Doula Business Guide Virtual Book Group (January Newsletter)
Interactive, guided discussions online provide community support to launch your doula business.
Happy New Year Everyone!
I love the promised renewal of this season. The days are getting longer now. And it is time to review the highs and lows experienced over the past twelve months. How did you do? What are you most proud of? What are you beating yourself up over (by the way, stop it)? What can you do differently this year to enhance your life?
I’m contemplating the difference between goals and habits. I have always been big on goal-setting, with mixed results. This year, after reading Atomic Habits by James Clear in January 2024, I found myself focused on creating new habits that serve me well in place of setting goals. Little changes, done consistently, are a game changer. Who knew?
NEW in 2025! Benefit from the group synergy generated in our live, interactive sessions designed to jumpstart your doula business.
THE DOULA BUSINESS GUIDE VIRTUAL BOOK GROUP
Facilitated by Author Patty Brennan
At the beginning of your doula journey, it can feel pretty lonely and daunting. You likely have lots of questions and are in need of guidance. These interactive, guided discussions promise an engaging and fun format for moving forward. We provide the missing piece, creating a bridge after completion of doula training to launching your doula business.
- Could you use a structured and supported, step-by-step framework to getting your doula business up and running?
- Do you need to get out of your own head and be in community with others working through similar challenges? (If so, you are not alone!)
- From dream to reality, The Doula Business Guide Virtual Book Group will help you move from “to do” to “done!”
- Group accountability helps us make progress towards our goals. Deadlines are a motivator!
Participants will: (1) complete assigned reading prior to each session (one chapter per week); (2) bring specific questions and challenges to the live sessions; and (3) identify implementation action steps to work on between sessions. And Patty Brennan will be present along the way to provide guidance and encouragement, as well as answering your questions.
LIVE, INTERACTIVE SESSIONS ON ZOOM
Book Group begins February 16 through April 27, 2025.
We will meet every other Sunday, from 1–3pm Eastern Time.
Fee: $297 (with book mailed to you) or $247 (without book)
Is 2025 the year you become a doula?
Move at your own pace through our online training(s) and earn back your investment with your first client or two!
- Become a birth doula (and prevent birth trauma while supporting families to have the best possible experience).
- Become a postpartum doula (and ease families through the early weeks of parenting a newborn).
- Become an end-of-life doula (and support the dying and their loved ones through the transition).
End-of-Life Doula Resources
Michigan’s Guide for Aging Drivers and their Families. This guide is a great resource for caregivers everywhere. It emphasizes how aging affects the ability to drive safely. A portion of the guide includes information to help establish whether a person is safe to drive. Tools include a driving self-assessment, guidance on partnering with the medical community, and how to request a driver evaluation. In addition, here are some resources addressing concerns regarding Dementia and Driving including tips for caregivers who are navigating this challenge (e.g., encouragement to plan ahead and how to start the conversation).
Pregnancy & Birth Related News
Brain changes observed during pregnancy. Researchers tracked changes in the brain that occurred in one woman before, during, and after her pregnancy. The results reveal pronounced shifts in regions throughout the brain and provide the first detailed map of the human brain during pregnancy.
How supporting postpartum moms could boost our declining fertility rates. Postpartum doulas anyone?
Our favorite breastfeeding pros at LactaLearning shared the following: Did you know that 83% of the many mothers who fall asleep during night feeds do not plan to fall asleep? As the debate over biology versus safe-sleep recommendations rages on, findings like this reinforce the AAP’s (grudging) admission that it’s safer to fall asleep with a baby in an adult bed than the much riskier chair or sofa. This 2024 study mentions the advantages of parents taking steps to make their adult bed safer.
The Role of the End-of-Life Doula in a Skilled Nursing Facility
Webinar with Jane Whitlock, hosted by Patty Brennan
January 15 (Wednesday, 8-9pm EST)
Jane Whitlock has spent four years working as an end-of-life doula as part of a larger care team for long-term care residents. She has seen how doulas can fill gaping holes and learned how to “stay in her lane” while still finding a way to be effective support for residents and their loved ones. Learn how Jane forged her heart-centered path of service to families into gainful employment. (I love the multitude of creative ways doulas manifest their calling after completing training!)
Jane Whitlock became an end-of-life doula in 2015 and launched her business Death Doula Jane in 2016. She performed a TedTalk titled What I Learned about Life from Death. Jane also became a certified nursing assistant (CNA) to add to her skill set. She is the co-founder of the Minnesota Death Collaborative and Full Circle Care, an EOL doula program at Providence Place SNF in Minneapolis. She is currently on the board for End In Mind, a nonprofit that encourages people to have the tough end-of-life discussions.Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 811 7603 7182
Passcode: 295701
Or, join us by phone. Find your local number.
Our 2025 Members Only Webinar Calendar is shaping up!
We are open to suggestions for topics of interest as well proposals from those who would like to share their expertise! Please reach out with your ideas to patty@lifespandoulas.com.
January 15 – Role of the EOL Doula in a Skilled Nursing Facility, with EOL doula Jane Whitlock (We are opening up this webinar to everyone, free of charge.)
March 19 – Weaving Willow Coffins & Green Burial, with EOL doula Tamara MacIntyre
May 21 – Support for Dementia Clients & Caregivers, with Jean Barnas (Program Services Director, Alzheimer’s Association Michigan)
July 16 – Open, TBA
September 17 – Pediatric Hospice Care, with Elizabeth Padilla of the Conscious Dying Collective
November 19 – Open, TBA
In addition to bi-monthly continuing education webinars, members enjoy a 10% discount on select products on our website (including the NEW Doula Business Guide Virtual Book Group!), a one-year listing in our Doula Directory (a $50 value in itself), and access to all webinar archives. Become a Member today ($75).
BECOME A DOULA!
Do you have questions about becoming a doula?
Sign up for one (or both!) of our FREE monthly interactive webinars and get your questions answered.
