Anna is a hypnobirthing teacher, EFT practitioner and author with a deep passion for women’s health, birth and the forgotten rites of passage that shape our lives. Her work combines research, advocacy and circular wisdom to support women from menarche to menopause. Through its platform Rights and ritualscreates spaces for informed choice, integrated healing, and honest conversations about birth and motherhood. Here, she talks to The Natural Parent magazine about the inspiration behind her work, her biggest breakthrough, the challenges she’s overcome along the way, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to create your business?
I spent most of my adult life working in travel, but during Covid I felt a strong pull to take a different path. I trained as a hypnobirthing teacher and EFT practitioner, initially just for myself and to support friends. I’ve always been someone who likes to research and find myself completely immersed in the world of birth by listening to podcasts, reading studies and learning from experts like Dr Rachel Reed.
The more I learned, the more I realized the gap between evidence-based care and the experiences many women reported, particularly of coercion and lack of informed consent in maternity settings. I had experienced the compulsion to do an induction for over 40 weeks and felt a growing need to understand and share the information I was learning.
My work deepened further when I trained in the blood mysteries, exploring the full range of female rites of passage – from menstruation to childbirth to menopause. I felt very aligned with this work and it was at that point that everything came together. What started as a curiosity became more of a calling, and Rights and rituals was born
The launch: How did you get started in the first place?
At first I thought I was writing a book. I spent hours researching and writing, but finally realized I needed a more direct outlet, so I started a Substack. At first, I was basically writing to myself diving deep into topics I felt weren’t talked about enough, like obstetric violence and informed consent.
When my first 100 subscribers signed up, it felt important because I realized I wasn’t alone in these questions anymore.
At the same time, I started offering hypnobirthing sessions locally. I didn’t have a website at that stage so it all grew through word of mouth, particularly with women who resonated with the advocacy and human rights aspect of my work.
Innovation: What has been the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
The biggest change came with blood mystery work. I realized that I didn’t just want to support women in birth. I really wanted to support them throughout their circular life.
The 9-week course came about very organically, with each week focusing on a different archetype that appears in both the menstrual cycle and the wider life cycle. It’s deeply contemplative work, and women often find that strong feelings and ideas come to the surface. I incorporate tools such as EFT, journaling, meditation, reiki and yoga depending on what each woman needs.
The class culminates in a Menstrual Retrieval Ceremony, which is an opportunity to revisit and reframe our first bleeding experience and gently rewrite inherited narratives that may no longer serve us.
The comments were incredibly moving. Although I love birth, expanding on this “red thread” from menarche to menopause has brought clarity to my business and brought everything together.
My job now includes:
- A substack exploring maternity systems and informed choice
- Advocacy-based birth and postpartum support
- A postpartum ebook
- Lesson and Ceremonies The Blood Mysteries
- A Inner Ages menstruation guide for girls
- A Moon Method Calendar to support circular living
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Like many people, I’d say it’s a work in progress. We homeschool and life is full of many exciting projects. I recently finished a degree in religious studies and ancient mythology which freed up a bit more time.
I tend to work on set days during the week, with rights and rituals sessions that often take place in the evenings or on weekends. My partner is also self-employed so we work together to create flexibility where we can. It’s not always perfectly balanced, but it allows us to prioritize the life we want to live as a family, which we feel is very important.
