Host:
Melissa Harley, B.A., AdvCD/BDT(DONA), CLC, LCCE, FACCE

Guest:
Rose Archer, Doctoral Researcher, Birth Doula, Certified Chaplain

In this thoughtful episode of the CCDS Doula Collaboration Podcast, host Melissa Harley sits down with researcher, birth doula, and Board Certified Chaplain Rose Archer, author of the paper “Surviving in the Midst of ‘Nowhere’: Disrupting the Conceptualization of a Maternity Care Desert,” to explore how community-centered research reshapes our understanding of maternity care deserts and informs doula practice.

Rose shares how her work as a chaplain and doula, alongside personal experiences with pregnancy and postpartum complications, led her to pursue doctoral research focused on reproductive health inequities in Black birthing communities. Drawing from her research on Gadsden County, Florida, Rose challenges dominant data-driven narratives and highlights how large-scale classifications often miss lived community realities.

Together, Melissa and Rose discuss centering community voices, honoring intergenerational knowledge, and recognizing doulas as trusted connectors who help bridge gaps in access, trust, and care. This episode offers doulas, educators, and advocates a grounded framework for translating research into meaningful, relationship-centered practice.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:
• How maternity care deserts are defined
• Why large data sets miss community realities
• How transportation, time, and trust affect access
• The role of community advisory boards in research
• What reproductive liberatory consciousness means
• How doulas serve as trusted community connectors

Quotes from the Episode:
💬 “I can actually recall the night I knew I wanted to do research.” — Rose Archer
💬 “There’s a disconnect between the narrative we see on a large scale and the narrative we’re living in community.” — Rose Archer
💬 “We don’t want to pathologize communities.” — Rose Archer
💬 “Doulas are often the trusted person someone calls when something doesn’t feel right.” — Melissa Harley

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
📌 Surviving in the Midst of ‘Nowhere’: Disrupting the Conceptualization of a Maternity Care Desert, published in Sociology of Health & Illness https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39340760/
📌 March of Dimes, maternity care desert classifications
📌 Gadsden County Healthy Start Coalition
📌 Healthy Start Programs
📌 Telehealth initiatives through state Departments of Health

About the Guest:
Rose Archer is a birth doula, Board Certified Chaplain, and doctoral student in African American Studies at Emory University and a McKnight Doctoral Fellow. Her research focuses on race, gender, and reproductive health inequities, centering community-based strategies of African American birthing people in rural communities. Her nationally recognized scholarship examines how structural forces constrain reproductive autonomy and how communities actively disrupt those inequities.

🎙 About the Host:
Melissa Harley, B.A., AdvCD/BDT(DONA), CLC, LCCE, FACCE is the founder of Capital City Doula Services and the CCDS Doula Collaboration. A DONA-approved trainer since 2010, she has trained more than 1,500 doulas worldwide and served on the DONA International Board of Directors for seven years, including as DONA International President in 2020. She is the 2025 recipient of the Penny Simkin Award for Excellence in Doula Care.

Melissa coordinates DONA International's conferences and webinars and remains committed to education, mentorship, and strengthening the global doula community through teaching, writing, advocacy, and leadership.

To connect with Melissa, visit:
www.capitalcitydoulaservices.com

📩 Have a topic suggestion or want to be a guest?
Contact Melissa at: www.capitalcitydoulaservices.com

🎧 If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more birth workers find the CCDS Doula Collaboration Podcast.

Host: Melissa Harley, B.A., AdvCD/BDT(DONA), CLC, LCCE, FACCE

Guest: Keena Armstrong, M.S., Counselor, Doula, LMHC

In this powerful and heartfelt episode of the CCDS Doula Collaboration Podcast, host Melissa Harley sits down with Keena Armstrong, LMHC, a licensed mental health counselor, parent-educator, birth doula, and postpartum doula, to explore her full-circle story—from growing up in the foster care system to becoming a compassionate, community-based provider serving families within it.

Keena shares how her lived experiences shaped her life’s mission to support others through birth, mental health challenges, and family transitions. With authenticity and clarity, she reflects on her own struggles with postpartum anxiety, her journey to licensure, and her vision for wraparound support for birth and foster parents alike.

This episode is a moving testament to the impact of healing-centered care and the importance of bringing lived experience into professional service. It will leave birth workers and mental health providers alike inspired, informed, and reminded of the deep value in showing up with heart.

• How Keena’s childhood in foster care informs her work today
• The role of doulas and therapists in postpartum mental health
• How Keena balances advocacy, parenting, and community care
• Her vision for a Fourth Trimester Recovery Space and what comes next

💬 “I want people to normalize and understand that some things that come with becoming and being a parent are normal. Being touched out and overstimulated—that’s normal.” — Keena Armstrong

💬 “You're being a doula to those foster parents, right? How neat is that?” — Melissa Harley

💬 “It felt amazing… My goal and my vision board said I’d be licensed by the end of the year. And it happened.” — Keena Armstrong

💬 “Support isn’t linear—it’s circular. And I move through those roles and hats seamlessly.” — Keena Armstrong

📌 Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMHC) – Offered through PSI, MIMH, and other training organizations- https://postpartum.net/professionals/certification/
📌 Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS-US) – Screening tool for postpartum mental health - https://epds-us.vcu.edu
📌 Healthy Start Programs- community support, some with doula programs
📌 Postpartum Support International (PSI) – www.postpartum.net

About the guest: Keena Armstrong is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Florida and a trained birth doula since August 2019. Currently pursuing her Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMHC), Keena brings a deep passion for social work, child welfare, and advocacy into every aspect of her work. As a proud mother and devoted partner, she is driven by a commitment to nurture, uplift, and empower those in need. Keena’s mission is to help change the world by promoting mental wellness, supporting families, and being a strong voice for the vulnerable.

🎙About the host: Melissa has been a dedicated birth professional for over two decades as a birth doula and childbirth educator. A DONA-approved trainer since 2010, she has trained over 1,300 doulas worldwide, blending evidence-based practices with insights from her extensive leadership experience. She served on the DONA Board of Directors for seven years, (DONA International President - 2020), contributing to strategic planning, education, and advocacy initiatives. Currently, she coordinates DONA’s conferences and webinars, fostering ongoing professional growth in the perinatal community. Based in Florida, Melissa remains an active doula trainer, childbirth educator, & lactation counselor.

To connect with Melissa, visit ⁠www.capitalcitydoulaservices.com⁠📩

Have a topic suggestion or want to be a guest? Contact Melissa at: www.capitalcitydoulaservices.com

🎧 If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review!

Mothers, Daughters, and Birth: Sarah Yastrab on Orthodox Jewish Birth

Host: Melissa Harley, B.A., AdvCD/BDT(DONA), CLC, LCCE, FACCE

Guest: Sarah Yastrab, Birth Doula

In this insightful episode of the CCDS Doula Collaboration Podcast, host Melissa Harley welcomes birth professional Sarah Yastrab for a conversation rooted in faith, family, and the depth of doula work. Sarah shares the meaningful experience of supporting her daughter through labor and birth—an intergenerational moment filled with emotion, purpose, and presence.

Drawing from her lived experience within the Orthodox Jewish community, Sarah invites listeners into a thoughtful discussion about how doulas can respectfully support families navigating sacred and long-standing cultural practices. Together, she and Melissa reflect on the importance of cultural humility, emotional awareness, and creating safe spaces for all families.

This episode includes content that may be sensitive for some listeners, including the impact of antisemitism and discussions of Orthodox Jewish birth traditions. At CCDS, we are committed to honoring diverse perspectives, holding space for growth, and embracing the complexity that comes with truly client-centered care.

About the Guest:

Sarah Yastrab is a birth doula based in Woodmere, New York. Her journey into birth work began when her daughter asked Sarah to support her through a successful VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). This personal connection inspired Sarah to pursue formal doula training with Melissa.

A mother of four children, Sarah brings decades of personal experience with pregnancy and motherhood to her practice. Having spent many years immersed in maternal support within her community, she combines professional training with lived experience to guide families through their birthing journeys. Sarah currently serves expectant parents throughout Long Island, offering compassionate and informed support during one of life's most transformative experiences.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ How personal identity and professional experience intersect in birth work
✔️ Why it’s vital to honor religious and cultural traditions in doula support
✔️ The importance of learning directly from communities we wish to support

Quotes from the Episode:

💬 "My family is a family of Holocaust survivors. We're only 80 years since the Holocaust and there's no greater expression of joy. There's no greater expression of hope. There's no greater expression of faith and trust in a better future than having a baby." – Sarah Yastrab

💬 "You're a soul and they're a soul and you're just two souls in a room and just connect on that level. Everything else can exist outside, but when you're together, you're there for a reason."– Sarah Yastrab

💬 "It does go back to what you said in the beginning, which was respect, and I do believe that there is the right doula for the right clients." – Melissa Harley

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
📌 Orthodox Jewish Culture Resources – Encouraging understanding and solidarity
📌 Intergenerational Birth Experiences – Reflections on supporting family through labor

About the Host:

Melissa Harley, B.A., AdvCD/BDT(DONA), CLC, LCCE, FACCE is an experienced doula trainer, childbirth educator, lactation counselor, and maternal health advocate. A doula since 2003, she has trained over 1,000 doulas and mentored countless professionals across the perinatal field. Melissa served as the President of DONA International in 2020 and is the founder of Capital City Doula Services and host of the CCDS Doula Collaboration Podcast, which amplifies the voices and stories of doulas, educators, and birth professionals around the globe.

🎙 Host: Melissa Harley, B.A., AdvCD/BDT(DONA), CLC, LCCE, FACCE

📩 Want to be a guest or share your feedback? Reach out at https://capitalcitydoulaservices.com.

🎧 Subscribe to the CCDS Doula Collaboration Podcast wherever you listen, and don’t forget to leave a review to help others find the show!