Remembering You, Remembering Us Restorative Gathering
What to Expect
Remembering You, Remembering Us is a tender, restorative gathering held during Black Maternal Health Week, dedicated to honoring grief, remembering love, and reclaiming healing through community. This sacred circle centers the often-unspoken realities of pregnancy loss, postpartum depression, and maternal grief—reminding families that they are seen, held, and not alone.
Led by licensed social workers Courtney Clardy, LMSW, and Sarah McNamara, LMSW of The Gathered Practice, alongside Cree Moore, this gathering will offer guided reflection, open dialogue, and collective rituals of remembrance. Through storytelling, grounding practices, and shared silence, participants will be held in a compassionate space to honor the full spectrum of motherhood—joy, sorrow, resilience, and love that lives on.
Facilitated practices will include:
- Collective remembrance of babies and mothers who are no longer with us
- Emotional and spiritual care for those navigating postpartum depression, anxiety, or trauma
- Restorative community connection with others who understand this journey
- Rituals of honor that affirm grief as love in its most profound form
This evening is open to parents, mothers, families, and loved ones who have experienced pregnancy loss, infant loss, maternal loss, or postpartum mental health challenges.
Venue: The Bottom (2340 E Magnolia Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917)
Meet Our Facilitators
Courtney Arlesia
Courtney Arlesia, LMSW | Spiritual & Mental Wellness Coach
Courtney A. Clardy, LMSW, is a captivating force of inspiration and empowerment, driven by her deep connection with God. Her journey embodies resilience, strength, and an unwavering pursuit of spiritual and mental wellness. Courtney earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work in 2013, with a minor in the Recording Industry, showcasing her multifaceted approach to life. In addition to her literary and advocacy work, Courtney is the founder of the Endless Love Membership, the God is Kind Campaign, and the Two Minutes of Your Time Podcast. Through these platforms, she continues to spread her message of love, kindness, and empowerment to a global audience.
Rooted in her genuine desire for a profound relationship with God, Courtney’s personal pursuits have become a cornerstone for women facing adversity worldwide. Her aspiration is clear – to continue empowering women (people), guiding them towards self-harmony and finding solace in their creator.
Sarah McNamara
Sarah McNamara, LCSW | Gathered Village
Sarah McNamara is the Clinical Director of the Gathered Village Therapy Knoxville in Knoxville, TN. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified in Perinatal Mental Health. Sarah holds a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Science in Human Development from Virginia Tech. She is a Certified Acceptance and Integration Training® (AAIT™) Practitioner, having completed a clinical fellowship under the direction of AAIT™ Founder, Melanie McGhee, LCSW. Sarah uses AAIT™ to help her clients experience healing and wholeness after trauma, grief and loss, postpartum and more.
Femeika Elliott
Femeika Elliott, WOMB PRACTITIONER & POSTPARTUM DOULA | The Lotus Program Experience
Femeika ‘Naa Nyerley’ Elliott is a womb practitioner, doula and land steward whose life’s work remains at the cornerstone of community care being at the sacred intersections of food justice and birth justice, grounded in a comprehensive equity framework. Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, she blends ancestral wisdom, traditional sacred medicine, and land stewardship to address systemic health disparities impacting communities. Her work honors the womb, the land, and the table as interconnected sites of healing— recognizing nourishment, reproductive care, and cultural continuity as essential to liberation and collective well-being.
She is the Founder of The Lotus Program Experience, a holistic maternal health and reproductive wellness wheelhouse offering pregnancy and post-birth nourishment, womb healing, ceremonial support, and embodied recovery practices that reimagine postpartum care and women’s wellness beyond clinical systems.
About Our Venue
The Bottom is a nonprofit cultural organization serving the community through a Black-affirming bookshop and arts programming.
Rooted in place justice, The Bottom stands to build community, celebrate culture, and engage the creativity of Black people in Knoxville.
The Bottom strives to cultivate a sense of belonging, togetherness and safety for Black people in Knoxville and beyond.
Reserve Your Seat!
This event is completely free to attend. We simply ask for you to RSVP!