Hi Reader,

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Three months ago, I started a job. The j.o.b. kind, where you clock in, report to someone, and have coworkers. I haven’t done this in over 25 years. It’s a trip.

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The logistical adjustments have been pretty easy. I don’t go in until the afternoon, so I have mornings wide open. I actually enjoy the routine of working on my business in the morning, then getting dressed, eating lunch before I leave, packing my dinner, driving on autopilot to the same destination, and parking in the same spot.
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But emotionally and psychologically? A total f-ing trip! For the past 25 years, I’ve been running my own show and hanging with doulas. If I had to be anywhere, it was rushing out the door to a birth, leading a class I was teaching, or showing up on Zoom. I worked one-on-one with people, and if I had any “co-workers”, they were doulas—the most compassionate, mindful, discreet, service-oriented folks I know.
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The folks I work with now? They’re skilled clinicians. They focus on figuring out a diagnosis and treatment, faster and faster. They’re burned out. While I want to rush in and hold the patient’s hand, make sure they understand what’s happening and being said, and tend to their emotional experience. But that’s not my job now.

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One of the things that happens when you become a doula is that you see the world through different eyes. Forever. You want to slow down a challenging situation and make sure everyone understands what’s going on. No matter what you are doing. In a way, you become ruined (or saved, you pick).

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So anytime you’re facing a tough situation—heading into a clinic, having a hard conversation, or weighing the pros and cons of a decision—get a friend who thinks like a doula, or is a doula, by your side. We’ll cover all the bases that other professionals miss.

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Speaking of having a doula by your side, my friend, Nikki Shaheed, is a former doula and current extraordinary web designer. She and I are business buddies. We help keep each other motivated and accountable in our work. And she’s offering something really cool to help ANY kind of business owner in a heart-centered way:

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This webinar will help you share your message in a way that deeply resonates with people, keeps them on the page, and inspires them to work with you. A ton of value for only $7! It would be silly not to invest an hour of your time to learn four simple steps to make your website work better for your small business.

Are you in? Sign up here.​

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What I'm listening to, reading, and watching:

​Around the World in a Day—Prince. 1987. Road trip with my sons to California. This was the soundtrack. It was so weird and wonderful, with discordant melodies and his lilting vocals following no apparent structure.

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​Butter—Asako Yuzuki. A novel, based on a true story, about a female journalist in Tokyo seeking to interview a woman in prison for seducing men with her cooking and then killing them. In the process, the journalist explores food in a way she never has before (a condition of being granted time with the prisoner) and perhaps gets seduced herself. More importantly, the novel explores themes of fat shaming, gluttony, mass food production, feminism, shifting gender roles, and family tradition. Warning: You will crave lots of carbs and butter when reading this book!

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Comedy anyone? I’m trying to find some good stand-up comedy, but everything I come across isn’t, well, very funny. Please send help.

What are you listening to, reading, or watching that you think I’d like? Reply and let me know.

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Wishing you the heart of a doula in all you do!

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Carrie

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Carrie Kenner

Author, ​So You Want to Be a Doula​​

​​​Website​​​​

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P.S. I’m holding another Sacred Feminine Retreat this Fall. Want to come?

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