"If you are thinking about doula training, just take this workshop! So many of the doulas who are THE doulas in the Grand Rapids area have been trained by Jessica — that says a lot. I loved that Jessica covered both the doula information and the business perspective that you might not get anywhere else. Because this process isn’t just about supporting families, but also creating a sustainable living for yourself. Jessica’s training really helped me reach my goal to become a full-time doula in less than six months. If you have a passion for birth and are ready to get rolling, do it."

"I left Jessica’s training feeling confident and empowered to dive in as a doula. Our four days together were hands-on, incredibly informative, fun and engaging. I appreciated her inclusive language and sensitivity to health inequities. She immediately put me at ease and over the course of the training made me feel totally prepared to serve my community as a doula. Jessica caters to adult learners in a way I had not experienced before. She is thoughtful, open-minded, warm and encouraging. I feel so lucky to have shared space with her - she is an incredibly special person and a gifted educator. I would sign up for anything she teaches! The world is a better place with her in it."

"I consider myself to be a strong advocate for maternal and infant health, especially for Black and brown people. With my own traumatic birth experiences, I knew I needed to be intentional about who I was going to allow to educate me about this work. Jessica’s training was already highly recommended, but to witness her curriculum around diversity, equity, and inclusion was the icing on the cake. Thank you, Jessica for including a health equity lens to your curriculum!"

"Jessica’s doula training was incredible. I felt such a connection and sisterhood with all of the other doulas, from so many different backgrounds, who had the same heart for birth that I do. I had a really difficult first birth, and I was awestruck by the concept that birth isn’t something to be feared, it can be positive, love-centered and transformative experience — even euphoric. Jessica was professional and organized, balanced with those earthy-birthy vibes that I love. She had this gentle strength to understand us as people and also guide us to be successful doulas."

"I was a doula in the 1990s, and I was actually surprised and impressed at how much things have changed. Jessica’s training was wonderful. It reminded me of the details I had forgotten and also introduced new tools like the rebozo and the peanut ball. I loved the constant variety of the workshop. I’m used to sitting in a classroom and listening, but Jessica’s doula training was so much more. We were hands-on, interacting and problem-solving together. You just can’t beat Jessica’s deep level of experience. If you’re on the fence, the training will totally help you figure out if this field is right for you. I was so jazzed up to become a doula again and ready to get started!"

"I brought Jessica in to my area to teach a community based doula training, specifically focused on supporting women of color. It was such a great workshop — heartwarming, comfortable and inviting, but also solid skills that we could use right away. I loved the wide range of teaching techniques and all the chances to practice hands-on. Jessica engaged all of our senses. I was already trained as a childbirth educator when I took the doula workshop, but Jessica really expanded my toolbox. I use so many of the exercises and techniques that she taught us when I’m working with families. The nurses were impressed with all the new techniques I was able to use at my very first birth after the training."

"I’m a nurse and just fell in love with labor and delivery in school. But we didn’t really cover all of the comfort measures, positions and nurturing in nursing school, it was more focused on monitoring and medicines. Jessica’s training helped me understand the support side of birth much better, and I even learned new things about the physiologic process of birth. As a nurse, I advocate for my patients every day, and try to serve as a bridge of communication between them and their providers. Jessica taught me how to do that even more effectively. I loved the training, I really didn’t expect to be so inspired! There was so much discussion and hands-on practice, it wasn’t just bookwork or a PowerPoint. Jessica is so positive and professional. Her success as a business owner really enhanced the training, and I left feeling unexpected inspired to maybe start my own business someday too."

"As a nursing student, I wanted to take Jessica’s doula training to learn new ways to support women in labor and also to get an advantage to be hired in obstetrics, labor and delivery, or mother-baby — it’s a really competitive area of nursing. I loved that Jessica incorporated so many evidence-based practices. She made it clear that the medical staff wasn’t the enemy, we are all partners and allies on the team. I picked up so many tools I can use a nurse, I’ll work better with doulas when a patient has one, and I also know I could work as a doula myself. Jessica didn’t just give us the skills for doula-ing, she also shared sample contracts, how to figure out your rate and ways to find clients. I felt so much camaraderie with the other doulas because of the ways Jessica had us interacting and working together. I really loved it."

"I explored some other doula trainings, but everything about Jessica’s workshop just spoke to me. This call to become a doula is a passion from my heart, and I needed a trainer who really lives this work, and truly loves this work as a calling. I felt all of that from the website and Jessica’s bio, but when my midwife also recommended Jessica as THE trainer I should seek out, I knew I had to do it. I was going to drive wherever needed so that I could study under her. I was 33 weeks pregnant myself when I took the training. I felt nurtured, and grounded, and so connected. Jessica made everything so real and tangible. It was amazing and empowering, and I’m so ready to offer that up to other women as a doula."

"I had taken an online training with another organization, but I decided to take Jessica’s workshop for more experience with the hands-on side of doula work. It was great to be face to face with Jessica, to be able to ask questions in person, and to hear other people’s questions. The hands-on was the biggest piece for me. I can see it in pictures and read about it, but I didn’t always know if I was doing the techniques right before Jessica’s training. I loved the four-day format, all the hands-on, and the really great connections with other doulas who are in the same place in our careers — we have each other now. I’m glad it was a DONA approved training, too, because it’s the best known and very respected doula organization."

"I am also a postpartum doula and a lactation educator, and Jessica’s birth doula workshop is definitely the best training I’ve attended. It was really hands-on, and super inclusive. I felt safe talking about the disparities in our birth community, and Jessica’s really knowledgeable about equity. People of color get exhausted by having to do so much education in other spaces, but Jessica includes that automatically in her training. Some other trainings I've attended have felt limited and restricted, but everything about Jessica’s teaching was fluid, natural and organic. I loved it."

"I traveled from two states over because I just had to learn from Jessica. Even by email, I could tell she wasn’t just doing this as a business, but she also had so much passion and warmth, it was heartfelt. Even though I didn’t have a medical background in birth, I knew really quickly that I belonged in this training, and that it was a safe space for all of us. Everything was interactive and hands-on, with book work mixed in with fun activities. The training was passionate, pure and so educational. I left those four days knowing I could really be a doula! Jessica brought me so much closer to my true calling. There’s not a question in my mind, without a shadow of a doubt, I’m going to be able to do this."