We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Tawil a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jennifer, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
At 52 years old, I took the risk of embarking upon a totally new career and started my own business.
In December 2021, my boss at the time, NYS Assemblywoman Sandy Galef announced that she would not run for re-election in 2022. In essence, she was planning her retirement after 33 years in public service. Her tenure , and consequently mine, would end on December 31, 2022. I was the Office Manager of her district office for eight (8) years and I had known that whenever she was going to make this announcement, I was going to make a big change in my life and do something completely different as my next career.
As I dug deep into my soul and asked it what it needed, there were a few basic things I came up with. First, the days of sitting all day 9 to 5 at a desk staring at a computer had to become a thing of the past. Have you heard of the phrase, sitting is the new smoking? Second, I wanted to continue to be in a position of helping people in difficult situations as I had the last eight (8) years. Last, this next career had to have a component of improving my health.
In what I can only describe as a lightbulb moment, I decided I wanted to become a postpartum doula. I suddenly had a flashback memory to the time I was anxious and alone in my New York City apartment with a six (6) week-old newborn and feeling paralyzed to do anything besides care for my son. It was at this time that I was RESCUED by my own postpartum doula.
She gave me the confidence to function in my new role as a mother. She gave me the permission I needed to stop struggling and discontinue breastfeeding and she made me a quiche! She brought feelings of calm and ease back into my life.
I immediately enrolled in a postpartum doula and infant care specialist certification course and I hired a business coach, Next, I heard about a free business acceleration group forming that summer, interviewed and was given a spot in their next cohort. In August 2022, I obtained my doula certificate and as required, I became certified for first aid and CPR through the Red Cross.
I knew right away I had to get my feet wet in doula work somehow so I began contacting local doula agencies and was hired to support my first client in September 2022 while continuing to work for the NYS Assembly full time. I was terrified my first day since it had been seventeen (17) years since I had last held a newborn, but I knew that I was perfectly cutout for this work as so many of my friends told me when I shared my new career plans.
By October 2022, I had my own private client who I obtained through advertising in the local Facebook mom groups and by February 2023 I had formed my LLC, Lean On Me Westchester Doula.
It has been an incredible year of ups and downs. The biggest part of this risk was going from a stable weekly paycheck to having to hustle for clients and make enough money to pay my bills, but i am proud to say I have done it. I love working as a postpartum doula and can gladly say it was worth the risk.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
As a postpartum doula, I provide calm, comfort and confidence to all of my client moms and dads. I show up on their doorstep each contractual day with no agenda other than supporting them with whatever it is they need most that day. That can look like doing three loads of laundry, cooking them breakfast, lunch and/or dinner. Sometimes I spend the entire day cooking them freezer meals so they are stocked up for the weekends. Sometimes I care for the newborn or an older sibling so the parent can spend time with the other child. Sometimes I care for the newborn long enough so that the mom or dad can leave the house for doctor appointments or a meetup with a friend.
I believe that my own postpartum experience as well as my subsequent parenting two children with special needs allows me to accept people as they are and without judgment. Many postpartum doulas spend lots of time and money on additional certifications but the truth is, parents of newborns simply need us to give them the rest and support they need so they can focus on bonding with their baby. I like to say that I take the “adulting” off of their shoulders.
During the postpartum period when babies are not sleeping through the night, it is the long days that parents of newborns need help to get through.
I particularly love the bond that I develop with my clients during our time together and I try to keep in touch with each of them. I have even attended the first birthday of some of my client babies.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
From 1992 through 2009 I worked in private business and government offices as an investigator. When opportunities dried up in my local area, I took a chance by accepting a position as Communications Director for NYS Assemblywoman Sandy Galef. While I knew I could fulfill the requirements of the job description, I really had no background in communications. I thought this job would be temporary until i found something in the investigative field but as it turned out, I loved working there which contributed to my eight year tenure there.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
The best way I was able to grow my audience on social media was to network with other practitioners in my local birth worker group. From the beginning, I started to make meetup appointments with other postpartum doulas, birth doulas, chiropractors and sleep consultants in my area.
I also participated in events where I could set up a table to advertise my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.leanonmewestchesterdoula.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifertawilwestchesterdoula/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.f.tawil
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenfieldstawil/
Image Credits
Gregory Perry Photography