Meet the Doulas

Our doulas are passionate about supporting birthing people and their families throughout the pregnancy and childbirth journey. They provide a range of services, including emotional and physical support, childbirth education, and postpartum care. Meet our team of experienced doulas.

  • As a Certified Doula, Tish offers personalized birthing and postpartum support. Tish has been a certified doula for over a year, and as a natural nurturer, she has been helping family and friends with pregnancy and postpartum for as long as she can remember. Creating a less hectic experience during the process of inviting a treasured* life to one's family is her purpose and passion. It is so important to her each family that she connects with understands that she genuinely invests all of herself into assisting through the birthing process. Tish has a keen ability to see needs and address them expeditiously, all while mainitaining the positive energy and calm required for the most satisfying delivery in adherence to their specifications. Tish's purpose is to advocate, support and ensure that the birthing person has the knowledge, resources and respect needed during this time to make their birthing memory a treasured one.

  • Luna is a mother of two beautiful children and a full-spectrum doula. She was born and raised in New York City. Ever since the age of 8, she has been taught how to take care of other people; from her nieces and nephews to both of her grandparents. Luna has 12+ years of experience in studying human health and medicine. She ended up joining the medical field being involved in direct care with patients. Currently, she is a natural herbalist that also does reiki healing, space cleansing, life coaching, lactation counseling, and a perinatal educator. She shows support educating clients on the reproductive system. She loves being hands-on and assisting those in need. She believes all birthing persons can achieve anything they set their mind to.

  • is an activist, advocate and human services professional with nearly two decades of experience working to build power for impacted communities in New York City and beyond. Halimah is also a Black Mama and a doula committed to creating a world where black mothers, children and families can be safe, seen and supported. As the Community Coordinator and Leader of the Participatory Action Research (PAR) Project at Rise, Halimah currently leads a team of impacted parents in holding community conversations and conducting community-led research to identify and develop a vision to address root causes and offer solutions to child welfare involvement. Prior to joining Rise, Halimah worked as a Facilitator for the Beyond the Bars Fellowship Program at Columbia University’s Center for Justice.

    In addition to her work at Rise, Halimah continues her activism efforts with the #AbolishACS and #DefundACS campaigns and her advocacy efforts through work as a Birth Justice Defender. Halimah is a former Columbia University Beyond the Bars Fellow and NYC Department of Health Birth Justice Defender.

  • affectionately known as Doula Brown is a forever blossoming birth worker with a practice titled, Birthing Farah. Farah (her middle name) means “Joy” in Arabic. It is her mission to hold space for birthing people that induce pure joy in the middle of it all. She is an urgent, vulnerable, loving leader, proud mother of two, grandmother of two, an elementary school educator, trained chef, a registered yoga teacher, an activist/advocate for social justice, and now a Mama Glow and DONA trained birth and postpartum doula! Jazzmin now educates, supports, and advocates for birthing people, as well as incorporates yoga and culinary assistance as needed. Jazzmin’s approach to birth work is her approach to life. Her passions and professional endeavors are all connected to educating and facilitating wellness discussions and experiences that center indigenous people.

  • honors each birthing person as the ultimate authority over their body, their pregnancy, and their birth experience. She shares in and preserves the sacred tradition of birth. Her goal is to support authentic, positive and powerful birth experiences for all. Jessica is a FreeBorn certified doula educated in Spinning Babies® labor comfort and progress techniques. In addition, she is a certified prenatal and postnatal yoga instructor. She is a mother of 6 children with whom she has had the distinct honor of practicing attached, conscious and liberated partner-based parenting for the past 12 years along with her high school sweetheart turned husband - Jason. She is also an avid baby-wearing and extended breastfeeding parent who is also a certified GroovaRoo® baby wearing dance instructor.

    In addition to her work at Rise, Halimah continues her activism efforts with the #AbolishACS and #DefundACS campaigns and her advocacy efforts through work as a Birth Justice Defender. Halimah is a former Columbia University Beyond the Bars Fellow and NYC Department of Health Birth Justice Defender.

  • is a Bronx based Full Spectrum Doula with a passion for community and reproductive justice advocacy. She came to birth work as an educator with over 8 years of experience teaching in high schools across the Bronx. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Health Education from Lehman College and began working as a high school health education teacher. That experience deepened her love and interest in mental health and the wellness of her community and has led her to have an emphasis on mental health/wellness of birthing people during pregnancy. She received her Master’s Degree in Counseling Education from Lehman College and now integrates approachable mental health practices into her birth work. Courtney received her full spectrum doula training at Ancient Song Doula Services. She provides compassionate doula care, supporting her clients to have the births they’ve envisioned and giving encouragement, information and resources throughout the process. Courtney is also very passionate about providing tailored postpartum care to those she serves. Courtney also loves coloring, binging hospital- based tv shows and a good LEGO set!

  • is an inclusive birth and postpartum doula, WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, Integrative Lactation and Feeding Specialist, and is currently training to become a Certified Lactation Consultant. Brandi’s approach to birth work is non-judgmental, family centered and practical; all of the cornerstones of her everyday life. As your doula, she incorporates movement through labor, encourages a peaceful environment and is a patient and resourceful guide from pregnancy through postpartum. Brandi knows there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to birth and provides support that is centered around your vision and desires for birth. Brandi resides in the Bronx with her fiancé and mothers two young adults ages 18 and 24 and many plant babies.

  • Chloe Blaise is a Black Feminist Health Sciences Scholar from Brooklyn, New York. Chloe is a first generation American, and her Haitian culture and upbringing is largely what inspired her passion for social justice. Chloe is a 2019 graduate from the SUNY University at Albany with a Bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies, and a 2022 Master’s graduate from the New York University School of Global Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Science and Practice. Chloe currently serves as the Community Relations Liaison for the breastfeeding grant at St. Peter’s Health Partners in Albany, NY; in this role, she helps establish formal breastfeeding/chestfeeding spaces at various healthcare practices and worksites in the Capital Region of NY, as assess and address breastfeeding/chestfeeding concerns among vulnerable populations. In addition to her role at St Peter’s as Community Relations Liaison, Chloe also serves on the New York State Birth Equity and Improvement Project at St Peter’s, working to increase access to doulas within . Chloe is also the Doula Expansion Grant Manager for BirthNet New York, a birth justice agency based out of Albany dedicated to remedying the disparities in black maternal health. Chloe is a DONA certified birth and postpartum doula, published researcher, a breastfeeding peer counselor, a budding astrologer, a member of the Fall 2021 cohort of the Conscious Birth Collective, and a proud Bx(Re)Birth-er!

  • Jazmin Gilliard is a Bronx Native full spectrum doula, reiki practitioner, placenta encapsulator, activist, and intuitive. She has over 10 years of childcare experience which serves as an extension of her postpartum work, and has about 8 years of healthcare experience. She uses her knowledge of healthcare and alternative healing modalities to bridge the gaps between the communities and the systems we navigate.

    As a doula, her goals are to empower people to own their inner power and positively influence their outcomes. This is her life's mission to support and create nurturing environments for all of life's transitions.

    She is currently completing her bachelor's degree in the intersections of Women & Gender Studies, Africana Studies, and healthcare. She aims to become a midwife to continue serving her communities.

  • Bio coming soon…

  • is a Brooklyn based mom of 2 who has a deep passion for all things birth, babies and parenting. Nurturing people (and babies) has always brought her complete happiness and joy, which has led her on her path to birth and postpartum work. As a MamaGlow trained doula, she supports clients throughout their pregnancy journeys and diligently works alongside them to ensure that they are well-informed, prepared, and confident in making their own decisions. She is a birth and postpartum Doula and Lactation and Feeding Specialist, who offers unbiased and evidence-based education, support and care throughout one's pregnancy, during labor and delivery. She believes that all birthers have the right to have the birthing experience that they desire and strives to support them in making this their reality.

  • is a dependable and attentive perinatal professional. A mom of 2 and now a quarantine dog mom. Kris has 10 years of experience in childcare and 6 years in the birth and postpartum wellness industry. She offers a well rounded doula experience: Birth doula, postpartum doula, attachment parent coach, childbirth educator. Certified lactation counselor and fertility advocate in training.

    At the core Kris values evidence based research, unbiased and non-judgmental support and delivers in a calm and encouraging manner. Families welcoming new life deserve to be cared for and held and she does just that. Kris’s role as a birth doula is to provide emotional and physical support to a birthing individual during their labor and delivery and reassurance and perspective to partners . Her goal during your pregnancy is to provide you with enough information and tools to feel confident on the onset of labor.

  • Emily Restrepo is a Full Spectrum Doula, Reiki practitioner and Espiritista based in NYC. She uses her heart centered and spirit led practices to guide people in their journeys. Emily supports healing and birth in all its manifestations throughout the journey that is life itself.

    Emily has been a Doula for two years, serving Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx areas, y habla Español. She believes in bodily autonomy, cultural competence, and empathy. Emily provides care that centers and educates families of color so they can make informed decisions throughout. She aims not to empower, but to remind them of the power already within. Emily believes in using intuitive, holistic, and culturally competent approaches to birth and healing, to provide individualized care and support for each family through pre-conception, pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

    Emily is also currently pursuing a degree in Psychology, as well as her Lactation Consultant certification.