Podcast Summary: The Doula Darcy Podcast

Episode: Stop Trading Hours for Dollars in your Doula Business
Host: Darcy Sauers
Release Date: September 2, 2025

Main Theme / Purpose

This episode focuses on how doulas can move beyond the traditional "hours for dollars" business model to build more scalable, sustainable, and fulfilling careers. Darcy shares practical strategies, mindset shifts, and real-world examples for creating a “hybrid doula business” that combines in-person support with passive and diversified income streams. The goal: help doulas avoid burnout, increase their impact, and secure their place in a growing, much-needed industry.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Problem with Trading Hours for Dollars

• Many doulas leave the profession due to burnout, exhaustion, or inability to earn enough without working unsustainable hours.
• Darcy: "If your doula work has to be paying your income...a lot of times it’s hard to make that work without doing five overnights a week or eight births a month...the pace you’re going at now is not sustainable. But you still want to be a doula." (03:10)

2. The Value Doulas Bring & the Need to Stay in the Field

• Doulas have deep, ever-growing expertise vital for new and expecting families, especially as maternal health crises persist.
• There’s an urgent need to keep experienced doulas engaged, not burnt out or forced out due to financial constraints.
• Darcy: "We have all these experienced doulas and new doulas with all this knowledge. I don’t want that to get sucked out of the world when there’s all these people having babies who need it." (07:08)

3. Darcy's Personal Journey: Income Limits and Change

• Darcy describes her own experience hitting an “income ceiling” as a postpartum doula and the pivotal decision to add passive income streams and agency structure.
• Key influences: Online business models by Kate Northrup, Marie Forleo, Amy Porterfield, and others.
• Darcy: "I have tripled my income from my corporate marketing job, and I work way less hours than I ever have at any other job...and help so many more people now than I ever did one-on-one as a doula." (11:25)

4. Hybrid Doula Business Model

• A mix of in-person work, agency structure, and passive/online income streams (like courses, downloads, group programs).
• The approach offers flexibility, sustainability, greater reach, and opens up time for self-care and family.
• Darcy: "I call the hybrid doula business model where I was doing some in-person work...and then adding in these passive income streams." (13:50)

5. Why the Doula Profession is Growing

• Current and future demand: 140 million births globally per year (UN data), $40B industry by 2032.
• Gen Z parents prefer online learning and digital support—an opportunity for doulas to adapt digital offerings.
• Darcy: "Babies are still being born and their parents need us. So we cannot burn out. We cannot let our experience and our expertise just fade away." (18:06)

6. Treating Doula Work as a Serious Business

• Overcoming discomfort about charging or “being a business."
• Emphasizes the mindset shift necessary to grow (example of Christine Rogers’ success: from $1,500 hobby to $100,000+ career).
• Darcy: "The first step that I want you to take is to take your business seriously and treat it as a business...Yes, you can have a business that helps people. There’s nothing wrong with that." (22:02)
• Notable Story: Christine Rogers, former bakery worker, transitioned to full-time doula and course creator, now earning six figures from Alaska.

7. Opportunities for Digital & Scalable Offerings

• Digital courses, guides, prerecorded videos, downloads, group programs, unique physical/digital products—all as options for non-hourly income.
• Start by recognizing what you’re teaching/doing repeatedly (“what do you say to every client?”), and systematize or package it.
• Darcy: "There’s things you say to every single client...this is the magical key. This is the first key to unlock passive income. Solve the problems that your clients have." (32:37)
• Example: Repurposing guides or checklists you already give to clients, prettifying them, and selling them as standalone resources.

8. Leveraging Community & Business Support

• Importance of finding and connecting with a support group of other female entrepreneurs and doulas.
• Research: Women with close-knit groups experience greater earnings, opportunities, and satisfaction.
• Darcy: "The key to success for female entrepreneurs was an inner circle of other female entrepreneurs...you need that inner circle of peers as you do this for emotional support, honest feedback, helping you navigate the challenges and helping you grow." (39:33)

9. Mindset: Move Past Fear—Just Start!

• “Just start.” Don’t try to get it perfect before launching.
• Choose a passion-aligned niche and map out the journey you want to guide your clients on (“the bridge” strategy).
• Darcy: "The best news is...there are an infinite number of ways to add revenue streams into your doula business for as many people listening, for as many doulas." (35:40)
• Darcy: "The thing I want to impress on you as we wrap up is just start. The sooner you start, the sooner you work out the kinks and the sooner you get going." (36:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On burn-out: “Doulas are exhausted. They’re running on the edge of burning out. But...their passion for this work has not gone out. They still want to help.” (13:08)
• On digital opportunity: “Gen Z wants to learn online. They want to learn on their couch, on their phone, in little pockets of time. They do not want to give up their Saturdays to go sit in hospital classrooms.” (27:40)
• On making more time/impact: “No matter how hard I worked as a postpartum doula, I was only ever helping one mom at a time. And yes, that’s huge. But I knew there were hundreds of millions of other parents and babies out there.” (29:36)
• On passive income ideas: “If you just start doing virtual group programs...you’re still trading your hours for dollars, but instead of with one person, you’re teaching to a group. So you’re earning more for that one hour.” (35:22)
• On starting before you’re ready: “That’s my only regret—I wish I had started on my passive income streams way back when my kids were little.” (37:44)
• On inner circle: “Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.” (41:14, quoting Oprah)
• On growth mindset: “Do you want to stay stuck...or do you want to make a change and grow?” (41:45)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:45-04:50 – Opening: Back-to-school energy, introducing the sustainability theme
• 07:05-11:20 – Darcy’s personal story: hitting the “income ceiling” and discovering online business
• 13:45-14:30 – The “hybrid doula” business model explained
• 18:00-20:00 – Evidence: birth rates, industry growth, and Gen Z learning preferences
• 22:00-25:30 – Mindset shift: from “cute hobby” to real business; Christine Rogers’ story
• 27:38-29:36 – Digital learning and passive income opportunities in doula work
• 32:37-36:20 – Implementing: turning repeated advice and resources into products
• 36:44-39:33 – Just start; practical first steps; finding your niche
• 39:33-42:00 – The power and necessity of an entrepreneurial support community
• 41:45-43:48 – Final call to action: join Doula Village, community, resources, and support

Summary Takeaways

• Doula work is vital and in demand, but unsustainable business models lead to burnout.
• By shifting mindset and business approach, doulas can create flexible, lucrative, and impactful careers.
• Mixing in-person work with digital and scalable offerings (the hybrid model) is not only possible but essential for long-term success.
• Community and mentorship accelerate growth—don’t do it alone.
• The time to start is now; begin with what you know and have passion for, and let your business evolve.

For more resources and connection, Darcy invites listeners to join her Doula Village membership and free Facebook group, and to reach out on Instagram @thedouladarcy.