Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tara Duncan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tara, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.
My mom was a single parent for most of my childhood, and because of this sometimes she wasn’t home to spend quality time with my sister and myself the way that I wanted her to. But we also never wanted for anything. The things we needed we had. My mom worked hard. She was in the medical field for over 32 years, she was very sweet but strict. She wanted us to have a good education and be successful. Coming from a childhood of growing up in Jamaica and not getting the chance to go to college, education was something she instilled in us. She also told us if you want something bad enough you get out there and work for it. My mom worked 3 jobs at one point to take care of us and I definitely enherited that trait from her.
Tara, 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?
My name is Tara Duncan and I am a Birth and Postpartum Doula. I have been in NC for 5 years now and I truly have made this state my home. Although, I started my doula work journey working for different agencies; I also own a business as well. My company is called Angel Doula Services LLC. I carter to the whole Triangle of NC, serving areas like Durham, Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Cary, and Fayetteville. I love to help empower and educate my clients to advocate for themselves during their pregnancy and labor. I come from a customer service background of over 15 years, and connecting with people is something I love to do. If you need support during pregnancy I would love to support you.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Just like many business owners, I got overwhelmed thinking about the amount of time I would have to post and market myself on social media. But unfortunately in this field you have to put yourself out there and be social and let your presence be known. I knee I had to do something I just didn’t have the capacity to do it myself. I turned to a social media manager for help. I used the person who had already been doing my website, graphics, contracts, etc to help me post and get my presence up. Something that has also been helpful getting new clients are networking websites that specialize in doulas and insurance. Becoming apart of different networks has been extremely helpful in the grand scheme of things.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Life can take unexpected turns and somethings we have to hold to whatever we can, while some things get pushed to the side momentarily. In January of 2023 my mom passed away. I felt like the whole world had stopped turning and I needed to find my rhythm again. I didn’t take anytime to grieve and it messed with me business wise. Although, some people thrive with keeping busy in those moments for a healthy distraction, I apparently am not one of those people. But I didn’t know any better, cause I’ve been through this before. And as much you can prepare, you are never ready to loose a parent. But I kept pushing, my mom would want me to. I never gave up, I took the feedback bosses gave me and applied it to my work, and ran towards the future. The biggest lesson it taught me is to honor yourself first, and that it’s ok to take breaks to deal with life. If I’m not ok, I’m no good to anyone else.
Contact Info:
- Website: Angeldoulaforus.com
- Instagram: @doulaforus
- Facebook: Facebook.com/angeldoulaforus