About
What languages do you speak?
English and very (very) basic German.
What is your personal definition of “doula”?
Someone who supports you through life’s greatest transitions — and all the ways you get there.
What brought you to birth and postpartum work?
My first birth completely blindsided me and I crossed the threshold into parenthood, a shell of the person I’d known just moments earlier. Needless to say, the weeks and months that followed were fraught, emotionally charged, and frustrating as I tried to find a rhythm to my new distorted reality. Even when I was surrounded by support, I felt alone— that was my calling to postpartum work.
My second birth came just nineteen months later and while I thought refusing to pee in a cup at the OB’s office was my biggest challenge, the universe threw me a series of really impressive curveballs which included a blood clot, suspected stroke, delayed postpartum hemorrhage, and maybe the best of all, heart surgery. I sampled the beds at every lower mainland hospital (none of them are comfy) and tirelessly advocated for what I felt was right for me and my body — that was my calling to birth work.
In a climate of caregiver burnout, how are you caring for yourself?
So. Much. Therapy. Acupuncture is my medicine of choice and if my acupuncturist could just let me nap on her table all day, that would be very much appreciated. Stolen moments with best friends, wrapped in the warmth of our words and rooted in the depths of our souls. Soothing showers with my partner. Being gentle. Being kind. Being me.
What is a standout book, movie/tv, etc about the childbearing/parenting journey that you return to?
MOVIE
I remember watching the movie Tully with my partner in the throes of early postpartum and I felt so awkward because it was brilliantly honest and achingly representative of all the things I felt then and now. I don’t even journal but I was like, hello, who read my journal?
Trainings
BIRTH
- Birth Training, Carriage House Birth.
POSTPARTUM
- Postpartum Doula Training, Carriage House Birth.
- With Laura Interlandi and Erica Livingston.
YOGA
- 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training.
- With Carolyn Budgell and Clara Roberts-Oss.
- 85-Hour Prenatal Yoga Training, Nurture & Nourish Yoga.
- Spa Yoga Training with Carolyn Budgell
POST-SECONDARY
- MA Journalism.
- BSc Forensic Science with Law.
FOR YOUR PERSONAL LEARNING, WHAT IS THE WORKSHOP/TRAINING ON YOUR RADAR?
- Loss and Abortion Doula Training.
- Restorative Yoga training.
- Mentorship.
- And IDK, maybe midwifery or social work or counseling is somewhere in my future!
