This is Not The End

“And in real life endings aren’t always neat, whether they’re happy endings or whether they’re sad endings.” -Stephen King

Ending or Beginning?

I did not win the president elect seat for the board of DONA International, and that’s ok with me. I’m sad that I won’t be able to spend time helping that organization improve at the board level, especially because I really do still feel like I have some valuable experience and ideas that could have be great. However, I won’t be spending any time mourning my loss in that election, because I honestly have already shifted my energy into other pursuits.

I firmly believe that when you lose any contest, you can either mope about it or you can learn from it. Either way, you have to move on, and I plan to take my lessons from this twice fought endeavor and make changes where I can for now. This was not my time, and that’s ok. Honestly, the very same day I learned that I lost the election, I was contacted about another pretty huge opportunity to effect change locally and that will definitely be getting my attention for a while. (More to come later when I can talk publicly about it.)

I lost the election, but gained a new drive to work on different projects that were honestly waiting to see how things turned out there. This election was the ending of that ambition and the pivot of me turning back toward other things that have been ever so patiently awaiting me to have time to work on them again. Long term projects are great like that, along with lofty goals that require many steps.

Next Steps

I’m really excited that I have my first ever academic publication coming out in March of this year. I co-wrote a chapter on Doulas & Obstetric Violence in this book. I’ve been writing about my doula experiences, specifically as a medical anthropologist who looks at the birth world a little differently, and I would truly like to put this writing out into the world more than just this chapter. I’ve been jokingly calling my writings my “doula manifesto.” We shall see where it goes, but I want to keep writing and would honestly love to be able to publish it. One goal for 2022 is to turn this manifesto into a real manuscript, and I’ve already started outlining and organizing it.

I am also working on several online classes for doulas, including one on obstetric violence. I already helped develop one class with my friend Robin Elise Weiss about getting and keeping doulas in the delivery room, as that is something I’ve definitely had to struggle with since the start of COVID19. I have several more ideas for courses that might happen, and they will all of course come with continuing education credits for doulas. Robin & I are also making plans to fire back up The Birth Geeks, which has been sleeping a bit since the pandemic through us for a pretty massive looping pivot. This is a passion project for us, and I want to get back to talking to the movers and shakers in the birth world. (Maybe I’ll even get to circle back to some of the awesome heavy hitters we’ve already interviewed too!!) Join us: #BirthGeeksUnite

I would like to make more of an impact here locally as well. I’m going to keep working to mentor my team of amazing doulas at Doula Group of Evansville. We want to help even more families here in the tri-state area in 2022, and we’re making moves to improve the lives of our clients and all birthing families here. Our team is growing in 2022 and I’m shifting things around with my big role within it as well. I’m going to be really focusing in on the business side of things as well as developing more local focused content for our clients to help them navigate this place where I’ve become a bit of an expert in how things work.

One ending is turning into so many other beginnings, and I’m honestly really excited about it. I am not done yet, not by a long shot, and I’m going to keep pushing to improve things in my little corner of the world. That corner includes not only Evansville, IN, but also the wider world when it comes to birth, doulas, postpartum, and so much more. I’m going to keep doing things that make the world a better place and focus on the positives.

Losing this president elect position will only define me if I let it, and there are so many other important things that I want to use my time for right now. If you need me, I’ll be typing on my computer, driving my kids around to their activities, and generally trying to improve the world around me with my talents. If I have learned nothing else from these past couple of years, it is that nothing is guaranteed. I will also keep working on myself through therapy and serious self-care, because I’m important too.