Edited by Mia Tandingan
In a world where parenting advice often comes in one-size-fits-all, Adrienne Esguerra, founder of Raising Ancestors, envisioned something radically different—something personal, cultural, ancestral, and revolutionary.
Her creation, Raising Ancestors, isn’t just a business—it’s a movement rooted in community healing, cultural preservation, and the sacredness of everyday care. Through an evolving collaboration with Kurated Kultura, Adrienne’s work continues to ripple outward, connecting families to land, legacy, and each other.
What Is Raising Ancestors?
The name says it all.
“Raising Ancestors” reflects a powerful truth: as caregivers, we aren’t just raising children—we are shaping the future generation of storytellers.
“We shift from raising children, to raising adults, to raising ancestors,” Adrienne shares. “It’s about legacy building.”
Originally launched during the pandemic as “After Schooling Better”, Adrienne’s platform began as a conscious parenting response to institutional rigidity. But life, healing, and lived experience transformed it into something deeper: Raising Ancestors, a framework for intergenerational, decolonial, and community-based care.
Adrienne’s Story: Healing From Within
Adrienne is a Filipina-American mother, caregiver, and community builder, raising five children in a blended, intergenerational, system-impacted family. When her sister-in-law wasn’t in a position to raise her children, Adrienne and her partner began co-parenting their nephews. At the same time, they were homeschooling, navigating grief, and moving homes to escape harmful family dynamics.
“I was looking for a space that didn’t exist,” she says.
Mainstream parenting communities didn’t reflect her reality—there was little to no space for BIPOC caregivers, blended families, or non-nuclear support systems. So she built what she needed: a conscious caregiving space rooted in love, healing, and truth.
The Core Values of Raising Ancestors
From day one, Adrienne grounded her work in a set of deeply personal and culturally rooted values:
“Childhood is sacred”
“Our children can be our best teachers—if we allow them to be”
“Centering children in our parenting choices is essential”
“Parenting is a revolutionary act”
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”
These values inform everything Adrienne does, from how she hosts community spaces to how she curates learning experiences through Raising Ancestors.
What Raising Ancestors Offers
The community’s anchor is Raising Liberated Kids (RLK)—a space for caregivers who are breaking cycles and raising children with intention. It’s not just a support group; it’s an education platform, a healing circle, and a collaborative classroom.
Every month rotates through a three-part decolonizing parenting framework:
Relationship with Self – inner child work, healing, rest, land connection
Relationship with Children – development, education, emotional intelligence
Relationship with Community – resource sharing, storytelling, cultural building
Even in a virtual space, Adrienne is intentional about creating ritual and sacredness, ensuring every session honors the weight—and beauty—of the work being done.
Kurated Kultura & Raising Ancestors: A Natural Partnership
Adrienne met Alexa, founder of Kurated Kultura, through RLK—a moment she now sees as deeply aligned.
From retreats to pop-ups and Instagram lives, Kurated Kultura has supported Raising Ancestors by providing sustainably sourced products for the community—objects with stories and soul. Together, they’ve collaborated on hosting accessible, inclusive spaces that center caregivers, especially mothers.
“Everything Alexa curates has meaning,” Adrienne says. “It’s more than a transaction. It’s storytelling.”
One retreat in particular stands out—mothers brought their children, and childcare was provided on-site. It allowed moms to participate fully, while still staying connected to their families. That thoughtful design broke down a major barrier to self-care.
Sustainability as Ancestral Practice
Raising Ancestors doesn’t approach sustainability as a trend—it approaches it as an act of remembrance.
“Before colonization, we didn’t use plastic. We preserved food in banana leaves. We wove baskets and cloth. We reused everything.”
Adrienne sees sustainability as both a return to ancestral wisdom and a responsibility to future generations. Her work reconnects families’ “relationship with their land”, food systems, and seasonal rhythms through collaborations with farms like Reimagination Farm (their sister farm).
From choosing eco-conscious vendors to using reusable materials at events, Raising Ancestors practices values-based sustainability—not because it’s easy, but because it’s necessary.
Creating a Legacy, Not Just a Brand
What sets Adrienne apart is her grounded strength and visionary leadership. She doesn’t frame this work as personal branding—it’s legacy-building. Rooted in the Indigenous concept of the Seven Generations, she understands that every act of parenting, healing, and choosing is a ripple felt across time.
“The work we do now is shaped by the three generations before us—and it will shape three generations after us.”
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about showing up. Resting. Relearning. Reclaiming. Creating more than we consume. Healing in small, consistent ways.
“It doesn’t always have to be heavy,” Adrienne reminds us. “Healing can be gentle. It can look like rest. It can be simple.”
Want to Join the Movement?
If you’re a conscious caregiver, a cycle-breaker, or someone seeking a new model for what community and culture can look like—you’re invited.
Website: https://www.raisingancestors.com/
Instagram: @raisingancestors
And stay tuned for upcoming events with Kurated Kultura, where cultural preservation 🧧meets sustainability 🌱, and where radical love 🤎 leads the way.
