck is a feminine embodiment practitioner?’ don’t worry, I thought the same thing when I first met Corinne at the end of last year!
But when I discovered I was expecting a baby I knew Corinne and her swag of amazing skills was exactly what I needed…and she has been a huge support to me both professionally and as a lovely friend ever since!
Over a yummy meal at Cafe Deadend we discussed life growing up in Switzerland, how she picks herself up when confidence is running low, (it may involve wearing flowers on her head!), and an exciting new course she is working on which will be the first of its kind here in Hong Kong!
Take some time out and find out more about Corinne’s awesome work, particularly in relation to clarity, confidence and connection in life and business!
I grew up in a small village in Switzerland surrounded by forest. I have two brothers, 4 and 5 years older than me. From an early age I was trying to compete with them and gain their attention which they often felt annoyed by. The sentence stop talking so much rubbish or think before you speak is something I had to hear often growing up! They both loved me though and would always look out for me.
Besides my brothers I had many female cousins living in the same village and I would spend a lot of time with them, playing and exploring the world around us.
I was blessed with a lot of freedom as a child and I grew up in an environment where aunts, uncles and grandparents would help each other out, especially regarding looking after each other’s children.
Because of that I believe I still feel very connected to my roots even though I have since travelled the world.
My upbringing has also demonstrated to me that there is power in having a community that supports each other, something that I am committed to build around me whenever I move to a new place.
I came to Hong Kong 20 months ago because of my fiancées job. Before that we’ve lived in Rio de Janeiro. As you probably can imagine, these two cities are like day and night. Where in Hong Kong people live to work in Rio they work to live.
Coming from a family of entrepreneurs I always knew that one day I would become one myself. But for that to happen I first needed to clearly hear the calling of what I was meant to be doing with my life. And that calling came at 35 years old during my time in Brazil.
It’s here where my exploration of the feminine qualities and my womanhood started in earnest and it hasn’t stopped since.
In Brazil I was initiated into the wisdom of the Women’s Circle, the Cyclical Nature of Women and the Sacredness of Pregnancy & Childbirth.
Out of all this my business ‘raw & rich’ was born!
Clarity to me means “seeing clearly”. It is a beautiful thing to have clarity.
When we go through moments of transformation and chaos, clarity is not always available to us right away though.
And so I had to learn that when something is not clear, I wait until it becomes clear – advice I took from my teacher and it has worked well for me.
I might do some feminine embodiment practices that help me become present in my body or I go for a walk to clear my mind.
And sometimes I would meet-up with a friend, sharing with her my conflicted feelings and thoughts.
What I am experiencing is that by doing one of these things, clarity will arise often enough spontaneously, and if not, I wait some more!
After my burn-out in 2006 I felt very lost.
I didn’t know who I was anymore, now that I couldn’t work. Back then I hadn’t learned yet to honor myself and instead was depending on others to tell me how well I did my job and how much they appreciated me.
What I have learned since then is that I should never give the power of feeling worthy away to someone else, whether that be my boss, partner or friends.
This has prepared me well for running my own business because most of the time, no one is here to cheer me on or pick me up.
So to pick myself up I usually do one of the two things:
I take a moment to look at all the things that are flourishing in my life and then symbolically celebrate myself with a fake flower crown that I bought a couple of months ago. This always makes me smile!
Or I would call up a meeting with a trusted friend who is willing to listen so I can get things of my chest.
Dedication and commitment is what helps me to stay connected with my purpose.
To regularly make time for a deeper communion with mySelf and the divine in front of my altar or out in nature is key for me.
And spending time with people who share a similar vision to mine, exploring, discussing, sharing dreams, thoughts, ideas – I truly thrive on one-on-one conversations with friends!
I am inspired by people who are willing to stand for love, no matter what.
People who put our collective humanness before nationality, religion and ideology, demonstrating that first and foremost we are all citizens of Planet Earth and in this together.
I am deeply touched whenever I see people creating from the heart.
When you can feel they are doing this for the pure joy of creating something beautiful. Hearing my brother play his trombone or my cousin singing moves me often to tears.
I am also inspired by people who are willing to stumble and gracefully accept mistakes along the way without losing their sense of humour.
In my personal life I am organising my wedding with my partner of 7 years and naturally I am also preparing myself for this step on a deeper, spiritual level.
Business wise I am in the midst of creating a labor & birth preparation course for women of Hong Kong which will run for the first time later this year.
In this course I will bring together my three passions which are Pregnancy & Birth, Women’s Circle and Feminine Spiritual Practices.
Rather than just focusing on labour & birth the course is designed to support women all the way through their pregnancy into motherhood.
Besides receiving lots of practical information women will learn to appreciate and honour their female body and they will gain a circle of women they can call upon. They will form a sisterhood and learn how to receive and give support to one another.
All of which will make the journey into motherhood easier and more joyful.
I am very excited to start teaching this course!
What I absolutely love about Hong Kong is the amount of inspiring female entrepreneurs that are around and how we support and help each other out in the different processes we are in. It is truly inspiring to be in such a dynamic entrepreneurial environment.
I also love that even though I live in a big city I can walk everywhere or use public transport.
More than not, I feel like living in a village where everything I need is within easy reach. In terms of convenience, I think Hong Kong is unbeatable.
Besides that, I enjoy the greenery and hikes all around town and on the islands, and contrary to what I would have ever though would be possible, I have embraced the tropical climate here!
Commit to that which is important to you.
There is huge strength in committing to your purpose. It will help you through the days when you feel like quitting or when self-doubt hits you.
It will also support you in knowing what to say YES or NO to.
Don’t wait to do something until there is no longer fear, because courage is not the absence of fear but moving on despite of fear. No matter how much your legs are trembling, go for it and know that all of our legs are sometimes trebling.
Be a true sister to other women and support and celebrate them as much as you celebrate and ask for support yourself. You are in this together and together you will help reshaping this world. It’s not only easier but also more fun!
Usually I would do a ritual around meeting myself exactly as I am that morning.
And then I would say the following prayer:
“Divine Mother, Divine Father, let me be an instrument of your love, light and wisdom today”
Followed by 9 rounds of the Gayatri Mantra and the loving kindness prayer.
This helps me to embrace myself as well as our human collective story and at the same time it calls on me to do my own bit to stay rooted in love, joy and presence as I go about my life.
I really enjoyed interviewing Corinne and I especially love her comments around strength and committing to your purpose. Being truly aligned to your purpose definitely helps you navigate what to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to and helps you to call on your courage when needed.
I’d love to hear your key takeaways from Corinne’s interview in the comments section below!
Professional Bio
Corinne Konrad is a passionate and devoted Feminine Embodiment Practitioner based in Hong Kong.
As a Feminine Embodiment Practitioner she wears various ‘cloaks’ such as a Birth Doula, Yoga Teacher, Women’s Ritual & Temple Facilitator and lately a Sisterhood Coach. She has a deep understanding of menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth and how they can influence a woman’s life.
In her work Corinne is guiding, supporting and teaching women to reconnect with themselves and the feminine so they can once again recognize, value and trust their feminine wisdom and female body.
Under her guidance, many women have embraced the beauty and power of feminine.
To know more about Corinne’s work, please visit www.rawandrich.com or connect with her through Facebook
Corinne also runs the following two Facebook Community Group Pages which you can sign up to.
holimama – holistic maternity care and Women’s Temple HK.
