We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Elizabeth Clark. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Elizabeth below.

Alright, Elizabeth thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

I am a doula with a decade of experience and wow what a different world we live in now. When I started my doula practice, I truly had no idea what it would take to run a success business. I don’t come from a business background, didn’t know any mamas here, but knew I was called to do this work. I knew I wanted to do this (serve mamas), I wanted to be successful (make money), and I wanted to this with my babies by my side. I had already dabbled in some entrepreneurship experiences and was eager to build a business and a career around the hours of mamahood.

Like many doulas do, I found doula work as I became a mama myself. While I knew from the moment I gave birth I wanted to help others find ways to elevate and empower their experience, I was a young, new mama and lost to the process. As those sleepless nights came to and end in the first year(s), I used my energy in the evenings to begin this new doula career. The calling was deep and the nights long as I DIY’d my way through websites, social posts, and trainings. The more I learned of the industry, the more passionate I felt in helping other mamas find the support, education, and resources more easily. I wanted to readily give back to all the new mamas the things I didn’t have easily when I was a new mama.

It was hard to become a doula not only with two littles at home underfoot, but also because at the time, the industry was new, getting paid to “do women’s work” was minimal, and I had to fight for people to understand my value. As a new doula, I was told to work for free, to say my price is one price point, and then offer it at 50-75% off for families. That it was community work and should be given away. And while YES everyone deserves a doula, I have bills to pay, childcare costs of my own, continuing education to pay for, and this doula work is demanding. It was hard to carve out our boundaries, learn to say yes, and learn to say no and to build something that would last in an industry where most doulas burn out in 2 years. I knew the more trainings I did, the more I learned, the more valuable I would become, so I set out to do all the things ASAP. It was a lot of learning, a lot of saying yes, and it truly paid off. Within 5 years of becoming a doula, I had repeat clients, a growing referral list, and a network of families that became MY family after being their doula.

As I made that transition into the space of seasoned doula, I found new doulas who were looking for mentorship. They were equally passionate about making this soul work, career work, and I was able to start a doula mentorship program. This program has morphed into the Looma Birth Collective and is so special to me. All those late nights, those DIY trial and errors weren’t just for me anymore. It’s now advice, education, support, and space for new doulas. They can start faster, quicker, and get paid a fair price for their magical work. In the Collective, they get business mentorship, they get professional resources, and they get leads to help build their own client books.

From there, I can’t believe the way business has grown. Looma Birth is home to 5 doulas who help with our education programs around birth, postpartum, and lactation. We have an in-house Lactation Consultant running clinics and support groups and we just opened our new HQ at Looma Studio! Looma Studio is the newest “baby” in the Looma family and it’s our “home for mamas” Located in Long Beach, CA we offer fitness classes geared around prenatal and postpartum! Our hope with this new space is not only to create the home for mamas by way of custom, boutique fitness classes, but also by providing a community hub for those from pregnancy through toddler years.

I couldn’t be more proud of the families I’ve served, the doulas I’ve helped, and the growth that has happened. My advice for any doulas who are looking to make it a career is yes, you can do it! Be true to yourself and dream big.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi – I’m Elizabeth, a mama of 3 and owner of Looma Birth and Looma Studio. I am passionate about helping mamas to navigate the journey from pregnancy through those early toddler years. Our newly opened Looma Studio, in Long Beach, CA is a home and a hub for our mamas.

Looma Birth is a small boutique Doula Collective, working will a select team of highly trained individuals who will support you in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We want to be your one stop shop to help you succeed in mamahood from birth education classes to postpartum support circles and now our new Lactation services too. Whether you need a birth doula or an overnight postpartum doula, we got you! Supporting mamas where they’re at, with what they need is what we’re about. We want to help you understand your choices, and feel supported as you navigate these new challenges.

Looma Birth teaches all it’s in person classes and hosts it’s lactation clinic at our new sister business, Looma Studio!

Looma Studio officially opened summer of 2024! We offer in-house fitness classes in small, boutique setting (no more than 8 attendees per class) geared to elevate your pregnancy and postpartum journey. We have highly trained instructors who know the physical nuances and how best to support new mamas in these tender moments.

Looma Studio is also a hub for community classes including Baby and Me music class, Spanish class, and story times.

If you are expecting, a new mama, or trying-to-conceive, we would LOVE to have you reach out to find a way we could work together to support you!

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

You have to learn to set boundaries, hold them, and maintain them. This is an industry that will wear you down and it shows with the average doula ‘career’ being 2 years. Whether it’s saying no to a client you would like to work with or saying yes to scheduling time off, you have to have clear boundaries to help you hold the work. When the work can be 24/7 when you’re “on” you have to schedule time off!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think you have to show up with honest intentions. I’ve found that as much as this work is business, it’s personal too. This is not an industry where you can fake it until you make it. This is a space where you have to know who you are, own who you are, and share that with all your clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://loomastudiolb.com
• Instagram: loomastudio.lb
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564012442108
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@loomabirth