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

Alright, Stephanie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?

The first job I undertook in my career was teaching prenatal and postpartum yoga at the Bodhi Yoga studio in Provo. When I had first started my yoga teacher training I was quite certain I would NEVER teach yoga. The very idea of standing in front of a roomful of people who were looking at my body to guide them in their practice felt terrifying beyond belief. And yet, through 18 months of yoga immersion, I was changing and evolving to the point that I felt I could and wanted to teach. Prenatal yoga felt like the perfect place to jump in because I had been pregnant for a good portion of my training. Yoga was changing the way I engaged with pregnancy, my body, my mind—my whole inner landscape was not the same. I was passionate about brining yoga to the birth community because of how it much it had improved my own experiences with birth. From there, I started leading couples workshops which evolved into the comprehensive Bhava Birth course today. Doula work came next, which brought me into the climactic moment and ultimate bridge-crossing into parenthood. Postpartum doula work and mentoring was the icing on the cake as it gave me a way to be involved with families for the whole childbearing year. I look back with so much gratitude for my yoga teacher foundation and how it’s led me into my dharma—helping women step into their power through the childbirth process.

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

I am a rebirth mentor. I believe that childbirth provides the perfect ingredients for rapid personal growth, healing, and empowerment. The stakes are high in birth and you have a critical window of time to learn self-advocacy, mind-body connection, the language of your intuition, and how to be confrontational in healthy ways. Those skills enhance every area of your life! I soon realized that becoming a childbirth educator, yoga teacher, and doula was really about mentoring women in the sacred process of rebirth—I guide and stand witness to my clients as they shed the old layers of who they were and embrace with confidence the new and improved version of themselves. My offerings are equal parts practical and spiritual and include the following: the Bhava Birth retreat, Thai Yoga sessions, personal mentoring, Natal Chart readings, belly binding, private yoga sessions, hosting ceremonies and circles, birth and postpartum doula services, audio recordings, and the Birth Mystics podcast. There’s something for every budget and birth need.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Networking, networking, networking. Hands down the majority of my clients come to me by word of mouth, sometimes from past clients but even more so from fellow birth workers. The more I get out of my comfort zone and network with other doulas, midwives, lactation specialists, herbalists, and chiropractors (to name a few) the more I’ve seen my business grow. Instead of trying to accost every pregnant person I encounter out in the community I’ve learned to go where the pregnant people gather—what’s their watering hole? They go to those providers! It saves energy and engenders a warm referral path where they come seeking me instead of me having to seek for them.

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

I’m an achiever and I highly value finished products. I like to set out and accomplish my goals. I never realized that in starting my own business I wouldn’t necessarily ever reach “the end.” My business is constantly growing and evolving in new and exciting ways. Though I love that process it also creates a feeling of never-endingness that can wear my achiever heart down if I let it. Whenever I’m feeling discouraged with how far I have yet to go, or if I’m comparing myself to others in the field and feeling hard on myself, I step back and focus on how far I’ve come. Look at everything I’ve created over the years. Look at all the clients I’ve served. Look at everything I’ve accomplished. It has a way of bringing me back into the present and reminding me that my business was never meant to be done. Instead, it was meant to be an extension of my passion, a vehicle for serving others while also financing my life. It’s enough that it is where it is. And furthermore, my business has grown in proportion with my abilities and confidence. If it grew too big too fast I’d likely not be able to keep up. Small and organic growth is the best way to ensure you have a stable foundation underneath you. Recognize that you’re growing right alongside your business and both of you need to stay connected and grounded in that process.

Contact Info:

• Website: bhavabirth.com
• Instagram: @bhava_birth
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bhavabirth/
• Other: The Birth Mystics Podcast: https://stephanie8r.podbean.com

Image Credits
Lindsey Rivera, Alejandro Araos