Stop Adding Random Birth Certifications
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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 Kaylee Harrod. I've been supporting families in this perinatal space since my oldest was born, 12, nearly 13 years ago.
00:23
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.
00:36
Thank you for joining us on this journey. Hello and welcome back to doula Tips and Tits. I think I should have maybe classified these last couple episodes as things not to do, like warnings for doulas, right?
00:52
I'm going to go back and make this a mini, mini series. Today, we're talking about certifications and how you need to stop adding new ones. Now, there's obviously a big asterisk next to that, that it's not that I never am a proponent of new certifications, right?
01:11
I actually love trainings. I think that they can be wonderful and great and life -giving and amazing for your business. But what I am talking to today is the fact that sometimes we add too many certifications at first and we keep getting certified to avoid actually being a doula.
01:32
So, I don't want to trigger you. I don't want to send you into a tail spin, right? But I want you to take a long hard look at yourself. Are you afraid of having clients and therefore chasing certifications, kind of telling yourself that once you finish getting certified with all the things, then you'll have a business or then you'll have clients or then...
02:00
right? Like is that where you're living? If so, you need to stop. And I say that with so much love and so much compassion and so much empathy. But please, having more certifications does not validate you as a doula.
02:18
It doesn't. And I understand that it might feel like it does. Like it feels kind of like a big deal to be able to say I'm certified and this and that and this and the this other thing and those seven things over there.
02:32
Yeah, but it's also a lot of money that you're paying and a lot of time that you're using. And then you have like 17 things you could possibly be offering. But every time you offer something different, you also have to market for that new thing.
02:54
So it's not that easy. to have a solo business that does like 25 different things you know. Now I am truly not saying you should never certify. I'm also not saying you should never certify in new things.
03:12
What I am saying is be strategic about that and honestly I mean I would say I feel like we know each other enough now I can be very blunt with you. You should have a coach who's helping you decide what certifications you need and when you need them because that will ultimately save you a crap ton of money and the reality is that this work since it is unregulated is chock full of certifications and quite frankly some of them are complete bullshit like complete bullshit and I will say it again for the people in the back some of these certifications are complete bullshit and therefore unnecessary and an actual waste of money but makes you feel like you know what you're doing in a certain field which you maybe don't if it's a crappy certification and also gives you this false sense of security about that particular topic that's not even accurate right it's not even true but also completely unnecessary.
04:23
I have an episode from a couple episodes back it was episode I think it was 204 that talks about how you can make more money today so that episode goes into the why behind not offering a new thing. What I think we sometimes do in doula work is kind of like chase random rabbits and if one of them is not working instead of like kind of staying and figuring out why that one's not working, we just start to chase a new one.
05:04
And so I know folks that barely have clients that are certified in like 72 different things. And they're like yeah but now I'm also you know certified in this. And now I also have the certification in this.
05:20
And I'm like do you have clients? Like do you still not have clients? Is that still like are we still in that same space in your business? Because why in the world are you certifying? What that means to me I'm going to be really I'm just this is a very raw episode.
05:36
I think when someone does that it's because they want those certifications to bring them validation. And to ultimately be another reason that people have to hire them. But the reality is that if your client needs you to have another certification to hire you, they're probably not the right client for you.
05:55
And that goes back to that red flag episode right two episodes ago when I'm saying to you like, if they want you to prove your worth, these are not your people. If they're saying to you like gosh if you had four more certifications, we would totally hire you.
06:10
No, it doesn't matter how many certifications you have. Those are not your people. You don't need four more certifications for what those mean nothing. And honestly, we see this reflected all across the country right now in these ridiculous Medicaid bills, because they have certifications listed that are just like three, four certifications that I swear they just like googled and had them pop up on like the first four that they found on Google.
06:37
And then they're like, okay, doulas who are certified by these groups can be a part of our, and I'm like, what, like, why, why, and how, and who like so many questions. I have so many questions. Who decided those are the certifications that matter?
06:55
Why are they the certifications? Are you making like commission on people going to these certifications in order to be classified as a Medicaid doula and be able to take it? Make Medicaid insurance, etc, etc.
07:08
I am not saying that having doulas under Medicaid insurance is a bad idea. I actually love that idea. I don't love how it's currently set up because it's ridiculous and would cost thousands of dollars for most of us to join.
07:23
And so that is a problem, ultimately, and why I think we don't see doulas flocking to the programs alongside the fact that they don't pay enough money and therefore are unsustainable in every possible way.
07:35
However, this episode is not about Medicaid and doulas. This episode is about how you shouldn't keep getting certified in things. I want you to focus on the thing that you are mainly going to offer as a service.
07:52
So if that's postpartum care, if that's childbirth, etc. if that's birth care, focus on that thing and then get more certifications as that thing is actually doing well. Don't add a new certification when your main service is not working, right?
08:16
You need to spend some time digging into why that doesn't work rather than throwing other labels on it and hoping that that will make people buy it, okay? Now one thing that I do with clients is talk them through what certifications would actually help, what ones do they need to keep up, what ones do they need to add, and what ones can they let go because it's really not serving them anyway, right?
08:45
And that I think is a very helpful piece to have from outside your business because when you're the only person making decisions in your business, it's exhausting. And so it's really, really helpful to have an outside coach who can look at your business and say, okay, given this and this and this, I think you need to do this thing.
09:06
And don't even think about doing that thing. Please do not spend the money on that or the time on that because it's going to be a complete waste of time and money, right? So if you're looking for that kind of direction, I would encourage you to sign up for the class that we have on April 8th, 1pm Eastern on Zoom.
09:24
The class is called Client Chemistry. It is a kick -ass class about getting and keeping doula clients, making them feel amazing. And then ultimately, of course, feeling amazing yourself because you have clients that love you and think you're amazing.
09:40
So there is still some space in that class. It happens in four days. So sign up today, maybe five days. What day is it when this is coming out? I don't know, but it's happening soon in the next couple days.
09:52
I want you to sign up today. Take advantage of the fact that there's still a little bit of room in there. It is a limited size in terms of the masterclass. And so I want you to get in quickly. If you are having trouble signing up or you have questions, please connect with me on Instagram at harrad doula, H -A -R -R -O -D, doula, all one word.
10:13
And then I'm happy to send you the link over there. I'm happy to share how to register. And if you're not able to be there live, we will have a replay. So please sign up so that you get the replay emails as well so that you're able to watch that when it comes out.
10:30
I am very excited to hear from you and to hear the way that this podcast and these last couple episodes have impacted your business. I would love for you to connect with me at Harrad doula, leave a review on the podcast, and share it if it feels helpful so that other doulas can benefit from this as well.
10:50
All right, I will see you in the next episode. Thanks for joining us for this episode of the doula Tips and Tits 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 hiradoula so we can celebrate alongside you.
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If you found this podcast helpful, we would so appreciate you taking a second to leave a rating and a review on your favorite podcast app. That helps other doulas find us as we do this work together.
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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.
11:34
We'll see you again soon.
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Controversial opinion here: Certificates are great and all, but they can also hinder your business. I said what I said. Certifications are fantastic but it’s being strategic with what certificates you get that is going to help grow your business. Having that extra certificate is not going to automatically get you more clients.
“ Are you afraid of having clients and therefore chasing certifications, kind of telling yourself that once you finish getting certified with all the things, then you'll have a business or then you'll have clients or then... right? Like is that where you're living? If so, you need to stop. And I say that with so much love and so much compassion and so much empathy. But please, having more certifications does not validate you as a doula.”
CONNECT with Kaely on TikTok or Instagram
https://www.tiktok.com/@doulacoach
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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
