MeikMeals

10/05/2026

Let me post my lil’ pic 🤳🏾💗 🪷

I’m presenting at the 2026 VVN National Community Leadership Summit ( ) representing the intersections of food sovereignty, reproductive justice and community health.

Join me in Boston, October 22-23 🗓️ Together, we’ll tend what is fragile, persist in what is right, and rise toward the futures we are already dreaming into being.

This year’s summit, Cross-Pollinating Solutions: Moving our Radical Dreams Forward, invites us into a different kind of work. The work of carrying what we’ve learned across boundaries, into new fields. The strategies you’ve refined through years of community organizing, the care models you’ve built in your clinic or school or kitchen, the data your community owns and is using to advance justice. These belong to a larger ecosystem. They travel. They take root in new places. They make us collectively stronger— and as a 2023 Community Food Systems Fellow, I’m returning.

🔗 Learn more: www.vitalvillagesummit.org

10/05/2026

The Queen Mother is returning to West Africa. 🇬🇭 🌍

Beginning Monday, October 5th we will embark upon my second journey of 2026, returning to West Africa for another intentional season of immersive learning, educational exchange, cultural connection and reflection.

These photos capture moments from my journey to Accra, Ghana, this past July—an experience that reminded me that some of our greatest lessons are found when we step beyond what is familiar and allow ourselves to learn through culture, community, history, and lived experience.

As I prepare to return, please note these important dates:

💗BOOKS & OFFICE CLOSED: October 5–23
📆 NEW CLIENTS: Booking resumes November 11th
📧 INQUIRIES: Please contact us via email
📵 DMs: Will not be closely monitored during this time

This time away is intentional. I believe that in order to continue pouring into others with excellence, there must also be seasons dedicated to learning, restoration, expansion, and being poured into.

And when I return, I will be ready to serve yet again.

If working with me has been on your heart or your 2026 agenda, I encourage you to begin planning for November NOW. New client availability will be limited as I transition back into the office.

Until then, I am stepping away to learn, experience, reconnect, and return with an even greater depth of perspective to bring into the work I am called to do.

West Africa, Naa Nyerley is on her way. 🇬🇭

See you in November. 🤎

10/01/2026

October 1 marks the beginning of Hoodoo Heritage Month—a time to honor, remember, and educate around a living tradition rooted in the experiences, survival, spiritual practices, and ancestral knowledge of Black people in the Americas.

I am a Louisiana Creole (maternal), Geechee & Appalachian (paternal) Hoodoo— respectively. Hoodoo is not an aesthetic, a costume, a seasonal practice, or something I simply do. It is a way of life.

For me, Hoodoo is intentionally and innately embedded in my everyday life—woven into how I move, pray, protect, cleanse, honor my ancestors, understand the land, work with plants, prepare food, tend my home, and navigate the world.

There is NEVER a separation between my life and my practice. My practice exists within my life, and my life exists within my practice.

As a Creole-Appalachian and Gullah Hoodoo, my relationship to Hoodoo is also shaped by the particular histories, cultures, landscapes, and ancestral lineages that I come from. That context matters. Hoodoo is not one-size-fits-all, and it should not be stripped from the people, histories, and communities that carried these traditions forward.

I always share education, history, reflection, and lived perspective—not to make Hoodoo palatable or performative, but to honor it as the living, evolving tradition that it is.

Happy Hoodoo Heritage Month. 🖤🌿 💨 🕯️🧹

09/30/2026

Trees as Medicine & Plantcestors 🌿

Still reflecting on the beautiful evening we shared last week at The Bottom in collaboration with , & .

We gathered around plants, stories, memory, and medicine — exploring Afrilachian herbal traditions, the healing gifts of our native trees, and the ways our ancestors understood the land as a source of nourishment, wellness, and connection.

For me, this work is about more than learning which plants can be used as medicine. It’s about remembering relationship.

Remembering that the trees around us have histories. That knowledge has been carried through generations. That tending to our bodies, our communities, and the land are deeply connected practices.

We talked, learned, shared, and made herbal medicine together to carry home — putting knowledge into our hands, not just our notebooks.

Deep gratitude to SEEED and The Bottom for creating space for this gathering, and to everyone who came with curiosity, stories, questions, and a willingness to reconnect with the living world around us.

May we continue getting to know the plants and trees in our own neighborhoods. May we remember what they have to teach us. And may we keep this knowledge alive by sharing i, for TREES are the oldest ancestors we have 🌳

09/28/2026

Another Period Pooh Party is in the books! 💕

The Lotus Program Experience was honored to collaborate for the 2nd Annual Period Pooh Party, and we want to give a special THANK YOU to Eva and Eniyah for once again inviting Lotus to lead the Period Education portion of this beautiful experience. We appreciate you continuing to trust us with such an important part of the day and, most importantly, with the opportunity to pour into our girls. 💐

At Lotus, Period Education isn’t something we do simply because there’s an event centered around periods. It has always been one of our commitments and a pillar of the work we do surrounding womb wellness. 🌷

We believe education should begin before confusion, embarrassment, misinformation, or fear has an opportunity to take root.

Our girls deserve to know what is happening within their bodies. They deserve to understand their menstrual cycles, become familiar with the different period products available to them, learn healthy hygiene practices, recognize what may or may not be normal for their bodies, and most importantly—feel comfortable ASKING QUESTIONS, period. 🩸

Because a period should never be something a girl feels she has to navigate in silence.

Events like the Period Pooh Party create space for us to make these conversations approachable, age-appropriate, interactive, and NORMAL. Whether we’re opening products, explaining how they’re used, answering the questions girls may be nervous to ask, or simply reminding them that there is nothing shameful about menstruation, every conversation is another opportunity to build body literacy, confidence, and self-advocacy. 💗

And can we take a moment for our Junior Apprentice, Janiyah?! 👏🏾

Janiyah did an AMAZING job! Watching her participate in this work, assist with period education, and help demonstrate products to the girls was such a proud Lotus moment. There is something especially powerful about young girls seeing another young person confidently helping lead these conversations.

This is what apprenticeship looks like— passing knowledge forward.

And our work doesn’t stop when the event ends.

💗PARENTS & CAREGIVERS: If your daughter is approaching her first period, has recently started her cycle, or simply needs a safe and supportive space to better understand her body, Lotus offers 1:1 Womb Health Consultations for girls. These individualized sessions allow us to meet her where she is, answer questions, strengthen her understanding of her menstrual health, and help her feel more prepared and confident as she navigates this new stage.

🏫 SCHOOLS, YOUTH PROGRAMS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS & GIRLS’ GROUPS: Lotus is also available to facilitate Period Education Sessions for larger groups. If you serve girls and want to create an intentional space for education and conversation surrounding periods, menstrual health, hygiene, body awareness, and womb wellness, we would love to connect with you.

Because when we teach a girl about her body, we’re giving her information she can carry with her for YEARS to come. 🪷

Thank you again, Eva & Eniyah, for allowing Lotus to be part of the 2nd Annual Period Pooh Party. Here’s to continuing to create spaces where our girls can learn without shame, ask without embarrassment, and grow with knowledge. 🩸🪷💕

Want to bring Period Education to your daughter or organization? Connect with Lotus:

✉️ [email protected]
📺
🔗 www.thelotusprogramexperience.org
📲 865-257-9812

09/09/2026

Next month, I’ll be returning to Ghana — a place I consider a second home — to participate in Habesha Inc.’s 2nd Global Black Food Sovereignty Mbongi in Accra and DZODZOME FEST at the Kweku Andoh Sustainability Institute (KASI) in the Volta Region.

If you know me, this is much more than travel.

It is an opportunity to learn, exchange, build relationships, and deepen my practice as a land steward, activist, and leader in global Black food systems.

Across the world, we are witnessing how vulnerable our food systems have become. Climate disruption, supply-chain instability, rising costs, land pressures, displacement, and the concentration of food production and distribution are forcing us to reconsider a fundamental question:

Who gets to shape the future of food?

I believe Black farmers, land stewards, food producers, cultural knowledge keepers, and community-based food systems leaders MUST be central to that conversation.

And importantly, they already are.

Across the African diaspora, communities continue to carry sophisticated knowledge about seed keeping, regenerative land practices, ecological stewardship, food preservation, communal economies, and relationships to land that have sustained people for generations.

The work now is not simply to preserve that knowledge: It is to invest in the people carrying it forward.

That is why ‘returning’ to Ghana is always priority for me.

I’m going to listen, learn and exchange knowledge with other practitioners. And I’m going to bring those lessons back into the work we are building here at home.

This is what movement-building looks like.

It requires us to create pathways for Black food systems leaders to learn across borders, strengthen one another, access land and resources, and develop solutions rooted in our communities rather than waiting for systems that have historically excluded us to determine our future.

As I make this journey, I’m also thinking about the role of philanthropy, investors, institutions, and funders in this work.

If we are serious about resilient food systems, we must fund the people stewarding the land and feeding their communities.

Not only the technology.
Not only the infrastructure.
Not only the large institutions.

Invest in the farmers.
Invest in the land stewards.
Invest in the organizers.
Invest in Black food entrepreneurs.
Invest in intergenerational knowledge.
Invest in the leaders building food sovereignty from the ground up.

Because food sovereignty is not simply an agricultural issue.

It is an issue of land, culture, health, climate resilience, economic power, and collective liberation.

I’m honored to continue learning, growing, and contributing to this work across the diaspora — and I’m excited to return to Ghana with an open heart, a listening ear, and a commitment to bring what I learn back into our communities.

The future of our food systems will be shaped by the people we choose to invest in today.

🇬🇭🌍👩🏾‍🌾

08/26/2026

08/26/2026

Andddd we are BACK for PERIOD POOH 2026 🪷

Last year, we welcomed 25 girls and their parents to our very first Period Pooh Party in Knoxville — creating a space where girls could ask questions, learn about their changing bodies, and begin conversations about menstruation without shame or embarrassment. 💗

This year, we’re coming back bigger, more intentional, and more expansive — nearly tripling our reach! 💗

While registration for this year’s event is officially CLOSED due to building capacity, we’re sharing Period Pooh with the community because the conversation is one that deserves to be seen, heard, and continued.

At The Lotus Program Experience, we believe that health equity begins with education, access, affirmation, and the confidence to understand your own body. 🌺

This year’s Period Pooh experience brings together period education, body literacy, body positivity, confidence-building, healthy living, creativity, sisterhood, and fun — giving girls ages 8–16 an afternoon designed to help them feel informed, empowered, and proud of who they are becoming.

From period & body education and our empowering Aunts Panel, to crafts, healthy food, ice cream, line dancing, and more — we’re creating an experience that reminds girls that learning about their bodies can be joyful, affirming, and community-centered. 💕✨

And we’re talking about the issues that matter. We are so grateful to every parent, partner, educator, volunteer, and community member helping us grow this movement. 🌺

Period Pooh is more than a party. It’s a conversation. It’s education. It’s empowerment. And it’s a reminder that our girls deserve to grow up knowing that their bodies are worthy of understanding, care, and celebration.

🔗 Our Community Wishlist needs some support + if you’re feeling called and are able we are grateful for your support 💗

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/SAZ6TOUY79HY?ref_=wl_share

cc: Eva Kyle

07/02/2026

Returning to the Motherland—again with purpose. This work has always remained beyond Tennessee 🇬🇭

There are moments that feel deeply aligned, and this yet again is one of them.

I’m honored to share that I’ve been selected as a member of the 2026 SEED Exchange Cohort with REPRA Health.

As a womb practitioner, postpartum doula, healer, and community health equity champion, I’ve dedicated my work to supporting women and families through some of life’s most sacred transitions. This opportunity allows me to take that work beyond borders as I return to Ghana—the Motherland—to learn, listen, and grow alongside fellow birth workers, public health leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs, and community changemakers.

Over eight days, we’ll travel across three regions of Ghana, engaging with healthcare institutions, traditional and cultural leaders, community organizations, and local innovators to explore collaborative approaches to advancing maternal health and reproductive justice.

I believe healing has always lived within our communities. There is so much wisdom rooted in African birth traditions, postpartum care, and community-centered healing practices that deserve to be honored, preserved, and shared. I am humbled by the opportunity to learn from those who have carried these traditions for generations while offering my own experiences in service and solidarity.

My journey has never been arriving as an expert—but returning as a student.

It’s about reconnecting with ancestral knowledge, building relationships across the African diaspora, and strengthening the collective work toward healthier pregnancies, safer births, thriving postpartum experiences, and reproductive justice for Black women and families everywhere.

As always, I carry my community with me as I make this journey, and I look forward to bringing home the lessons, stories, and connections that will continue to shape my practice and the way I SERVE.

Thank you to REPRA Health for this incredible opportunity. This journey this time around is extra special with the World Cup. We return to Lotus HQ July 12th. 💗

YENKO! 🇬🇭🤎

-Naa Nyerley🐚

06/26/2026

The Lotus Program Experience is now accepting new Lotus Members🪷

If you’ve been looking for holistic womb care, postpartum support, or guidance through a reproductive health journey, I’d be honored to support you.

At The Lotus Program Experience, we provide culturally rooted indigenous care for individuals during pregnancy, postpartum, reproductive healing, and life’s transitional seasons.

Some of our services include:
• In-Home Meal Nourishment Program
• Postpartum Planning & Preparation
• Traditional Postpartum Care
• Womb Healing
• 1:1 Womb Health Consultations
• Miscarriage & Abortion Care
• End-of-Life Care
• Traditional Womb Ceremonies
• Herbal Support

Our womb care isn’t only for pregnancy and postpartum. We also support women navigating common reproductive health diagnoses such as fibroids, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and other menstrual and hormonal concerns. I also provide compassionate care for women who have experienced hysterectomies, because healing continues long after surgery.

🪷 Our signature service is the In-Home Meal Nourishment Program (IHMNP). We prepare and deliver nourishing meals to postpartum mothers so they can focus on recovery, rest, and bonding with their little ones while receiving the care they need and deserve.

Whether you’re preparing for birth, healing after birth, managing a reproductive health diagnosis, or simply looking to reconnect with your womb, The Lotus Program Experience is here to support you.

If you’re ready to become a Lotus Member, send me a message or visit

www.thelotusprogramexperience.org to learn more.

In Love,

Femeika 💗