PODCAST: How a Doula’s Insight Sparked the Creation of BeHerVillage

Every business has a story, and BeHerVillage is no exception. This one starts with a doula’s unwavering passion to improve maternal healthcare and affordability for new parents. It begins in a time before BeHerVillage existed, when expecting families found themselves buried under baby gear, yet lacking the human support they truly needed. Over time, these experiences—attending legislative lobby days, learning from public health experts, and witnessing inequities in maternal care—came together to inspire a whole new way of funding support for parents through a better baby registry.

 

Back on April 29, 2019, I attended a lobby day for New York midwives, a crucial step in understanding the landscape of maternal healthcare. It opened my eyes to the legislative and policy barriers that midwives, doulas, and mothers face every day. Around the same time, my work as a doula showed me firsthand how only families who could pay out-of-pocket could afford my services. Parents with fewer financial resources often missed out on the care they deserved because our system wasn’t set up to help them.

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I also attended a breakfast event at Hofstra University hosted by Dr. Martine Hackett, where I learned about the health implications of a broken maternal healthcare system, especially for women of color. Racism and inequity were directly affecting health outcomes. Hearing about these harsh realities was a turning point—doulas aren’t a luxury, they are a solution. But if doula care is only accessible to families with disposable income, how could we truly fix these inequities?

The big revelation hit me when I realized that parents rely on their baby showers to fund their transition into parenthood. But what if, instead of another onesie, friends and family could fund a postpartum doula? Instead of multiple fancy gadgets, what if they could help pay for a lactation consultant or childbirth education? That’s when the concept of BeHerVillage truly took shape: a baby registry that provides meaningful, expert support during the most challenging newborn weeks—no more limiting these services to those who can pay cash upfront.

Today, BeHerVillage is a platform where parents can say, “Don’t just buy me baby stuff—help fund the care I need.” And we’re proud to say you can hear the full story and deeper insights directly from me on our podcast. Join me as I share the journey, from legislative hearings to doula work and tough realizations about inequity, and discover how we turned a vision into a tangible solution.
 

Listen to the episode here and learn more about the mission behind BeHerVillage.

In this conversation, I peel back the layers of what led me to build a registry that funds support, not stuff. If you’ve ever wondered how one person’s doula experience could spark a movement to reshape the baby shower industry, this is the story you’ve been waiting for.
 

Check out more episodes and discover how BeHerVillage continues to evolve.