Showcasing Your Relevant Non-Doula Skills
-
00:05
Welcome to doula Tips and Tips. This podcast is a place where we answer one question about doula work, both to support you and to help you support your clients. I'm Kaylee Harrod. I've been supporting families in this perinatal space since my oldest was born, 12, nearly 13 years ago.
00:23
I am a birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator, La Leche League leader, and a doulla coach. I love guiding and supporting doulas as they work out their doulah business. It is tremendous is joy to be trusted in this way.
00:36
Thank you for joining us on this journey. Hello and welcome back to doula tips and tips. Today we are talking about talking about yourself. So yes, that was a confusing sentence. We are talking, about, talking.
00:50
About yourself what we're talking about is showcasing your relevant experience and skills even if you're a brand new doula and these are technically not doula skills. So one thing that I see in newer doulas is they say things like I'm a new doulah.
01:09
The next episode is all about that, like don't say that crap, right? But we're gonna save that for the next episode so stay tuned. But what I think we do is we sort of parse out our work and honestly I do this so let me just start with the story so you don t feel like I m shaming you.
01:27
When I was when I getting trained to be a doula. I had already been a La Leche League leader for about three and a half years. So if you're not familiar with La Leche League, honestly there's all kinds of problematic issues with it in terms of racism and colonial background and whatnot.
01:44
However, it is peer -to -peer lactation support supposedly in like a safe environment where the leaders are trained to some extent, so we're non -medical peer -to -peer support people that have our own experience in lactation.
02:02
So we have to have fed our own children in some way in Lactation, right? So I had already been doing that. So, I'd already be working with families in the postpartum time for years. I had been kind of post partum -doula-ing people and helping with birth and labor for stuff virtually like texting with friends as they're going through stuff.
02:26
And I didn't know what a doula was prior to like about a year before I became a doula. So seven years ago. So I was doing some of that stuff, not thinking about it as doulla things, right? But way before that, I have been doing advocacy and justice has mattered to me a lot.
02:48
like equity, justice, advocacy, and education have been like the four pillars of my life for as long as I can remember. And the like desire to just fix issues, to meet needs, to show up in vulnerable times, like that is who I am, right?
03:06
So I was sitting in my training. It was one of the weekend trainings that are like kind of crappy, but you know, here we are. Um, and it was, my training was actually really good. I liked the person that trained me, um, but not thorough enough.
03:22
Like just, you know, lack some things that I think would have been helpful. Um. But I remember her saying, You know just like write up a resume and I'm like, what, like what kind of resume am I going to write up, I am 38 years old.
03:37
So at the time I was what 32. and I was like, obviously I've worked, you know, but like what does it look like to have a resume as a doula? You know? Like, what do I even put on there? And actually this came up in our doula coaching a couple of weeks ago, when another client of mine was saying, a doula client, a doula coaching client was saying that she was, like you know I'm writing a resumé, but then I am like what I would even do as the doula?
04:06
And so we looked up, like, like we use chat GPT to be like what are some skills that doulas have that can transfer to non -doulah jobs, right? But on the flip side of that, what are Some skills and and experiences and things like that that you have before becoming a doula that are also relevant to your doulah work and potentially part of why this work is such a good fit for you, Right?
04:30
If you listen to my episode with doula Darcy, one of the things that she said is she thinks doulas are born and not trained and meaning that like you know it's kind of like a calling rather than a job right and I resonate with that to some extent and so I think more thinking about the things that drew us to this work there's a lot of things we could highlight in our life about who we are and how we function and the experience we've had that give us that Showcase to our clients, I guess, what they can expect in hiring us, even if they are your first client, right?
05:15
So I want you to think through, and I'm going to give you some categories. And I kind of want to you think about how, if this is something that you have and could highlight in some way, how does it relate to your work as a doula?
05:30
So one is communication. communication. I think empathetic, active listening kind of communication where you are reflecting what they're saying to you. You are using good nonverbal communication, you are emphasizing the things that are normal, validating what their saying, like that kind of stuff, any kind communication skills that centers the client is huge.
05:58
Empathy and emotional support of any kind. Now I regularly say we need doulas for everything. We need car buying doula's, we needed house buying doula's we, need doulas for like marital problems, right?
06:10
Like we just need, we do this for freaking parenting pre -teens. Like, we knew douas, right, because what do doulas do? They provide emotional support and empathy. That's not all we. But that's a piece of what we do.
06:25
So non judgmental support that's with compassion and empathy. That's essentially what we do, but also like, you could have been doing that in a lot of other scenarios, right? So you could be providing that kind of empathetic emotional support in an advocacy program or in volunteer job that you have or in something else, like there's, there is a way to look at the things you've been involved in to show how you doula'd those people.
06:58
And I think even use that word, like I know doulas, we kind of joke around that doulaying is like a verb, right? But I thinks saying like, I've done douling even before I knew what a doulah was is a thing that communicates like this is who I am, you know, and it doesn't have to be that you were doing like pregnant people like you can say I been doing foster kids or I've been douleying, you know, like a piece of my life has been this kind of empathetic emotional support forever, right?
07:26
And that is something you can highlight. If you are a researcher or a detailed oriented person, now this is not true for everybody. So please do not, I want to just, I wanna add a huge asterisk here.
07:40
if you're not a researcher, or detailed -oriented person that's okay. You can still be a fantastic doula, right? But your clients are probably not the same as mine because my clients really like that.
07:55
I love to do research. Like that is one of their biggest things. Like when I say, well, the research shows us blah, blah. They're like, you are my person. I'm like I know you're my personal too. That's something that matters for my clients.
08:09
So I have a master's degree in organizational leadership, which ultimately is research and data around effectiveness in communication and operations and financials in small and large businesses. So that clearly is something I use all the time now in my business.
08:32
I at the same time was like why do I have this degree? I'm a doula now, not an organizational leadership person, but here Here we are, teaching business and also doulaing doulas, right? So I am, I have a whole team of doulas now, like I'm, I've an organizational leader, friends, you know?
08:50
And so that's who I am as part of my like, the like why do we do this the way that we do it kind of personality that I have that like inquisitive and like driven to find answers about something. It also means I like to be right about things, you know like there are some downsides to this this character of mine but if that's who you are like you can think through how does that what does that bring to the space right one of the things that I sometimes say to my childbirth classes is I'll say before becoming in a previous life before becoming a doula so when I was finishing up grad school and in and having my babies, having my first, gosh, all three kids, I guess.
09:35
I was a Spanish adjunct professor at a community college and I wasn't ELA, E -L -A, no, ESL, teacher for Spanish speakers. So I taught adults in two different scenarios. In one scenario I thought adults that spoke English Spanish and the other scenario I taught adult that's spoke Spanish English, right?
09:57
I'm also fluent in both languages. So what I'll say to them is I kind of merged my love of birth, my love, of advocacy and my level of education and obviously now I'm a childbirth educator and they're kind like oh yeah of course you know cuz I'm like yeah I was a professor for like three years, three and a half years.
10:18
And I loved it. I taught outside of the college even longer than that and so that's a big part of who I am right and what I bring to this, but it wasn't doula work. I wasn t showing up in the middle of a labor and delivery suite, right?
10:33
But it's so relevant to what we're doing, right. So any kind of medical or biological kind of training that you have or degrees, like if you have been to nursing school or you are a medical tech or, you know, you are an RN or any of that, that is like you have been medical adjacent or a medical professional.
11:01
Absolutely. Those are skills that transfer even though doula work is non -medical, your understanding of the process is different because of your understand of anatomy and physiology. And so that I think is something that we downplay a bit because we're a nonmedical provider, but that understanding of the anatomical process is huge.
11:22
And especially for clients that are really concerned about supporting the anatomical process and not just like the emotional support piece of it, that's a really big deal. Cultural competence, so any kind of diversity you have in yourself ethnically, in your background in terms of where you've lived, cultures you'd been immersed in, And languages that you speak, like all of that is relevant to your work as a doula.
11:47
Your advocacy and supportive care. That is a huge piece. And any kind of self -care or like resilient work, resilience work that have done with children or with individuals or, with yourself even, any sort of kind the dig deep, do more than you think you can do kind of care that you've done that is relevant in this line of work.
12:17
So I guess the point of this episode is for you to take some time to think through these things. If you're currently like, I don't know, Kaylee, I'm not a doula yet. Like I am just going through training.
12:29
I like don t even feel legitimate. And I have no relevant experience. I would argue that that That is not the case. I'm going to lovingly tell you that you're wrong because you do in fact have relevant experience because something made you want to be a doula and that thing didn't just pop up the other day.
12:51
If you are like, oh man, I want advocate for people in the midst of birth, well you probably have been desiring to advocate people for a variety of ways for some time. like you probably didn't just get the advocacy bug like yesterday right and so I want you to really think about it because because I think it also helps you see what magic you bring to this work right as a side note if you're needing a little like pump up there is a song called magic room by Heidi Rojas and it is amazing.
13:26
It is truly amazing and I will make sure that the song is the song link on iTunes is in the show notes. She is amazing but also magic room is something that all of us should be singing to ourselves on a regular basis.
13:43
it does talk about women so if you don't idea identify as a woman it might not resonate with you in the same way. But honestly, it's the best pump up song I've ever had. And it reminds me to be like, yes, like I am the magic.
13:58
I'm the magick that comes in. Like it s not that the room was magik. It s that I brought the Magick with me, right? And I m not the only one. You're also bringing the Magic. But you've got to see that in yourself.
14:09
Because if I see it, I snot going with you to your aren't they magic? Like, look, don't you see their magic, right? No, I'm not there. And I don t need to be. You can do that on your own. Right? I m doulaying you right now into douling yourself, right.
14:29
I want you to own the magic that you bring to this work. So on that note, I would love to connect with you. If you have not yet connected with me on Instagram, I really love getting to know my listeners, like really, really love it.
14:46
It seriously makes my day every time I hear from somebody. And my Instagram is at Haradoula. I would really love for you to connect with me there and just say something that makes you magic in this doula work, because I will amp you up, friend.
15:02
Like I will be like, yes, queen, that is your magic, right? Like, I'm going to live into that with you and really, really really big you up if you come over and share something about yourself that makes you the perfect doula in this world, right?
15:24
I also want to remind you just a quick note that I have that client chemistry free masterclass coming up on April 8th at 1pm Eastern, it will be recorded. So if you're like, damn it, I can't come at 1pm Eastern.
15:38
I would still recommend that you sign up so that you get all the emails for the replay and things like that so that are ready to be a part of that client chemistry revolution. And you can start having more amazing relationships with your clients going forward.
15:55
All right, until then, I will see you in the next episode. 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 hara doula so we can celebrate alongside you.
16:18
If You've 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.
16:30
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.
16:42
We'll see you again soon.
Never want to miss what we’re doing for doulas? Subscribe to our newsletter! We won’t spam you, but we do promise amazing content and classes! https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/newsletter
Are you loving the Doula Tips and Tits Podcast? If so we’d be so appreciative of your support! You have the option to choose monthly support starting at just $3 a month.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1916032/supporters/new
Are you new to doula-ing and don’t know what to write down on your resume or on your website to showcase your skills? We will discuss some categories from non-doula work that can be reflected in doula work. Kind of like, how can you take what you already know and are good at and add it into your doula business?
“Some skills and and experiences and things like that that you have before becoming a doula that are also relevant to your doulah work and potentially part of why this work is such a good fit for you, Right? If you listen to my episode with doula Darcy, one of the things that she said is she thinks doulas are born and not trained and meaning that like you know it's kind of like a calling rather than a job right and I resonate with that to some extent and so I think more thinking about the things that drew us to this work there's a lot of things we could highlight in our life about who we are and how we function and the experience”
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
Kaely Daily is produced by Kaely Harrod of Harrod Doula Services
It is sponsored by The Birth Prep Blueprint Childbirth Class
Music by Madirfan: Hidden Place on Pixabay
