Have you ever felt a tug toward birth work, but immediately wondered how becoming a doula could possibly fit into your real life?

Maybe you have little kids at home, a full-time job, a husband who is not completely on board, or no idea how you would find your first doula client. Maybe you love birth and supporting women, but the thought of putting yourself out there feels terrifying. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on what it actually takes to become a birth doula and answering the questions that might be keeping you from taking that next step.

After 13 years of doula work, I’ve learned that becoming a doula does not require having your entire life perfectly figured out. We’re talking about practical solutions for childcare, balancing birth work with motherhood or another career, getting your first clients, navigating difficult births, building confidence, and creating a doula business that works for your life. I’m also sharing what we’ve completely rebuilt inside the Pain-Free Birth Doula Certification Program and why community, mentorship, business training, and ongoing support matter so much when you step into birth work.

Questions Answered in This Episode:

• How do you know if your called to doula work - and where do you start?
• How do you make childcare work as a doula?
• What if your husband or partner isn’t supportive?
• How do you get over imposter syndrome and the fear of being seen?
• How do you find clients when you’re just starting out?
• Is the doula industry already oversaturated - and how do you stand out?
• Can you become a doula if you’ve never given birth yourself?
• How do you prepare for hard or traumatic births?
• What if your not experienced or qualified enough?

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Join now and save $500! Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect tho...

What if the birth that changed everything was not your first birth, but the one that finally showed you what birth could be?

In this deeply personal episode of the Pain Free Birth Podcast, Karen sits down with someone very special to the Pain Free Birth family, her personal assistant, Jamie Bennett. After two difficult hospital births, including an epidural she did not originally want and a completely failed epidural during her second labor, Jamie entered her third pregnancy knowing something needed to change. Her search for truly aligned care eventually led her somewhere she never expected, a home birth.

Jamie shares how that redemptive, euphoric home birth transformed far more than the way she viewed birth. It strengthened her faith, changed the way she approached motherhood, taught her to stop asking permission, and ultimately led her into her calling as a doula. Now, after years of working behind the scenes at Pain Free Birth and reading countless birth stories, Jamie is stepping into birth rooms herself and helping other women discover how supported, informed, and empowered birth can be.

Tune in to hear:

• How Jamie’s first two difficult hospital births shaped the way she viewed birth and support
• What happened when her epidural completely failed during her second birth
• Why interviewing your provider and choosing an aligned birth team matters
• How Jamie went from being afraid of home birth to choosing it for her third baby
• The simple words from her midwife that changed the entire direction of her labor
• How her joyful, redemptive home birth transformed her confidence, motherhood, and faith
• Why Jamie believes our hardest birth experiences can ultimately prepare us to help others
• How her own birth journey led her to answer the calling to become a doula
• How Jamie booked four births within her first two months as a new doula
• Her encouragement for women who feel called to birth work but are afraid to take the first step 

Questions to Ask Your Provider: https://resources.painfreebirth.com/birth-provider-questions 

CONNECT WITH JAMIE:

Instagram: @birthwithjamie

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Join now and save $500! Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect tho...

What if being told you have a “big baby” creates more fear than the actual size of your baby ever needed to?

If you have been told your baby is measuring large, your hips might be too small, or you should consider an induction because of suspected macrosomia, this episode is for you. We are unpacking the fear surrounding big babies and talking about what the evidence actually says about fetal size, late-pregnancy estimates, induction, shoulder dystocia, and cesarean birth.

You will also learn why the way your body and baby move during birth matters so much. From the flexibility of the pelvis and molding of your baby’s head to positioning, breathing, pelvic floor relaxation, and upright pushing positions, this conversation will help you look beyond a number on an ultrasound and better understand the physiology of birth. Most importantly, you will walk away with questions you can bring to your provider so you can make informed decisions that feel right for you and your baby. 

Tune in to hear:

•  What macrosomia means and why a suspected big baby can create so much fear 
•  Why late-pregnancy estimates of fetal weight are not the same thing as knowing your baby’s actual birth weight 
•  The primary concern providers have about large babies and shoulder dystocia 
•  Why suspected fetal size can influence the way labor and birth are managed 
•  How fear and doubt can affect tension, relaxation, and the experience of labor 
•  Why your baby’s position may matter enormously during pushing 
•  How your pelvis is designed to move during birth 
•  How your baby’s skull molds as your baby travels through the birth canal 
•  Why relaxing and yielding the pelvic floor is different from forcefully pushing against it 
•  How upright and hands-and-knees positions can give the pelvis more freedom to move 
•  What the Gaskin and McRoberts maneuvers are in the context of shoulder dystocia 
•  Questions to ask your OB or midwife if your baby is suspected to be large 
•  Why learning physiological pushing techniques before labor can change your birth experience 
•  How to replace fear-based decision-making with education, informed consent, and confidence in your options 

Evidence Based Birth Article: EvidencebasedbirthWhat is the Evidence for Induction or C-section for a Big Baby?

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Join now and save $500! Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect tho...

What if your biggest, most peaceful birth could happen when you stop trying to control the process and learn to trust the way your body was designed to give birth?

In this episode of the Pain Free Birth Podcast, Karen sits down with mom of three Michelle Owsley to share a remarkable journey that began long before she had children of her own. At just 18 years old, Michelle traveled to rural Kenya, where she unexpectedly found herself assisting at more than 50 births. Those experiences planted a seed of trust in physiological birth, but years later, Michelle still had to confront the fear and conditioning surrounding birth when it was her turn to become a mother.

Michelle shares the progression from two unmedicated Pitocin inductions to her third birth, where everything changed. After experiencing situational high blood pressure, navigating recommendations for additional growth scans, and working intentionally to guard her mind from fear, Michelle prepared for birth differently. At 41 weeks, she finally released her expectations and surrendered the outcome to God. Hours later, she was in spontaneous labor. Her 10-pound, 1-ounce baby was born in the water, completely pain-free, without coached pushing and without tearing.

Tune in to hear:

•  How attending more than 50 births in rural Kenya shaped Michelle’s view of natural, physiological birth 
•  How Michelle navigated two unmedicated Pitocin inductions before experiencing pain-free birth 
•  What her first birth taught her about the question, “Am I enough?” 
•  How fear and stress dramatically affected Michelle’s blood pressure during her second pregnancy 
•  Why choosing a birth center or midwife does not eliminate the need for informed consent and self-advocacy 
•  How Michelle prepared differently for her third pregnancy by intentionally guarding her mind 
•  Why she declined an additional growth ultrasound and navigated fears surrounding a potentially big baby 
•  How surrendering control at more than 41 weeks transformed the way Michelle approached labor 
•  Why Michelle chose not to forcefully push and allowed the fetal ejection reflex to birth her baby 
•  How she birthed a 10-pound, 1-ounce baby pain-free, without tearing, and experienced her easiest postpartum recovery

Beautiful One Midwifery: Website or @beautifulonemidwifery

CONNECT WITH MICHELLE:
@michelle_owsley17

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Join now and save $500! Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect tho...

What happens when you prepare for birth with everything you have, only to discover that the final lesson is letting go?

In this powerful birth testimony, Pain Free Birth doula-in-training Annelisa shares how five weeks of prodromal labor, an almost 42-week pregnancy, and a deeply personal journey of surrender led to an unforgettable birth. After a difficult first hospital birth and a redemptive second birth center experience, Annelisa entered her third birth equipped with a new understanding of physiological birth, her body, and the role fear can play in the birth experience.

But nothing unfolded the way she had planned. Her carefully prepared birth room and birth pool were left untouched. Instead, after sleeping through what she believes was transition, Annelisa woke to intense pelvic pressure and realized her baby was coming much faster than anyone expected. With her midwife still on the way, her husband beside her, and a perfectly positioned mirror in the shower, she watched her baby emerge while standing and allowing her body’s fetal ejection reflex to do the work.

Tune in to hear:

• How Annelisa’s first difficult hospital birth influenced the births that followed
• The difference birth education made in how she experienced contractions
• What five weeks of prodromal labor looked like for her
• Why being 41 weeks and 6 days challenged her desire for control
• The prayer under the stars that completely shifted her mindset
• How addressing emotional tension helped her feel safe enough to surrender
• Why her contractions progressed without feeling painful
• How cuddling her son helped her relax enough to fall asleep during labor
• Why Annelisa believes she may have slept through transition
• What happened when her husband could not get the birth pool filled
• The moment her body entered the fetal ejection reflex
• How she watched her baby crown and emerge using a mirror in the shower
• What happened when her baby was born with the cord around her neck
• How the experience transformed her husband’s view of physiological birth
• Why preparation and surrender are not opposites
• What this birth taught Annelisa about trusting God, her baby, and her body

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Join now and save $500! Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect tho...

What if birth could feel peaceful, natural, and so deeply joyful that you were actually sad when labor ended?

In this episode of the Pain Free Birth Podcast, Karen sits down with Abby Neese, an Iowa mom who experienced two pain-free home births. During her first birth, Abby followed her intuition, remained calm when her midwives did not arrive in time, and caught her own baby in the birth tub. Rather than feeling afraid, she trusted the physiological process unfolding within her body.

Abby’s second birth was completely different, yet still pain-free. Through intentional breathing, prenatal yoga, hypnobirthing techniques, and a deep trust in God’s design, Abby allowed her body to take over. She experienced the fetal ejection reflex and gave birth without coached or forced pushing. Abby also shares how these births inspired her to become a doula, catch her friend’s baby, and begin pursuing a future calling toward midwifery.

Tune in to hear:

• How Abby’s intuition accurately prepared her for a fast first birth
• Why hospital water birth policies led her to consider home birth
• The simple explanation of uterine contractions that removed her fear
• How positive birth stories and physiological birth education shaped her mindset
• What Abby did during early and active labor with her first baby
• How she remained calm when her midwives did not arrive in time
• What it felt like to catch her own baby in the birth tub
• Why she describes her first birth as peaceful, natural, and pain-free
• How relaxed, physiological pushing affected her postpartum recovery
• Why her second birth felt emotionally intense without being physically painful
• How breathwork and prenatal yoga helped her release tension
• What the fetal ejection reflex felt like during her second birth
• Why Abby believes women should protect their minds from fear-based birth stories
• How her birth experiences inspired her to become a doula
• The incredible story of catching her first baby while serving as a doula
• How Abby’s experiences confirmed her future calling toward midwifery

Connect with Abby

Instagram: harvesthopedoula

Website: Harvest Hope Doula

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Join now and save $500! Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect tho...

What if childbirth was not something you had to fear, endure, or simply survive?

In this deeply personal and hope-filled conversation, Karen Welton joins Emily  Smaczniak from the Beyond the Pain Podcast to explore the physiology, mindset, and heart preparation behind an empowered birth. Karen shares how her own journey from fear to mostly pain-free home births led her to become a doula, birth educator, and creator of the Pain-Free Birth course.

Together, Karen and Emily discuss pregnancy and birth after stillbirth, the desire for a redemptive birth experience, and how women can prepare for physiological birth even within a hospital setting. They also unpack the fear-tension-pain cycle, the physical effects of gratitude, the importance of releasing hidden fears, and why your internal environment can have a greater impact on labor than your external circumstances.

Tune in to hear:

• How Karen’s fear of childbirth led her to research pain-free and physiological birth
• Why birth pain is not always inevitable
• The connection between fear, tension, stress hormones, and labor pain
• How oxytocin and endorphins support the body during childbirth
• What Scripture may actually communicate about pain and sorrow in childbirth
• Why birth is not a random event that simply happens to you
• How to balance personal responsibility with surrender during labor
• What a redemptive birth can look like after stillbirth or pregnancy loss
• Why women cannot always “logic” their way out of fear after trauma
• How gratitude can help shift the nervous system during contractions
• Why the internal environment can override a difficult hospital environment
• How to prepare for a natural, physiological birth in a hospital
• The importance of choosing a trauma-informed provider, doula, or midwife
• Why honest communication can help release tension and support labor progress
• How practicing discomfort can teach the brain to respond differently to pain
• Practical ways to move from fear and resistance into trust and partnership with your body

CONNECT WITH EMILY:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-pain-heart-and-home-healing-after-loss/id1779756290

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Join now and save $500! Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect tho...

What happens when your carefully planned home birth turns into an unassisted birth at a family resort?

After five years of hoping for a baby, fertility treatments, surgery, and the removal of one fallopian tube, Jessica Richards and her husband were overjoyed to conceive naturally. They prepared for a peaceful home birth with a trusted midwife, but when Jessica reached 42 weeks pregnant, their baby still had not arrived. With her midwife’s approval, the couple decided to join their family for a Christmas trip at a resort two hours from home.

A day filled with laughter, water slides, connection, and relaxation soon became the beginning of labor. When Jessica’s contractions intensified and her water broke as they attempted to leave, she and her husband realized they would not make it home. Instead of panicking, they returned to their room, leaned into the physiological process, and welcomed their son in the bathtub with no birth team present. Jessica shares how preparation, prayer, movement, surrender, and trust helped her remain peaceful during an experience she never could have planned.

Tune in to hear:

• Jessica’s journey through infertility, surgery, and naturally conceiving with one fallopian tube
• Why she felt peaceful traveling at 42 weeks pregnant
• How relaxation, family connection, and oxytocin may have helped labor begin
• The signs that told Jessica’s doula she was close to birth
• Why Jessica and her husband chose to return to their resort room
• How water, movement, breathing, music, and low vocalization supported her labor
• What it felt like to experience spontaneous pushing without forcing her body
• The surreal moment Jessica caught her own baby in the bathtub
• How her husband remained calm and supported her throughout the unexpected birth
• The role faith and surrender played in Jessica’s mindset
• How Jessica prepared physically with walking, chiropractic care, massage, and pelvic floor therapy
• What happened after the baby and placenta were born
• Why the family stayed at the resort for another night
• Jessica’s encouragement for women struggling with fear, anxiety, or going past their due date
• How this birth strengthened Jessica’s trust in her maternal instincts

CONNECT WITH JESSICA:
@jessicanicolerichards 

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Join now and save $500! Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect tho...

What happens when an unexpected pregnancy disrupts the life you thought you had finally learned to accept?

When Amanda discovered she was pregnant with her fifth baby, she did not feel the immediate excitement she had experienced with her previous pregnancies. Instead, she felt shocked, angry, disconnected, and ashamed of her own emotions. For months, she struggled privately while pretending everything was fine. Through prayer, counseling, humility, and surrender, Amanda experienced a powerful change of heart that transformed the pregnancy she had resisted into one of the most redemptive stories of her life.

That redemption continued into birth. Although Amanda secretly longed for a home birth, she and her husband planned to deliver at the hospital. But when labor progressed faster than expected, her water broke at ten centimeters while her midwife was already in the house. Amanda remained home, experienced a peaceful rest and be thankful phase, and delivered her baby in the bathtub after only three minutes of pushing. After four hospital births, she describes this unmedicated home water birth as her calmest and least painful birth.

Tune in to hear:

• Amanda’s honest reaction to discovering she was unexpectedly pregnant with her fifth baby
• Why she felt ashamed of struggling to accept a pregnancy that others would consider a blessing
• How resentment began affecting her marriage and emotional well-being
• The role prayer, therapy, humility, and surrender played in changing her heart
• How Amanda intentionally connected with her baby after months of feeling detached
• Why she chose midwifery care after four pregnancies with an obstetrician
• How God opened the door for her to work with the Christian midwife she had specifically prayed for
• What prodromal labor felt like after four previously fast and straightforward labors
• The moment Amanda’s water broke at ten centimeters in her living room
• Why her midwife recommended staying home instead of rushing to the hospital
• How the rest and be thankful phase gave Amanda time to prepare for birth
• What made this water birth less painful than her previous hospital and epidural births
• How breathing, worship music, gratitude, and Christian hypnobirthing supported her labor
• Why physiological birth education changed Amanda’s fifth birth experience
• How this unexpected baby became an irreplaceable blessing to the entire family

Connect with Amanda:

https://www.instagram.com/amanda_joy_photography/

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Join now and save $500! Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect tho...

Have you ever wondered if a twin birth can truly be peaceful, unmedicated, and even pain free?

In this powerful episode of the Pain Free Birth Podcast, Karen sits down with Destiny Randolph, a mom of six who has birthed two sets of twins naturally, unmedicated, and in the hospital. Destiny shares the incredible story of conceiving both sets of twins naturally, navigating the mental weight of a “high risk” label, and learning to trust her body, her intuition, her husband, her care team, and the Lord through it all.

This conversation is full of practical wisdom for any mama preparing for birth, especially those navigating hospital birth, induction, twin pregnancy, provider pressure, or fear of the unknown. Destiny’s story is a beautiful reminder that your internal environment matters deeply, that advocacy can be peaceful and collaborative, and that birth can be powerful, holy, joyful, and far less painful than you have been led to believe.

Tune in to hear:

• Destiny’s story of conceiving two sets of twins naturally
• How she processed the shock and fear of finding out she was pregnant with twins again
• Why twin pregnancy felt mentally and physically harder, but twin birth felt easier than her singleton births
• How she prayerfully navigated an induction recommendation at 37 weeks and 4 days
• Why she chose Pitocin but declined breaking her water right away
• The role of her husband in advocacy, decision making, and emotional support
• How a supportive nurse helped her trust her body and make decisions with peace
• Why cervical checks can impact labor mindset
• The “open hands” practice that helped her relax through intensity
• How worship music, water, closed eyes, and her husband helped her stay focused in the OR
• What happened when Baby A was born in the OR and Baby B came later in the labor room
• The shocking moment Baby B came flying out in her sac while the nurses thought it was “just fluid”
• Why Destiny believes hospital birth can still be beautiful, spiritual, and empowering
• Her encouragement for twin moms, hospital birth moms, and women afraid birth will ruin their bodies
• The deeper lesson Destiny learned about surrender, trust, and letting go of control

CONNECT WITH DESTINY:
@Destinyjrandolph 

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Join now and save $500! Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect tho...