Our vendor spotlight this week falls on co-founder of the Labor of Love Fair, Chelsea Wolfington. When I first sat down with Chelsea, the thing that drew me in the most was her passion and willingness to serve all families, as well her knowledge of local resources available to families. I have already given her name to a few friends and clients that have voiced questions about the birth process or wondered about where to find more information. She truly has a servant's heart, and that show with her dedication to her clients and the countless hours she has spent organizing this fair. (You can read more about the LOLF HERE!)
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey to where you are now.
Ever since I was able, I have been an advocate and voice for those that needed it. My mom raised me to be outspoken, despite my social anxiety, whenever it was necessary. As a young girl I spoke up in church for more leadership roles for women. As a young adult I spoke up for environmental issues, mental health issues, and the LGBTQIA community. I went to UNT for my BS in Criminal Justice so that I could help people in a greater capacity. Shortly before I graduated my husband and I successfully got pregnant through IVF. After I had my child, my fate was sealed as a doula. I've never felt so content and complete than when I am working.
What led you to become a birth doula?
Pregnancy and childbirth completely changed my world. Being the type of person who loves to educate themselves to feel in control, I learned a lot about pregnancy and birth during the process. I made mistakes and found out there was SO much more to learn, more than I could fit in 9 months. It was that experience that led me to my true passion of helping birthing people find their own power. My special skill is learning how to face my fears and anxiety. I like to help my individual clients find what empowers them so they can enter their birth experience calm and full of self-assurance.
Tell our readers what you’re most proud of as a company/business and what sets you apart from others.
I operate as a full spectrum doula and am a co-coordinator for Labor of Love. Currently Labor of Love is a fair for information and resources for families, but our long term goal is to provide resources year round for people needing medical services. We want to offer options for inclusive providers, homeopathic and/or traditional medical providers. As a full spectrum doula I provide services for all pregnancy outcomes and to all birthing people regardless of family structures, gender, religious preferences, ideologies, or socioeconomic statuses. I also participate in programs for low-income families. My main goal right now is helping the LGBTQIA community get access to safe and receptive care.
What has been your biggest struggle, and how did you overcome?
Finding clients can always be difficult in the beginning for a doula. I started out just visiting birth centers and giving out business cards. Shortly after I started networking and even created some networking groups of my own. My biggest challenge was coming from the corporate world into this business. I created an online presence that was professional and acceptable, but didn't say anything about who I am. A good friend told me that people aren't hiring a doula, they are hiring Chelsea. After that I focused all my attention on letting people know who I am and what I care about. My business partner and I started the fair and things just snowballed from there. Being true to myself was so freeing and I think people responded to that.
What are you looking forward to most about the Labor of Love Fair?
As a doula I am really excited to network with new people in my field. There are already a lot of amazing vendors signed up who are helping so many people. I live for talking about pregnancy and birth, so I will definitely be making the rounds.
How can people reach you?
website: https://www.cwbirthdoula.com
email: chelsea@cwbirthdoula.com
phone: 940-442-3198
FB and Instagram @cwbirthdoula