Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hillary Melchiors. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hillary , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

I had been working as a doula for 5 years in 2019, and was still trying to find a way to truly connect my doula work to my academic background in medical anthropology. I was still on several academic listservs, and saw an email with a call for proposals for book chapters on obstetric violence. I’d already been having conversations with colleagues about my frustrations with the obstetric violence I was witnessing as a birth doula, and this seemed like an opportunity to blend my practical doula experiences back into an academic publication. The book chapter ended up being my pandemic project that I got to write with Dr. Angela Casteneda entitled: Doulas as Witnesses to Obstetric Violence. The publication of that book was a real defining moment for me professionally in that it felt very much like a full circle moment of coming back to the academic world with my practical experience, and also because it connected me to a circle of colleagues who are just as interested in working at the local level as they are in pushing for systemic change. It was this experience that really pushed me to remember that I love both working hands-on with individual families and using my academic skills to connect my professional experiences with larger policy issues. Writing that chapter was a fulcrum moment for me professionally.

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

In 2014, I graduated with my PhD in Medical Anthropology and trained to become a birth doula in the same month. I was drawn to doula work because I wanted to help people feel as supported as I did when my children arrived and because it felt like a natural extension of applied anthropology work. I now manage an agency with nine doulas who provide birth doula, postpartum doula, placenta encapsulation, and childbirth education services to Evansville, Indiana and the surrounding areas. I love the work that we are able to do locally helping families ease the transition from expecting to beginning. Additionally, I co-host The Birth Geeks podcast with my doula mentor Robin Elise Weiss, and am really proud of the professional service on the board at DONA International from 2023-2025. 2026 is going to be a big year, as I will begin training new birth and postpartum doulas too, and am developing continuing education for doulas to learn to be even better advocates for our clients. I’m very proud of the community building that I’ve been part of at every single level (local, state, national, & international) and the incredibly meaningful way that I get to touch so many lives through this work. I love that doula work requires this beautiful amalgam of every skill I have learned and empathy in action. Blazing your own path as an entrepreneur and disruptor has been challenging and rewarding for me in all the best ways.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Doulas have to know when to be incredibly soft while holding space in the background and when/how to push back hard and/or help their clients do so. Sometimes you have to be able to do all of those things at the very same time, and that type of diplomatic skill is challenging to cultivate but so very appreciated by those who experience it. Understanding that soft advocacy and how to leverage the culture of medicine to help your clients is invaluable as a doula.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Delivering smart experience focused doula services and cultivating a referral network of like-minded adjacent service providers have been the two keys for growing our clientele. When we focus on being the best at what we do and networking with others who do the same, our target market hears about us through all the people that they already trust. That can be really challenging in the beginning, but this formula has been the keystone to my success.

Contact Info:

• Website: doulagroupofevansville.com and hillarymelchiors.com and https://thebirthgeeks.com/
• Instagram: @doulagroupofevansville and @disruptordoula
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evansvilledoulagrp/
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/hillary-melchiors
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@doulagroupofevansville812

Image Credits

Headshot by Erica Bridgewater of ENB Photography