Birth & Trauma Consultant | Educator | Social Worker | Speaker | Interpreter | Writer
Mara Ricoy Olariaga is a mother, feminist, writer, poet, birth educator, medical interpreter, social worker, film maker and activist.
She has spent many years researching, writing, and campaigning against obstetric violence, and is now widely recognised as a specialist in the field. In 2011, she founded The Roses Revolution, a global movement to denounce birth violence that eventually spread to over 30 countries and was recently featured in an international exhibition on birth.
Mara is a woman in constant search, guided by curiosity, creativity, and a love of connection. She has taught pregnancy, birth, and postnatal education to both parents and professionals for well over a decade — both independently and with the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) in the UK.
Her feminist campaigning extends beyond birth. Like far too many women, she is a survivor of sexual abuse, and has chosen to speak publicly to the press to confront such violence head-on and break the silence surrounding it.
Mara discovered her passion for interpreting in 2010, when she spontaneously interpreted for her lifelong idol, Sheila Kitzinger, at a conference in Spain. She went on to train formally as a Spanish–English medical interpreter during the pandemic and now specialises in reproductive and trauma-sensitive contexts.
She has published three books on feminism and childbirth, as well as a poetic feminist autobiography, and continues to write, teach, speak, and challenge.
She currently lives in Glasgow with her family and beloved dog while deeply missing London, her home of over 25 years, and regularly visiting her native Spain.
“She is always doing or learning something and would love to live a hundred lives for everything she finds interesting.”
*ANTIRACIST COMMITMENT: I have lived in Brixton, London for many years, it is the place I still call "home", I am grateful for all the black history and culture that have made of Brixton the place that it is today, I am also aware of the suffering that it is still present, and the colonialism past which can be seen in statues like Henry Tate's right across from the Black Archives.
When I was giving birth to my only daughter at home, my second midwife couldn't reach us because of the riots in the streets, while in labour I was thinking my baby and any other baby being born that night will hopefully be part of a fairer future. Sadly as a birth activist, I was very aware that black and asian babies had more chances than mine to die during labour,
a horrendous result of our institutionalised racism, a painful intersection that I had mentioned before in my books and talks as Etno-obstetric violence.
In 2020 during Covid the horrendous death of George Floyd killed by a white policeman shocked us all. I came out of my home and contribute with my picture for social media, I later went to a demonstration of Black Lives Matter in Brixton and with all my solidarity, responsibility and frustration remembered the quote by Angela Davis: “In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.” and wrote what I called The maternal antiracist promise, which I would now post below.
Mara, you are the best speaker I've ever seen!!
It's as though you have no script,not even a vague running order of ideas - you listen to the speakers before you and then pick up the ball and run with it! You are clearly so knowledgeable
in not only your field of expertise
but all the connecting and
influencing areas of study/
social/political/historical impact.
It's astounding to witness you,
so (seemingly) effortless in your
passionate (and often funny) yet
logical and totally clear sighted,
objective takes on the situation
at hand.
Educator + intuitive performer = Great!
Lianna Clarck, actress and part of the audience at a feminist conference in Scotland.