“Being with other women and going deep on these topics in a space where I didn’t have to explain anything was truly transformative. It helped me discover new gems in my motherhood experience and shifted how I care for myself and my family.” — Adoptive Mom
MotherCircle
Women Mothering Through Adoption
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We are both adoptive mothers, though our paths are quite different—Karla through international adoption, Michelle through foster care. We met after completing a MotherCircle course and quickly discovered a shared truth: MotherCircle created a powerful space to ground us in our own wisdom around the arc of motherhood—exploring topics like birth, sex, money, value, and worth.
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Yet, as adoptive mothers, we also felt something missing. For those who mother through adoption—or raise children they didn’t birth—these conversations carry unique complexities. In the world of adoption, opinions abound: about why we became adoptive mothers, about our children and their birth parents, about the projections and assumptions placed on our families. Adoption is deeply multi-dimensional, with much of it unseen and unspoken.
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We created this offering to explore not only the universal layers of motherhood—physical, emotional, sexual, spiritual, archetypal, and ancestral—but also the distinct truths and experiences that adoption brings. Our aim is to honor the forgotten rites of motherhood -- no matter how one becomes a mother, and to contribute to building a MotherCulture we want to live in and pass down to our children.
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We’d love for you to join us
Karla Johnston
Certified Ayurvedic Wellness &
Somatic Healing Guide
Michelle A Kenefick
Licensed Clinical Social Worker &
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner
Certified MotherCircle Facilitators
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I’ve been mothering for 21 years—through birth, international adoption, and the many unseen thresholds in between. Since 2010, my experiences as an adoptive mother have unfolded alongside my study of Yoga and Ayurveda. These practices helped me return to my body, tend the complexities of motherhood, and cultivate a capacity to hold paradox with presence and grace.
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Over the last five years, I’ve also studied somatic healing with Kimberly Ann Johnson, whose work has shaped my understanding of the female nervous system, repair, and embodied belonging. These traditions and teachings have given me tools for integrating the cycles of breaking apart and coming back together that mark so many seasons of life.
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Today, I live in Durham, North Carolina, where I guide women and mothers through transitions. My work centers on helping women remember their wholeness, reclaim vitality, and live from a deep well of inner trust while metabolizing life experiences and motherhood.
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I’m thrilled to partner with Michelle in MotherCircle, as we create a space for mothers to be witnessed, nourished, and supported in all the complexity and beauty of their journeys.
I came to mothering along paths some might call “unconventional,” but for me, they’ve been profoundly meaningful. My journey began as a stepmother, and later I became a mother through adoption. These experiences have shaped how I understand love, belonging, and the beautiful complexity of family—and they’ve taught me the value of having spaces where we can speak honestly about both the challenges and the joy of mothering children we didn’t birth.
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Professionally, I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner with over 35 years of experience. I lead a group psychotherapy practice in Essex, Connecticut, where we walk alongside people navigating some of life’s hardest—and most transformative—seasons.
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It’s a true joy to partner with Karla in bringing MotherCircle to life. Together, we’re creating a space that honors and celebrates the unique journeys of women mothering children they didn’t birth—while offering the kind of deep, wholehearted support we’ve both yearned for and are so excited to share.