Timely, my parents gave me the name Maite, of Basque origin, derived from the word “love / beloved.” And it is precisely through this essence that I have been consolidating myself, through all the transformations of my life, as someone who loves deeply—guided more and more by the dictates of the heart, and less by the “shoulds” or “duties” of the world.

My journey has been marked by spirals of loss and rebirth, descent and renewal; marked by both joy and heartbreak. I do not know where my placenta was buried, nor was my umbilical cord offered to the ocean as some traditions hold — yet I have always felt myself belonging deeply to the Earth. This belonging became even clearer through the winding path that led me to motherhood: six years of pregnancy losses, an unsuccessful IVF attempt, and long seasons of grief and waiting. And then eventually, our daughter’s birth in 2020 arrived as a blessing, a profound initiation, and a sacred reminder of resilience.

These experiences rooted me more deeply in my devotion to life, to the cycles of the body, and to the sacred task of honoring each soul’s arrival.

Raised in the cultural richness of the Basque Country in Northern Spain, and carrying the lineage of the Igbo Nation of Nigeria, I embody a tapestry of traditions that value rhythm, ritual, and reverence for life’s passages. This blending of cultures has shaped the way I work—with one foot in deep ancestral knowing and the other attuned to the needs of our modern times.

I have always lived between worlds. This cultural richness, together with my professional work as a social anthropologist and international development specialist, has allowed me to witness how systems of power, privilege, and oppression shape our most intimate experiences of life — especially birth. For over 15 years, I worked with UNICEF across regions of the world, focusing on early childhood development and the rights of women and children. These experiences taught me the profound importance of the first imprint — the way we are born, welcomed, and received into life.

Over the years, my pilgrimage moved from the heart into the womb. Guided by yoga, tantra, rites of the Divine Feminine, and the teachings of ancestral midwifery, I came to recognize birth as never just biological — but also mystical, emotional, political, and deeply ancestral. Each pregnancy loss, each cycle of grief, and each birth I have witnessed became part of a larger tapestry of healing — personal, collective, and ancestral.

Today, I serve as a birth companion, rite of passage guide, and keeper of cyclical wisdom. My offerings weave together:

• Cyclical Wisdom – reconnecting with the body’s rhythms, honoring menstruation, fertility, postpartum, and menopause as gateways of power.

• Feminine Empowerment – creating spaces for women to stand in their sovereignty, reclaim their innate wisdom, and live guided by the intelligence of the body.

• Rites of Passage & Life’s Transitions – tending the thresholds of birth, postpartum, loss, and transformation with reverence, ritual, and presence.

• Embodied Movement & Somatic Practices – using yoga, dance, and somatic awareness as pathways to healing, self-expression, and deep connection with the body.

At the heart of all my work is the knowing that birth is not merely physical—it is mystical, emotional, ancestral, and political. We live under overlapping systems of oppression, and how, where, and under what conditions we are born matters greatly. Each new life deserves to be received with love, respect, and in ceremony.

I see myself as part of the welcoming committee for new souls arriving earthside, and as a witness and companion for women remembering their power. My service is also an offering to the territory we inhabit, to the land and waters that hold us. I live in reverence to the wisdom of nature, knowing that the cycles of our bodies mirror the cycles of the Earth.

This is my journey—one of devotion, resilience, and love. It is my prayer and my service that through tending to the sacred thresholds of life, we may together reweave a culture of reverence, reciprocity, and embodied sovereignty. If you’d like to, let's continue this conversation together.

With love and adoration,

Maite

The photos you will find on this website are from the talented: Alize Jireh , Lexi Hicks and Melissa Robin.