We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Merasha Bailey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Merasha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

What did my parents do right ? Wow I don’t think I’ve ever been asked this. My parents did a number of things right by me and for that I am truly grateful. My parents instilled hard work and determination into my soul. They told me on repeat that anything worth having is worth working for ! When things got tough for me, my mother would always say life isn’t fair and it seemed harsh at the moment but it’s what keeps me going now when things get tough. Knowing that everything won’t come easy has given me the determination I have, and that determination allowed me had to complete nursing school, work in the emergency department and fulfill my passion to become a doula !

Merasha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a birth doula ! I coach, train, and advocate for mothers to be able to have a safe and empowered birthing experience! I have a passion for people and I know I was put on this earth to help others.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Resilience is my middle name. Being a nurse has always been a great passion of mine and I never stopped trying to achieve that goal. I received so many no’s to get into nursing school and then I received a yes! From that yes I drove daily back and forth from the eastern shore of Maryland to Columbia, Md daily to attend class!

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

If I could go back I would always chose becoming a nurse then becoming a doula ! Nursing led me to the desire to help more. When the disparities of black maternal health became more prominent I knew I needed to do something! I knew I needed to be a doula in order to help be the advocate and coach for mothers. I knew I had a job to do and I dove straight into it !

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Lavidadoula.com