Local Spotlight on Catherine Gallagher: The founder of new spiritual mentorship programme for mothers, Materni TEA

Based in West Sussex, Catherine Gallagher is the award-winning founder of her brand, the Empower Method, encompassing spiritual business mentorship, yoga events, teacher trainings and retreats, as well as tarot trainings and readings. For the past 10 years, Catherine has taught her way around the world, offering yoga retreats and teacher trainings before settling in the South East to develop her acclaimed online Empower Mentorship Programme in 2020.

Since becoming a parent in 2024, Catherine has reimagined the direction of her mentorship and recently launched her brand new Materni TEA programme - a new online offering designed as a space to support mothers. Drawing upon practices and experiences developed within the Empower Method, her new Materni TEA initiative works with mothers on both an individual and communal basis to help regulate their nervous systems and provide spiritual support in all aspects of their transition into maternal life. 

From health and careers, to relationships and wealth, Catherine offers a grounding programme to provide peace and calm amongst the overwhelm and exhaustion of pregnancy, parental leave and postpartum. We chat to Catherine about her new approach and what those looking to invest in themselves can expect…

Photography Credit: Sophie Mitchell Photography

How would you describe your new Materni TEA Programme and what inspired you to evolve your successful Empower programme to focus on mothers?

I previously built up an award-winning Empower Mentorship Programme for Spiritual Business Entrepreneurs, supporting them with marketing, content, money blocks, finding their voice as a brand and their own embodiment energetics.

After the birth of my daughter, who I instantly fell head over heels in love with, I suffered a major haemorrhage losing 2.5 litres of blood. This was followed by 3 months of very difficult health problems including a serious infection at 10 weeks postpartum which hospitalised me for 4 days taking me apart from my daughter. It felt like a very dark time with a lot of anxiety and trips in and out of hospital. On top of the health struggles I really struggled with my new shift in identity, grieving my past sense of freedom and it took some time to feel into what I truly wanted to do next with my life. I found myself asking what sort of embodiment, energetic and spiritual support I would’ve loved to have received during the transitional postpartum period. This is where the idea for the Materni TEA programme began.

The letting go of a lot of old work and patterns was not easy, but I feel so clear and excited for my new reinvention of my mentorship programme. It draws on the best of my Empower Mentorship Programme but pivots towards supporting mothers with their shift from their maiden archetype era into their motherhood archetype era. 

My focus now is on Materni TEA: Spilling the tea on Maternity - a mentorship for overwhelmed and exhausted mothers to soothe their nervous system via private and community support. We focus on health, wealth, relationships, career, home life, plus their embodiment for relaxation and rest. I’m bringing in a lot of ritual, ceremony, moon circles and community into the equation as this has been my go-to throughout this era of my life and the way I’ve found grounding, peace and calm amongst a lot of overwhelm and exhaustion. I have so much to give to this project and a lot to receive and learn via the wisdom of other mothers too.

What sort of service do the women you work with receive?

 It’s a unique service offering support for women through the very tender time of matrescence. My focus is on tending to each mother’s nervous systems through a variety of healing modalities using my experience as a yoga teacher trainer, award-winning mentor, tarot and energy reader. This is a service that I’m not sure exists other than here - and it’s one I would have loved to receive myself. 

Why is this important? A dysregulated nervous system leads to anxiety, depression, binge eating or not eating at all, brain fog, confusion, burnout, stress. This then causes severe inflammation in the body, resulting in all kinds of things none of us want to be identified with! 

Mothers are faced with having to be in fight or flight all the time which is why their rest and relaxation (plus the support from whoever is around them most) must be prioritised.

Whether you’re planning pregnancy, pregnant, on maternity leave or any stage postpartum (I define that as any stage post birth!), my doors are open to you for this work together.

The Programme is a minimum commitment of six months, structured to include six tailor made private calls, six community group calls and a community chat group for continued support. I need between 2-3 hours of your time per month, so it’s very accessible as long as the mother is willing to prioritise this small about of time for herself.

Photography Credit: Latitude50

What kind of mothers do you tend to work with?

They tend to be spiritually open, mystically curious, deep thinkers and highly sensitive souls who view their sensitivity as a super power. 

A lot of women/mothers might see no problem in spending a lot on a great pram, but feel a block investing in support for themselves through pregnancy, maternity leave or postpartum.

The women who buy into my transformational offerings are not like this - sure, they may want the pram too BUT they KNOW the value of investing in this kind of support as it leads to feeling well from the inside out, showing up as a more calm, relaxed and present person. We wear a lot of hats in this life as a friend, a mother, a lover, a career person, a human being (or more often a human doing)! When you work with me, it’s your chance to be fully in receiver mode. 

The mothers I work with also love magic, mystery, astrology, yoga, the moon, embodiment practices, rituals and ceremonies, and they make sure to create time and space for this!

I’d say they tend to be more pleasure-led buyers than detail-oriented buyers because my work is not for people who need every detail. I work with my intuition a lot and respond to the energy I’m met with which is of course constantly changing. Yoga is the healing path of the present and finding freedom in it. Of course we can try to plan everything…but then life is going to happen how it’s going to happen! My work is here to support life AS it unfolds and to support mothers to regulate their nervous system amongst immense change and even chaos.

What advice would you give to mothers looking to start the Materni TEA Programme?

Make yourself known to me! Drop me an email, a message or even better a voice note - I love those and I feel a lot from your vibration. I’d love to hear what speaks to you about this work and we can set up a call to discuss. I only work with those I genuinely feel in my gut that I can support. 

With any mentorship experience, chemistry is very important so let’s have a conversation together to see if we’re a match. It helps to hear about your problems, your dreams and your desires.

Finally, are you prioritising your needs at all as a mother? I’d encourage you to think about the value you’re currently putting on your self care, having a regulated nervous system, thriving mental and emotional health. You can’t put a number on this… however, your money is certainly better spent on grounding support rather than on a new material item, is it not? Think of this as investing rather than spending.

You have a background in yoga and provide teacher training. How did you discover yoga and where did you train to be a teacher?

I do and for a long time teaching yoga was my sole bread and butter!

This takes me back to my corporate days working at a Global Headquarters for one of the BIG 4 Leading Financial Services Firm. I was a marketing executive high up in a sky scraper and spent a lot of my time day dreaming out the window about doing… this!

As a commuter from West Sussex to Canary Wharf, I was looking for a ballet class to do after getting off the train at home. A hot yoga studio, BeYoga in Haywards Heath, had just opened literally 1 minute walk around the corner from me. I went along, experienced a hot sweaty class and then the Savasana (lying down relaxation at the end). I had never experienced such peace in my life. I remember telling my mother about the experience, that I had never felt so relaxed - like I’d melted into the floor, become one with all - it was deeply profound for me. I knew this would be something to support my anxiety around my current job and not feeling fulfilled.

The next evening (literally) my parents met me after work to tell me in person that my middle sister had been diagnosed with blood cancer whilst pregnant with her third child. My world started to fall apart - I kept going to yoga and it was my saving grace.

My teacher Bryony Hamerton took notice of my dedication and invited me onto her first ever training. I think like a lot of teachers I thought ah I’ll love this, I’ll do it just for me to learn more but I won't ever teach.

Well… obviously that didn't happen! After my 6 month 200HR Foundation Teacher Training, I worked and taught on the side for 6 months until taking the leap of faith to leave the corporate world behind and go for it. 

I’ve since done further training in Aruba with Rachel Brathen @Yoga Girl and my advanced YTT under Vidya Heisel at Frog Lotus Yoga in Spain. I later joined their Faculty as a teacher trainer, gaining my YACEP Yoga Alliance Certified Education Provider qualification as a Senior Yoga Teacher and developed my own 50 Hour Teacher Training which I offer annually in Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra. 

How has becoming a mother yourself changed your outlook and the way you approach your work?

It’s made me work smarter, not harder. I always followed this motto but now I REALLY stick to it as my time is SO precious. As a family, we’ve decided that my daughter will start nursery at 2.5 or 3 years old, so I am a full time Mummy 6/7 days a week. I have one day of childcare from dear Grandparents which I’m immensely grateful for. This is my day for my passions and dreams and taking action on them.

I’ve had to cut away from any work that was draining me time-wise, financially and get very clear and dedicated to the work I LOVE to do, that brings me joy but also the income I desire for my family’s needs. I haven’t found this easy - it’s been a lesson in the advantage of subtracting to focus on bigger key projects rather than taking on more little bits and pieces like studio work, one-off events or working under other people’s businesses.

Now, the yearly key projects I pour myself into are hosting:

• Materni TEA - My mentorship for Mothers

• 1 x 50HR Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher Training in Restorative Yoga & Yoga Nidra

• 1 x Tarot Training for Curious Mystics 

• 4 x Sussex Day Retreats per year with my Sister, Writer Philippa Groom - who is well and free from cancer

• 1 x International Retreat

All of these projects fill me up, feel joyful, are lucrative and allow me to be a very present Mummy with my daughter in her early years.

You have some beautiful retreats and workshops scheduled for over the Autumn / Winter - what can you tell us about these?

I do! My Autumn Equinox retreat is fully booked with my writer sister Philippa Groom. Our next event is a Spring Equinox retreat next March 2026. Our waitlist is open!

My annual Goddess retreat in Ibiza is happening 11-16 October where we dive deep into yoga, moon circle ceremonies, gorgeous food and plenty of rest and relaxation time. 

I’m also hosting a Winter Healing Intensive where I welcome all yoga clients to a six month intimate experience for those of you wishing to Winter well, through six workshops designed with different healing modalities to soothe your stress, promote delicious sleep and receive the warmth of wellbeing. My early bird offer is on throughout all of September. 

Photography Credit: Latitude50

What do you love about living in Sussex?

The diversity of nature. Of course we’re not far from the coast so there’s the benefit of the beaches not far away, then the South Downs, beautiful woodlands (I adore trees!), plus some lovely villages like Lindfield and Cuckfield just a few minutes outside of Haywards Heath. Even just driving around to different places in West Sussex, I adore the countryside here and the way the trees bow over the country roads. I always want to live in the country!

Finally, I hugely value having access to organic food and don’t take this for granted. I like to support local growers like Laines Organic very near us and love picking up their weekly organic veg box.

What are your favourite local businesses near you in West Sussex?

What a great question - it’s hard to keep this short as as there are so many! 

In terms of my favourite “wellness” hang outs, I love the friendly The Movement Studio in Haywards Heath for epic yoga classes and hosting workshops. Also Sauna Yoku, just outside of Cuckfield for some really wholesome nature immersion, digital detox and relaxation.

For food, I can’t recommend Boul Kitchen catering enough. Tara catered my daughter’s Christening and then one of my best friends also used them for a special family occasion. 

My favourite brunch spots have to be Pampa in Cuckfield (where we celebrated our engagement) and Trading Boundaries is lovely in Fletching.

And then of course my fiancé James’ pizza business for pop-up yumminess - PilfPizza

With my daughter, I love having nature time with her at Borde Hill Gardens and the 3 National Trust spots near us (how lucky!) Nymans, Sheffield Park and Wakehurst. Also, next week for the first time we are going to check out Giggleton for a Role Play session together. Doves Play Barn is also good fun with a great ice cream shop next door! West End Wigglers has been a hoot for a fun music class for her too!

How can we find out more about you and your business?

Thank you so much for asking - all of my links:

Website: www.catherinegallagher.global 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherine___gallagher/  

Linked In: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/catherine-gallagher-172ab198

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogawithcatherine/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@catherinegallagher9702