Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Poe.
Emily, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always known since I was a child that I wanted to be a caretaker of some sort—a Veterinarian, nurse, therapist, something that led me to care for others. My story with birth work is as practical as it is personal. It’s been a journey of cultivating knowledge and soul from the deepest places possible. It all began when I became pregnant with my son at 18 years old. I sought out care from midwives and experienced what it was like to have a team of people caring for me through my pregnancy, birth and postpartum. The midwives, my chiropractor, my doula, my childbirth educator and birthing community changed my life by holding me and nurturing my baby and I. I was touched by my experience and held so much respect for these birth workers. Six months into my son’s life, it was time for me to consider what career path I would choose to support my son and I. I spent several days researching local colleges to find what education interested me and nothing was satisfying me. Everything I came across felt like, “I mean I guess I can see myself doing that.” I left it alone for a couple of days and trusted that my purpose would find me soon. Within those days, a relative went into labor and asked for me to stay with her while she labored. As I stayed with her, I felt myself wanting to tend to her and jokingly texted my friend, “I think I’d like to be a doula!”. But I didn’t think much into it! A couple of days after the birth, I went to see my relative at her home and felt a huge urge to clean her space, cook for her, talk to her and care for her. After I left, I realized how much the experience filled my cup and decided to make it a career! I pursued education as a Postpartum Doula initially. I worked that for about a year, then furthered my certifications to Birth Doula and Vaginal Steaming Facilitator in hopes of providing the most comprehensive care to my clients. While education and training have furthered my personal growth as a Doula, the number one thing that has gotten me to where I am today is my never ending desire to better myself and be the most authentic version of myself. Birth and Postpartum are highly sensitive times and my clients can tell if I’m being fake or have wrong motives. Taking off the masks and being me has been my best tool as a Doula.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Absolutely not! Being a teen mom has it’s own struggles and I’ve made huge sacrifices to pursue my career as a Birth & Wellness provider, but I believe in the impact and importance of my work. I’ve had to really cultivate my communication skills so that when I’m communicating with the strong but sensitive new parent, they leave our conversations feeling empowered and supported. I’ve had to learn self care routines so that when I’m in the depths of birth or postpartum with a client, I can stay grounded. Balancing mothering how I want and running a business the way I want has been a continual lesson on this journey as well. I am very open about my story & self with my clients and on social media because it helps others feel seen and humanizes my experience.
The hardest part has been getting my business off the ground. Many of the business sides of things I did were new to me and required a lot of learning, time, patience, and energy. So many nights are staying up late, but it’s all worth it. This journey has taught me courage, bravery, confidence, love and intimacy in ways I never thought possible.
Please tell us about Sacred Circle Birth & Wellness.
Sacred Circle Birth & Wellness is a holistic Birth and Wellness business serving the DFW area. I offer comprehensive Birth and Postpartum Doula services and Vaginal Steaming Services.
As a Birth Doula, I offer non-medical, heart centered, physical, emotional and practical support during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. The goal is to help my clients have their best birth possible and offer continuous support during labor.
As a Postpartum Doula, I offer non-medical support during the postpartum period with the goal of caring deeply for the birthing person so they can focus on healing and building a healthy bond with their baby. This can look like doing housework so my client can rest, preparing nourishing foods, snacks, and drinks, offering advice and resources when asked for, holding space for their concerns and being a trusted person to care for the baby while my client tends to themselves.
Vaginal Steaming is the wellness side of my business. It involves the use of hydrotherapy and herbs to help the body in overcoming common issues such as menstrual cramps, irregular cycles, delayed fertility, postpartum healing, the list goes on. It is a traditional practice that has been used for hundreds of years and is just now coming into popularity in the United States. It is a holistic approach to womb health. You can read more about it on my website!
I am most proud of my clients. In my link of work, the investment from my clients involves them accepting that they don’t have to do birth, postpartum and womb healing alone. Instead, they desire to feel supported, cared for and understand that they’re worthy of this. Something that seems so simple but can be really hard. I’m proud of them for being informed and prioritizing their well being.
I think what sets me apart from other Birth and Wellness businesses is my approach. I am a very multifaceted person and it shows in my work. I pull information from Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, evidence-based research, crystal healing, chakra healing, herbalism, and so much more to form my care for my clients. I enjoy this because these are all practices I utilize in my everyday life and it allows me to care for each client to their individual needs. I appeal to a wide variety of people. I would say another thing that sets me apart is my openness. I share all of me with my clients while staying professional, but don’t over professionalize birth work.
Sacred Circle is a safe place and LGBTQIA+ friendly business. I have further training and education in caring for trans & queer individuals throughout the birthing and infant feeding stages of life. I am also trauma informed. I intentionally create space for everyone in my business.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Honestly, nothing. I’ve made some mistakes, but I’m a huge believer that it all happens on purpose and nothing is wasted. I do wish I would’ve believed in myself more in the beginning and been more confident. I’ve never seen myself as the go getter, and it was hard to believe that people saw enough worth in me to invest in my services. After some deep soul work, showing up every day, and never giving up, I am now confident in myself and my work. I have deep gratitude for my parents, friends, my son’s father and fellow birth workers for encouraging me in my journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sacredcirclebw.com
- Phone: 817-713-4756
- Email: sacredcirclebw@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sacredcircle.birth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sacredcirclebw/
Image Credit:
Erin Beth Birth Photography
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