Team
Cathy Daub
President/Founder
Mentor - Trainer
Cathy is a pediatric physical therapist who is founder, designer, and president of BirthWorks International. She is author of Birthing in the Spirit- a human values approach to childbirth, and Doulas of Love and is co-author of the BirthWorks Childbirth Educator Manual, and the Doula Journal Workbook. Cathy has taught childbirth education and doula workshops in the USA and overseas over the last twenty years. She is a certified Maya Abdominal Massage therapist, is certified in pelvic bodywork, is trained in techniques of myofascial release and teaches human values, all of which she incorporates into her workshops.
Cristin Tighe
International Coordinator Program Director
Mentor - Trainer
Cristin Tighe was certified by BirthWorks International in 2010 and is also DONA International Birth/Postpartum Doula certified. She’s honored to serve on BirthWorks helping coordinate strategy and programs in the US and abroad. Cristin is a Yoga Teacher/Trainer for adults and children. She has three children - her daughter was born at home in water in Belgium and twin boys via cesarean in CA. Her experiences created longing to empower women to know their ability to birth naturally, to understand technology and be informed about risky cascading interventions. She founded Conscious Empowered Birth in 2008, inspired to educate mothers during pregnancy, as key to creating a peaceful world for our children!
Horatio Daub, MD, MPH
Treasurer
Dr. Daub received his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from M.I.T. He went on to receive his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed a residency in Family Medicine at Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ. He later received a Master’s degree in public health at Drexel University in Philadelphia. He has been in practice as a Family Physician for 34 years which initially included obstetric care. He believes that preventive and lifestyle medicine requires more emphasis today to change our disease care system to a true health and wellness system for our nation. He is currently serving as Treasurer for BirthWorks International.
Sally Dear Healy, Ph.D.
Board Member at Large
Trainer
Sally received her master’s and PhD in Sociology at Binghamton University. Her dissertation was a tri-generational study of women’s beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors about pregnancy, birth, early mothering, and family healthcare. She also earned a Graduate Certificate in Feminist Theory. Sally taught for 10 years in Human Development and 6 years in Child and Family Studies, as well as in Women Studies, Sociology, and Criminology. Her research interests revolve around prenatal and perinatal psychology; pregnancy, birth and mothering/parenting; trauma and resilience; mediation; and family violence.
She is especially interested in the psychosocial and iatrogenic contributions to maternal fear and stress during pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood and their impact on the mother and child’s mental and physical health, attachment, and individual and family violence.
Sally is a certified birth doula and childbirth educator for BirthWorks International and conducts BirthWorks workshops nationwide. She is also a Prenatal and Perinatal Educator (PPNE), a Trauma Informed Care Practitioner/Trainer, and Reiki Master. She is the President and Executive Director of It’s Your Life Coaching and Consulting and The Family Womb.
Amara Minnis
Board Member at Large
Amara Minnis has served at over 600 births in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia since 2003 as a DONA-certified birth and postpartum doula. She became a BirthWorks childbirth educator in 2012, and has taught hundreds of couples in multiple class formats and was honored with the award of BirthWorks Childbirth Educator of the Year in 2016. Additionally she co-chaired the BirthWorks Conference in 2017. For over ten years Amara has volunteered with the statewide non-profit, Birth Matters Virginia, and has been a member and recent board member of Doulas of Tidewater, a local doula networking and mentoring group. Amara resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia with her husband. And together they have four children, two whom have left the nest.
Liz O'Shea
Board Member - Honorary
Liz began her midwifery journey out of a deep desire to share the joy of birthing at home. She wanted all women to experience what it is like to feel the innate power within them to give birth. Following her first home birth in 1982, she began studying to be a birth assistant in Rahima Baldwin’s Informed Homebirth course. Liz’s passion for learning about normal birth continued through her own homebirths and as she raised her six children. Liz certified as an A.L.A.C.E Doula and later with Birth Works International, so started teaching childbirth education. As Co-Founder of BirthWorks Birth Doula Program, she taught varied training workshops. After attending births as a doula in hospital and home settings, she found the opportunity to apprentice with several home birth midwives who shared their knowledge of traditional midwifery. She began an independent practice in 2000 and along with her daughter, Emily, formed the first Birth Circle of Frederick, MD. Encouraged by her mentors she applied for and obtained certification through North American Registry of Midwives in 2007. Her midwifery home birth practice has nearly doubled, in the future when she takes less clients, she is definitely interested in leading workshops as a BirthWorks Birth Doula Trainer. BirthWorks will always be in her heart!
Nicole Walsh
Board Member at Large
Nicole received her Bachelor's Degree in Athletic Training from SUNY Cortland and her Master's in Education from Old Dominion University. She has two young boys and a baby girl on the way; her personal experiences are what led her to pursue becoming part of the birthing community. In the past five years, Nicole has been exposed to the incredible journey of pregnancy, birth and motherhood and what she found out is that there is a lot of, not always accurate, information floating around in the birth world. Being an educator at heart has made her want to share evidence-based information with expecting parents so that they can make informed decisions about their prenatal care, birth and postpartum care. Nicole has recently finished her Childbirth Educator Certification through BirthWorks International! She agrees whole-heartedly with the BirthWorks philosophy that birth is instinctive and it is not something a woman needs to be taught how to do – she already has that knowledge inside of her! The BirthWorks mission to decrease fear surrounding birth and help women feel empowered in their choices and confident in their body so that they can have a transformative birthing experience is one that she is proud to help achieve.
Karen Lai
Mentor
Karen Lai is certified with BirthWorks International® as well as NACE Australia. Karen facilitates workshops within Cert IV Workplace Training standards. Karen is an AHPRA Registered Nurse-Midwife in clinical practice as well as in Midwifery Education and is currently based in Hobart. Karen has post graduate qualifications through UTAS, is an accredited Neuro-Linguistic Programming trainer with INLPTA and has an Advanced Diploma in Solutions Oriented Coaching & Counseling with the Milton Erickson Institute. Karen is most of all proud to be a midwife and a mother and proud to bring her influence to birth and parenting.
Sarah Baker
Board Member at Large
Mentor
Sarah has been a birth professional since 2010- as a certified BirthWorks Childbirth Educator to 250+ couples, birth doula for 90+ births, and a professional doula trainer. Birth work is one of her greatest passions and her clients frequently describe their experience with her as “empowering.” Sarah is mindful of creating safe spaces and approaches all her work from a trauma-informed point of view. As a BirthWorks educator, doula, and a doula trainer/mentor, Sarah leaves a formidable impact on her clients and doula trainees with her wisdom, passion, and her gift for instilling confidence in others. It is the natural continuation of her path to serve on the BirthWorks Board of Directors, working synergistically to grow positive impacts of our programs. Sarah is the parent of two children (with special needs) and resides in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.
Emily Alberhasky
Mentor
Emily Alberhasky is a birth Doula practicing in Des Moines Iowa. She has been a birthworks certified Doula for nearly 8 years. She has five children ranging from ages 6 to 16. She received her bachelors degree from Iowa State University in Child and Family Services. Emily’s passion is holding the space and being present for women and their partners as they walk through their journey into motherhood. Emily also facilitates a support group called Difficult Birth Journey which allows women to share their painful story in a safe, healing, and supportive space. She considers it the deepest honor to be invited into another person’s intimate and life changing moments.
Janell Bartzatt
Mentor
Janell Bartzatt is a BirthWorks childbirth facilitator, birth and bereavement doula, birth assistant at a birth center and a licensed phlebotomist. Janell started her birth work endeavor as a birth doula and felt the urge to add to her tools/skills in her toolkit and started facilitating BirthWorks. To Janell, BirthWorks philosophies resonated with her and have been at the core of her up-to-date and interactive classes. Having the opportunity of working alongside experienced midwives, Janell has been able to enhance her classes from learning and sharing stories of numerous parent reported positive birth experiences. Having given birth to three boys (two in a hospital and one at a freestanding birth center), it is at Janell's truth and core that birth is a beautiful, joyful and loving experience.
Jill Bergman
Kangaroula Trainer
Jill is passionate about helping parents and their babies get the best start in life. She is an advocate, a voice for the newborn.
She received her Teachers Diploma from the University of Cape Town, South Africa in 1983. She taught in Zimbabwe and South Africa and lectured at the teachers training college. She has supported the work of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) since 1988, and played a key role in her full-time capacity since 2000. Together with Nils, she created four DVDs and wrote a book Hold Your Premie specifically for parents of premature babies.
She trains nursing staff in KMC, works with developmental care, is a doula and a Kangaroula. She is a speaker at national and international conferences and published a number of articles with titles like as “Whose choice? Advocating Birthing Practices According to Baby’s Biological Needs,” and “A Voice for the Baby.”
She and Nils have three children, two just finished at University.
