End-of-Year Doula Reflection: Boundaries you need in 2026
-
Unknown speaker 00:04
Welcome to Doula Tips and Tips, the podcast where we cut through the noise and get real about what it takes to build a sustainable doula business. I'm Kaylee Harad. I've been a doula informally for 14 years and full-time for seven.
Unknown speaker 00:20
Around here, we don't sugarcoat stuff. We talk autonomy, owning your worth, creating a business that works for you, no fluff, no burnout, just the honest truth on how to be your own best boss. Let's get into today's episode.
Unknown speaker 00:36
Welcome back to Doula Tips and Tits. In the ongoing series of a reflection of the end of the year for 2025, I want to talk a little bit about some things I shifted because of trends I saw in my business.
Unknown speaker 00:51
So one of the things I love to do when I'm coaching a doula is to ask them what things do they hate about their business. And the reason I do this is that I want to kind of dig into like what is not going well and also what could be improved upon, what could be kind of enhanced, what could be automated, et cetera.
Unknown speaker 01:13
But also because I think we sometimes ignore the sticky points of our business, right? And so I want to talk a little bit about one of the things that I noticed in my business this year. So this year I've been coaching.
Unknown speaker 01:28
I've also been attending births and I've shifted some things about how I practice. And one of the things I've noticed is that it has taken so long to get to people postpartum. So what I mean is if someone has a birth, part of their birth package is to have a final kind of follow-up call with me.
Unknown speaker 01:52
That is their postpartum call that we get to like wrap up, have some like processing, like do some closure kind of stuff. And it has taken weeks. Like there, this year in 2025, I've seen more like six week old, eight week olds, et cetera.
Unknown speaker 02:09
Part of that has been my own family. Like I've had, our family has had a lot of illness this year. And so if someone's sick, I don't want to go to a newborn's family, you know? So there's been that. But then also just logistically, things are tricky.
Unknown speaker 02:24
Like babies have come in groups. And so then it's been like three people at once that I need to schedule and visit. And sometimes they live far away and sometimes they live closer. So there's this like back and forth that tends to be really tricky.
Unknown speaker 02:38
And so there are times when I've, I've really, it's really taken like six to eight weeks to finally see a family. Part of what I changed in the fall when I reevaluated my packages and I increased my price was to do postpartum visits virtually.
Unknown speaker 02:57
And the reason I changed this is that it's a one-hour visit. I live in an area where it could take me up to an hour to get to a client for like to visit them because we live in DC. And it's then like a three hour chunk of time that I need to have available in my calendar.
Unknown speaker 03:17
But also like babies come and my, you know, I'm working more at the breastfeeding center. So I'm, I have more of my time eaten up with that. My kiddos are in activities. You know, I have, there's been a ridiculous amount of illness this fall.
Unknown speaker 03:32
And so part of what I have shifted is to do those postpartum visits virtually. Now, I haven't yet started doing them virtually. I, my, well, I have, I'm just beginning into the packages of folks that have purchased it virtual and not in person.
Unknown speaker 03:52
And honestly, I'm struggling to finish the last couple ones. And it is, again, because my family had literally six and a half weeks of illness in the fall. And then I had a bike accident and was out for a whole week because I couldn't drive because my right leg was injured.
Unknown speaker 04:10
Thankfully, I drove today and feels a lot better. That's like really recent, right? Like it's fresh that I had that accident. And so in order to get to my clients, like a couple of my clients don't live where I can metro to them.
Unknown speaker 04:22
They don't live where I can like reasonably take a lift or whatever. And so it is something where I have needed to actually delay coming to see somebody. And one of those babies is going to be eight weeks old, you know?
Unknown speaker 04:36
So part of what I have thought about in this time is for one, I just want to get to see them. Like I want to like finish up their packages. And also, it's incredibly validating that I did make the shift to virtual visits because it is really hard to schedule that final visit.
Unknown speaker 04:57
And it matters. Like I think the final visit matters in terms of closure, but it also matters in terms of checking on the family to see how they're doing. And I think part of it is also knowing that lots can happen in the postpartum time for them.
Unknown speaker 05:13
And then lots is happening for me. And so it's hard for us to kind of coordinate. And having expectations that are like reasonable and understandable is a big piece of that, right? So if my expectation with you is that our visit is going to be virtual, then there's a different like freedom to have that visit be virtual, right?
Unknown speaker 05:33
But if my expectation is, and your expectation is that our visit is going to be in person, then it's actually really tricky because then we're in a place where it's really hard to schedule it. We're having a hard time seeing each other.
Unknown speaker 05:45
And maybe that's your schedule. Maybe it's my schedule. Maybe it's both, right? Like that's what it's been for some of these families is like partner's back at work already. And so for that reason, there's a hard, it's a hard time like getting people scheduled.
Unknown speaker 05:57
So there's lots of different layers to why that is, you know? But I think it's really validating for me to be like, okay, yes, this visit is going to be easier to do if we do it virtually. And that is going to be the norm going forward because it needs to be, because my business is, doesn't need to be hung up on this eight-week visit situation where it hasn't happened.
Unknown speaker 06:22
It's two months later, blah, blah, blah. Like that's not necessarily helpful. So part of what I want you to think about with this is what are some things that you could shift in your business in 2026 that will make it easier for you to show up and do the services that you do with your clients.
Unknown speaker 06:41
And I know in some ways that feels like a negative change. Like for me, going from an in-person visit to a postpartum visit virtually seems like maybe a negative for the client. But I honestly don't think it is because it is more of a negative in my mind to go many weeks without being able to schedule it than it is for us to see each other in person.
Unknown speaker 07:05
And I think I can still bring a lot of value to that visit, even if we're seeing each other virtually. So I really am the deciding factor in terms of whether or not that visit still has a lot of value, even if it's virtual versus being in person.
Unknown speaker 07:21
Right. And so I think when you're thinking about this for yourself, it might not be the consultation. I mean, it might not be the virtual postpartum visit. It might be the consultation. Like for me, I haven't done in-person consultations in, I don't know, five years.
Unknown speaker 07:36
And it's just because I don't think it's needed. And the clients honestly don't think it's needed either. Like they enjoy doing virtual consultations. We do a video call. We meet each other. We're able to chat.
Unknown speaker 07:45
It doesn't take all day for us to do it. Right. Easy to schedule, easy to execute. Like that's, that reduces a barrier to having that conversation. Where prior to 2025, I really did almost all of my consultations in person.
Unknown speaker 08:01
So part of what I want you to think about is not like, what's the norm? What do you think people expect from you? What have you always done? But actually to look at like, what are some things that in your business would be easier and would be more sustainable?
Unknown speaker 08:16
You know, one of my favorite words if you were to ship them for 2026 so that you do build intentionally some sustainability into this new year. Okay. So when you're listening to this episode, we only have two weeks left in the year of 2025.
Unknown speaker 08:35
So you will get two more episodes from me this year and then we will pick up together in 2026. Thanks for joining us for this episode of the Doula Tips and Tits Podcast. If you learned something today or had an aha moment, we'd love for you to share that on Instagram and tag us at Haradoula so we can celebrate alongside you.
Unknown speaker 08:59
If you found this podcast helpful, we would so appreciate you taking a second to leave a rating and a review on your favorite podcast app. That helps other doulas find us as we do this work together.
Unknown speaker 09:11
This podcast is intended as educational and entertainment. It is not medical advice or business advice. Please consult your own medical or legal team for your own needs around your health and your business.
Unknown speaker 09:23
We'll see you again soon.
ASK A QUESTION!!! My plan is to start Friday Q&A (we need a new name, I know!) but first I need your questions! Submit them using the form below:
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/ask-me-a-question
Continuing on our end-of-year review today we are talking about boundaries. Things that need to shift and change about your business in 2026! Do you need to shift prices? Shift marketing? Shift visits to virtual? Tune in to get some ideas and inspiration!
Quote from the show:
“So one of the things I love to do when I'm coaching a doula is to ask them what things do they hate about their business. And the reason I do this is that I want to kind of dig into like what is not going well and also what could be improved upon, what could be kind of enhanced, what could be automated, et cetera…. Part of what I changed in the fall when I reevaluated my packages and I increased my price was to do postpartum visits virtually. And the reason I changed this is that it's a one-hour visit. I live in an area where it could take me up to an hour to get to a client for like to visit them because we live in DC.”
CONNECT with Kaely on TikTok or Instagram
https://www.tiktok.com/@doulacoach
https://www.instagram.com/Harroddoula/
If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me @harroddoula
Doula Tips and Tits is produced by Kaely Harrod of Harrod Doula Services
It is sponsored by The Doula Biz Blueprint Self-Paced Class for Doulas Launching Successful and Sustainable Businesses!
Music by Madirfan: Hidden Place on Pixabay
