Hi, I'm Ashley.

…your doula, hype person, strategic researcher, and mom friend.

I've wanted to be a doula since I learned what the word meant. I was studying Women's Studies at UNC Greensboro, getting deep into reproductive justice, and thinking hard about what birth looks and feels like for people in America. Specifically, I was exploring ideas about who gets supported, who gets dismissed, and what it means to actually feel powerful in one of the most significant moments of your life.

Then life happened (in the best way). I moved around, settled back into my hometown, and had three wild little humans. I went back to school, became a school librarian, and have spent a decade teaching little people to ask big, important questions. Somewhere in all of that, I realized something about myself: I am genuinely obsessed with watching things grow. Plants, students, and now families.

I had incredible birth experiences, but too many of the people I love didn't. Not because anything went medically wrong, but because nobody made them feel like they were the ones in charge. They got shuffled through a system that made a miracle feel mundane.

Families deserve better, and that’s exactly why Kinfolk Birth Co. exists. It’s my personal mission to make space for a better birth experience for all kinds of people.

why me

A woman with curly brown hair, wearing a pink and white striped shirt, light blue ripped jeans, and sandals, holding a young child with blond hair, a pacifier, white shirt, dark overalls, in a park with trees, grass, and parked cars in the background.

Here's what I bring to the table:

Over a decade working with families in Hampton Roads. I know this community, I love this community, and I'm not going anywhere.

Graduate degrees in Women's Studies and Education. I have a passion for reproductive justice, which means I understand the systems you're navigating and I'll help you navigate them with confidence.

My days are spent teaching critical thinking and information literacy to elementary students. Everything I share with you will be grounded in current research, not fear or folklore. I believe in connecting people to good information and encouraging them to ask the questions that will help them draw their own conclusions.

Three of my own birth experiences. All three were different and instructive in their own ways. I know what it feels like to be confident and supported, and I know what a difference it makes.

But my biggest doula flex is actually that I just really care. About you, about your birth, about the person you're becoming. Supported people support people, and the world could use more of us.

Let’s be friends.

If you’ve read this far, I think we might be a good fit. Once you fill out the form and hit “submit,” we can schedule a no-pressure chat to see how I can help support the birth of your dreams - or at very least, help you get started dreaming.