How Can a Doula Teach on "Hot Topic" in an Evidence-Based Way?

Aug 16

Kaely Harrod 00:04
Welcome to doula Tips and Tits. This podcast is a place where we answer one question about doula work, both to support you and to help you support your clients. I'm Kaely Harrod. I've been supporting families in this perinatal space since my oldest was born 12, nearly 13 years ago. I am a birth and postpartum doula childbirth educator, La Leche League Leader and a doula coach. I love guiding and supporting doulas as they work out their doula business, it is a tremendous joy to be trusted in this way. Thank you for joining us on this journey. Have you ever been talking to someone that you know really well, and you mentioned something like, you know, I have been doing this thing for the last few months. And they're like, what? I didn't know you do that thing. And I'll tell you, I'll give you the example that I'm thinking about, I've been working at a place called the breastfeeding center for a number of months now in the store, because our CEO is out on leave. And so I've been taking over one day, part of one day, a week in her absence. So I could have sworn my mother knew that I was doing this. And I talk to her really frequently. And I mentioned like, well, you know, I'm always in the store on Mondays. And she was like, what, I thought you only did that one time. And I was like, No, I've been doing it since March. And she immediately was like, wait, what? I didn't realize and I was like, how do you not know this. But it was the moment where I was kind of like, you know, sometimes in life, we think we're being so clear about what we do and why we do it and all of that, and other people are not necessarily getting the message that we think they're getting. So that's today's episode. So we're diving into the question, how can I improve my visibility? Now, one thing I want you to think about is kind of your core beliefs in business, okay? Because that's something that you're going to want to go back to frequently. So let's say you know, it's really important to you to talk about equity in the birth space, or talk about maternal mortality in the birth space, or super important to you to talk about inclusion or to use like inclusive pronouns, and things like that. And not use kind of like mom and dad, and that kind of, you know, language, then those are things you should talk about frequently, right. But they're also kind of, in the midst of everything else that you talk about, you know, so like, for me, I use pregnant people. And if you have listened to anything I've said, looked at any of my content, you see that everywhere, right? So it's also something that I specifically talk about sometimes, but when I'm not specifically talking about it, it is also apparent in how I write my information, how I talk on the podcast, how my social media posts are, what my classes include, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. So it's something that many people know about me, because it's obvious, all over the place. However, I have other things that I do. So like, I just started a volunteer program, that's labor support, that is amazing. I speak Spanish. And it's not my first language, but it is something that I am fluent enough in to be able to like support births and things like that. I teach, like newborn care, like diaper changing, and things like that. So there are some slightly more obscure things that people don't necessarily know about me, that I think everyone knows, you know, because it's like, well, yeah, of course, you know that. And I think sometimes in business, we try not to be redundant. But in doing that, we forget that people need to see things a whole frickin bunch of times before they even remember what it is. So I want to challenge you, when you're thinking about visibility, you're thinking about kind of content that you're making for Instagram, or Facebook, or wherever you're doing content or when you're thinking about what you write on your website, or how you even just talk to people about it. Think about the fact that you probably are not being as redundant as you feel. And you really need to have some redundancy in order to make sure people really know what you're doing, because it's important to know what your services are. Right? And I've talked in other episodes about referrals and things like that. So, so that part of that process is people even just knowing who you are And what you do, right? Like you can make a really great connection with someone and then be like, they've never sent me any doula clients. But then they might say like, I didn't even know, you were a doula, right? Because that's never come up in our conversations I hadn't like looked online for you. I just didn't know that. That's what you do. And so how would I have sent you client, you know, and it's not that you're confronting people in that way, you know, but I want you to think about how you can make sure that the redundancy that you're doing is actually kind of reaching the right topics, right. So a few things to think about. In terms of like, content, right, it's talking about yourself, different parts of your story, different parts of how you came to this work, why you're passionate about it, talk about the things that you think are the biggest concerns for your clients, the things that you wish everybody knew, things that you're really passionate about, because that's also going to come through as you're talking, you'll feel less like awkward talking about it, but more like, I have a soapbox about this thing, you know. And that's actually going to be an episode coming up that I'm talking through. Like, what, what are the ways that I talk about some of my kind of soapbox topics, so that you hear some of the language of what I'm talking about? And so I want you to kind of get into the groove of like, what can that look like for you. Another thing that I recommend posting really regularly is your availability and your services, because your availability changes, and your services also change. And so it's important to know that, you know, if you posted last month about what kind of services you offer, and then you've got a few extra people in your world, either followers or newsletter subscribers or whatever, then you post about it again, those people maybe haven't seen it before. And so the people who are seeing it again, it's a reminder to them, people who haven't seen it yet, they need to see it, right. So it's not something that you should think like, oh, it's there. I posted that once before, and then just leave it. Okay. I would love to hear from you. What sort of questions you want me to dive into for the fall. So I'm planning out the rest of 2023. And I have another coaching cohort coming up. I have some exciting things in the fall that I'm super, super, super pumped about. But I want to know if there are questions that you have as a listener to the podcast that haven't been answered yet, please send them to me. The easiest way to do that is to send me a message on Instagram at Herat doula is how you find me. That link is in the show notes. So you can just click those open and actually go go over there right now. And then send me a message like actually, I love to chat with doulas and the messages and birth workers and whoever you are lovely people are listening. And so please do send me a message and let me know and I would love to connect and then also give you a shout out when I answer your question. So Alright, until next time.
Kaely Harrod 08:22
Thanks for joining us for this episode of the doula Tips and Tips podcast. If you learned something today or had an aha moment, we'd love for you to share that on Instagram and tag us at Herat doula, so we can celebrate alongside you. If you found this podcast helpful. We would so appreciate you taking a second to leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app that helps other doulas find us as we do this work together. This podcast is intended as educational and entertainment it is not medical advice or business advice. Please consult your own medical or legal team for your own needs around your health and your business. We'll see you again soon.

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Visibility is vital to your business. As doulas we sometimes shy away from talking about our work because we feel like we’re being salesy or sounding desperate. You know what, big brands WANT you to see their stuff literally everywhere. You know that ad for Safelight?? The one that my children sing every time they see a cracked window?? They love that we all know that so well. That we immediately think of them. You want that in your business. You want someone to say “I’m pregnant!” and their friend immediately say “oh my gosh, I am going to send you the name of the BEST doula!”

Quote from the show:

“One thing I want you to think about is kind of your core beliefs in business, okay? Because that's something that you're going to want to go back to frequently. So let's say you know, it's really important to you to talk about equity in the birth space, or talk about maternal mortality in the birth space, or super important to you to talk about inclusion or to use inclusive pronouns, and things like that. And not use kind of like mom and dad, and that kind of, you know, language, then those are things you should talk about frequently, right. But they're also kind of, in the midst of everything else that you talk about, you know, so like, for me, I use pregnant people. And if you have listened to anything I've said, looked at any of my content, you see that everywhere, right? So it's also something that I specifically talk about sometimes, but when I'm not specifically talking about it, it is also apparent in how I write my information, how I talk on the podcast, how my social media posts are, what my classes include, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. So it's something that many people know about me, because it's obvious, all over the place..”

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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