Erika has been a professional birth and postpartum doula since 2019. After supporting births for over 20 years, she embraced formal training through Birth Advocacy, Common Sense, and DONA, to enhance her advocacy skills centered in supporting marginalized and vulnerable birthing individuals. Teaching in the traditional classroom setting for 15 years, Erika shifted her instructional focus from students to birthing families as a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator. One of her most gratifying and powerful experiences has been building relationships with Birth Detroit families as one of our childbirth educators. Serving on Michigan's Doula Advisory Council and maintaining a private birth support business, Erika also serves the community as a full spectrum doula and lactation support provider. One of her favorite roles is being the Doula Support Coordinator to the doula team at The Corner Health Clinic, in Ypsilanti, MI, where she provides moral support, advocacy, and professional guidance.  Much to

the chagrin of her two grand-kitties (Linus and Lucy) and her dog (Chadwick), Erika and her family are known to spontaneously, and sometimes tunelessly, burst into song.