Meet Ann Morris CD(DONA) | Certified Birth & Postpartum Doula & Childbirth Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ann Morris CD(DONA) and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ann, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
If I am being 100% honest, this is definitely something I continue to work on daily. I have two kiddos, one who is school-aged and one who is a toddler. Everyday, when my toddler takes a nap, I utilize those 2 hours to work on my business. This is my most productive time of the day, as I can give my undivided attention to whatever needs to be done – like writing emails, hosting zoom meetings, conducting research for social media content and blogposts, or taking phone calls from clients or prospective clients.

However, more often than not, I am not able to finish all of my tasks within that 2 hour time block. Some days, my son wakes up sooner than normal, and I have to push aside any unfinished work to shift my attention to him. In those instances, I have to squeeze in making calls while driving to pick up my 6 year old from school, or writing emails while making a snack for my toddler, or scheduling meetings while going for a stroller walk outside.

If you are also a one woman (or man) show like me, then you can likely understand that majority of the time, it can feel like the work never ends. There is ALWAYS something to be done, especially if you juggle wearing the CEO hat, the marketing hat, the sales hat, the bookkeeper hat, and the project management hat like I do.

Work/life balance does not always come easily for me, however, it is something I long to find more clarity in as I seek to create a sustainable life as both a mom and an entrepreneur.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am a Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula, so I work with expecting families through pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. The foundation of my relationship with my clients is laid during the prenatal meetings that take place during their second and third trimesters. I always coach my clients on how to write a birth plan that care providers will actually read and respect, as I feel strongly about educating my moms and dads on their general labor options, the benefits, risks, and alternatives to common hospital interventions, and how to navigate variations of normal during birth.

During these personalized virtual and in-person meetings, we discuss a number of topics. I completely customize every discussion to meet the individualized needs of the client, as each family is different. Some couples want to learn about breaking down their birth fears, practicing pain coping methods, and fueling the body for birth, whereas others may want to discuss how to support the woman in labor (for partners,) preparing for postpartum, and breastfeeding immediately after birth. Something that sets me apart from other doulas is this customized approach to childbirth education.

I am currently working on creating a comprehensive guidebook to pregnancy, birth, and the immediate postpartum period. It will consist of numerous chapters such as Foundational Birth Preparation, Building a Support Team Specific to Your Preferences, Nutrition: Eating for a Better Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum, Mindset and Pain, The Key to a Calm Postpartum, and more! This will be for purchase on my website by the Fall of 2024. This is probably what I am most excited about in my business right now!

Ann Morris Doula Services, LLC, has been in business since 2019. The past five years have definitely been a myriad of up’s and down’s, as is typical with any business venture. I have learned SO much in the trial and error process, taken risks, and put myself in situations WAY outside of my comfort zone more times than I can count.

Some of the lessons that I have learned along the way include: the value of learning from mistakes, collaboration over competition, and the importance of surrounding myself with and learning from people doing what I want to be doing.

As an entrepreneur, I believe it is crucial to expect mistakes and failures as you work towards your goals. Have so much grace for yourself! The most successful people in the world have also failed, but did that stop them from moving forward? Of course not. It is my hope that I will continue to learn from my mistakes just like those who came before me did.

“Collaboration over competition” has been a motto I have implemented into my work for as long as I can remember. In today’s digital world, with social media at the center of it, it can seem like competition is the only way to success. However, I have found the complete opposite to be true. Collaborating with others in my field, both in-person via networking opportunities and virtually via podcast and Instagram interviews, guest blogposts, and social media partnerships, has proven to have innumerable benefits for me and my business.

Lastly, I have learned the importance of surrounding myself with mentors and other birthworkers who are creating the kind of content, products, and services that I hope to be creating, serving the kind of clients that I hope to be serving, and ultimately living the kind of life I hope to be living. In doing so, I am able to implement new strategies and systems into my business in order to be as efficient as possible.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting my family and me in Lawrenceville, Georgia for the week, I would give them the ultimate Atlanta experience! I consider myself and my best friends to definitely be foodies, so I would most definitely take that into account when planning our stops.

We would first visit local downtown Lawrenceville. If the weather was nice, I’d take my friend to grab a coffee to-go at Boulder Creek Coffee or Reyna’s. We would peruse the shops off Main Street, like Liberty Books, T&T Plants & Things, Nancy’s Candy & Spice, and Becca’s Well Tea House & Market. Then, we would head over to the Lawrenceville Lawn to play volleyball or people watch, followed by lunch or dinner on the roof at McCray’s Tavern or Añejo.

On another day, we would head southwest towards downtown Atlanta. First, we would grab a specialty donut and coffee from The Salty Donut in the Old Fourth Ward. Then, my friend and I would walk off some of those calories by walking or renting bikes for an adventure along the Atlanta Beltline Eastside Trail. We would definitely make a stop at the Krog Street Tunnel, a pedestrian and bicyclist friendly tunnel known for its street art. Once we needed to refuel, we could stop for brunch at Krog Street Market or Ponce City Market, both indoor food halls with a large variety of dining options. Next, we would head over to Centennial Park to wander around the gardens and lawns and catch a free event. For dinner, we would make our way to Le Bon Nosh, a delectable restaurant that utilizes the freshest ingredients from local farmers in Buckhead.

On Sunday, we would go to church at LifeGate Church International in Snellville, and then head over to Downtown Duluth. We would grab a bite to eat at Duluth Coffee Kitchen or the Falling Rabbit. Then, we would grab a coffee from Break Coffee Roasters and explore the various vendors at the Duluth Farmers and Artisan Market.

If my friend happened to be visiting September-November, we would spend an afternoon riding the hayrides, petting the animals, and pumpkin picking at the Buford Corn Maze in Buford, Georgia. After working up an appetite, I would take my friend over to Tequila Mama for Mexican food and to window-shop at the Mall of Georgia.

Here’s a sign to all of my friends to come visit me! 😚

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Yes, 1,000%! I would not be the doula or woman that I am today if it weren’t for a few key individuals in my life.

The first shoutout is for my Doula Mentor and Business Coach and Childbirth Educator Trainer, Kyleigh Banks of www.birthworker.com. Kyleigh went from being a wanna-be doula to the CEO of a multi-six figure birth business in less than three years. I started following Kyleigh’s account called “The Autonomy Mommy” on Instagram in 2020 after some of her posts went viral. She has always had a way of unashamedly sharing content that many doulas oftentimes *think* about, but are normally too afraid to post as a result of being canceled or called out as being judgmental or biased. From the get-go, Kyleigh has passionately encouraged doulas like me to build sustainable businesses that don’t require them to be on call 24/7, businesses that allow us to turn our passions for birth into profitable and impactful careers by implementing a mix of in-person work with virtual, passive offers. I am so grateful I stumbled upon Kyleigh on social media back in 2020, as I have implemented many of her suggestions and seen tremendous growth in my business as a result!

The second shoutout is for my former Doula Partner, Colleague, and amazing Friend, Nicky Quick of www.serene-bebe.com. Nicky has served families as a birth and postpartum doula for 15+ years. She is the founder and co-owner of Serene Bebe, a birth and postpartum doula agency that serves families in-person in Suncoast and along Southwest Florida. Nicky is a skilled businesswoman, a compassionate mentor to new and seasoned doulas alike, mother of 5 kiddos, and friend. She came alongside me when I was a new doula and provided me with valuable insight whenever I had doula-related questions (which was often!) and placed me with families within her agency, thus giving me the experience I so needed during those early years. Nicky and I partnered together as a doula team from 2020-2022, and served between 5-7 families per month during that time. We attended all of our clients’ prenatal meetings together and shared an on-call calendar that allowed us both the ability to prioritize a healthy work/life balance. I am so grateful that Nicky is a part of my life, as she has played such an integral, important part of my journey in becoming a doula.

Website: http://www.annmorris-doula.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annmorrisatldoula/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ccc71b94-3b19-4a46-9542-7ffe9672a86a&ig_mid=AD941293-88BF-4363-8533-D324B04B70DB

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annmorrisatldoula/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ann-morris-doula-services-lawrenceville

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiX5o2mw8KjdK_lw2C_fzoA

Image Credits
Beckah Lee Photography