This is a quate I came across on Instagram by @charlottedoula :"it must be a privileg to disqualify doulas from being able to support birthing bodies, by incorperating PAID vendor systems involving Doulas in Charlotte, North Carolina to pay in order to be listed as a doula for families to choose from. Novant Health is creating a statistical bias that their hospital approved vendor doulas are more qualified, when in actuality they are reaping the benefit of being paid to advertise. If this doesn't define systematic, I don't know what does." Today I will be speaking with doulas from Charlotte. Kira, Emily Knight about this and the idea that doulas can work for a system and work for their clients. 

From Womb to World, the journey that shapes our life” Everything that happened before we took your very first breath, plays a part in shaping the present, and is the starting-point in creating our future. Participants will learn how conception, prenatal and birth experiences create lasting effects in all areas of our life, emotionally, physically, psychologically and relationally. By being able to identify these effects in their personal and professional lives doulas can play a major role in their clients' birth experiences and how babies are welcomed in to world consciously.

Guest Description:Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD, IBCLC, FAPAKathleen Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and the Owner and Editor-in-Chief of Praeclarus Press, a small press specializing in women's health. Dr. Kendall-Tackett is Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Psychological Trauma and was Founding Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Lactation, a position she held for 11 years. She is Fellow of the American Psychological Association in Health and Trauma Psychology, Past President of the APA Division of Trauma Psychology, and a member of APA’s Publications and Communications Board, a committee that oversees all APA journals.Dr. Kendall-Tackett specializes in women's-health research including breastfeeding, depression, trauma, and health psychology, and has won many awards for her work including the 2019 President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Trauma Psychology from the American Psychological Association’s Division of Trauma Psychology.Dr. Kendall-Tackett has authored more than 470 articles or chapters and is author or editor of 39 books. Her most recent books include Depression in New Mothers, 3rd Edition (2017, Routledge UK), Women’s Mental Health Across the Lifespan (2017, Routledge US, with Lesia Ruglass), The Phantom of the Opera: A Social History of the World’s Most Popular Musical (2018, Praeclarus). She is editor of the Clinical Lactation Monograph series, which has 11 volumes including Breast and Nipple Pain, Milk Supply, and Tongue-Tie (Praeclarus).

My guest today:  Jatesha “Jaye” Madden-Wilson is a Mom, Serial Entrepreneur, Social Impact Speaker and Activist, Maternal Health Advocate and Self-sufficiency Coach. Her connection to maternal health advocacy began with her journey from womanhood to motherhood.   Through her own personal transitions from marriage to divorce, she redefined single motherhood by creating a community of support that changed the narrative of motherhood, sisterhood and womanhood with her women-empowerment organization, Melinated Moms. S​ he developed Melinated Moms to be the advocacy voice of women across the Melinated Spectrum. In the last three years, she has reached over 1,000 women worldwide and has created a reputation that is trusted for its authenticity in support and encouragement. She uses her experience in her professional career as a Community Health Nurse of 15+ years to amplify health and wellness of moms and women to lobby on the state and federal level. Jaye has created big strides in advocacy for women of color most notably with the First Lady and Governor of New Jersey as a public speaker for Nurture NJ with the Black Maternal Health crisis. She is proud to serve on the Preeclampsia Foundation as a Patient Advisory Council member as well as serve as a Community Pillar Leader. She is also an active member of their subsidiary workgroup with the Racial Disparities Task Force. In these positions she saw the importance of how community advocacy and engagement created better physical, emotional and mental health outcomes for its people. Jaye is the proud mother of 2 young girls, Nadiyah and Ava, who continue to move and motivate her to create a space where women's rights are acknowledged and not silenced. Today

Jessie Spivey is our guet today and we will be discussing lots of doula topics! and finding our crew, our people to help us on the journey of sitting at the feet of birth. More on Jessie from Jessie: I was born and raised in Sacramento, Ca. My mother is a Birthworker and inspired me to become a Doula. The vision behind the creation of The Doudad started with my desire to contribute to the decrease in the mortality rates of POC women and children. I want to make sure no one ever feels like an actual doodad…a “thing or unspecified gadget, device or part often used to describe something whose name one cannot recall”, during birth or the birthing process. In September 2020, I started an online web series for Black Breastfeeding week called “The Hot Chocolate Chronicles” that led into a spin-off called “Spilled Milk” which I host bi-weekly on IGTV. My current focus and studies are around Birth Doula work, I am working towards offering Childbirth Education, Herbalisim, Postpartum and Death Doula care to my practice as well. I enjoy music and art, cooking with my partner, Yoga and I love the beach.

Nici Shipway CD(DONA), is a mother of two, a certified birth doula and an experienced Surrogate. Nici has worked as a program director and CCO at two other Surrogacy agencies in Canada and in June 2020 opened her own Surrogacy agency named Hive Surrogacy. She has spoken at international Surrogacy conferences as well as planned and executed events around the world for both Intended Parents and Surrogates. These experiences along with supporting hundreds of people through the Surrogacy process have given Nici the opportunity to see how to support these journeys in the birthing room as well and have had the pleasure of supporting many Surrogacy births. Surrogacy, parenting and birth are some of her greatest passions and she is feeling very positive about the opportunity of finally blending all her passions into her lives work.

Sophie Messager has a PhD in physiology of reproduction and is a doula, perinatal educator and healer based in Cambridge, UK. Sophie left her native France in 1997 to pursue postdoctoral studies as a biology research scientist, in Aberdeen, Scotland, where she met her Hong Kong-born husband, Chi. They moved to Cambridge in 2001, had two children and Sophie retrained to be a doula, antenatal teacher and babywearing instructor. Sophie is a birth geek and knowledge junkie but has a more spiritual side too, so she also trained as a Reiki and Reiki Drum practitioner and teacher. Training and personal practice have led her to master a wide range of labour and postnatal comfort measures and skills, such as massage, rebozo, birth and postnatal healing rituals. Sophie teaches these skills to parents and birthworkers, individually, in workshops and online. Her work is a blend of traditional and scientific knowledge, and she also blogs on her website.Visit Sophie's website at www.sophiemessager.com to read her blog and to sign up to her free newsletter. Follow her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Sophie-Messager-335039466594357/ and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sophie_messager/

Alicia Fishbein is a wife, mom of 3 and birth and postpartum doula in the SF Bay Area.  She and her team of birth doulas work with expectant parents who want to step off the assembly line of birth and step into their power. They give parents the tools they need to have a positive, powerful, natural birth while sprinkling in a little fun and a lot of love.   Her team also works with new families who need help in the first weeks after baby’s birth.  They take care of mom, dad, baby and home---turning chaos into calm.   https://www.borndoulas.com/   -----   Alicia & Meredith, birth doulas and besties, have created a brand new program, Be Your Own Damn Doula, as a response to Covid-19. They believe that this time calls for every couple to learn how to doula themselves. So, they’ve taken everything they’ve learned from supporting hundreds of births, and distilled it into a super simple essential guide. They’ll show you how to be your own damn doula, and give birth confidently, comfortably, and safely.  https://www.borndoulas.com/be-your-own-damn-doula  

Don't miss out! join Summer Forrest and I LIVE!   Serial Entrepreneur, Speaker, Storyteller and creator of The Anti-Supermom ~ Summer Forrest is in the business of transforming lives. She’s impacted the lives of thousands by sharing authentic, relatable stories around the topics of mindful business, financial and estate soundness, self-love, overcoming obstacles, manifestation, visualization, domestic violence, motherhood, and more... Summer is a force to be reckoned with, her energy is infectious, and if you get a chance to dial in, she might just change your life too.

Breastfeeding is not as simple as some folks think. It's not just about having a breast and a baby. There is a lot to know before starting on this journey. Join me and Ashley Pickett IBCLC as we discuss what you need to know that will help you form decisions and support you in your endeavor.  About Ashley, she assists parents in finding ways to meet a baby`s authentic sleep, feeding and parenting needs while still finding ways for the grown-ups to feel rested, find gratitude in the journey and to avoid feelings of overwhelm.Her main gig is working as an IBCLC (lactation consultant), which started in 2008 after her own breastfeeding journey with three kids. She had many challenges, and it was only the help she found at the Newman Clinic in Toronto that helped her nurse for many years! When her youngest was just 4 months old, she became a student at the International Breastfeeding Center, and is privileged to have more than 10 years of direct mentorship with Dr Jack Newman. She now works at the world renown Breastfeeding Clinic, the International Breastfeeding Center (IBC) in Toronto.    

We are excited to be back on the air after a long break!  Join Ruby Powers and I as we discuss being a parent in politics and how you too can make a difference.    Ruby Powers is running for State Representative to make sure everyone in District 134 has a voice in the Texas state house. Here is more about her in her words:    About Ruby Powers I’ve spent my life serving my community, and I’m ready to take my experience to the Texas statehouse as your representative in Austin. I grew up in San Antonio, and spent my childhood on both sides of the border. My mother’s family was still in Mexico, and we’d go there regularly to see our grandparents. I never had health insurance as a child, so we would also go to see a doctor when we needed to get stitched up. Growing up, I always knew I’d have to create opportunity for myself. I put myself through college at UT, where I met my husband, Burak. After we got married, I decided to go to law school, where I specialized in immigration. As the daughter and wife of immigrants, I knew that I wanted to focus my career on helping people create opportunity for themselves. I opened my law firm, Powers Law Group, and started my family with Burak in House District 134. We’ve lived here for over a decade now, and we love our community. I would be honored to represent my neighbors in the Texas state house, and I hope to earn your vote.