Every year I pick a focus word, and for 2019 I chose: connection. It has felt like a year for transition for my business for many reasons, and I am looking forward to some exciting new connections and growth in the new year. Before we get there though, I think it is important to look back and recognize what was accomplished in 2019.
I started the connections of 2019 by orchestrating an entire blog series connecting with other great local businesses! This even included 2 giveaways to local businesses, and I am looking forward to hopefully coordinating more in 2020. I taught a new class this year on natural coping techniques for labor and delivery, and it seemed to go over really well with the students. I did not teach any group childbirth classes, but I did teach some private childbirth education courses. I had a few speaking engagements as well at Common Grounds connecting and growing with fellow entrepreneurs and at Central High School with students too!
Making connections and growing with fellow doulas and childbirth professionals was also an important priority for me in 2019. I hosted a certified lactation educator training, a birth doula training, and a TENS training for doulas in 2019. I helped plan a meet the doulas evening where we hosted potential clients who came to ask us all kinds of questions. Some of my favorite conversations happened around my kitchen table at our doula gatherings too, and those connections are always extra special. Additionally, I became a member of the Southwest Indiana Breastfeeding Coalition, and that has been really great way to learn, connect, and grow with all kinds of local lactation professionals too.
I made connections and grew through learning and the wider profession a priority in 2019. I continued serving on the data collection subcommittee of the advocacy committee of DONA International, my certifying organization. I attended and received continuing education at 5 online conferences through GOLD Learning. I presented and attended the Evidence Based Birth Conference in Lexington, KY. I reviewed three books for the Lamaze International blog this year too. I also cultivated connections with the whole wide world through the launch of The Birth Geeks Podcast with my friend and doula mentor Robin Elise Weiss.
All of these connections and growth, local to international, doula to client, brain to information, face to face, they have all been so very special to me. I am proud of the work I have done this year, and I haven’t even started talking about my connections with my amazing clients. (That’s for my next blog post.) 2019 has been a special year as I have stepped whole-heartedly forward and grown with each new connection that I have made. These connections have sometimes been hard won, but I would not trade them for the world. Thank you to every single person whose connections have been invaluable to my amazing year.