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Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast
The Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast, in conjunction with Your Birth Biz, is a podcast for birth and postpartum professionals who want to grow sustainable, ethical businesses without burning out or losing themselves along the way.
Hosted by Niamh Cassidy, childbirth educator, IBCLC lactation consultant, and business coach to birth workers, this podcast sits at the intersection of business, birth work, values, and real life.
Niamh started her own perinatal business as a side hustle while working full-time in social care, and knows first-hand how challenging it can be to fill classes, attract clients, and stay confident when everyone else seems to be “doing better”. She’s been through the comparison spiral, the over-consumption of business advice, and the frustration of learning from business spaces that don’t understand the ethics, boundaries, and responsibilities of perinatal work.
Through years of learning, testing, adapting (and unlearning), Niamh has built a fully booked lactation practice and successful education and coaching business — without resorting to fear-based marketing, unethical tactics, or stepping away from client work she loves.
This podcast is a mix of:
- Solo episodes on business, mindset, visibility, boundaries, and sustainability
- Guest conversations with birth workers and women in business
- Panel discussions exploring nuanced topics at the crossover of business and birth work
Expect honest conversations, thoughtful critique of “one-size-fits-all” business advice, and practical insights you can actually apply to your own practice.
If you’re a doula, lactation consultant, antenatal educator, or perinatal professional who wants to grow a business that feels aligned, ethical, and genuinely supportive — you’re in the right place.
Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast
Ep. 74: Getting Started in Birth Work: What We Wish We’d Known
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What does it really take to get started in birth work — and stay there?
In this episode, I’m joined by Jen Crawford, life and business coach, parent educator, mentor and doula trainer, with over 15 years’ experience supporting families and shaping skilled, grounded birth workers across Ireland. Between us, we’ve:
- trained and mentored hundreds of birth workers
- supported thousands of families
- built and scaled sustainable birth-work businesses
- and seen far too many brilliant practitioners leave this work unnecessarily due to burnout, lack of support, or unrealistic expectations.
In this honest, grounded and at times possibly controversial conversation, we’re coming together as two of Ireland and Europe’s leading voices in birth work and birth-business to share what we both wish we’d known when we were starting out, and what we now know makes the biggest difference.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Why birth work may be a calling, but it still needs to be a viable career
- The foundations every birth worker needs before worrying about visibility or marketing
- Mindset shifts that help you move from passion to sustainability
- Values, boundaries and energy management in emotionally demanding work
- Why “there’s not enough work” is a myth, and what actually matters instead
- The dangers of black-and-white thinking and fear-based narratives in birth work
- Collaboration vs conflict within maternity systems
- How to protect yourself from burnout and stay in this work long-term
- The role of support, community and professional guidance when you’re starting out
This episode is for you if:
- You’re considering training as a doula, lactation consultant, antenatal educator or other birth worker
- You’re newly qualified and wondering “Why is this harder than I thought?”
- You love the work but feel unsure about how to make it sustainable
- You want a values-led, ethical approach to birth work and business
- You’re tired of absolutist advice and want nuance, realism and encouragement
Jen and I both believe that there is plenty of work for everyone and that birth work is really just a fledgling industry with so much more growth potential. We are both hurt by seeing good birth workers quit and this conversation is about changing that, starting from the very beginning.
About Jen Crawford
Jen is a life and business coach, parent educator, mentor and doula trainer with over 15 years’ experience. She has trained and mentored hundreds of doulas, supported thousands of families, and co-founded Ireland’s first national doula agency. In 2026, she continues to lead group doula trainings and coach birth workers across Ireland and internationally.
You can connect with Jen here:
Website: jen-crawford.com
Doula training: @jencrawforddoulawisdom
Coaching: @jencrawfordcoaching
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