Meet the Team

Team Leader, Director

Leila Baker is the owner of Side by Side Doula Services. She became a birth and postnatal doula in 2014, and runs a doula preparation course. She is one of the Doula UK Directors and is a mentor and Leadership Team volunteer as well as hosting the Doula UK Podcast. Leila is a massage therapist, hypnobirthing teacher and breastfeeding and babywearing peer-supporter. Leila is passionate about providing inclusive, safe, family-centred support. She lives on the Isle of Wight with her husband and 3 youngest children.

Operations Director

Sara is a doula based in Northern Ireland and part of the collective Doulas of NI. She is passionate about birth, rights in childbirth and women’s choices, and has over 15 years experience in developing and delivering adult, learner-centred education.

Engagement Director

Trudi Dawson has been a member of Doula UK since 2007. Over the years she has volunteered as Committee Secretary, Magazine Editor, Mentor and Course Assessor. Trudi is a Birth and Postnatal doula, Antenatal Teacher, Infant Feeding Specialist, Holistic Sleep Coach and RYT 325hrs Yoga Instructor. She lives in East Sussex with her three children, three cats and should learn to say ‘no’ more. 

Finance Director

Katrina joined the volunteer Leadership Team as Head of Finance in May 2017. Katrina works in retail finance at the Furness Building Society and holds a DFSM diploma in financial services management. She has been a member of Doula UK since 2007.

Mentoring Coordinator

Michelle Bennett has been a doula since 2010. She lives in Staffordshire and is area rep for Doula UK. She joined the leadership team as a volunteer in 2019 as coordinator of mentoring. She has a passion for supporting new doulas and is an active doula mentor. She is also a Mom to 5 wonderful children and Nana to 3 grandsons. 

Partnership Coordinator

Kirstie is an experienced doula, perinatal educator, and owner of The Essex Birth Company. She has a passion for ensuring families have a positive pregnancy, birth, and postnatal period, through education, support and sharing her workshops. Kirstie is also passionate about bringing people together and building positive and supportive relationships. She believes we should all be supporting one another to thrive. Currently studying to become a perinatal psychotherapist, mental health for families and birth workers is at the forefront of Kirstie’s mind. 

Rep Coordinator

Manda is a birth and postnatal doula with a passion for (re-)creating community spaces around pregnancy, birth and parenting. Manda has a background is in psychotherapy and cares deeply about inclusion. Manda is hard of hearing and part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Access Fund Coordinator

Kimberly (aka The Birth Doula UK) lives in Essex with her husband and two daughters aged 5 and 7. She has been a doula since 2020, prior to that Kimberly was a hypnobirthing instructor for several years and before that worked in London in various corporate roles around policy, process change, and project management.

Support Coordinator | Business, Operations and Support Assistant

Michele is a doula in Derbyshire, a Mother of 4 and a Grandmother to 6! She is also an enthusiastic community volunteer for the following organisations: The Breastfeeding Network, Derbyshire Maternity & Neonatal Voices Partnership and Connected Perinatal Support CIC. Michele also works for Doula UK as our Designated Safeguarding Lead and is also employed as Business, Operations and Support Assistant.

Joint CPD Coordinators

Ellie and Luiza are birth & postnatal doulas, antenatal teachers & birth trauma practitioners. They work in a shared care capacity supporting families through pregnancy, birth & beyond. They’re passionate about supporting their fellow doulas, new & experienced, to continue to find passion in their work, whilst also caring for themselves.

Events Coordinator

Jo recently trained as a doula and has wanted to work with mums to be and new mums for over 13 years. Jo is a mum to a 13 year old daughter and a 10 year old son. She loves to workout and has worked as a personal trainer in the past. Jo also works as a Virtual Assistant and runs her own business.

Training Coordinator

Alison Ogier has been a doula since 2012 and has been on the Leadership Team since in various roles. She co-coordinates Training, the Doula Support Network and is the Rep for Essex. She is passionate about choice, doulas, Doula UK and empowering the people we support. She moved from Guernsey to the UK in 1998 and has six children. She is a Chair of Governors; Barnardos Infant feeding volunteer, loves fundraising and her chihuahua.

Communications, Engagement and Fundraising Manager

Sarah is a birth doula and mentor based in North Yorkshire. Sarah began her doula career in 2011 and started working for Doula UK in 2019. As part of her role she enjoys producing the annual conference, writing newsletters, editing the website, promoting doulas in the press, organising events, fundraising and supporting volunteers. She is driven by her desire to improve the experience of all families during and after the birth of a baby.

Policy Coordinator

Olivia joined the volunteer Leadership Team as Policy Coordinator in October 2016 and has served three terms as Director. Olivia is a doula, hypnobirthing teacher and co-facilitates the Positive Birth Movement Chiswick. Olivia has a background in communications and research, with a remit spanning copy writing, environmental policy and performance, and maternal health research.

Community Coordinator

Tara is a doula working in Belfast as part of the collective Doulas of NI and the owner of The Little Yoga House Belfast, a women's only studio helping women of all life stages feel, strong, confident and safe in their bodies through the nurturing power of yoga,  reflexology and holistic birth support.

She is a mum of 3 children, who are the inspiration for all that she does and loves good food, good cocktails and good craic.