his blog is part of our Meet the Trainer series. Over the next few weeks, we will be showcasing DTI’s talented trainers. Right now we want you to meet Jackie Davey, leader of the DTI San Francisco doula training. Many of you probably know Jackie from a training, retreat, or her engagement in the DTI community via our Facebook group. Jackie will host DTI’s DTI2 In-Person training in San Francisco February 15-18, 2018. You can register HERE.
We know that now you are a DTI Educator but what first attracted you to DTI as a doula?
Autonomy. I immediately felt like they had trust in me to practice with integrity, serve my clients to best of my ability, and weave in my other skills without judgement.
When you yourself were looking into taking a doula training how is it that you ended up with DTI?
I had been working as a birth and postpartum doula for about 8 years, trained but not certified. I was at a point in my career, particularly with postpartum, that I wanted to revisit becoming certified but also knew I wanted something different that was being offered when I first trained in 2006. DTI was holding their first-ever doula training in the San Francisco Bay Area so I made the call, had a warm conversation with Tara Brooke that left me feeling like she ‘gets’ me, and that was it!
Since your doula business launched what have you learned?
That I don’t need to know everything! What my clients value most is a my compassionate, empathetic, presence, absent of judgement.
What would you look back and want to say to your less experienced doula self?
Focus on less doing, and more being. I was your typical new doula who came home from every birth completely wiped out trying to do all my doula tricks and rescue my clients from unexpected outcomes.
What can you tell us about your local DTI community?
I love my DTI doula community. There is comradery – I automatically feel a kinship with the DTI doula in the room even if we have never met! The San Francisco Bay Area community is growing – we’re meeting regularly and helping each other thrive.
If someone hasn’t quite immersed themselves in the DTI community in your area how can they get out there and connect with others?
Most of us struggle to put ourselves out there in one way or another. If you are having a hard time connecting, look up the DTI doulas in your area, find one that you connect with (check out their website to get a feeling), call them, and invite them out for a coffee. Tell them about yourself and ask them to tell you about themselves. Listen well.
If someone is thinking about registering for a DTI training in your area but hasn’t quite made their mind up yet what could they do to figure out if DTI is a good fit for them?
Feel free to reach out to me or any of the other trainers. We will be happy to give you a sense of what it’s like to be a part of DTI and what you can expect from the trainings.
How would you describe yourself as a trainer?
I can be quite shy and introverted by nature, but get me talking about birth and babies and bodies and a whole new side of me comes out!
What is your training like?
I am very passionate about my work as a doula. My trainings strike a good balance between having fun and getting sh*t done! My trainings tend to be a warm, intimate, thought provoking atmosphere where you embark on a journey of a lifetime.
Can you describe to us a few moments during a training that you taught that you appreciated or were memorable?
There is a point in the training when I invite the students to do some birth art. We put on music and really dive deep. We hang the art on the wall in front of us, and I LOVE seeing the diversity of each person’s expression. All walks of life, parents or not, the passion unique to each of us comes through.
Can you tell us something about you that even the DTI community doesn’t know yet about you?
I was in the coffee industry for years before I became a doula. I used to conduct tastings and analysis, called “cupping”, on dozens of different coffee beans daily.