We have 3 types of podcast listeners… and I want you to think about which one you are… because depending on which person you are, you’re gonna take something different out of this episode.
- If you’re brand new to the birth world, and ready to hit the ground running on all the birth education, and doula education stuff… this episode will help you avoid the wildly common pitfalls that lead a ton of new doulas to quit in their first year.
- If you’re already a trained doula, but can’t for the life of you get enough clients to pay your bills… this episode will help you see what you need to do ASAP to turn that around…
- And if you’re already a trained doula, have tons of client inquiries, and you’re on the brink of burnout, this episode is going to help you pivot FAST to save your passion before it’s too late.
And then I guess there is a 4th person too- but this person is probably not listening to this podcast… but maybe you’re here - And this is if you’ve completed your doula training, and you have exactly the right amount of in-person clients. You only take clients that are perfectly aligned with your values…. AND you already have created online offers that reach thousands of people every year, allowing you to work whenever you want and travel wherever you want.
The goal is for everyone listening to become that 4th person. And so that’s why I needed to make an episode about this topic, to help new and aspiring doulas get on the right track from day one… and to help already experienced doulas hit the brakes on things that aren’t working and aren’t serving them… and bring their business back into alignment with their values and lifestyle goes…
So where do new doulas go wrong? What leads to so many doulas hanging up their doula hat in the first few years of their business?
They lack 3 things.
The first one is a lack of boundaries.
A lot of times new doulas struggle with boundaries more than the veteran doulas… becasue honestly - a lot of times, women go do a doula training and they are so fired up about all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum… that they start their business trying to serve EVERYONE.
They are desperate for clients, and with that come’s a lot of “saying yes” when they’d really like to say “no”.
This could look like discounting clients out of desperation… taking on last minute clients for free just to get the experiences… offering packages with 24/7 phone support, without boundaries, so you end up on your cell phone or texting peo ple SO MUCH that you don’t have time to actually run your business.
So, what should it look like instead? And what do I teach the students inside Birthworker Acaedmy, my doula training program?
I teach them to develop and strengthen their boundaries BEFORE their boundaries are crossed and BEFORE they start to resent this work. And instead of being reactive… to be proactive. For instance… a lot of new doulas will start with a REALLY basic contract, and it’s not until shit goes sideways… maybe a client fails to call them for birth and want’s a refund… well after that happens, then the doula sets a reactive boundary… Like, “well I don’t want that to happen again, so let me add something to my contract now.”
I don’t want shit to hit the fan for you. So thats definitly something I teach the doulas in my program.
And then before I go on to the second thing that new doulas lack, I just hace to mention - that my most favorite boundary as a doula, is to only take on clients that are fully aligned with my values.
I didnt do that when I started… I wanted all the clients and all the experience… but I new realize that I am the best doula, when my client is a particular type of person. So now, I only say yes to those women. And it feels SO GOOD!
So, how can you incorporate more bounrdies in your doula practice. Whether or not you’re just starting out, or you’re a decade in… it deosn’t matter - we should all constantly be improving our boundaries and making sure they are still aligned with the lifestyle we want.
The next thing that leads to TONS of doulas stepping out of birthwork each and every year… is a lack of structure.
Structure in the way they doula, structure in the way they market themselves, structure in the client relationship process, like onboarding…
I remember being that brand new doula… after my 3 day doula training… I left that program feeling absolutely clueless about the “HOW” part… the structure!
- How do I find clients?
- How do I lead a good consultation?
- How to I make a contract?
- How to I send an invoice?
- How do I lead a prenatal?
- How do I support someone through whatever they are going through in the best way possible?
And that’s why I’ve made it one of my missions to teach you not only the “what” and the “why”... but the “HOW”...
It’s so important!
And BTW, next week’s episode I’ll be back to chat about what else my 3-day inperson doula training failed to teach me… so hit subscribe if you aren’t subscribed already!
Back to the “how”.
So what kind of structure do you need to implement in your business to make sure you don’t quit on your passion? And what do I teach my doula students?
- Exactly how to network within your community and build relationship that lead to referrals.
- Exactly how to lead a killer consultaion.
- And not just that, but the entire flow of moving someone from a stranger on social media, to your website, to your services page, and to a consultation in the first place
It’s a lot of moving pieces!
One of my favorite testimonials from a student of mine, Courntey from Jounrey to Postpartum…. She said that the Birthworker Academy gave her the structure to make the “running a business” part of being a doula EASY so she could focus on what she really loves - helping moms!
I was just speechless when she said that. Because she put into words what I have never been able to.
Because, YES, that’s exactly what I want the doulas in my program to experience. I want them to be able to SERVE WOMEN with all of their heart and energy… and not feel the constant need to network, and promote themselves, and do all the business stuff.
So the structure and systems that I teach in Birthorker Academy that do that are things like:
- Systemizing your finance so you stay on top of your expenses and income and never feel like you’re drowning in receipts with no clue what to do with them.
- Systemizing your content creation process, so you can create all of your social media content in ONE DAY, and pre-schedule all posts for the entire month. Yes, I teach doulas how to do that with step by step tutorials and all the strategy tips.
Those are just a few… but just imagine how much more time and freedom you’ve have back in your life if everything in your doula business was as simple as can be. If you could just follow the exact steps - set up your structure ONCE, and then be able to get back to what you really love, which is helping women…
If you lack this structure… you’ll start to resent this work without realizing… it isn’t birthwork you resent, it’s the WAY you’ve set up your business!
So, #1 was a lack of boundaries, #2 was a lack of structure, and #3 is… most doulas quit birthwork because a completely lack in foundational business knowledge.
Doulas lack business knowledge.
And of course they do! Birth is so feminine and flowy… and business can feel very hard and masculine.
But that’s not how we do business here. That’s not what I teach.
The doulas I teach don’t need to constantly be “selling” their services.
The doulas that I teach don’t have to hustle to find clients, or pass out their business cards at cliquy networking events…
Because you don’t have to do that shit anymore.
That is not it.
It’s 2022 - and there is a better way.
There is a way that you can set up your business - with very specific strategy - so all you have to do is continue to show up authentically in your life (and online)... and have your dream clients reaching out to you!
How dould that feel? Being able to show up authentically, without a filter, and have clients reach out to you?
That’s like THE DREAM, right?
So that’s what we do inside Birthworker Academy.
Of course you’ll learn all about physiologically birth, interventions, evidence based care… and of course you’ll learn about supporting birth at every location, and supporting postpartum, and supporting loss… and of course you’ll learn about leading a consultation, and prenatal appointments, and setting up your packages and pricing…
But if I ended there… I’d be doing you a HUGE injustice.
If I ended there. A lot of women would quit birthwork.
So I don’t stop there.
Inside Birthworker Academy, not only are you getting a comprehensive birth education, you’re getting a really high level business course.
Because I want you to be able to build a community of likeminded women with ease - and I want you to be able to attract your dream clients with ease… and I hate to break it to you… but it doens’t matter how much you know about birth and how much you love supporting women… if you don’t have the foundations business, I can bet that either you won’t be doing this work very long, or you’ll spend a long freaking time trying and trying and trying but never hitting your goals.
New doulas quit because they lack boundaries, they lack structure or clarity, and they lack foundational business skills.
But I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to choose between building a doula career and building your dream life…
You can be a doula AND…
🏡 Stay home with your kids...
💰 Make a life-changing income….
🌏 Travel the world...
🎸 Be a rockstar homeschooling mom...
🗓 Have a predictable, stable schedule…
And when you join Birthworker Academy, you’re getting my entire A-Z framework so you won’t spend a single second thinking, “Wait, what am I supposed to do next?”
To many douals, like me a few years ago, stepped into birthwork and IMMEDIATELY said “Wait, what the hell am I doing? I don’t even know what do to next?”
So, my goal is that instead of that, you’ll be saying, “I know exactly how to show up in the world to attract my dream client. I know exactly how to support my client’s birth in the best way possible. And I feel confident showing up as an expert and sharing my passion and knowledge with women across the world.”
Before Birthworker Academy, new doulas would finish their training and burn out FAST. Why a lack of boundaries, lack of structure, and a complete lack of business knowledge…
But that doens’t have to be your story… because our Birthworker Academy students are:
⭐️ Only saying “yes” to perfectly aligned clients…
⭐️ Creating packages that don’t always require them to be on call...
⭐️ Building authentic businesses that fit their values and lifestyle goals…
⭐️ Never attending a birth out of financial desperation…
⭐️ Creating authentic communities in person and online…
⭐️ Expanding their impact by hosting virtual workshops and selling childbirth education programs passively from their website…
And you can too!
The question is no longer, “Is it possible?”
The question is: “Are ready to say YES?”
There are 2 amazing opportunities happening right now and I want to invite you to both.
The first is a free workshop I am teaching all throughout november that will help give you the framework to create an entire business around YOU values and lifestyle. No more following the status quo just for the sake of it. Nope. You deserve better than that.
To sign up for the free workshop, you can click the link in the show notes or go to birthworker.com/signup
And the other excited announcement is that the next round of Birthworker Academy is starting in just 3 weeks. Registration is open RIGHT NOW!
Birthworker Academy has taught over 150 women how to become the BEST doula they can be, AKA to actually support women’s autonomy in birth… AND how to do it in a way that insures they don’t burnout in the process.
It’s not about building a specific type of doula practice… it’s about tuning into YOUR values, and using my framework to make your dream doula business come to life.
Our students are
⭐️ Only saying “yes” to perfectly aligned clients…
⭐️ Building authentic businesses that fit their values and lifestyle goals…
⭐️ Never attending a birth out of financial desperation…
⭐️ Creating authentic communities in person and online…
And I said it before… but SO CAN YOU!
If you’re ready to become a go-to leader in the birth community, if you’re ready to feel confident supporting birth in every location and every situation… if you’re ready to turn your passion for birth into a profitable business that lights your soul on fire day after day, then I want you to listen up…
This is the last cohort of Birthworker Academy at this price point, so there has never been a better reason to join!
I am dying to see you in there and would be SO HONOR to mentor you for three months, showing you exactly what to do every step of the way. This is the program you need. After this, you won’t need another program to fill another gap in your education.
As scary as it can feel to say “yes”... I can tell you confidently that all of the little butterflies in your belly… they are showing you the way.
And like one of my students, Allie Rezac, said… if you’re even THINKING about being a birthworker, you’re meant to be a birthworker!
So what do you say? Will I see you inside?
Registration closes on November 23rd, so click the link in the show notes or head to birthworkeracademy.com to save your spot today.
I cannot wait to teach you literally EVERYTHING I know about birth and business.
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