Hot+Brave

Send us Fan Mail

Thinking about becoming a doula but feeling overwhelmed by all the different certification programs?

You're not alone.

In this episode of Hot + Brave, Bianca walks you through the process of becoming a doula, from deciding what type of doula work you're drawn to, to choosing a training program that aligns with your values and prepares you for the realities of supporting families.

Before diving into today's topic, Bianca also shares a recent birth experience that reignited her frustration with the medical system, medical coercion, and why the doula profession deserves better than outdated weekend training models.

If you've been comparing doula trainings, wondering what "full spectrum" actually means, or trying to figure out where to start, this episode is for you.

In this episode, you'll learn:

•  Why Bianca believes the weekend doula training model is failing both doulas and families 
•  What "full spectrum doula" actually means 
•  The differences between fertility, birth, postpartum, and loss doulas 
•  Why understanding the entire reproductive journey makes you a stronger practitioner, even if you specialize 
•  How to choose a doula training program that reflects your values 
•  Why mentorship and ongoing education matter more than collecting certificates 
•  The four practical steps to becoming a confident, ethical doula 

Whether you're simply curious about doula work or you're ready to enroll in training, this episode will help you move forward with confidence.

Mentioned in this episode

Stop Weekend Doula Trainings Open Letter
https://bebomia.com/stopweekendtrainings

FREE Guide: Thinking About Doula Training? Start Here
https://bebomia.com/ultimateebook

Thinking About Birth Doula Training?
https://bebomia.com/birthdoula

Explore the bebo mia Full Spectrum Doula Certification
https://bebomia.com/doulatraining

The Doula Truth Tool
https://bebomia.com/truthtool

Support the show

www.bebomia.com

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome back to Season 7! Host Bianca Sprague sits down with Dr. Sam Vaive, psychologist, sexual health educator, author, indigenous-informed full-spectrum doula, yoga teacher, sound therapist, and founder of Sound Birthing,  for a wide-ranging conversation blending neuroscience, psychology, and birth physiology.

In this episode:

• The fear of childbirth (tokophobia) and just how common it really is
• How cortisol shapes our perception of pain during labor... and why "more fear = more pain"
• The "screaming birth trope": how TV and movies (Knocked Up, Friends, and more) wire our brains to expect birth to be terrifying
• Script theory and how media shapes our beliefs about our bodies, long before we're ever pregnant
• Bianca's personal story: how she and her sister witnessed the same empowering home birth as kids, yet had completely different birth experiences as adults
• Why the environment of a hospital room (cold, bright lights, hunger, itchy sheets) spikes cortisol and stress
• The surprising benefits of pooping during labor, and how it helps build your baby's microbiome
• Two practical breathing tools (pranayama) you can use to stay calm and in control during pregnancy and birth
• How patriarchy, capitalism, and "intensive parenting" culture pile pressure onto birthing people and new parents

Guest links:

• Dr. Sam Vaive's book: Mind Body Birth: Your Guide to Fearless Childbirth — available on Amazon, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and soundbirthing.com
• Workbooks: Birth Map and Birth Map Embodiment
• Online course and guided sound baths available at soundbirthing.com
• One-on-one sessions available virtually worldwide (Michigan Medicaid accepted)

Bebo Mia links:

• Scholarships now open:  DM "scholarship" on Instagram @bebomiainc
• Early bird pricing for the Full-Spectrum Doula Training & Certification: use code birthbird to save $300
• Free Mindset Mini Course: www.bebomia.com/bib

Support the show

www.bebomia.com

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Send us Fan Mail

Content note: this episode includes grief, suicide loss, racism, obstetric violence, medical emergencies, family conflict and birth trauma. Please care for your heart while you listen.

In this season finale of Hot and Brave, Bianca takes you behind the glossy Instagram version of birthwork and into the real stories that shaped her as a doula. 

She shares ten client stories from her early years, including the time she walked into a termination expecting a joyful gender reveal, the birth she attended too soon after her dad’s death by suicide, navigating clients who repeatedly tested her boundaries, witnessing blatant medical racism and obstetric violence, missing the signs of active substance use in a vulnerable family, and the moment she realized her queerness and politics could never be separated from her work.

This is a tender, unfiltered look at shame, regret, growth and the messy middle of learning on the job. Bianca talks about how inadequate weekend trainings left her under prepared for real life complexity, how those gaps fueled the creation of bebo mia, and why autonomy, anti oppression and boundaries are now at the center of everything she teaches. 

If you have ever replayed a birth in your mind and wished you had done it differently, this episode is here so you feel less alone.

It is also Black Friday week at bebomia. Head to bebomia.com/bf2025 for 40% off trainings and digital programs, free classes, games and prizes, and to join our full spectrum doula community.

⭐️  We have some links for you which you will LOVE! ⭐️

👉 bebomia.com/get-more-clients-challenge

Grab your doula training spot here (heyyy there's payment plans) 📚 USE CODE BIRTHBIRD for $350 off

NEW BIRTH DOULA COURSE - www.bebomia.com/birthdoula use the code FIRST200 for $200 off!

Community Building Tool ONLY $10 - www.bebomia.com/community-building

FREE Ultimate Ebook all about becoming a doula - get it here!

www.bebomia.com/doulaclub 💥 Get your free access to the Doula Business School in our club membership!

www.bebomia.com/freewebinar Free doula workshop and discount code 👍🏽

bebomia.com/bizshop/   😎 Grow your business fast!

www.bebomia.com/shop New Doula swag!!

7 Simple Steps to Double your Client Base 👈🏽 new course alert this week 💥 Use code SEVEN

Support the show

www.bebomia.com

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Bianca breaks down the three pillars every doula needs to build a sustainable, heart centered business: clarity, visibility, and community. She shares the stories we all live through in that first uncertain year, the places we get stuck, and the quiet shame that grows when nobody has ever taught us the basics of business or mission building.

You will learn the difference between selling and solving, why weekend trainings leave out the most essential pieces of doula work, and how clarity becomes an act of compassion for the clients who need you. This is a grounding, honest, and deeply practical episode for every new doula or doula in a rebuild season.

Early bird is open for the MSP full spectrum doula training and the code birthbird saves you 350 dollars. And the Get More Clients Challenge has begun, but there is still time to jump in and watch the Day 1 replay.

This episode will hold you, challenge you, and remind you that you are more ready than you think.

⭐️  We have some links for you which you will LOVE! ⭐️

👉 bebomia.com/get-more-clients-challenge

Grab your doula training spot here (heyyy there's payment plans) 📚 USE CODE BIRTHBIRD for $350 off

NEW BIRTH DOULA COURSE - www.bebomia.com/birthdoula use the code FIRST200 for $200 off!

Community Building Tool ONLY $10 - www.bebomia.com/community-building

FREE Ultimate Ebook all about becoming a doula - get it here!

www.bebomia.com/doulaclub 💥 Get your free access to the Doula Business School in our club membership!

www.bebomia.com/freewebinar Free doula workshop and discount code 👍🏽

bebomia.com/bizshop/   😎 Grow your business fast!

www.bebomia.com/shop New Doula swag!!

7 Simple Steps to Double your Client Base 👈🏽 new course alert this week 💥 Use code SEVEN

Support the show

www.bebomia.com

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Send us Fan Mail

Most doulas think they don’t have an audience... but you already have a network filled with potential clients who know, like, and trust you.

In this week’s Hot + Brave, Bianca shares how to tap into your existing community to fill your roster with dream clients without feeling salesy or awkward. Learn how to reach out authentically, reframe visibility as care work, and finally stop apologizing for wanting to be seen.

This episode is your pep talk, mindset reset, and a preview of what we’ll be doing together inside the Get More Clients Challenge, starting next week.
Because your next client probably will not come from an ad or a hashtag, they will come from your cousin’s coworker who’s been waiting for your support.

⭐️  We have some links for you which you will LOVE! ⭐️

👉 bebomia.com/get-more-clients-challenge

Grab your doula training spot here (heyyy there's payment plans) 📚 USE CODE BIRTHBIRD for $350 off

NEW BIRTH DOULA COURSE - www.bebomia.com/birthdoula use the code FIRST200 for $200 off!

Community Building Tool ONLY $10 - www.bebomia.com/community-building

FREE Ultimate Ebook all about becoming a doula - get it here!

www.bebomia.com/doulaclub 💥 Get your free access to the Doula Business School in our club membership!

www.bebomia.com/freewebinar Free doula workshop and discount code 👍🏽

bebomia.com/bizshop/   😎 Grow your business fast!

www.bebomia.com/shop New Doula swag!!

7 Simple Steps to Double your Client Base 👈🏽 new course alert this week 💥 Use code SEVEN

Support the show

www.bebomia.com

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Bianca Sprague invites the birth world into a critical and overdue conversation: the end of the weekend doula training model.

The weekend era served an early purpose. It opened the door to formalized doula work, community support, and advocacy inside medical systems. Yet birth work has evolved, and the expectations placed on doulas have grown dramatically. Today’s doulas must be trauma informed, anti oppression grounded, consent focused, emotionally literate, and prepared to collaborate inside complex medical environments. A two day training cannot offer the depth this work now requires.

Bianca shares the history behind the weekend format, why it no longer serves doulas or birthing families, and her own experience entering the field through a weekend training that left her inspired but underprepared. She also speaks to the moment she realized many training models do not invest in long term success for their graduates, and how that shaped her commitment to comprehensive, justice based education.

This is not a call out. It is a call in. It is a respectful evolution rooted in care for doulas, for families, and for the integrity of birth work.

If you are a new or aspiring doula, this episode will help you understand what true preparation looks like. If you trained through a weekend model and still do not feel confident, you are not alone. And you do not have to start over. bebo mia offers a Certification Transfer Program to support doulas who want deeper skills, mentorship, and community.

Birth work deserves depth. Doulas deserve training that sustains them. Families deserve confident, skilled support. The weekend era opened the door. The future will fortify it.

⭐️  We have some links for you which you will LOVE! ⭐️

👉 bebomia.com/get-more-clients-challenge

Grab your doula training spot here (heyyy there's payment plans) 📚 USE CODE BIRTHBIRD for $350 off

NEW BIRTH DOULA COURSE - www.bebomia.com/birthdoula use the code FIRST200 for $200 off!

Community Building Tool ONLY $10 - www.bebomia.com/community-building

FREE Ultimate Ebook all about becoming a doula - get it here!

www.bebomia.com/doulaclub 💥 Get your free access to the Doula Business School in our club membership!

www.bebomia.com/freewebinar Free doula workshop and discount code 👍🏽

bebomia.com/bizshop/   😎 Grow your business fast!

www.bebomia.com/shop New Doula swag!!

7 Simple Steps to Double your Client Base 👈🏽 new course alert this week 💥 Use code SEVEN

Support the show

www.bebomia.com

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Send us Fan Mail

You can be the best doula in the world, compassionate, skilled, and deeply dedicated, but if people don’t know you exist, they can’t hire you.

In this episode of Hot + Brave, Bianca dives into what she calls The Invisible Doula Problem - why so many incredible birthworkers struggle to get noticed, and how visibility can become an act of care instead of something that feels salesy or self-promotional.

You’ll learn how being seen is actually part of your advocacy, the small steps you can take today to start showing up more confidently, and why perfection isn’t the goal...connection is.

This conversation is packed with truth-telling, warmth, and practical insight for doulas who are ready to grow their businesses while staying grounded in their values.

If you’ve been feeling like the world doesn’t quite know you’re out there yet, this episode will remind you: your work deserves to be known, and your community deserves to find you.

And if you’re ready to finally become visible, confident, and booked-out, join us for the Get More Clients Challenge, a 5-day live business accelerator designed to help doulas and reproductive health professionals attract clients without burnout or busywork.

👉 bebomia.com/get-more-clients-challenge

⭐️  We have some links for you which you will LOVE! ⭐️

Grab your doula training spot here (heyyy there's payment plans) 📚

NEW BIRTH DOULA COURSE - www.bebomia.com/birthdoula use the code FIRST200 for $200 off!

Community Building Tool ONLY $10 - www.bebomia.com/community-building

FREE Ultimate Ebook all about becoming a doula - get it here!

www.bebomia.com/doulaclub 💥 Get your free access to the Doula Business School in our club membership!

www.bebomia.com/freewebinar Free doula workshop and discount code 👍🏽

bebomia.com/bizshop/   😎 Grow your business fast!

www.bebomia.com/shop New Doula swag!!

7 Simple Steps to Double your Client Base 👈🏽 new course alert this week 💥 Use code

Support the show

www.bebomia.com

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Send us Fan Mail

Your calendar’s quiet. The DMs are dry. You’re doing the work, showing up online, and still hearing crickets. So… what gives?

In this episode of Hot + Brave, Bianca Sprague shares the five essential steps to move your business from invisible to booked out.

You’ll learn why more content isn’t the answer, what clients are actually paying you for, and how to build real systems that fill your roster without burnout. This episode is a sneak peek of the Get More Clients Challenge, a 5-day live business accelerator for doulas and reproductive health professionals who are ready to attract dream clients and finally create consistent income.

✨ Join the challenge: bebomia.com/get-more-clients-challenge

💸 Donate to the scholarship fund: bebomia.com/donate

🌎 Share your favorite local business to our free referral directory: bebomia.com/drd

If you’ve been feeling stuck, under-booked, or unsure where to start, this conversation will reignite your confidence and give you the clarity you’ve been missing.

Because your next client isn’t a fluke. You just need the formula to find them again and again.

⭐️  We have some links for you which you will LOVE! ⭐️

Grab your doula training spot here (heyyy there's payment plans) 📚

NEW BIRTH DOULA COURSE - www.bebomia.com/birthdoula use the code FIRST200 for $200 off!

Community Building Tool ONLY $10 - www.bebomia.com/community-building

FREE Ultimate Ebook all about becoming a doula - get it here!

www.bebomia.com/doulaclub 💥 Get your free access to the Doula Business School in our club membership!

www.bebomia.com/freewebinar Free doula workshop and discount code 👍🏽

bebomia.com/bizshop/   😎 Grow your business fast!

www.bebomia.com/shop New Doula swag!!

7 Simple Steps to Double your Client Base 👈🏽 new course alert this week 💥 Use code

Support the show

www.bebomia.com

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Send us Fan Mail

In this powerful follow-up episode, Bianca sits down once again with Bobette from Uzuri Birth in Ghana to go even deeper into the realities of birthwork in West Africa.

Together, they explore what birth really looks like in Ghana today: from systemic challenges and cultural beliefs about danger in birth, to the power of traditional practices that are still alive (and those being revived). Bobette shares some of her most impactful birth stories, her dream of building a community-led birth house, and the intersection of ancestral wisdom and modern reproductive care.

This episode is a heart-led conversation about reclaiming tradition, confronting colonial legacies in birth care, and returning to community-rooted models of support.

If you’re passionate about reproductive justice, birthworker education, or decolonizing doula work, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Plus:

• Bianca shares a personal update on reconnecting with her sister after a decade apart
• How a full moon breathwork ceremony cracked open a season of grief and healing
• And what’s next as she begins a new journey of feminist business healing

Links & Resources:

→ Try our new Prenatal Class Calculator at bebomia.com/calc
→ Learn more about Uzuri Birth: uzuribirth.com

HOME | Sungyata : project center for young girls in Ghana

https://form.jotform.com/241983323657565 : Ghana immersion for birth workers

Donate this link for those who may be interested in supporting another meaningful project abroad, this time in Haiti.

⭐️  We have some links for you which you will LOVE! ⭐️

Grab your doula training spot here (heyyy there's payment plans) 📚

NEW BIRTH DOULA COURSE - www.bebomia.com/birthdoula use the code FIRST200 for $200 off!

Community Building Tool ONLY $10 - www.bebomia.com/community-building

FREE Ultimate Ebook all about becoming a doula - get it here!

www.bebomia.com/doulaclub 💥 Get your free access to the Doula Business School in our club membership!

www.bebomia.com/freewebinar Free doula workshop and discount code 👍🏽

bebomia.com/bizshop/   😎 Grow your business fast!

www.bebomia.com/shop New Doula swag!!

7 Simple Steps to Double your Client Base 👈🏽 new course alert this week 💥 Use code SEVEN for 75% off

Our links page with lots of goodies  bebomia.com/links ❤️

How to Pay for Your Doula Training <-- check it out

Support the show

www.bebomia.com

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Send us Fan Mail

If you’ve ever answered a 3 a.m. text about pineapple or found yourself chasing unpaid invoices, this one’s for you. In this episode, Bianca Sprague gets real about boundaries: the messy, hard, business-saving kind. You’ll learn exactly what to say in those tricky moments with 12 copy-and-paste scripts for your doula practice. These are the words that protect your energy, your income, and your joy.

Download the free workbook at bebomia.com/scripts and start practicing boundaries that feel compassionate, clear, and sustainable.

⭐️  We have some links for you which are mentioned in the episode!! ⭐️

Grab your doula training spot here (heyyy there's payment plans) 📚

NEW BIRTH DOULA COURSE - www.bebomia.com/birthdoula use the code FIRST200 for $200 off!

Community Building Tool ONLY $10 - www.bebomia.com/community-building

FREE Ultimate Ebook all about becoming a doula - get it here!

www.bebomia.com/doulaclub 💥 Get your free access to the Doula Business School in our club membership!

www.bebomia.com/freewebinar Free doula workshop and discount code 👍🏽

bebomia.com/bizshop/   😎 Grow your business fast!

www.bebomia.com/shop New Doula swag!!

7 Simple Steps to Double your Client Base 👈🏽 new course alert this week 💥 Use code SEVEN for 75% off

Our links page with lots of goodies  bebomia.com/links ❤️

How to Pay for Your Doula Training <-- check it out

Support the show

www.bebomia.com

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn or Twitter.