A question to sit with
What do I hope to bring into the way I prepare for parenthood—not only into the outcome?
Created by Storka
The Conscious
Preconception Guide
Five foundations for preparing for pregnancy in body, mind and relationship
A gentle, science-backed starting point for women, men and couples.
Contents
Welcome
Preparation can be meaningful without becoming another project
Preparing for pregnancy can easily become a stream of lists, restrictions and conflicting advice. Storka offers another way: becoming informed while also nurturing your wellbeing, your relationship and your connection to the journey.
Preconception is not simply a waiting room. It can be a meaningful period in which you learn, reflect, communicate and create supportive foundations for the future—without needing to control every outcome or do everything perfectly.
This guide introduces five interconnected foundations. Begin with the one highlighted by your Compass result, or simply choose the one that feels most relevant today.
You cannot control every outcome. You can choose how you prepare.
How to use this guide
One gentle focus is enough
The five foundations influence and support one another, but you do not need to work on all five at once. Your Compass result is a reflection—not a diagnosis, score or verdict.
Preparation can leave room for pleasure, normal life and imperfection. Return whenever your needs change.
- 1
Read the foundation highlighted in your result.
- 2
Choose one of the three tiny steps—not all three.
- 3
Try it gently for the coming week, then notice what helped.
01
Foundation 1 of 5
Intention & Meaning
Conscious conception begins by making space for the deeper meaning of the journey. Deciding to grow a family can be recognised as a milestone in itself—not only as the beginning of a race towards an outcome.
It is possible to enjoy and inhabit the present while also nurturing the hope of a future child. Preparing with intention can help everyday choices feel connected to your values, without asking you to control every part of what happens next.
Three tiny ways to begin
Choose the one that fits your life this week. One small step is enough.
- 1
Write three words describing how you would like this period to feel, and keep them somewhere visible.
- 2
Choose one small everyday ritual—a morning drink, a walk or your journey home—and use it to remember why this time matters to you.
- 3
Protect one hour this week for something you enjoy that has nothing to do with preparing for pregnancy.
Success can be a way of travelling, not only a destination.
02
Foundation 2 of 5
Body & Daily Wellbeing
Supporting the body begins with listening to it, not treating it as a project that needs to be fixed. Nourishing food, restorative sleep, enjoyable movement, emotional awareness and small everyday environmental choices can all belong here.
Both egg and sperm development unfold over time, which is one reason conscious preconception concerns both biological parents. Science-backed preparation is not a promise of a particular outcome. It is an opportunity to notice what supports your wider wellbeing and introduce small, sustainable changes.
Three tiny ways to begin
Choose the one that fits your life this week. One small step is enough.
- 1
Make one meal from simple ingredients, including something colourful, a source of protein and a fibre-rich carbohydrate.
- 2
Keep water within reach and take a drink with each meal or regular break, following your thirst and personal needs.
- 3
Take a ten-minute daylight walk, or create a ten-minute calmer transition into sleep if rest needs more care.
A question to sit with
Which part of my daily life currently helps me feel most nourished—and which part asks for more care?
Your body is not a problem to solve. It is a relationship to nurture.
03
Foundation 3 of 5
Knowledge & Confidence
Good information should create clarity and agency, not anxiety. Online advice can become conflicting and overwhelming, especially when the ‘what’ is offered without the ‘why’ or a practical ‘how’.
Preconception preparation can include reproductive biology, nutrition and the microbiome, stress and sleep, movement, fertility awareness, mindset, everyday environmental exposures, male preconception health and shared preparation. You do not need to master all of it at once. A clear question and a trustworthy source are a meaningful beginning.
Reproductive biologyNutrition & microbiomeStress & sleepMovementFertility awarenessMindsetEnvironmental choicesMale healthShared preparation
Three tiny ways to begin
Choose the one that fits your life this week. One small step is enough.
- 1
Write down the one preconception question you most want answered before opening another source.
- 2
Choose one trustworthy source and look for the ‘what’, the ‘why’ and one practical ‘how’—then stop for the day.
- 3
Keep a short note of questions about your health, medicines or supplements to discuss with a qualified healthcare professional.
A question to sit with
Which preconception topic currently leaves me feeling least clear or most overwhelmed?
The purpose of learning is not to know everything. It is to make more informed choices.
04
Foundation 4 of 5
Inner Calm & Self-Trust
Preparation can be intentional without becoming controlling or perfectionistic. Stress is a natural part of life and should not become another reason for self-blame. The aim is not to suppress difficult feelings or remain calm all the time.
Self-compassion, body trust and supportive practices can make more room around uncertainty. Pleasure and enjoyment belong here too. Listening to your body may sometimes mean taking a small action; at other times, it may mean pausing and allowing enough to be enough.
Three tiny ways to begin
Choose the one that fits your life this week. One small step is enough.
- 1
Take five phone-free minutes once a day. Let your breathing settle naturally, without trying to achieve a particular state.
- 2
When you notice a demanding thought, add: ‘I can care deeply about this without doing it perfectly.’
- 3
Put one small enjoyable thing in your week with no productive purpose—a bath, music, time outside or an unhurried cup of tea.
A question to sit with
Where am I placing unnecessary pressure on myself in this journey?
Doing your best does not mean being perfect.
05
Foundation 5 of 5
Partnership & Support
Preconception should not automatically become one person’s physical and mental responsibility. A male partner matters biologically through sperm health and the paternal contribution, practically through shared habits and decisions, and emotionally through listening, intimacy and mutual support.
Not everyone is preparing with a romantic partner. A trusted friend, family member or professional can still offer meaningful support. Shared preparation begins when there is space to speak honestly and listen without immediately trying to solve.
What might my partner or supportive person need right now?
What does our relationship or support system need so that we can grow through this journey?
Three tiny ways to begin
Choose the one that fits your life this week. One small step is enough.
- 1
Set aside 20 uninterrupted minutes to ask what each of you needs, listening before offering solutions.
- 2
Choose one shared routine this week—cook a meal, take a walk or wind down for bed together.
- 3
Name one practical part of preparation that can be shared, decide who will take it on and check in again next week.
A question to sit with
What do I want to focus on in my preconception journey, and what do I need right now?
Shared preparation is about more than supporting the woman. Both people belong in the journey.
Your gentle next step
Choose one—not everything
Small, sustainable changes begin with an intention that belongs in your real life.
At the end of the week
What supported me? What felt difficult? What would I like to continue?
Gentle change should fit into your life—not require you to put your life on hold.
A look inside Storka
From a first reflection to a complete journey
This free guide introduces the philosophy. The Storka Preconception Wellness Programme provides the depth, structure and practical support.
Across nine gently paced weeks, more than 100 studio-produced, bite-sized lessons guide you through the science, the why and the practical how of preconception wellbeing and health.
The programme brings together conversations with field-specific specialists, guided practices, individual reflections, couple exercises, downloadable handouts, lesson summaries and supporting sources. The Introduction and Preconception Mindset modules are available immediately; one new module then unlocks each week.
Experience a short look inside Storka Continue your conscious preconception journey
A thoughtful next step, when you are ready
If this guide has helped you see preparation differently, the complete Storka programme is here to accompany you further.
You will explore body, mind and relationship with greater depth, understand why each foundation matters and receive simple practices that can be integrated gradually into real life.
There is no hustle, no expectation of perfection and no promise to control every outcome—only thoughtful guidance to help you enter the journey feeling more informed, connected and supported.
A note from the founders
With warmth, Ingrid & Adrien
We created Storka while preparing for parenthood ourselves. The principles shared throughout the programme have accompanied us through the birth of our first daughter, a period of postpartum nurturing and conscious preparation before welcoming our twin girls.
Seeing these ideas support other like-minded people has become one of the most meaningful parts of our journey.
Keep the guide close
Download the 12-page edition to read, print or revisit whenever your needs change.
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