About 20 years ago while in graduate school, I began volunteering through the Hearts & Hands Volunteer Doula program at the University of California, San Diego’s Medical Center. My doula work ignited a passion for supporting families through childbirth. However, I was also beginning a career in academia at the time, which I was also very excited about, so I decided I would return to birth work later in life as a second career. After almost two decades working in academia as a biology professor and university administrator, I took an educational leave in 2023-2024 to complete a second bachelor’s degree in nursing, childbirth education training, and yoga teacher training, and to intern at The Birth Center in Bloomington, Illinois. Now, through Birth with Bekky, LLC, I teach Hypnobabies Hypnobirthing, yoga, and consult with families using wisdom cultivated throughout parenthood, life, nursing, and scientific expertise.

Outside of my career, I am mother to a young woman who inspires me every day. I am partner to a beautiful and loving person who sets everything right in my world. I practice yoga nearly every day. I love learning (currently Portuguese!), trying new things, and meeting people. I enjoy gardening and vegan cooking.

Like all other birth workers, my belief system guides my practice. I strongly believe in bodily autonomy, in the responsibility of healthcare practitioners to seek explicit consent, and that childbirth should be guided by the pregnant person. I believe in the wisdom of women’s bodies and their intuition, particularly during birth. I also notice that evidence-based obstetrical and nursing practices most often align with that wisdom. Hence, I am a strong proponent of evidence-based birthing.