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 …

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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, …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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Colleen Seng

As a Certified Postpartum Doula, Colleen has been joyfully serving mothers and their families since 2017. She gained her certification from Birthworks International. She has gone on to become certified as a Bengkung belly bind practitioner and Sacred Postpartum Mother Roaster. Colleen also is a register fertility, prenatal and postnatal yoga instructor. She currently teaches …

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Karen Lai

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 …

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Tia Pratignyo

Tia holds a Masters degree from Northumbria University, UK. She is a certified yoga instructor from Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (India), a prenatal yoga & postnatal yoga from Birthlight (UK), and a Certified Childbirth Educator and Certified Doula from Birthworks International (USA). She is the author of book and dvd “Yoga Ibu Hamil”. When …

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Emily Parekh

Emily lives in Dallas, TX with her husband and two daughters. Her Postpartum Doula journey with BirthWorks began after the birth of her first daughter in 2016. Inspired to be a doula, after discovering her desire to support new mothers, she encourages the women she serves to tap into their own intuition as well. She …

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Kathy Tighe

Kathy brings a wonderful perspective to BirthWorks, as she has a long interest in women’s issues and education. As a child, she was intrigued with human rights and went on to study Anthropology and Women’s Studies at San Diego State University, as well as working on her Masters in Education. She gave birth to her …

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