Meet The Committee!

It’s that time of year again, and we couldn’t be more excited! bebo mia’s mission has always been to support women* in connecting to their intrinsic value and power, and everyday, we look for more and more opportunities to accomplish our goal! Each year, the bebo team comes together to help women* all around the globe, who are experiencing some level of hardship, find their inner strength and empowerment through our Maternal Support Practitioner (aka doula) Training Scholarships.

In fact, over the past three years alone, bebo mia inc. has had the privilege of giving out $45,000 in scholarships to help provide women with the opportunity for personal growth, financial freedom, and invaluable education.

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Our wholly and partially funded scholarships allow women to achieve something beyond a doula certification. Throughout this program, our scholarship winners will be connected to an influential online community, uniting each other across the seas, sharing knowledge and cultivating meaningful relationships that can last a lifetime.

 

Community is what breathes life into bebo mia. It is, of course, one of bebo mia’s core values and a critical component in all of our programs. That is why we have reached out within our own community for help. Every year, the number of scholarship application submissions increases, as more and more women are discovering that there is a global community out there… well actually, it’s right HERE! with bebo mia. 

 

A global community full of individuals that are excited to make a difference in how all of us experience fertility, birth and parenting. And, as such, we are committed to continuously expanding and sharing our knowledge, our connections and our support. That is why we are super excited to introduce you to a dedicated team of
passionate, like-minded volunteers for our first ever MSP Scholarship Committee. These four individuals submitted applications that made the entire executive team cry tears of joy and gratitude and we continue to feel incredibly grateful for the level of support, professionalism and enthusiasm each person brings to the Scholarship selection process and the MSP Program development.

 

Let’s meet them all now, shall we?!

 

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Vanessa Hawke

Paper Crane Birth Services – 

I started Paper Crane Birth Services because I’m dedicated to the elimination of self-doubt in birthing families. Pregnant people get bombarded with information these days, and not all of it is based on good research. I believe every family deserves access to unbiased, evidence-based information about pregnancy and birth, and should be able to apply that information to their own family’s individual needs. This allows people to make decisions about pregnancy and birth based on what they feel is best for them, not based on being bullied or frightened into not trusting their instincts.

I am so excited to be a part of the Scholarship Committee! I received a partial scholarship from bebo mia in the Spring of 2017, and without it, I don’t know if I ever would have been able to train as a doula. Now, I am running my own business and providing volunteer doula services to underserved communities, all with the support of the bebo mia community behind me. Having the chance to give back to an organization that has given me so much is a huge opportunity, and I feel lucky to have been chosen to serve.

 

Leah Micallef

I am joining Born Doulas, which was founded by my dear friend Jo Arnott in 2014. While I am not yet listed as part of the partnership on our site, rest assured, I am behind the scenes working on completing all of my courses with bebo mia. My social media musings as a doula in training can be found at www.facebook.com/ourfamilyisborn

My lived experience as a social worker drives me; seeing just how hard it is to raise a family in our society fraught with division and exclusion and wanting to make a positive impact from the start. And, because our journey to becoming parents was painful, traumatic, and drawn out over 6 years of struggle, I want to direct the love and energy I have inside me towards something positive, so that I can offer to others what I wasn’t ready to accept or didn’t have the capacity to access when we were on the loneliest and darkest parts of our own infertility, loss, pregnancy, and parenting journey.

I want to contribute to making the awesomeness that is bebo mia accessible to a wide community of people who may not otherwise be able to pay tuition or access support for starting or growing a career in fertility, pregnancy, birth & parenting.  It is a no-brainer that I have to pay it forward and contribute to spreading the love to others so that they, in turn, can shine in new ways and share their talents and perspectives with their communities.

 

Amber Tapley

Amber Dawn Holistic Wellness My mission is to serve birthing people holistically. I aim to do this by intertwining evidence-based information and heart guided practices to support minds, bodies, and spirits.

In the years to come, I aspire to elevate the energy around the culture of birth on this beautiful little island in the Atlantic by encouraging empowered and educated birthing families.

I am so passionate about this scholarship committee because I had the privilege of being a recipient when I had big dreams and little money. In 2016, after attending my first ever birth, I knew that I needed to follow my calling and become a birth worker. I was a solo parent, in massage therapy school and had no idea how I would make my dream a reality. When I saw the opportunity to apply for a scholarship, I jumped at the chance, and it has forever shifted the path of my life! I now own my own business, alongside my massage career. I support families as a Maternal Support Practitioner, an Infant Sleep Educator, and an Herbal Medicine Educator. It is an honour to be able to give back to the community that has supported me, encouraged my growth and been there every step of the way.

Beckie Turner

Maternal Instincts

When I think of birth and family care, I think of exceptional education and outstanding support. I have a passion for helping families find their inner-strength, and I work with them to build a foundation of trust, communication, and respect that can move beyond the birth room and be utilized for years to come. I am of the mindset that birthers and their families should have a safe space to express their authentic emotions, beliefs, and concerns without judgment or hidden agendas. I hope to be this space.

Throughout my educational journey with bebo mia, I have come to experience opportunities I never thought possible. As a low-income parent, I was spending years working multiple jobs to, barely, make ends meet. Unable to get loans or generate savings, I gave up the idea that I would ever be doing anything more than working an entry-level position. bebo mia has given my life a deeper meaning, as I have been able to witness families grow, generate income, and cultivate genuine, long-lasting relationships. I believe these scholarships can undoubtedly change the lives of women around the world, and who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

Working alongside our volunteer committee, our amazing team of #bebobabes make up the rest of the application review committee! Let’s check in with some of them now, shall we?! 

Amy Finn

Mountain Momma Collective, a.k.a  MMC mommacollective.ca

On the business side of things, I love helping other people navigate the world of doula-ing. It makes me proud when people email me asking for help with their own business or for information about becoming a doula; I love helping people figure out where they will excel in the birth world.

I know first hand the motivation and accountability that comes along with winning a scholarship. When I was first starting out, I cold called bebo mia for start up advice, and Bianca took an hour out of her day to chat! Funnily enough, a referral from a job I didn’t get led me to Toni (bebo’s Program Coordinator)- and MMC was born shortly after!

Kelly Williams

THE Amazing Administrator for bebo mia

I think what drives me the most is authenticity. I strive everyday to be my most authentic self. I want to be able to express and share what I think and feel in an unaltered way. Be genuine and unapologetic. This is important to me because it allows me to have clarity and be more effective in my work and in life. I can focus all my energy into what matters and not on constantly filtering myself (which can be so draining). Being authentic makes room for the right people to be in my life (because believe me, not everyone appreciates the authentic me ha ha!) and for me to live free!

I have had the honour over the years to watch so many amazing people benefit from our scholarships. A scholarship can be the difference between growing another meaningful, and oh so important, doula career and having the door close on what could be the difference in a birthing person’s life. I am so excited to be part of the scholarship committee this year and to be able to help propel the career of another holistic reproductive health warrior!

Meg Kant

Northern Mama Maternal Services, NorthernMama.com

“Reuniting women with unwavering self-love” is our mission at Northern Mama. Everything we do has this at its centre, and it is what drives me; not only as a doula but also as an entrepreneur.  Both in birth and in business it is incredible to watch someone connect with how amazing they truly are, and start to believe in themselves and their ability to do absolutely anything.

If I was to summarize the best investments I ever made in my life, bebo mia would be at the top of that list. My life and my business would not be where they are now without the invaluable support of the #bebobabes. I know first hand what a huge difference this training can make in your life and am so excited to see what this training can do for all the incredible doulas to come!

Natasha Marchand

COO of bebo mia inc.

When we first began our journey with bebo mia, it was  an agency. Back then I knew that we would eventually become a training organization. We knew what the landscape of doula trainings looked like back then, and we knew where we could fill in the gaps. Now, after having children, I still want to fill those gaps especially in business training, but my drive goes much deeper. I talk with so many women who struggle to find balance in their life. They want a career, they want to have financial freedom, and they also want to be there for their kids. Doula work and female-centered businesses are truly an opportunity to step outside of the box and create a business that fits into your life.

I am part of this committee because while I know there are so many people out there that want to create this business that fits into their life, not everybody has the finances and support needed to get started. I know without a doubt that once you have these skills and business support, you can truly change your circumstances for the better. This creates an amazing ripple effect of changing birth and parenting on a global scale. I want to be a part of that, and I want that to be accessible to as many people as possible.

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Together, this committee hopes to create a system that allows disadvantaged women to find empowerment while advocating for a more progressive, local, birthing community.

Do you dream of being an advocate for birthing individuals and their families? Does it seem like an impossible goal? Check out what it means to be a Maternal Support Practitioner, and send in your application for one of our partial or wholly funded bebo mia Scholarships!

Looking for a way to pay it forward? It’s not too late! Click HERE to donate today, and help change a life!