The Whole Doula Podcast

Hosted by Mary Giordano

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Latest episode

Sep 2024

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EN-AU

About the show

The Whole Doula Podcast is a conversation space for Doulas and Birthworkers to talk about the diverse paths that led them to birth work, as well as the diverse and unique skills, interests and offerings they bring to their birth keeping roles. I’m interested to dive into conversations with others who may be wondering how to bring the different aspects of their own lives into their roles as doulas in business. After all, there is more than one way to doula and I’d love to help others see the connections between all the different parts of themselves, to see themselves as a Whole Doula.

Listen to episodes

29 recent

September 24, 2024Episode 2950 min

29. Navigating the sometimes polarising roles of Midwife and Doula with Terri-J De Nobrega

Terri-J De Nobrega, known as Jay (she/her), is a dedicated Registered Midwife and Birth Worker/Doula based in London, UK. With over eight years of experience in both clinical and community settings, Jay brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to providing holistic care for families throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum journey. From the outset of her career in birth work, Jay has prioritised ensuring that women, people, and their families are respected, understood, and fully engaged in their birthing experience. She is committed to delivering support that is culturally sensitive, fully informed, and advocates for the individual choices and preferences of those she serves. Jay skilfully navigates the sometimes polarising roles of midwife and doula in the UK, striving to bridge these gaps in a way that enhances the care provided. She is also dedicated to reflecting on and unlearning certain attitudes and practices from her midwifery career, aiming to embrace a more balanced approach to holistic care and the natural physiology of birth. In addition to her work in the UK, Jay is a multicultural Caribbean native with a keen ability to listen and adapt to the diverse needs of the families she supports. She aspires to expand her work internationally, bringing much-needed support and care to families in St. Lucia, where she was raised. You can connect with Jay via her website: www.jaydoula.co.uk or here on IG @jaydoula Find out how Mary can support you in turning your passion for birth into a profitable, sustainable business, without compromising on your values or becoming a statistic of burnout: https://www.marygiordano.com.au/for-doulas-landing Connect with Mary on Instagram @marygiordano.com.au

September 10, 2024Episode 2853 min

28. Growing a Birth Business while raising babies with Rowena Cooke

Rowie (she/her) is a birth and postpartum doula living and mothering on Gadubanud Land. Rowie is a former primary school educator and myotherapist. She has two daughters (6 and almost 4). She lives amongst the trees overlooking the beach with her partner Jake, her two girls and their dog, Pinto. Rowie is a passionate advocate for women’s choices in birth and supports birth both in the hospital and at home. She recognizes the importance of feeling supported in birth and postpartum and works with clients to navigate these transformational times in their lives feeling empowered. You can connect with Rowie in the following ways: Website: www.rowiecooke.com Socials: @rowiecooke_doula Connect with Mary on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@marygiordano.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠ Expressions of interest to talk to me on the podcast:⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.marygiordano.com.au/the-whole-doula-podcast⁠

August 27, 2024Episode 2752 min

27. The long term investment of Postpartum Care with Imren Bayram

Imren (she/her) is a qualified Postpartum Doula and mother of two who has first-hand experience of the beauty and complexity that is pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Imren is passionate about women receiving the necessary care they need during the first forty days after birth and beyond. Her own experiences of becoming and being a mother in today’s society have influenced Imren’s passion to provide support, hold space and create a community of care for new and seasoned mothers. With a background in youth work, teaching and community planning, Imren has learned how to walk alongside someone, to truly listen and hold compassion during times of vulnerability. Further practice in mindfulness and meditation have taught her to embody self-reflection and stillness. Alongside practical support and care, Imren loves to feed families with meals that are made with love, infused with culture and loaded with nourishment. You can connect with Imren here: @awakeningpostpartum Find out how Mary can support you in turning your passion for birth into a profitable, sustainable business, without compromising on your values or becoming a statistic of burnout: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.marygiordano.com.au/for-doulas-landing⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Mary on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@marygiordano.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠ Expressions of interest to talk to me on the podcast:⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.marygiordano.com.au/the-whole-doula-podcast

August 13, 2024Episode 2647 min

26. Ancient knowing in Modern Context with Nadia Raafat

London-based Nadia has been a birth doula since 2009. In that time she has supported every type of birth from elective cesarean to Free birth; trained with many different people and gained certification in many different modalities from biomechanics to Mindfulness for Mothers and Hypnosis to Benkung Belly Wrapping. A former journalist and magazine editor, she came to doula-ing after the birth of her first child; an unplanned, undiagnosed breech and emergency cesarean following 12 hours of labour. She went on to have 3 HBACS (the first 2 outside the system with independent midwives). Nadia is also a senior yoga and meditation teacher of 20 years, a prenatal and postpartum and baby yoga specialist and embodied birth educator. In 2021 Nadia launched her Yoga & Mindfulness for Pregnancy & Birth Teacher Training and Birth professional course - now in its sixth run. She also runs training for Birth professionals and yoga teachers in Postnatal Yoga and Mindfulness in London, and the Maternity Chakra Pathway for Birth Professionals. She is also a Holistic Pelvic Health Practitioner and offers courses in Holistic Pelvic Health for women. More recently Nadia has embarked on a postgraduate counselling training in Psychosynthesis Counselling & Psychotherapy which is informing her perinatal work from a different angle and enriching her holistic view of childbirth and matrescence. Nadia lives in London with her partner and family. You can get in touch with Nadia in the following ways: Website & socials www.nadiaraafat.com Instagram: @nadiaraafatyogabirth Facebook: @nadiaraafatyogabirth Find out how Mary can support you to turn your passion for birth into a profitable, sustainable business, without compromising on your values or becoming a statistic of burnout: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.marygiordano.com.au/for-doulas-landing⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Mary on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@marygiordano.com.au⁠⁠⁠ Expressions of interest to talk to me on the podcast:⁠⁠⁠ https://www.marygiordano.com.au/the-whole-doula-podcast

July 29, 2024Episode 251 hr 0 min

25. Nourishing mums on the inside and the outside with Erika Watson-Lawson

Erika she/her is a Jacksonville, Florida native. She has been a Registered Dietitian for over 15 years and decided that she was “doulaing” so much for friends and family, she should make it official. In 2021 Erika became a certified doula and founded her own nutrition focused doula business, called Purely Nourishing Doula. She offers virtual and in-person services from nutrition coaching, pregnancy & labor support. Shortly, she will be adding group nutrition coaching to her menu of services. Erika also educates and empowers women through movement as a 4th Trimester Fitness Instructor®️. The class she leads, Birth Ball Basics™️ teaches women how to work with their bodies and baby in labor for a home, birth center, or hospital birth. You can connect with Erika in the following ways: FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066761889650&mibextid=LQQJ4d IG: https://instagram.com/purelynourishingdoula?igshid=NDk5N2NlZjQ= Website: www.purelynourishingdoula.com Find out how Mary can support you to turn your passion for birth into a profitable, sustainable business, without compromising on your values or becoming a statistic of burnout: ⁠⁠https://www.marygiordano.com.au/for-doulas-landing⁠⁠ Connect with Mary on Instagram ⁠⁠@marygiordano.com.au⁠⁠ Expressions of interest to talk to me on the podcast:⁠⁠ https://www.marygiordano.com.au/the-whole-doula-podcast

July 25, 2024Episode 440 min

4: Full Spectrum Doula with Emily Morter

Emily Morter (she/her) is an osteopath and doula based in Naarm, Melbourne (on Wurundjeri land). She provides gentle and compassionate care for everybody. Her holistic approach honours you as the expert on your body, with deep listening and co-creation of treatment plans that support your healing journey. Emily comes from a long lineage of midwives. She is a full spectrum doula, offering continuity of care throughout preconception, pregnancy, pregnancy loss or abortion, birth, stillbirth, postpartum and parenting. She works from her home studio and travels for home visits around metropolitan Melbourne. In our conversation today, we’ll talk about how she came to doula work as a continuation of her osteopathy practice. She felt the pull to attend the birth of her pregnant clients as well, rather than just seeing them before and after, as well as the calling to continue the work of the women in her family. She has had to do a lot of work to undo her “physician” tendencies, but the part she loves the most about the work and the part that’s the most challenging are the same. You can connect with Emily here: emilymorter.com.au Emilymorterosteopath.substack.com Find out how Mary can support you to turn your passion for birth into a profitable, sustainable business, without compromising on your values or becoming a statistic of burnout: https://www.marygiordano.com.au/for-doulas-landing Connect with Mary on Instagram @marygiordano.com.au Music credit: Slow Gusto by Good News Tunes A Subito Media production

July 25, 2024Episode 342 min

3: Becoming Your Own Doula First with Maddison Sharman

Based in Melbourne (on Wurundjeri land) , Maddison Sharman (she/her/they/them) has been in the Healing Arts for 13 yrs, running a developed solo practitioner business in which she currently offers bodywork, yoni massage, remedial and pregnancy massage, flower essences, sound healing, reiki, sacred sexual healing and more. Maddison is a new doula, training at the time of recording with Rhea Dempsey, and on call to attend her first birth. Maddison's journey to birthwork was almost by accident when one of her pregnant clients asked her to accompany her for her birth. Of course it wasn't really an accident though, as the signs to birth work had been there for a long time. In this conversation we talk about the ways Maddison is creating space to enrich her practice by adding the role of Doula to her repertoire, and what she is doing to prepare for her first birth. We’ll touch on pricing, managing your schedule and commitments, and some of the basics of starting a doula business. In order to do the work that we are called to do, we need to support ourselves first in order to be able to give fully when we’re needed. You can connect with Maddison in these ways: www.templeandremedy.com.au Instagram @temple_and_remedy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/templeandremedy Find out how Mary can support you to turn your passion for birth into a profitable, sustainable business, without compromising on your values or becoming a statistic of burnout: ⁠https://www.marygiordano.com.au/for-doulas-landing⁠ Connect with Mary on Instagram ⁠@marygiordano.com.au⁠ Music credit: Slow Gusto by Good News Tunes A Subito Media production

July 25, 2024Episode 221 min

2: The Story of Mary, where it all began

Before we get into our conversation episodes, I wanted to introduce myself and my story of how I got started in my work as a Full Spectrum Doula, Educator, Counsellor, Facilitator, Community Builder, and Business Mentor. When I was a teenager, I became very interested in cultural and linguistic diversity, particularly after living in Mexico as an exchange student. That amazing experience had a profound impact on the trajectory of my life. After university, I worked in the community development sector supporting the resettlement of migrant and refugee women and children. I loved that work, but my own two birth experiences led to a fascination about the nature of companionship provided by midwives, and eventually led me into the world of birth in the role of an ‘accidental’ doula, which has in turn led to me providing support to other doulas in business. Find out how Mary can support you to turn your passion for birth into a profitable, sustainable business, without compromising on your values or becoming a statistic of burnout: ⁠https://www.marygiordano.com.au/for-doulas-landing⁠ Connect with Mary on Instagram ⁠@marygiordano.com.au⁠ Music credit: Slow Gusto by Good News Tunes A Subito Media production

July 15, 2024Episode 2449 min

24. Holding Space for all the things with Weronika Walker

Weronika (she/her) lives, works, and plays on the traditional territory of Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Neutral People. Weronika is a birth and postpartum doula, an outdoor guide, and an immigrant from Poland. After years of being a part of the emergency services (first as a paramedic, then a wildfire firefighter), Weronika started dreaming of birth work in 2018 and became a doula a couple of years later. She believes that every person should have access to inclusive, full-spectrum reproductive health care and she strives to help her clients have the experiences they desire. Weronika loves witnessing people become parents and she feels grateful every time someone invites her to be a part of their journey. When not working as a doula, Weronika tries to go on as many outdoor adventures as she can, she reads passionately and collects plants for food and medicine. She is currently working towards becoming a certified herbalist and a pregnancy and infant loss advocate. One of Weronica’s long-term goals is to create a retreat where people at all stages of their reproductive health journey can connect to themselves and the natural world. You can connect with Weronika in the following ways: @fern_and_nettle_doula https://fernandnettledoula.ca Find out how Mary can support you to turn your passion for birth into a profitable, sustainable business, without compromising on your values or becoming a statistic of burnout: ⁠⁠https://www.marygiordano.com.au/for-doulas-landing⁠⁠ Connect with Mary on Instagram ⁠⁠@marygiordano.com.au⁠⁠ Expressions of interest to talk to me on the podcast:⁠⁠ https://www.marygiordano.com.au/the-whole-doula-podcast

July 1, 2024Episode 2346 min

23. Pioneering in the Queer & Gender Diverse Birthing Community with Tasara Dewhurst

Tasara (they/them) is The Queer Doula, a full-spectrum doula for Queers and Allies, living in Wurundjeri Country. Tasara provides care, education, and advocacy for individuals and their families throughout their reproductive journey, including conception, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and early birth experiences such as miscarriage and abortion. Tasara’s extensive experience, knowledge, skills, and intuition bring a grounded and calming presence to childbirth, postpartum, and the various services they offer. The Queer Doula is driven by a profound commitment to affirming and championing queer identities and the distinct paths the LGBTQIA+ community takes in creating their families. Additionally, welcoming allies to be cared for and supported by The Queer Doula brings communities together, offering opportunities for education, inclusivity, and connection. You can connect with Tasara in the following ways: https://www.thequeerdoula.com.au Instagram @thequeerdoula_ ... Find out how Mary can support you to turn your passion for birth into a profitable, sustainable business, without compromising on your values or becoming a statistic of burnout: ⁠⁠https://www.marygiordano.com.au/for-doulas-landing⁠⁠ Connect with Mary on Instagram ⁠⁠@marygiordano.com.au⁠⁠ Expressions of interest to talk to me on the podcast:⁠⁠ https://www.marygiordano.com.au/the-whole-doula-podcast