Can I Make a Full Time Salary While Working As a Doula?
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Kaely Harrod 0:02
Today we're going to be talking about the financial aspect of life as a doula. And the question that we're going to dive into is, can I make a full time salary while working as a doula? Welcome to doula Tips and Tips, the podcast where I answer one question about pregnancy postpartum, or lactation. This is a space where it's safe to have questions and we're gonna give you real answers. We're not going to beat around the bush or give you what we want you to know. We're going to answer in an evidence based way. I'm Kaylee Herat and experienced doula mama three lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. I started this work in part because of my own lack of answers in my journey of pregnancy and birth. And I'm on a mission for families to be well informed and well supported through this time. This is a space where you will learn about questions that you didn't even know that you should be asking, and have answers to ones that you're already asking. The whole purpose here is for you to feel a bit more educated and informed and competent in this journey that often feels very new, and a little bit disconcerting. If you have not already I would love for you to subscribe to this podcast so that you get updates when there are new episodes, or head to our website, Herat doula services.com to subscribe to our email updates so that you get notifications when we have a new episode Episodes Episode out. Thank you for joining us today. When we're thinking about sustainability for doula work, we have to take into account how much income this business will bring in for you. Now, in terms of business success, we all have a different sort of metric, right, a different idea of what we need and want our business to look like financially, I would say that for the sake of this conversation, we're talking about having a sustainable income that is related very much to where you live, and what your standard of living is. But also, generally just the idea that if you want to be full time in doula work, or birth work, that you want to be able to make a sustainable full time income. And that should look like whatever it needs to look like for you, your family and your area of the world. Right. So what I don't want to do, as we kind of dive into this is say, like duelists can and should make X amount of money, because I don't think that it is that cut and dry. However, I will say that it is possible and absolutely sustainable, more sustainable, I would argue to make a decent amount of money in this work, and also have like work life balance and things like that. Like you don't have to be a doula who attends five to 10 births a month in order to have some sustainability financially in this business. So I want to kind of dive into the nuances of that, because the short answer to this question is yes, in my mind, you can be a doula full time and make a full time income. What that looks like for you differs person to person. So in the coming weeks, one of the things that we're gonna dive into a bit more, is talking about doula burnout, and also other services that duelists can kind of add to their packages or their menu of things that they offer in their business. And a lot of times if we're talking about wanting to be sort of, if we're talking about like percentages, right, wanting to be percentage wise, higher on the end of things that don't require being on call, lower on the end of things that do require being on call, that does look like being really strategic about what other services you might offer as a doula and what that might look like now, I firmly do not believe that every doula needs to offer every service. I think that can be kind of a rabbit, hole, rabbit trail, rabbit hole that we go down. That's incredibly unhelpful to think like, okay, every single person has to offer Placenta Encapsulation or overnight postpartum care or lactation services or whatever it looks like, right. Everybody needs to be able to do that. If they're going to be a doula. That is not the case. There is no list of required services. See that someone who works in birth work works in doula work has to offer. So the first thing to really solidify is that this work can actually look very specific to you. We'll be back in a minute after this message from our sponsor. The birth prep blueprint course is a guide from pregnancy to postpartum, giving you the competence to walk through this journey. However it might play out, it is pre recorded on demand content. So you do not have to fit your busy schedule around a class or meeting time, you can go back and revisit the lessons as much as you need to. And you can watch or listen to them on your own time. This curriculum has left many families feeling confident in their decisions, knowing what questions to ask their providers, and knowing when they should be concerned in all of these periods. One of the biggest part of this work in terms of preparing families and walking through this journey is knowing that you have a guide to rely on. And that's exactly what this class is. Students have told me, they felt like I was walking them along a path to know what to watch for and what to not be worried about. Because you are here, as a listener, you will get the opportunity to have a 10% off discount on this class, that code is podcast, it is in the show notes as well, along with the link to use to check out for the class, I do really recommend that you go give it a look. Because it is going to make you feel more prepared calm and confident for your birthing experience. The other thing that I want you to think about is what you even need in terms of income, because that's a huge part of this, right is that we're all kind of defining our desired full time salary, in our own way, right? So taking an honest look at your life and saying, Okay, this is the income that I need to be replaced in this work. What does that look like? What how do I get to that point? How much do I need to charge for services? In order to get to that point? And do I feel good about charging that, right? And if you're saying to me, okay, Kaylee, I think I need to make like, like $60,000 a year. And someone else is saying I need to make like 150,000. That's a completely different strategy, right? Between those two people, the one who wants to make 150,000 needs to have a wider range of services, the one who wants to make 60,000 is going to have a shorter list of services. So that is kind of the first step here to being sustainable in this work is to really decide what this work wants, you want it to look like, even if you're thinking five years from now, but really having a definite goal. And not just like, I hope this work makes money, right? Because that really is kind of firmly putting it into the hobby category rather than the category of like lucrative business. Okay, so I want you to take some time to think that through because that is something that you have to sort of work out, I would love to hear from you and hear like, what are you thinking through in terms of sustainability? Just a little spoiler alert that one of the burnout things is not charging enough money. And so we're gonna talk about that in a couple of weeks when we get kind of into that burnout topic. And so I want you just to start thinking about this so that when we get to that conversation, you're a little bit more ready to really like Be honest with yourself and dive into it. Okay. So until I see you again, I wish you well informed consent filled doula work, and birthing experiences. So all of this information is intended to be educational and entertainment. Please use it as such. And if you have questions about your own medical health, or need recommendations from your own provider, please do speak to them. This is not intended to replace them in any way. We are so happy that you are here joining us in this walk through pregnancy postpartum and lactation, please take a second to like and subscribe, leave a positive review. That is how other families get to hear about us and get to learn from all the answers that we have here on this podcast. As always, I would really love to connect with you. I love answering questions. I know that you know that because you are here, but I would love to hear what your questions are. So if I have not yet answered them on the podcast, I would love to add them to the list of questions to be answered. please do reach out to me on Instagram or via email Kaely at Herat, doula services.com so that I can answer whatever question you have, and so that I can hear the feedback that you have about the podcast. Until we meet again, I wish you well informed consent filled birth and postpartum experiences
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
How much money do doulas make? Is it possible to make a decent living in this work? Well that’s today’s topic! YES, as a doula you absolutely can work full-time and make a wonderful living. I get paid more now, from my work as a full time doula than I ever have in teaching or childcare or any other field I’ve been in.
Just like everything there is nuance there. What you hope to earn and what you need to earn are two major starting points. NOT undervaluing your work and your services is a huge piece of this puzzle.
Key Takeaways:
Start working backwards. What do you need/want to make in gross income this year?
What is your client load goal?
Put the answers to those two questions together! Do they match up? If you’re undercharging they may not!
While it can be helpful to look at the average fee for services in your area, don’t feel the need to base your prices on what other doulas are charging.
CONNECT with Kaely on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/Harroddoula/
This podcast is hosted by the Birth Prep Blueprint - comprehensive Childbirth Education for expectant parents to feel calm, prepared and confident about labor and birth. Podcast listeners (that’s YOU!) get 10% off! Use the link below and coupon code PODCAST
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/birth-prep-blueprint
** The Birth Prep Blueprint is offered for only $20 to anyone who qualifies for any kind of social services (meaning that a family has a lower income to the point that they would qualify for WIC or SNAP or Medicaid, etc.). No need to disclose your income, just which service you qualify for and the link can be sent right over. Just email kaely@harroddoulaservices.com to learn more.
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Kaely Daily is produced by Kaely Harrod of Harrod Doula Services
It is sponsored by The Birth Prep Blueprint Childbirth Class
Music by Madirfan: Hidden Place on Pixabay
