We recently connected with Ciarra Morgan and have shared our conversation below.

Ciarra, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

While being a business owner gives me a lot of freedom, it is also overwhelming at times. I’m currently sitting in my bed with a laptop at 930pm on a Saturday evening after being called out to a birth today around 1:30pm. I was supposed to take my 12 year old daughter back-to-school clothes shopping today. I had to cancel last minute and she was crushed. She knows my job is on call and that I sometimes have to leave without much notice and plans change, but that doesn’t take away her disappointment. Yes, we can go tomorrow, but she was excited to go TODAY. Days like today make me wish maybe I had a regular 9-5 job…but then I remember ALL of the positives. I get to be home with my children almost all summer. I get called to a birth 2-3 times a month and teach HypnoBirthing classes once a week, but I get to take my kids to the pool or let them hang out with friends the majority of the days. My daughter actually said today that she wished I had a regular job. I had to bring her back around to remembering that I have a lot of freedom I wouldn’t have if I had a 9-5 job. I still have to write a sleep plan tonight for an upcoming sleep consulting client, but I will support that family virtually. That means I can be at the pool with my kids, on a camping trip, or shopping for those back to school clothes while supporting that family through their child’s sleep struggles. I definitely don’t have set hours and my job can make us up and change plans last minute, but I wouldn’t trade it for a 9-5. I’m not stuck in a certain income bracket. If I work hard, I make more. I set my schedule (unless a baby decides it’s their birthday). I get to have a job I’m absolutely passionate about and I get to show my children that their mom successfully built a business from the ground up. I hope my children will take that into their lives and shoot for their dreams. You can’t wait for success to come to you. You have to go find it. I found it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Ciarra Morgan and I’m the owner of Empowered Beginnings. I am a wife and mother of two children: a twelve-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son. I am a birth and postpartum doula, HypnoBirthing childbirth educator, and pediatric sleep consultant. I have experienced both sides of birth. I had my daughter in a military hospital with an epidural and I had my son unmedicated in a birthing center with a midwife and doula. The level of preparedness was night and day which made all the difference. I was so empowered by the experience I had that I immediately began feeling lead to help other women achieve their perfect birth. I do this by teaching HypnoBirthing classes and serving as a birth doula. I added sleep consulting to my services after about a year of being in busiess. Sleep training was really overwhelming for me with both of my children. I would have benefited from help with this with my children and wanted to help other families have successful sleep with their children. I’ve seen so many new families that needed support in this area and helping them with this seemed like a natural addition to my services.

No matter if it’s childbirth education, labor and birth, or sleep consulting, I meet families where they are. It’s not about my wants or goals. I help them achieve their wants and goals.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth has been my biggest source of new clients. Networking has been a huge help. I reach out to other businesses that work with similar clientelle. The majority of my clients are pregnant or newly postpartum, so I network with chiropractors, midwives, OBs, pelvic floor therapists, lactation consultants, physical therapists, etc. Between other birth workers (doulas/midwives), the previous list, and past clients, I really don’t market. I also get clients by commenting and answering questions posted in mom groups on Facebook.

How’d you meet your business partner?

In January of 2021, Samatha joined my agency as doula and independent contractor. She was on my team for about a year when I realized we would make great co-doulas. We decided to join forced around February 2022 and I’m so glad we did. This allows us to have balance between family and work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://empoweredbeginningsatx.com/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/empoweredbeginningsatx_doula
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/empoweredbeginningsatx
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/empowered-beginnings-austin