Our facilitators are also local parents, who really ‘get it’ and are there for you.

Our team are all local parents ourselves. We bring a range of interests, backgrounds, experience and expertise, but with a shared belief in the importance of community at the heart of parenting, and an open, non-judgemental and deeply caring approach.

Our Facilitators

  • Rachel (she/her) is our co-founder & facilitator in East Dulwich.

    Rachel has an MSc in Health Psychology from Sussex University, is a registered midwife & carrying consultant (baby sling expert!). As a midwife, Rachel has years of experience teaching Antenatal Education, as well as labour & postnatal care in a range of settings. She lives in Surrey with her husband and two primary school aged kids.

    Rachel says:

    As a midwife, I thought I'd be so prepared for parenthood, but sleep deprivation, reflux and all the endless shoulds and worries of early parenthood were still totally overwhelming. Gathered is the community I wish I'd had around me during that time, a place to be known and understood, to figure out how I wanted to do things without labelling or judgement.

    These days I have two primary school aged kids, a messier home than I would ever wish for and am still useless at early morning starts, tolerating noise and getting everyone out of the house on time. Once we make it out, seeing friends and entertaining & am one of life’s ‘do-ers’, constantly making plans!

    My other interests change frequently but currently include dabbling with Breathwork, the odd sea swim, teaching myself to knit, sorting out cupboards, reading, watching telly, listening to podcasts and enjoying a great G&T.

    In addition to being a Midwife, I'm a Carrying Consultant & also co-founded our sister company, Carried. I teach our weekend Antenatal Classes , along with Katharine.

    The best thing about what I do is building connections with the parents I work alongside, and seeing their confidence (and babies) grow. I love laughing about the ridiculous bits of parenting, and life. I love Gathered and the community we have built so far, and really hope you and your family will too!

    @rachelb.gathered

  • Katharine is a parenting consultant, co-founder of Gathered, mother and experienced primary teacher

    I am a mum of two crazy but wonderful balls of energy, and really found my calling after the massive life shift of having my first baby.

    I previously worked as a Primary School Teacher, mainly with KS1 in various schools in South London and adored working with children and teaching. Following the seismic life shift that becoming a mother gave me, I trained with Slingababy as a Carrying Consultant, and co-founded Carried along with Rachel, turning my teaching towards parents, and adored the amazingly privileged position and role we get in their parenting journey.

    I then added in CalmFamily training as a Parenting Consultant to widen the offering to provide the sort of information, support and gentle judgement-free guidance I wish I had had. I just wanted someone to read all of the books, and give me the lowdown, and so that's what I can now offer to other parents! I love that Gathered brings together the very best of our support, the community, and the information to give you the village that parenting so desperately needs.

    I run the Toddlerhood course helping you bridge that hurdle from baby to toddler life, and supporting that period of change in your parenting and your relationship with your little one. I also run workshops on topics such as weaning and sleep, and offer 1:1 consultations as well.

    I love endless chats with other parents, particularly about any must see trashy Netflix stuff, getting geeky about parenting topics around toddlers or slings, running around after my two loopy children, Italian meals (and wine!), and lots of coffee and cake. And hugs. (oh, and I often cry so don't worry if you are a crier too!)

    @katharineboylan

  • Chloe is a postnatal doula, movement and yoga teacher, writer, mother and Gathered facilitator

    After my daughter was born six years ago, I was alarmed when she didn’t do what babies on TV did - drift off to sleep in a cot, gurgle happily in her pram or seem happy to be put down for very long. I felt fiercely protective of her but also blindsided by the responsibilities of motherhood, guilty that I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I thought I should be and stuck in a cycle of constantly second-guessing myself.

    At first I was shocked by the lack of adequate postnatal preparation and support that exists for new mothers, but over the years, my early experience has become a powerful catalyst for action. It’s helped me focus my efforts on understanding the complex, difficult and joyful experience of motherhood and supporting parents in this life stage.

    Through all of my work I have seen the power of sharing experiences and realising you’re not alone. Listening to mothers provides constant new learnings for me. My favourite part of my work is providing a reminder of how innately capable, brilliant and perfect parents are for their children (even at the stage when we are sure we have no idea what we’re doing!)

    I was so delighted to discover Gathered after I’d had my second baby, the mother’s group I dreamed of as a first time mum. Gathered is a place and a feeling that would have transformed the loneliness I felt. There is so much power in this lovingly held space where mothers come together, support each other non-judgementally and in turn are supported by a facilitator who “gets it”.

    I love practising yoga, dancing in my kitchen, reading, writing and learning, being out in nature, going to the cinema alone and hanging out at home in Crystal Palace with my family. It is a great honour to join the Gathered team and play a small part in the shift towards providing the kind of postnatal support that women need and deserve.

    @stretchedmums

Emma is standing n front of a brick wall wearing a hat and smiling directly at the camera

  • Emma is a TV Producer, Community Enthusiast, Breastfeeding Peer Supporter and Gathered Facilitator

    I adore community. Raised in Herne Hill, I felt my South East London roots calling me as an adult, craving a village within the city. I found my home in Crystal Palace. I’ve always been passionate about bringing people together. Big lively birthday parties, group holidays for as many friends as can fit in a country house, potluck dinner parties for my girlfriends, community WhatsApp groups for local parents…. I love Gathering.

    My career to-date has been as a TV Producer and Director specialising in making factual programmes and documentaries. Over the past 14 years I have had the immense privilege of travelling around the world meeting interesting people and hearing their stories. The job of interviewing people on camera involves earning trust and creating a space for people to open up and tell me about their lives, feelings and experiences. I hope that every Mum that Gathers with me will feel just as comfortable. And don’t worry, there won’t be any cameras!

    When I had my daughter at the start of 2019 I was shocked at the feeling of isolation and loneliness. I felt lost. Lost within my own body, my own identity, and my community. I went to every baby class going, having quick sleep-deprived conversations with other parents, but what I craved was real connection. A proper conversation about more than just sleep. A meet up that was for me. When I had my son in 2021 I found Gathered. The connection, the conversation…. The hot coffee! It was everything that I needed.

    I haven’t had the most straightforward parenting journey; experiencing baby loss and post-natal anxiety. I’ve always been open and honest about my experience, in the hope that others going through similar will feel less alone. When I decided to pursue my passion for supporting other parents, I knew I wanted to be on the other side at Gathered. I feel privileged to bring the magic of this amazing community to my home of Crystal Palace.

    @emmapoundtv

  • Jo is an experienced early years practitioner, and ballet teacher. She heads up our Toddler Gatherings, with a wealth of creative ideas for toddler play.

  • Cherie is a former Midwife, Mother & Gathered Facilitator.

    Hi I'm Cherie. Originally from Gloucestershire, I came to London to study for my BSc in Midwifery and then practised for 10 years in the NHS. I worked on Labour and Postnatal wards, the Birth Centre and my favourite area to support mums and families; the Community.

    I absolutely loved supporting families at home births and to help problem solve and add some softness to those first few hazy postnatal weeks.

    I became a mum 7 years ago, after 10 years of practice. I had a traumatic birth and really struggled through the postnatal period. I felt completely blindisded by motherhood, it was such an isolating experience, and I didn't realise I had postnatal depression until the fog started to lift at around 13 months.

    I just needed a consistant community of support that wasn't 3 hours down the motorway or spread all over London.

    When I had my son 2 years later, I had a lovely homebirth, with amazing Midwives and I always say that I birthed into a stronger, more confident Mum too. By that time, I'd also met a little community of Mum's in my local area which made the world of difference, and I felt more able to create boundaries for those unsolicited advisors who seem to pop up all over the place!

    So I come to Gathered with a huge passion for supporting people through the soft and fuzzy, hard and tricky, beautiful unfolding that becoming a parent is. Supporting mum's to meet other mum's should be a birthright!

Our Admin Team

  • Sophie is a Gathered member and our superstar admin support. You’ll hear from her about your trial session, membership & payments and can get in touch with her if you have any practical queries.

  • Alex is a Gathered member & runs our Instagram account. You’ll hear from her if you message us through Instagram.