Isabel Gonzalez-Smith - doula and founder of Chicago Latina Moms (an online community of amazing moms)

Isabel Gonzalez-Smith is a mother, doula, and the founder of Chicago Latina Moms. Isabel founded Chicago Latina Moms in the summer of 2014 when she was pregnant with her first son after struggling to find a community that didn’t automatically associate Latina motherhood with crisis and was determined to create a space for celebration, empowerment, and growth. Today, Chicago Latina Moms (www.chicagolatinamoms.com) is a non profit organization dedicated to empowering, uplifting, and celebrating the Latina mother with an online community of over four thousand members.  We talk about the guilt of being a mom, the struggle, the isolation,  but the Chicago Latina Mom space is  for all moms and she wants to remember that "no estas sola"! Isabel has also served families as a birth and postpartum doula as La Luna Doula since 2016 and is part of citywide efforts to improve Chicago maternal and child health. She assisted Erika, our host in her last birthing journey and they dive childbirth. Be your advocate, ask questions,  remember that you can fire your medical provider, you need to be in charge on your journey. Before pursuing birth work and Chicago Latina Moms, Isabel earned her Masters Degree in Library Science and spent 8 years as an academic librarian, instructor, and researcher focused on racial and ethnic identity. When Isa is not working, you can find her advocating for the neurodivergent community, exploring nature with her sons, and trying to keep her houseplants alive!  Isabel is passionate about social justice, empowering families as they grow, and making memories with her two adventurous sowww.chicagolatinamoms.com