The Doula Darcy Podcast

Episode: From Burned-Out Teacher to Online Childbirth Educator: A Doula Business Story with Lizzie Bollinger (AKA Fierce Lizzy)

Host: Darcy Sauers
Guest: Lizzie Bollinger ("Fierce Lizzy")
Date: March 2, 2026

Episode Overview

In this inspiring conversation, Darcy Sauers sits down with Lizzie Bollinger—widely known as Fierce Lizzy on Instagram—to explore her transition from a burned-out high-school math teacher to a thriving online childbirth educator and doula business owner. The episode delves into the realities and challenges of creating a hybrid or fully digital doula business, the importance of niching down, strategies for launching and marketing an online course, and the mindset shifts crucial for sustainable business growth and personal fulfillment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lizzie’s Origin Story: Burnout and New Beginnings

[02:28]

• Lizzie shares her background as a high school math teacher, explaining how her training in curriculum and instruction equipped her for childbirth education.
• Experiencing burnout, especially after maternity leave, was the catalyst for her career change.
• Quote:

  “I lasted six weeks coming back from maternity leave, and I had a complete mental breakdown—which was a gift—and left because I had no choice. And then it was like, okay, I guess let’s do the thing. Let’s do the birth thing now.” (Lizzie, 03:40)

2. Bringing Doula Work Online Amidst the Pandemic

[05:42]

• 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic made in-person doula and postpartum work almost impossible.
• Lizzie began offering virtual consults and childbirth education, starting with 1:1 sessions and quickly realizing the model wasn’t scalable.
• Transitioned to developing a self-paced online course for expectant families.

3. The Power of Niching Down

[10:59]

• Lizzie explains how she focused on helping mothers prepare for unmedicated births in the hospital—a niche shaped by her personal birth experiences.
• Debunks the fear that narrowing your audience means losing clients; “You can niche down without excluding anyone.” (Lizzie, 12:48)
• Darcy underscores that specificity is magnetic:

  “When you’re niched down and highly specific, someone who wants an unmedicated hospital birth finds your account. They’re like, hell, yes, I’m in.” (Darcy, 12:50)

4. Launching and Selling an Online Course

[14:00]

• Lizzie followed the "launch it before you build it" method, selling her course before fully creating it to validate demand and receive feedback along the way.
• Today, marketing is her main job:

  “My full-time job is the marketing of my birth class… I have to talk about my birth class every single day to get enrollments every month.” (Lizzie, 15:18)

• Dispels myths about "passive income;" ongoing marketing is required.

5. Income, Lifestyle, and Work-Life Balance

[16:16]

• Lizzie now matches her former teaching salary, working around 15 hours a week while homeschooling her three children.
• The shift has brought her more flexibility and fulfillment.

6. Mindset and Motivation

[21:16]

• For Lizzie, mission-driven purpose keeps her going:

  “I don’t make it about me. There is a mom who’s going to walk into the hospital this month… and I don’t want moms to be traumatized. I want them to feel confident and happy and have a positive experience.” (Lizzie, 21:31–22:17)

• Darcy highlights the entrepreneurial drive for freedom, flexibility, and family presence.

7. The Reality of Creating Digital Products as a Doula

[17:51]

• Far fewer doulas successfully launch significant online offerings than commonly believed: of the 20 who joined Lizzie’s coaching program, only about three completed their courses.
• Overcoming tech hurdles and maintaining motivation are key barriers.

8. Redefining Marketing & Sales

[19:13]

• Both host and guest argue that good marketing and sales are simply forms of support and service.
• Lizzie’s analogy:

  “You have to invite the women in your community to your party. And you also have to be excited. If you were like, oh, I have this thing… No, you wouldn’t. That invitation doesn’t work.” (Lizzie, 20:07)

9. Curriculum Licensing for Doulas

[25:49, 26:53]

• To further support birth workers, Lizzie now licenses her comprehensive online curriculum to doulas, allowing them to offer high-quality childbirth education without needing to build a course from scratch.
• This addresses both the knowledge gap in maternal education and the tech overwhelm facing most doulas.

• “The curriculum piece is done and all the doula or birth worker is doing is offering that support. So the curriculum does the heavy lifting.” (Lizzie, 27:52)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The key to not burning out as a doula is having a hybrid doula business where you have some other forms of revenue coming in in addition to going to a birth or going to someone’s house and being their postpartum doula.” (Darcy, 01:31)
• “I’m pretending to be a doula online. It’s not pretending. I’m a birth worker, I just don’t have an offer yet.” (Lizzie, 05:42)
• “Marketing is really just about sharing your passion. That’s all we have to do.” (Darcy, 09:27, referencing Michael Hyatt)

Important Timestamps

• 02:28 – Lizzie describes leaving teaching for doula work
• 05:42 – The impact of COVID and pivoting to online education
• 08:19 – On becoming a childbirth educator before being a doula
• 10:59 – Choosing the unmedicated hospital birth niche
• 14:00 – Launching and selling the online course
• 16:13 – Income and lifestyle as an online educator
• 17:51 – The reality of doulas digitizing their businesses
• 21:16 – Motivation and serving moms
• 25:49 – Licensing curriculum to doulas
• 27:52 – How the curriculum supports both doulas and families

Free Offer & Resources for Doulas

[29:46]

• Lizzie provides a free guide for birth workers and doulas on how to use her comprehensive childbirth curriculum in their own practices—link available in episode show notes.
• She licenses this “done-for-you” content so doulas can increase their impact and revenue without the tech headaches or need for additional certifications.

Where to Find Lizzie

• Instagram: @FierceLizzy
• Curriculum & Community: Unmedicated Academy / The Unmedicated Girlies

Closing Thought

Lizzie and Darcy are living examples of how doulas can successfully transition to online offerings, helping more families while building sustainable, flexible careers. Their stories and strategies are relevant for every doula looking to expand their reach and avoid burnout in today’s digital world.