Now, I am a little hesitant to write this next post. And it doesn’t really have anything to do with cakes or pies. But I think it’s important especially in our western culture of “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality that is so prevalent.
There’s a lot that goes into being a doula. First there’s the training and finding an agency that is 1) affordable and 2) reliable. Meaning that you can depend on them to give you quality training instead of just a weekend course that ‘teaches’ you enough to be able to support a pregnant person through their delivery or their postpartum experience. Second, and I think that this is the kicker for most doulas is running a business.
Running a business is hard for a myriad of reasons, one for me in particular, is self-promotion. It does not come easy for me, nor do I enjoy it. But it is required to be successful. Now on a whim I went to a networking event to drum up some clients, and instead of doing that I met a business coach named Iffy Kazim.
Now I’m not sure if I believe in fate, I’m more of an evidence-based person but it is curious that we met that particular night. Why? Because I don’t really do networking events; I my daughter is still little, and I don’t like missing the evening routines. Additionally, Iffy is a local business coach who has worked with doulas in the past. Now, dear reader this is very rare. In my opinion most business coaches are male and profit-driven. Not that that’s bad per se, but to meet someone who is also a parent, a business coach, and knows about doulas and the work we do? It’s just a little peculiar that we met that night. At this point in time I had been working as a doula for a year and it was a slog to get business on my own. Honestly, I had to turn to working with agencies in order to get clients. But then I met Iffy.
We’ve been working together for seven months and it really has been transformational. I’m very grateful for I work together and I want to recognize the privilege that comes with working with a coach. First off, she has me working on my mental narrative. I now have a mantra that I repeat to myself daily. I’ve also started a gratitude journal and an accomplishment journal. I do those two things nightly. Our session this week focused on my mission statement and my vision. Which has been really useful for my mental narrative because I sometimes have a hard time feeling secure in my business choice.
More than being a good business coach, I’m very grateful to her because she is also a parent. She knows what it’s like to undergo a major life transition, to have your entire being focused entirely upon another. It’s been a struggle to create space in my brain to promote my business because I tend to skew a bit on the mommy-martyr side of things. In my defense, it’s hard to value my own work vis-à-vis my parenting responsibilities. But Iffy calls me out on my sh*t, and teaches me that valuing myself is good for everyone, including my child. I don’t really think if I were to find a male business coach that they would entirely understand. So, in conclusion, if you are thinking about ever getting a business coach… I have one I can recommend. Especially if you’re a parent. Okay. Enough with business talk, let’s get back to cake!