Our Team Members Archive - BirthWorks International

Melissa Johnson

Melissa is a self-made businesswoman with a natural entrepreneurial spirit. Her background which includes owning a wellness center and yoga studio, as well as a doula agency, grew into a desire to help others build intentional businesses and see their visions become a reality. Now, as owner of Simplified Website Design, Melissa offers small business …

Jenny (Showalter) Miller

Jenny joined BirthWorks International Board at the end of 2023. As a dance educator, somatic practitioner, and fitness professional, Jenny has been educating about the body for over 15 years. While pregnant with her second son, she began the certification process and completed the BWI intensive ACED program to become both a certified BWI Birth Doula and …

Doris Haire – Honorary Member

Celebrating the Legacy of Doris Haire BWI is honored to have had Doris Haire on our Board of Advisors for years. Doris was President of the American Foundation for Maternal and Child Health (ACNM). A true trailblazer in the field of maternity care and its effects on infant outcomes, she devoted more than 40 years …

Marsden Wagner – Honorary Member

Marsden Wagner (23 February 1930 – 27 April 2014[1]), was a perinatologist and perinatal epidemiologist from California who served as a Director of Maternal and Child Health for the California State Health Department, Director of the University of Copenhagen-UCLA Health Research Center, and Director of Women’s and Children’s Health for the World Health Organization. He …

Valorie Akuffo

Valorie Akuffo has been a key part of BirthWorks for more than two decades. She is a certified doula, Lifetime Member and was the Acting Director of the BirthWorks Doula Certification Program. Valorie served on our Board of Directors as Secretary, co-moderator of online media, grant-writer, and Board member-at-large. Valorie received the BirthWorks “Doula of the …

Madison Hendry

Madison Hendry is a community birthworker, artist and educator focusing on the maternal-infant relationship. Her passion for birth work began after the premature birth of her second baby when she became a NICU mother. She owns Mama Bird, LLC and founded The Cleveland Kangaroula Collective. As a BirthWorks International Certified Birth Doula CBD(BWI), Registered Kangaroula, …

Maika Schneider

Maika Schneider moved from Germany to the US in 2017. She’s married with two beautiful children. Their birth experiences were totally different and she appreciates the knowledge she gained from her German midwife – always remembering the special, invaluable postpartum support! Childbirth and postpartum always intrigued Maika, as she loves seeing new families grow in …

Nicole Walsh

Nicole Walsh received her Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from SUNY Cortland and her Masters in Education from Old Dominion University. She has two young boys and a baby girl; her personal experiences are what led her to pursue becoming part of the birthing community. Since 2015, she’s experienced the incredible journey of pregnancy, birth and motherhood and what …

Michelle Aristizabal, MD, FACOG

Dr. Michelle Aristizabal, M.D, FACOG received her medical degree from the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, USA. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ, USA. As of 2021, she is pursuing a fellowship with the Integrative Medicine with the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine …

Maria Silver Pyanov

Maria Silver Pyanov CCE(BWI) is a certified BirthWorks Childbirth Educator and a seasoned mom to six earthside children, including two preemies. What she loves most about BirthWorks programs is the focus on evidenced-based information while highlighting the emotional and spiritual aspect of pregnancy, parenting, and childbirth. Maria is also a parent educator, sharing much of …