afterglow [n]:
A pleasant effect or experience that lingers after something is done, experienced or achieved; The light or radiance that remains after the sun has set.
We believe that mothers and children are the foundation for thriving human life.
Can you imagine how different the world would be if we truly honored the mother’s journey?
Here, we do.
Afterglow is a space where you are seen, held, and honored—in all the rawness, radiance, and everything-in-between of motherhood.
Whether you're newly postpartum or navigating the long unfolding that follows, you're not meant to do this alone.
Here, you'll find grounding practices to support your body, nervous system, mental health, and spirit. You'll find space to rest, connect, and remember your inner wisdom. And you'll find a guide who walks beside you—not above you.
I’m Leanne Matullo—a mother of three, a longtime yoga teacher, postpartum care practitioner, birth doula, infant and child sleep consultant, and someone who knows the deep beauty and the deep overwhelm of this season.
After years of working in community wellness, education, and nonprofit storytelling, I created Afterglow to offer mothers what I once longed for: a circle of care, wise mentorship, a return to self, and a slow exhale all with roots in the ancient practices of Yoga and Ayurveda.
Like you, I’ve faced many challenges on this path - infertility, birth injury, breastfeeding challenges, identity crises, intense sleep deprivation, pelvic floor dysfunction, postpartum rage, and more. Everywhere I turned, I found a continued pathologizing of postpartum, rather than a recognition of the needs of the mother…that truly we are having a normal response to this time period of mother becoming - matrescence - and what we’re experiencing is a radiant gift to ourselves, our children, and to society at large.
Afterglow is a reminder that postpartum and the motherhood journey are not synonymous with suffering.
On the contrary, it’s a reclamation of the threshold we step through, moving from maiden to mother, growing in love and compassion, igniting the powers of intuition and instinct, and learning to make necessary sacrifices as we birth our children and rebirth ourselves.
You are welcome here As You Are, which is also happens to be a collection of essays I write about motherhood, spirituality, and more. Please sign up to receive them!
In addition to Afterglow and my own devotion to family life, I support women led and owned businesses through creative consulting and storytelling. I am also the founder of Flower House Farm Virginia, where we grow cut flowers, medicinal herbs, and host events in the garden. Thank you for being here.