We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sabia Wade a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Sabia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.
In everything that I do, I center BIPOC folks and de-center whiteness. That’s how we speak to and lift up the under resourced communities that have been systemically left out of the capitalist market. As a Black, queer CEO, my goal is to build bridges and make it clear that things that have felt unattainable, or far fetched, are actually within reach. Things such as venture capital, support, or liberation of self through living in accordance with your own needs. When we better understand ourselves, we step into our power and can operate from a place that is correct for us and not just in accordance with the narrative of the white patriarchy.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I started this work by working in hospital systems and then volunteering as a prison birth doula, and through that work, I quickly learned that systems in our society don’t serve everybody equally. This inspired me to begin my journey as a Full Spectrum Doula, centering my services on accessibility for the BIPOC birthing community and opening up For The Village, a non-profit providing free and low cost doula care to the San Diego community. After having trouble finding a doula training organization that aligned with my values, I made the decision to create Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings (BADT), an inclusive, accessible doula training org offering a wide range of trainings, courses, and workshops to help doulas be active change agents in reproductive health culture locally, nationally, and globally. In my work as a doula, I’ve been able to share my thoughts on how reproductive justice is interconnected – it is in the food we eat, the water we drink, the transportation and housing we have access to, our health care, the availability of culturally congruent care providers, etc. I am a public speaker, executive coach, business mentor, consultant, investor, and most recently, the author of “Birthing Liberation: How Reproductive Justice Can Set Us Free”.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Overall, I believe that it is in the way that I show up. I am transparent in everything I do and very clear about my advocacy, values, and what I stand for. I am skilled at being a bridge for many different communities, for folks in transitions, and I believe that it is my focus on liberation of self that really speaks to people. As a self-proclaimed Birth Neoterist, it is my mission to change the future of birth and reproductive justice for communities. That journey includes a homecoming – learning from the past and connecting back to ourselves. I am an unapologetic advocate for rest, luxury, and ease as we decondition from the need to constantly do, do, do.
Any advice for managing a team?
We are all in business to support ourselves, build generational wealth, and make a difference, but not at the expense of our basic human needs. That is a theme that I aim to model as a leader and support for my team. Take time to check in with your team, make sure they are feeling supported, and give them space to work through problems (either professional or personal). This is crucial for maintaining high morale and building a sustainable culture in general. But as a leader, it is also important to know that you don’t have to take on everything that your team is feeling – that can be a lot – make sure you have your boundaries set, and that you are able to set up support systems for your team that don’t require you to be the absorber all the time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sabiawade.com/
- Instagram: @sabiawade
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabiawade
- Twitter: @Sabia_Wade
- Other: https://substack.com/profile/41346248-sabia-wade-the-black-doula https://www.amazon.com/Birthing-Liberation-Reproductive-Justice-Free/dp/1641607963