2022 Retreat Speakers

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"I have been a birth worker for almost 40 years, and it had come time to hang up my midwife hat, sort of, in the hope of finding a new invention of myself. I am beyond happy to say that retirement will
probably never happen for me, and I am now a member of the Atlanta Birth Center Team in Atlanta, Georgia, as a Post Partum Home Visit APRN. It has opened yet another wonderful opportunity to stay connected to the mamas, babies and families who are out-of-hospital birthers. What a gift this profession has been in every possible way. As sisters in the best profession ever, let us keep fulfilling our
dreams of Midwifery as the leaders in safe birthing in the USA! Let us never give up our fight for
professional autonomy and well-deserved respect."

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Toni grew up in rural Brazil. She studied anthropology and received a bachelor’s degree in biology in North America. After graduation she returned to South America to study medicine so she could provide medical care to rural people who did not have access to appropriate health care. Her passion for women’s health and childbirth came from her own negative experiences within
the traditional medical system when she realized that women should not be treated in such a way. She then dedicated herself to the gentle, ethical treatment of women particularly revolving around childbirth and brings 25+ years of experience to the conversation. In her spare time Toni enjoys reading and running.

"My passion is helping people move from merely surviving to actually thriving. I use integrative medication management along with TransperTrauma Focused Hypnotherapy (TTHH). TTHH helps clients in overcoming and healing deeper issues such as anxiety, depression, self-sabotaging beliefs/behaviors, past traumas, PTSD, etc. Hypnotherapy is extremely helpful in overcoming and reprogramming negative, deep-rooted beliefs and behaviors that stem from trauma. I'm currently offering virtual sessions for Medication Management and Trauma Focused Hypnotherapy. "

After completing her undergraduate degree in Sociology, Jenna spent two years in Santa Cruz Bolivia, where her passion for midwifery was born. She decided to return to the United States for
her formal study, attending Bastyr University where she received a Master’s of Science in Midwifery and her CPM. Later she specialized
in lactation and became an IBCLC in 2019. She currently has a small private practice in rural Eastern Bolivia and works towards
collaborative relationships within the medical system, education of families and professionals and providing respectful care for expectant and postpartum families. You can often find her reading or spending time with her 4 boys.

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Karen is a doula, childbirth educator and mother of three. She has supported hundreds of women in their childbirth journey. She created the Pain Free Birth E-Course and Postpartum Bliss E-Course to teach women how to partner with our body's design to have a pain free, ecstatic birth and
and postpartum experience. She trains women and birth professionals on how to use the Pain Free Birth Method to create easeful, peaceful labors.