Empowered Birthwork & Why You Should Work With A Doula with Stevie Merino

Stevie Merino wears many different hats as a: cultural practitioner, community organizer, anthropologist, IBCLC & lactation educator/trainer, birthworker, executive director, speaker, and doula trainer. She has been a community organizer & activist since 14 years old, & her politics shape the way she approaches life & this work. She has an 8 year old neni. Stevie is the Executive Director, and co-founder of Birthworkers of Color Collective and the facilitator of their full spectrum doula training. She speaks & presents around the country on perinatal health disparities, experiences, and traditions of communities of Color with a special focus on reproductive justice/LGBTQ+ folks/Pacific Islander communities/birthworkers of Color. She's been featured in anthologies, articles, academic journals & books on doing frontline birthwork during the height of covid-19, abortion as healthcare, Pasifika birth & lactation, & more. As a living arts practitioner, she pushes to take up space & reclaim the oral traditions, talk story & traditional healing  as part & parcel of the arts. She has also curated two exhibits highlighting pregnancy, healing, & birthwork including one at Pacific Islander Ethnic Art Museum based on her master’s research, an exhibit that was the 1st of its kind, entitled “Carrying the Pacific: Pregnancy, Birth, & Parenting.” Showing up & showing face in solidarity is an important tenet of her work & is reflective in her community relations. She sits on various leadership positions in the community, birthwork, and academia including the American Anthropology Association as the appointed ombudsperson. Connect with StevieSol and Roots Doula WebsiteBirth Workers of Color WebsiteSol and Roots Doula InstagramBirth Workers of Color InstagramConnect with Ina Wellness CollectiveWebsite: ⁠https://www.inawellnesscollective.com/⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/inawellnesscollective⁠