Hot Wombs & Cool Minds: 6 Questions, 6 Answers with Karina Howell x KB-IV London
- Yevan
- Dec 14, 2025
- 4 min read
By Sacred Birth and Flow
Spotlight on Karina Howell
As we come towards the end of 2025, Hot Wombs & Cool Minds shines a light on Karina Howell, a Surrey-based birth, postnatal, and bereavement doula, and the heart behind The Kente and Karing Doulas.
Karina’s work is rooted in presence, cultural reverence, and deep compassion. She supports families through beginnings, endings, and everything in between with a steadiness that feels both grounding and quietly powerful.
This is doula care that honours real life, real grief, real joy, and the messy, sacred middle.
Let’s meet Karina.
We asked Karina six soulful questions for this Hot Wombs & Cool Minds December spotlight — here are her inspiring answers.
1. What inspired you to become a doula?
"It was ancestral even before I knew the word doula. I was following the path of the women who came before me, the ones who held birth with their hands, their food, their songs, and their prayers. After witnessing a loved one give birth without the care she deserved, I felt something ancient awaken in me. I knew I was being called to protect the sacred to be the steady hands, the soft voice, and the reminder that we carry wisdom in our wombs and strength in our lineage, especially as Black women navigating modern systems that too often forget us."
2. What’s one birth or postpartum moment that’s stayed with you?
"I wrapped a new mother in a kanga and whispered prayers as she wept quietly, not from pain, but from finally being seen. In that moment, healing flowed in both directions."
3. What’s a myth about birth or postpartum you wish more people would challenge?
"That postpartum is only about the baby, the mother is reborn too, and she needs to be held, fed, and honoured."
4. What’s always in your doula bag (or your virtual doula toolkit)?
A scarf or rebozo for comfort, wrapping, and release
A soft wrapper or head tie to swaddle, wrap, or soothe
Herbal teas: lemongrass, moringa, ginger, or cerasee
Coconut or shea butter for massage and blessing touch
Affirmations and prayers in both English and our native tongues
A flask of something warm, bush tea, broth, or spiced cocoa
Familiar snacks that feel like home
Cultural birth traditions passed down from elders
A heart that listens without judgment
5. How do you rest and reset between clients?
"I slow all the way down barefoot in the garden, hands in the earth, or with a bowl of soup/sip that tastes like home. I lean into ritual: warm oils on my body, soft fabrics, old songs, and silence. Sometimes rest looks like prayer, other times it’s laughter with my husband and our daughters or dancing in the kitchen."
6. Being a doula is....
"Being the village — soft when needed, strong when called, always rooted in love."
To find out more about Karina and her doula packages, email: karina@thekenteandkaringdoulas.com or follow her on Instagram The Kente and Karing Doulas
....and just a few final words from Karina:
"Remember that birth is not just a medical event; it’s a spiritual, emotional, and ancestral journey. You don’t have to walk it alone. Whether you’re preparing to bring life earthside or healing from what you’ve carried, you deserve to be held, honoured, and heard. Our traditions, our foods, our prayers, our rhythms, they are sacred technologies. Trust your body. Trust your lineage. And know that rest, softness, and community are your birthrights. We rise stronger when we rise together."
Product Spotlight: KB-IV London
Please note: I’m not paid to feature these products, nor do I have any affiliation. I simply believe they’re worth sharing.
To complement this month’s Hot Wombs & Cool Minds feature, we also highlight KB-IV London.
KB-IV London is rooted in care, culture, and deeply nourished skin. Born from a need for gentler, more honest skincare, these rich, hand-whipped body butters are made to deeply hydrate and protect skin that deserves lasting moisture. Especially melanin-rich skin. Especially sensitive skin. Especially skin that has been through a lot.
Created by a founder living with eczema and raising a mixed-heritage family, KB-IV London was never about quick fixes or harsh formulas. It was about finding something that truly worked. No chemicals. No ashiness. No dryness. Just soft, radiant, healthy skin that feels held all day long.
Every jar is handcrafted in small batches using shea, mango, and cocoa butter, chosen for their repairing, soothing, and glow-restoring properties.
These butters are beautiful for dry or dull skin and are especially loved by those healing from surgery, body acne, or caesarean births.
Kids & Cubs range
There’s also a Kids & Cubs range, created with the same care and intention.
Gentle, nourishing, and playful for little ones who deserve softness too.
KB-IV London celebrates skin in all its shades. Cocoa, caramel, golden, and everything in between. Because skincare is not just about beauty. It is self-care, confidence, and pride.
A small, family-run brand we are proud to spotlight this December.
Use code SBF25 for 25% off all orders until 31st December 2025, at KB-IV London.
You can follow KB-IV London at @KB-IV London or visit their website: www.kbivlondon.com
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