The Nest team
Owners
Team
The Nest team members are professionally trained and are either certified or working towards certification to assure accountability and the highest of professional doula standards.
Briana
I have been in awe of birth since I was a little kid! I was that girl watching TLC’s “A baby story”. I have been married to my college sweetheart for a decade and we have three kids. We experienced firsthand how impactful having a doula was for the births of our own kids and knew one day I wanted to become a doula myself. I became a doula in 2021 and absolutely love walking alongside families through the journey of pregnancy and labor/delivery. My wish for all my families is that they would walk into their birth feeling empowered and confident to have their ideal birth and know all their options. When I am not at a birth you can find me homeschooling our kids, reading all the classics, enjoying the outdoors, and cheering on the MN Wild!
Joanna
I love that the word "doula" comes from the Greek word for slave or servant. That is exactly what I am here to do - serve and support moms during pregnancy, labor, delivery and early postpartum. I want to serve in every way I can so that as many mothers as possible have a beautiful memory of their baby’s arrival. When not doulaing, I'm supporting my husband in his pastoral work and running after our three little kiddos. I love to garden, bake, cook, and especially love cozying up with a good book.
Jessica
Hello! My name is Jessica, and I have been happily married to my best friend for 20 years. We are blessed with six amazing kids and a sweet chocolate labrador! Through delivering my own babies as well as supporting others in their deliveries, I have learned that birth can be surprising and challenging but is always beautiful. Having encouragement and support can make all the difference in having a calm, connected, and hopeful birth. My experiences in overseas Christian mission work, refugee and pastoral care, as well as wedding coordinating have shown me how to listen and find creative ways to support others in life's joys and trials. I speak Spanish fluently and could eat chips and guac any day of the week! Besides birth work, I enjoy spending time outdoors, cooking, collecting books, dancing and laughing with family! I look forward to helping mamas prepare for birth through nutrition, bodywork and discovering joy in the journey of their birth experience!
Janice
I've been fortunate to work as a registered nurse in a hospital setting for over 30 years, caring for preterm/term infants, both singleton and multiples. I've enjoyed the privilege of coming alongside parents by educating, encouraging, supporting, and helping them bond with their newborn. In the past few years, I felt a tugging on my heart and believed God was inviting me to consider something different--a new approach in working with families...and eventually that led me to pursue becoming a postpartum doula. In addition to my ICEA certification as a postpartum doula, I am also certified in lactation, neonatal massage, and child passenger safety. During my spare time I love working in my garden, watching the sunrise/sunset, sipping on an americano, discovering savory foods, engaging in praise and worship music, strolling through nature, and cheering on the Packers. I would be honored to come alongside you during this transitional period in your parental journey and pray my presence would be a blessing to your family.
Jeannie
Jeannie is a DONA-certified doula with an endless love for growing families. She has been married to her husband, Wade, for 36 years and has two adult children living in Toronto. She has attended hundreds of births and loves empowering women as mothers! She believes in the process of birth and encourages women to trust their inner strength. She works with couples to help them discover what their ideal birth looks like, and then to put the plan in place to help them achieve that ideal when possible. Most important to her is that women feel that they are a part of the decision-making process surrounding their pregnancies and birth and that they know that they have options and choices available to them. She believes that there is no “right” way to birth and that each woman has their own individual needs. She feels privileged to be invited in to witness one of life’s most miraculous moments. Besides being an agency owner, Jeannie is a DONA-Approved Birth Doula Trainer, Certified BRM® Pro, and Childbirth Educator.
Linda
Linda has been married to her husband, Bob, for 35 years and is the mother of six children and grandmother of five. She loves everything birth related and especially loves helping new moms have confidence in their natural parenting abilities. As mother of three adopted children who experienced early childhood trauma, she understands the effects of trauma on attachment. Her personal experience in this area gives her a desire to help new mothers and fathers with this very important foundation of parenting. Linda has been professionally trained and certified as a doula with DONA International and has assisted many mothers during pregnancy, throughout labor, and after birth to provide emotional, physical and informational support. She has extensive education in body work for mothers and babies through Spinning Babies®; a rigorous, 100-hour Dynamic Body Balancing program with Dr. Carol Phillips; and Body Ready Method®. Her goal is to help women have a more comfortable and easy birth experience so that they can bond with their new baby and enjoy a mutually secure and rewarding attachment.
Kay
Hello, I'm Kay! I live in the Twin Cities with my husband, two kids, and goldendoodle. I'm a certified doula and have supported over 20 births as of October 2023. I have supported all sorts of families either having twins, VBAC, hospital and birth centers. I have a passion for educating and supporting families about having a healthy and safe pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum period. I'm also a doula with Everyday Miracles, an organization that helps low-income families. In addition to being a childbirth educator and doula, I love photography and I do portrait photography for individuals, couples, families, and lifestyle newborn photography.
Jenny
Hi, I'm Jenny! I'm a trained and Certified Perinatal Educator and Birth Doula through the Commonsense Childbirth Institute. I'm passionate and fascinated with pregnancy, birth and infants. I bring a touch of peace and tranquility, and have been honored to be a part of countless beautiful births. When I'm not working or volunteering, I love spending time with my own family and/or sleeping and dreaming. I look forward to making this an incredible, peaceful experience for everyone involved!
Heather
Hi, I’m Heather! I also go by my Persian nickname, Hadia. I’m a birth doula, a person of faith, and a yet-unmarried chick. I’m one of six siblings and auntie to six nieces and three nephews. My commitment is to support families during birth for the purpose of “healthy moms, healthy babies, and healthy birth memories”, but more than that, I am passionate about seeing entire families healthy, joyful, and genuinely connected over time. Although I've never birthed a baby, my pre-doula career was in international development in Afghanistan, where I gained a true appreciation for trauma and facing difficult things. Aside from the birth world, I’m a lover of rooibos tea and cardamom ice cream, a language geek, and a world traveler. In my free time, you can find me studying a language or two, learning some random new skill like wool spinning, going for a lazy walk in nature, or just chilling in my pajamas at home. I look forward to connecting with you!
Katie
Hi, I'm Katie! I've been a birth doula since 2015. I love supporting a wide range of families and helping them have a positive birth experience. I completed my placenta encapsulation training through Blooma in 2019. I am excited to support families through The Nest with placenta encapsulation services.
Terri
Hi, I'm Terri! I am a trained and certified birth doula through DONA International. I currently reside in the south metro with my husband Jon, and we've been married for 19 years. Together, we have six delightfully boisterous children.
Through the birth of my own children, I recognized the value of knowing my options, feeling educated in the decisions I was making, and being empowered to start my journey of parenthood. I understood that as a new mom, I could pendulum swing between feeling confident and secure one moment and self-doubting and insecure the next.
Now, as a doula, I have attended over 150 births and have a passion for educating women to understand their options and empowering them to courageously own their own unique and beautiful birth stories.
I love Jesus, my husband Jon, and our six children. Outside of birth work, you can find me with my nose in a good book, drinking copious amounts of decaf coffee, homeschooling my children, enjoying sweet friendships, watching Vikings games with Jon, or serving at our wonderful church.
Tess
Hi! I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in nursing from the College of Saint Benedict. I then started my career working at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital. From there, I spent several years as a bedside postpartum nurse caring for new moms and their babies. I am passionate about all things birth, postpartum, and babies, as well as taking a holistic approach to living life. I love to support and care for families as they welcome their new blessings into the world and am currently pursuing that passion as a birth doula trained through DONA International. I love dancing or making crafts with my 2.5 year old daughter, nursing my baby, and baking loaves of sourdough.
Kelly
Hey there, I’m Kelly! As a longtime pediatric nurse in the Twin Cities, I have found a passion for the holistic care of a child from birth. This passion, along with my experience and training as a doula, fuels my work with mothers in order to support their journey from pregnancy to delivery and postpartum. My goal is to ensure that no matter the birthing experience you choose, you are not only empowered by it but fall in love with it. As a mother myself, I love to support others in their journey to meet their sweet babies. My husband and I have been married for almost 4 years and had our first daughter in February 2022, our fur babe Kevin came 2 years earlier. We live in a 115 year old home where I spend most of my days baking sourdough and making our daughter giggle.
Melinda
Hi, I’m Melinda! I’ve been married to my high school sweetheart, Mark, for 25 years. I have seven children, five birthed from my womb and two from my heart through adoption. I graduated from Bethel College with a bachelor’s degree in Family and Child Development. I have extensive experience teaching in preschool, parent education, and ministry settings, as well as educating my children at home. I am passionate about helping expectant parents lay a strong foundation for their families beginning with childbirth.
Emily
Hello! My name is Emily. My desire to be a doula began after serving a close friend in two of her births. I realized how important this position was to the mother and her family. As a doula, it is truly rewarding to encourage a woman through this emotional, physical and spiritual process. Watching a woman turn inward to focus on delivering their child and seeing them gain confidence in themselves, is beautiful!
As a DONA-certified birth doula, my role is to encourage and calm you when you might feel overwhelmed by labor. I am there to remind you that you can birth this little one, your body was made to do it! I get to stay by your side through the entire birth to assist you in whatever way you need. I have been practicing a little over 4 years now. When I’m not doulaing, I’m homeschooling our four great kids, cooking tasty food, taking trips with my hubby, biking around town, running to soccer games, or hanging out with sweet friends. I look forward to getting to know you and encouraging you on your amazing birth journey!
Karla
Hi! I’m Karla, wife, mom to 12 and grandmother to 5. Since having my first child and going into it knowing very little about labor and delivery, I’ve become very passionate about pregnancy and birth. Personally, I’ve experienced a variety of births, from all natural, physiological births, an induction, several epidurals, to two cesarean sections, 6 vbacs and a vba2c. Every birth comes with its unique story, and I’ve been fortunate to have had wonderful support even through the more difficult births. I would love to provide that support to others during their pregnancies, births and postpartum, using my experiences, years of learning about birth, and professional doula training. Pregnancy and birth continues to fascinate me, especially bodywork, real food nutrition, and the unique needs moms of many have. In my spare time, I love creating art, reading, and always have a few house and yard projects going on. I look forward to helping you create a plan and prepare for a positive birth and postpartum experience!
Emilie
Hi, my name is Emilie! For as long as I can remember, I have been passionate about taking care of babies. When I was little and asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was often that I wanted to be a mom. Since then, I have dived deeper into learning more about the benefits of safe physical touch on development, creating a secure attachment and on physical, emotional, and mental health. Now, I have the privilege of teaching parents and babies the joys of infant massage as a Certified Educator of Infant Massage.
Kali
Hi there, I’m Kali! I have been working in the nonprofit sector supporting and advocating for new mamas, families and babies in the Twin Cities since 2017. That, along with my passion for athletics and coaching at a collegiate level, is what drove me to become a doula! I desire for you and your family to feel adequately equipped and encouraged during your pregnancy, labor, and postpartum journey, with the ultimate goal of having a positive outlook toward your birth experience. Your body is strong and designed to give birth and I want to empower you to believe in your body and mind, help you prepare for birth, and support you and your family as you bring your sweet baby into the world!
With original roots in Washington State, my husband and I met in Minnesota and currently live in Northeast Minneapolis with our two young boys! When I am not working as a doula, I enjoy hosting friends and family in my home, keeping up with my energetic kids and attempting to nourish my house plants and garden.
Chloe
I am a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mom, a homemaker, and a birth doula. I have three babies of my own, one of whom is in heaven. My family and I live on a small homestead where we love our chickens, goats, dogs, and garden. One of my newest hobbies is figuring out how to bake the best breads.
As a birth doula, my goal is to support expectant mothers and their families through the journey of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. Being a doula is a passion for me, and I believe that my faith plays a significant role in the way I provide care for the families I support.
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