Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Hartwell.
Kate, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The River Guild was created in response to our experiences at The Concord Birth Center. As a midwife for over a decade, several truths revealed themselves: 1) We become so close to our families that we genuinely hate saying goodbye to them at six weeks postpartum and 2) The need for mental and physical wellness options for prenatal and immediately postpartum moms and dads was overwhelming. The River Guild has housed in a space just a few feet away from the Birth Center and was created with the intent of rejuvenating the “village center.”
Families of all ages and all walks of life can find resources and education, but above all, they can find a safe space where loving and supportive people are available to them at all times. Since then we have evolved to encompass a collaborative care model, housing and supporting over 30 different practitioners among many modalities that can share their client’s progress together and achieve positive results I a way that best meets that client’s needs.
Has it been a smooth road?
The River Guild was created out of pure need and the desire to nurture and support our community. The opening of a center like this required significant financial and personal investment. Despite that, our resolve has been to lead this mission with our hearts. I have had faith in the process that I would be given signs that the effort I was putting in was worth the struggle; that what I was doing was the indeed the right thing to do.
Without fail, I am always validated by a gesture of kindness or an affirmation of our work- especially in times of stress and anxiety. For example: on the day of our grand opening we were expecting over 100 people in a space that was still going through its final touches. I was sitting in a drive-through line that afternoon waiting for a coffee and stressing over the size of the crowd and the work yet to be done. When I pulled up to pay I learned that the woman ahead of me had paid for me. Those small signs are everywhere and continue to show themselves even as we build momentum as a business. As long as we lead with our hearts, we can’t fail.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The River Guild is a holistic wellness center that utilizes a collaborative style of care. We are home to the offices of several renowned practitioners:
Dr. Carlos Perez, Chiropractor and Energy Healer
Amy Grant, Acupuncturist
Erica Thibeault, Past Life Regression Therapist, and Inner Child Healer
Tina Poirier, Lead Yoga Teacher
We also offer programming from over 30 different practitioners that includes, but is not limited to: yoga (prenatal, postpartum, advanced, catering to the autistic spectrum), ecstatic dance, hip hop dance, Shamanic programming and rituals, story-time and family playgroups, parent support, sobriety support, social justice organizing, community meditation and acupuncture, lactation support, mediumship and channeling, Hypnobirthing, PSTEC, Spirituality classes, and so much more. We also act as a retail location for Concord Handmade, a pop-up shop that specializes in fine handmade goods.
We pride ourselves on our commitment to community building and accessibility. We are often confused with a non-profit organization, but we are a for-profit entity. We are the only organization of this type that we are aware of. Our research of our peer businesses finds that any that come close are located on the West coast. It’s clear that we are pioneering this style of care, wellness, and overall lifestyle.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Throughout the process of building our business, we have benefitted from the outpouring of support from our community.
From local radio and news publications showing interest, to word-of-mouth being the primary method that folks hear about us. Our community is vibrant and has a considerable amount of momentum in creating more accessible and welcoming/walkable neighborhoods. We are directly benefitting from that energy and the desire of our population to learn and explore what is in our midst. We always welcome more businesses to our area- they would be met with enthusiasm and an incredibly supportive business community.
Pricing:
- Most of our classes are $10 or are on a sliding scale for admission.
Contact Info:
- Address: 254 North State St., Unit E
Concord, NH 03301 - Website: www.theriverguild.com
- Phone: 603-856-8103
- Email: theriverguild@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/theriverguild
- Facebook: facebook.com/theriverguild
- Twitter: twitter.com/theriverguild
- Yelp: yelp.com/biz/river-guild-concord
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
