Why Doulas Need Networking

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Doula Darcy Podcast

Episode Title: Why Doulas Need Networking
Host: Darcy Sauers
Guest: Sierra Morgan (Owner, Empowered Beginnings; Host, Birth Baby Podcast; Founder, Birth Baby Academy)
Release Date: June 22, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deeply into the crucial topic of networking for doulas. Host Darcy Sauers is joined by Sierra Morgan, an experienced doula, educator, and agency owner, to discuss how purposeful networking has been foundational for growing Sierra's business and can be transformative for doulas at any stage. The conversation is packed with actionable advice, myth-busting, authentic anecdotes, and strategies to make networking accessible—even for introverts or those who shy away from traditional marketing.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Networking Trumps Traditional Advertising

• [02:05-02:18] Sierra:
  • "When we talk about marketing and advertising...the biggest takeaway...is, don't waste your time spending money on marketing and advertising."
  • Insight: Referrals from people within the industry are far more effective and authentic than paid ads or traditional marketing, especially for newer doulas.

2. Expanding the Scope of Networking

• [02:18-03:10] Sierra:
  • Networking is not just connecting with other doulas or clients.
  • Target professionals with overlapping clientele: chiropractors, acupuncturists, pelvic floor PTs, birth photographers, mental health therapists, and more.
  • "Anybody that works with the same population you do is somebody that you want to talk to—and organically and authentically."
• Memorable Quote:
  • "You can't go into these chats thinking, what can they do for me?... None of the conversations that I've had have I done that."

3. Real-World Examples of Effective Networking

• [03:27-04:44] Sierra:
  • Chiropractors are a standout group—especially because they see clients frequently in the perinatal period.
  • Mental health therapists for perinatal support are strong connectors for postpartum and sleep consulting work.
• [06:45-06:48] Fun Moment:
  • Referencing a T-shirt for introvert doulas:
    • Sierra: "Have you seen that shirt? It says, introverted but willing to talk about birth."
    • Darcy: "I need to get it, because that is so me."

4. Authenticity & Relationship-Building

• [07:34-07:57] Sierra:
  • "You don't have to be. And honestly, that's not going to work anyway... People can tell that you're not authentic."
• Advice for Handling Rejection
  • Accept that not everyone will respond or connect—sometimes because people are just busy. Persistence is okay, but don’t take it personally.

5. The Power of Saying Yes

• [08:15-12:08] Sierra: (Instagram Live story, huge payoff)
  • Early in her career, Sierra accepted an invitation to do an Instagram Live with a local chiropractor despite feeling anxious.
  • Years later, when her planned training venue fell through last minute, that same chiropractor offered her beautiful space for free—proving the long-lasting value of genuine connections.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “Just don't say no, just say yes, just do it.” (11:07)

6. How To Network Well: Give, Don't Just Pitch

• [12:08-13:11] Darcy:
  • Don’t make networking emails all about you—show interest in how you can collaborate and mutually benefit the community.
  • "Like, how can we work together to make the community better? I mean, that's what networking is about."

7. Building a Trusted Referral List through Networking

• [14:00-16:48]
  • For both Darcy and Sierra, their most consistent client sources come from Google (SEO) and, more importantly, word-of-mouth from their network.
  • Referring clients only to professionals you’ve personally vetted is essential—your reputation is on the line.

8. Mutually Beneficial Partnerships

• [16:48-19:45] Sierra:
  • Shared a story of securing a free space for teaching hypnobirthing classes by networking with a local chiropractor who was looking to increase her own business' exposure.
  • Emphasizes reciprocity and gratitude, e.g., helping care for the space in return.

9. Dismantling Myths about Networking

• [19:45-20:39] Darcy:
  • Networking is not "sleazy"—when authentic, it feels like natural connection between colleagues who are passionate about supporting families.

10. Avoiding Paid Networking Groups for Doulas

• [20:39-21:45] Sierra:
  • Paid networking groups, like BNI, may fit other industries (ex: pest control) but are unnecessary for doulas. Focus on real, local, and often free connections instead.

11. Efficient Networking: Small Groups and Mixers

• [21:20-23:51] Darcy:
  • Consider joint meetups or networking nights to maximize connections and time.
  • Networking nights facilitate new relationships, sharing of resources, and can lead to lifelong friendships and valuable collaborations.

12. Practical Tips for New or Nervous Networkers

• [24:43-27:17] Sierra:
  • For those struggling to network, start with local mom groups and research commonly recommended service providers.
  • Leverage existing networking/mix-and-mingle events or—if none exist—start your own, even as a newcomer.

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Notable Quotes

• "The best referral sources are other people in the industry... anybody that works with the same population you do is somebody that you want to talk to—and organically and authentically, not sitting there trying to get something out of it." — Sierra Morgan [02:18]
• "Just don't say no, just say yes, just do it." — Sierra Morgan [11:07]
• "If they are referred by someone else that they already trust, you already have an automatic in with the trust. And that is huge..." — Sierra Morgan [14:00]
• "Networking is really just about sharing your passion." — Darcy quoting Michael Hyatt [06:59]
• "You also don't want to be referring to other people in the community that you haven't met yourself... if you refer to somebody and they are a rock star, you look like a rock star because you referred them. If you refer to somebody and they suck...That is going to reflect on you." — Sierra Morgan [14:20]
• "That [networking] is most of [your marketing]." — Sierra Morgan [13:11]
• "You're gathering data that you can pass along to your clients." — Darcy [24:18]
• "If you get a little bit of a happy accident, payoff of some referrals in the future, great. But even if you don't, it's going to benefit your clients." — Sierra Morgan [22:29]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:39 – Introduction of Sierra Morgan and the theme of networking for doulas.
• 02:18 – Why referrals from industry professionals are the best marketing.
• 03:27 – How and why to network with chiropractors.
• 05:10 – Mental health therapists as referral partners.
• 06:45 – Overcoming introversion; networking for shy doulas.
• 08:15 – Handling rejection, being persistent.
• 09:20-12:08 – Story of how an early networking connection pays off years later.
• 13:11 – "That is... most of [your marketing]."
• 14:00-15:50 – Building a trusted referral list, the value of vetting connections.
• 16:48 – How partnerships can lead to free invaluable resources.
• 19:45 – Redefining networking misconceptions.
• 21:20-23:51 – How to maximize your time and energy through group networking.
• 24:43-27:17 – Concrete tips for finding networking opportunities and building your circle.

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Further Resources & Special Offer

• Sierra Morgan's Agency: Empowered Beginnings ATX
• Podcast: The Birth Baby Podcast
• Training Program: Birth Baby Academy (listeners get 20% off training/certification with code "Doula Darcy" through October)
• Contact: [e-mail] | Instagram/Facebook: @EmpoweredBeginningsATX

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Networking is a foundational and ongoing business strategy for doulas—often more effective than paid advertising or social media.
• Focus on building authentic, mutually beneficial relationships with a wide variety of professionals in your community.
• Trust and reputation are built through real connections; vet who you refer and foster those relationships.
• Whether introvert or extrovert, everyone can find their own style of networking—start with small steps and be persistent.
• If formal networking events don’t exist in your area, consider starting your own. Use local groups, mixers, and even online communities.
• Networking can yield both expected (client leads) and unexpected (resources, friendships, business growth) benefits for years to come.

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Host’s Closing Thought:
“Getting out and actually interacting human to human is so powerful and so beneficial. And we're doulas – we need to have human connections with the people who are going to be interacting with our clients.” — Darcy [29:55]

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End of summary.

Transcript

[Darcy]

Welcome to the Doula Darcy Podcast. I'm your host, Darcy, a business coach for doulas, and I love helping my fellow doulas master the art of marketing so that they can grow their businesses and help more families. On the podcast, I combine my decade of experience in Advertising with 14 years as a doula to empower other doulas with the marketing strategies and mindset shifts they need to attract more clients and create successful, fulfilling doula careers. Whether you're just starting out as a doula or you're looking to take your doula business to the next level, you're in the right place. Let's go.

All right. Hello, everybody, and welcome to this week's episode of the Doula Darcy podcast. I'm excited today to have Sierra Morgan with me. She is the owner of Empowered Beginnings, which is a big doula agency down in Austin, Texas, and she's also the host of the Birth Baby podcast and founder of Birth Baby Academy, birth doula training and certification program. So she is a birth doula, a hypnobirth childbirth educator, a sleep consultant, and a trainer and mentor for other birth doulas from the great state of Texas. And we were having a conversation, and she was just talking about how much networking has impacted her doula business. And I was like, well, let's get you on the podcast. Because I know if there's one thing I know about doulas, it's that they don't love doing a ton of social media. And so whenever a doula tells me that, I say, well, okay, fine, you've got to turn the dial up on networking. So I'm really excited. Sierra, first of all, thank you for taking the time to come on today, but I'm excited for you to share with us how you've used networking to grow your doula business and probably your birth training.

[Sierra Morgan]

All of it.

[Darcy]

All of it.

[Sierra Morgan]

And actually, when I train birth doulas, I. When we talk about marketing and advertising and stuff like that, the biggest takeaway from that section is, don't waste your time spending money on marketing and advertising.

[Darcy]

Yeah.

[Sierra Morgan]

Because the best referral sources are other people in the industry. And sometimes people think a narrow view on, oh, other birth doulas or other postpartum doulas, but it's not just them, and it's not parents. It's sometimes it's parents. Word of mouth after you've been established. Sure. But in the beginning, it's chiropractors, acupuncturists, play places, pelvic floor, physical therapists, birth centers, maternity photographers, maternity photographers, birth photographers. There are so many people. Anybody that works with the same population you do is somebody that you want to talk to and organically and authentically, not sitting there trying to get something out of it. You can't go into these chats thinking, what can they do for me? And none of the conversations that I've had have I done that. I've been in this industry for seven years now. I don't mind networking. Like, I, you know, I'll talk to people, it's fine. I can be social. I have friends that hate it. And I actually just went to a meetup the other day at a local hospital, was doing a walkthrough, a tour for just doulas before they open their new women's center.

[Darcy]

Amazing.

[Sierra Morgan]

Yeah. And my friend, who's also been a doula for seven years and hates networking, went with me and she was introducing herself to people that I've known all seven years that send me referrals. And she's doing great. Like she does. She does not have a problem having business. She does it other ways. But I couldn't believe how many of these people that she didn't know. And she also doesn't have as wide of a net as I have for services. I need people to come to my classes every month. I need. Or every week.

[Darcy]

Right.

[Sierra Morgan]

I need people to. I want people to listen to my podcast. I don't need to. I don't make money on it, but I want them to because it's a free resource. And other doulas and chiropractors and whatever are going to be the ones that are sending that out. So when I think of and birth doula training, when I think of in the very beginning, the people that I was networking with were chiropractors. Was a huge one that there are so many in our area. I don't know how many are in the area of the people listening here, but for birth and postpartum doulas, they are seeing people while they're pregnant, they are seeing them after, and they are seeing their babies afterwards. Yes. So they have so many touch points. And I can't tell you how accidentally I've received so many referrals for birth doula and postpartum doula services for my agency from chiropractors.

[Darcy]

It's why, oh, I often joke that I think they teach networking in chiropractic school because I. This is like listening to myself talk. I'm like, besides the other doulas in town, then go Network with all the chiropractors because they, like, get it.

[Sierra Morgan]

Yeah.

[Darcy]

And like you said, if someone's going regularly, you're seeing and you're pregnant, you're seeing your chiropractor probably more than your midwife or your ob.

[Sierra Morgan]

Yeah.

[Darcy]

Every two weeks, the whole time. And you're like chit chatting.

[Sierra Morgan]

So it's like a, you know, it's like getting your nails done. People sit there and tell them your hair. It's like people sit there and tell them about stuff, you know. Another one that people don't often think about is mental health therapists that work in the perinatal period. I get a lot of referrals for postpartum and for sleep consultants from perinatal therapists where people are feeling the wheels fall off postpartum, or they've already been seeing somebody prenatally and their therapist is telling them preemptively, please line metabirth doula. Line these things up so that you have a better, you know, opportunity of setting yourself up for success later.

[Darcy]

Absolutely, yes. And I love that you are on this train. And I, I just did a podcast episode, just me talking the other. I don't know when it was a few weeks ago, but I was talking about in my marketing and advertising days, I used to have to go to these chamber of commerce networking nights, and it was torture for me, you know. Well, I was 22 years old and like, trying to chit chat with these bankers and real estate agents about our ad agency clients who, you know, whatever. But so when. But when I started my doula business and realized I had to get out there networking, at first I was like, oh, no. But then like you said, oh, wait, I can chit chat about birth and postpartum and what. How a doula helps. I could chit chat about that day even though I am the world's biggest introvert.

[Sierra Morgan]

But have you seen that shirt? It says, introverted but willing to talk about birth.

[Darcy]

I need to get it, because that is so me. But I think when doulas get nervous about networking, I think that's such a key point to remember is that you're going out to talk to other people that work with people during the perinatal year and they have the same passion that you do, that these parents need support. So there's always something to talk about and you can always make connections based on that shared passion. And that is my favorite quote about marketing, that marketing is real. And this is from Michael Hyatt. Marketing is really just about sharing your passion and I think that just makes it easier when you look at marketing and networking in that way.

[Sierra Morgan]

Not some fake. It put on a smile.

[Darcy]

Right.

[Sierra Morgan]

You don't have to be. And honestly, that's not going to work anyway.

[Darcy]

Right.

[Sierra Morgan]

Be able to tell that you're not authentic.

[Darcy]

Yes.

[Sierra Morgan]

I think when I first started, I was looking. You know, there are going to be people that say no or just don't reply to your email. You can see that they read your Instagram message and they don't reply. So what? Like, right, that's not the person that's going to relate to you. It's fine.

[Darcy]

Yeah.

[Sierra Morgan]

And it's not always. I do hear new doulas complain. Like, nobody's responding to me. It's rude. But some doulas are so stinking busy. Like, I sometimes forget to reply on those. Oh, yeah, save them till later when I can really authentically reply. And I'm not sounding like a robot.

[Darcy]

Yeah.

[Sierra Morgan]

Because I'm tired. I want to, like, give my energy to that email reply or whatever. And sometimes I do forget. And so email me again. You know, you could always email them a couple times or message them a couple times. But it's not always a. They don't want to talk to you. Sometimes it's. They're really busy or they were at a birth or they had five postpartum shifts in a row. Like, in this industry, we have a lot of excuses for not being able to show up in the way that we normally would. But in the beginning, when I would do things, I'm a hypnobirthing educator, and that's something that not a lot of people knew about. So I wanted to talk to people about it because I think there are a lot of misunderstandings or about what it is. And I wanted to have other people talk to me about it. And then I was telling one of the chiropractors about it, and she's, you know. And she. I knew that she was big on Instagram and stuff. Like, she loves to do it. And her Instagram looks so pretty. Mine is not. You can look at it, but it's not pretty. And she was like, can you go live with me on Instagram and tell people what hypnobirthing is about? And this was probably within my first year of doing this work. And I was like, oh, my God. She's, like, so pretty. And she has all this aesthetic stuff in her place in her office. It's gorgeous. And she wants me to come onto her Instagram and talk like, okay, I hope I Don't mess up, you know, so I'm sitting there and I was like literally shaking. Like my insides were turning in the beginning and my hands are probably shaking. I was having to hold them together. But I did it. And just don't say no, just say yes, just do it. Because fast forward four and a half years. I was hosting a birth doula training, my very first one, where it was our launch and I had 14 people coming. I had one person that had already bought a ticket from out of state and multiple people had gotten hotel rooms around where I was supposed to host this birth doula training. And a week before, because this place that I was renting told me that I didn't need to come in until a week before I could sign and pay and get the keys at this same time, but that they would hold the spot for me. I asked millions of time if I could pay. They said not yet. So I tried to make that appointment. And a week before I was like, they're ghosting me. They are. They don't exist. Like, they're like, they exist. I know they're there. I've been to a birth there since in this time. It's a birth center that is used here. But they just weren't replying. Their admin was like, out, I guess. And I was like, I have to figure something else out. And it's a Friday night and I'm like in panic mode in my brain going, oh my God, what do I do? I have all these people that are staying near there. How do I do this? And guess what? I messaged her on Instagram, which she doesn't even do her own social medias. She pays somebody to do that or one of her employees does it. I messaged them at like 6pm with, Hey, I don't know if you guys ever rent out your space. I looked online and it says that you guys have office end at 12pm on Fridays and my thing starts at 2. Is there any possible way you guys would rent your space to me over the weekend and I'd be happy to pay you, like, whatever you need me to pay you. And she wrote back herself because she saw it on her phone and saw that it was me, the person who four and a half years ago had been on live social media with her and I've barely seen her since maybe like three times. And I do comment on her Facebook stuff and Instagram stuff every once in a while. And I send people her way sometimes. But she said, you know what? You can have it. That's awful that that happened to you. Just use my space for free. This is the one with all that beautiful aesthetics. And this place had parking all around it. It was right off of the highway. It was easier to get to than the other place I was using. The other place was up some stairs. We would have to be quiet in case anyone was going to be in labor because it was a birthing center. It was dark. It was kind of an L shape, but whatever. It was the only place I could find previously. Yeah, this was gorgeous. My first pictures of my first training were beautiful because of the aesthetic and was light. There were windows everywhere.

[Darcy]

Nice.

[Sierra Morgan]

And that was only because I had authentically showed up and been kind and polite and, like, interested. And it's not all about what you do. You have to ask them about them.

[Darcy]

Yes. Oh, my gosh, yes. I am glad you said that because I get so many emails local, you know, from a local therapist or this. And it's just. And I tell doulas not to do this all the time, but it's just like five paragraphs about how they help and how they run their business. And like, I'd love to meet you for coffee. And I'm like, could you at least ask, like, what am I gonna get out of this? Just you pitching your business to me. No. Like, how can we work together to make the community better? I mean, that's what networking is about. And I am so passionate about this topic because again, when you put the effort in to do your networking, to me, that is. That's part of your marketing plan.

[Sierra Morgan]

That is. That's most of it.

[Darcy]

It is. And I was hardcore on networking in the first few years of my business and then also working on the SEO of my website. And then honestly, for eight years, I didn't do any social media. I didn't do anything. All I did was. And I. Oh, I asked everybody who booked a call with my agency, like, how did you hear of us? And it was either I found you on Google or so and so recommended me. And I just think that is the goal for a doula to get to a point where you don't have to worry about social media and paying for ads and all this stuff because your community is talking about you.

[Sierra Morgan]

That. And that is so much more well received by the person who's being referred to you. If they are referred by someone else that they already trust, you already have an automatic in with the trust. And that is huge because otherwise you're starting from scratch with somebody who did just find you online. Or whatever. You're not starting with scratch. If somebody referred to you and you also don't want to be referring to other people in the community that you haven't met yourself. I'm like, right, what if you show up to network with this person and it says from 9 to 5 on the door and it's 2 and they're closed? Yeah. Is that someone that you want to refer to other people? No. Because if you refer to somebody and they are a rock star, you look like a rock star because you referred them. If you refer to somebody and they suck.

[Darcy]

Yeah.

[Sierra Morgan]

That is going to reflect on you. I just had this happen today. I referred to an OB who is really good at doing ECVs, an external cephalic version. He has, like, magic hands. I would never refer to him for anything other than this because he's actually heavy on intervention. It's wild that he even is willing to do ECVs on people trying to have non C sections with other companies. But he does. And I caught a message from the mom this morning and she was like, hey, I waited for 90 minutes in that waiting room. The lady behind the desk was so rude to me. Apparently they also scheduled my appointment wrong and I left. I'm not. I don't care if he's good at doing the ecb. I'm going to go to my other doctor and, like, take the chance. And I was like, dang, I've never had anybody have that feedback before.

[Darcy]

Yeah.

[Sierra Morgan]

But I don't refer to that place for anything other than this because they do have long wait times. They do have high intervention. That's not what most of my clients want. But I was like, oh, that makes me look so bad.

[Darcy]

I know. Yeah. That's so true. Right. And you know, I trained through dona, and one of the things DONA requires that a lot of people complain about to get certified is that you need to submit a referral list. And I Forget whether it's 30 or I have no idea on mine too.

Oh, yeah.

And everybody's like, this is so annoying. And I'm like, no, the reason is so that. I mean, part of a doula's role is to provide resources to our clients. So. And to your point, Sierra, that you want to provide good resources, so you want to vet them. And the way you do that is networking. And so it's really killing two birds with one stone. You're creating a great resource list that you can share with your clients. And it's going to be, this is your referral network. If you can make Some good connections.

[Sierra Morgan]

Yeah. And there are people like, for example, my hypnobirthing classes. I teach them all year round. I have one week off between and I start another five week series. And it used to be that I did like three a year. And I started out doing them by renting a little room in my church. Like that was a conference room and it was 25 a night. And I was like, sure, you know, yeah, perfect. Lugging in. I was lugging in a TV every week and lugging in all of my stuff every week and whatever, it's fine. Then I had like this sweet Jewish couple and they were showing up and I was like, this feels really weird having them come into my Christian church. You know, like, they were fine, they didn't complain, but it did feel a little weird. And then I was like, I've got to find something that's like more middle ground that doesn't make people uncomfortable. I have some clients that have religious trauma and they don't want to step into church and that's fine. Fair. So I was like asking around and I went. And I don't even. I wish I could remember what type of networking thing that I was at. But a local business owner who is a chiropractic office owner, she is a chiropractor and she has like five locations, maybe six now. And she also has a franchise. She was there and she has. One of her locations is really close to where I live. And she was like, if you ever need to like use this for space or whatever, like, you're welcome to. And I'm like, are you sure you wanted to ask me that? You sure wanted to offer because. Yeah, actually, yeah. Hey, how much would you charge me to use your space on Tuesday nights and use it to teach clients? And she's like, nothing. That location actually isn't very popular right now. A lot of people don't know we exist out here. And it's in my newer office. So I. Because she had maybe like three or four at the time.

[Darcy]

Yeah.

[Sierra Morgan]

And she goes, how about we offer like 10 off of their first visit to our chiropractic place? To anybody taking your classes. You use the space for free. Maybe we'll get some new clients out of it, maybe we won't. It's fine. And we can always reevaluate later. Hi. That was four and a half years ago. I've never paid to use her space.

[Darcy]

That is amazing.

[Sierra Morgan]

And I use it all year long. And I always ask her every like six months, are you feeling like you Want me to pay you yet? Because I'm willing. She even lets me keep my chairs and my TV and my bin in the back. I don't have to lug anything anywhere, but I buy toilet paper for her office sometimes. I buy snacks for her office sometimes. I sometimes come in on a Saturday and I clean her office for her because I want to show her that I'm thankful. And we joke that whenever she decides to have kids, she gets all the doula services and classes for free. You know, like one day she'll cash in, but.

[Darcy]

But she's smart. She obviously is realizing she's getting patients from this as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sierra Morgan]

So it's, I mean, of us did it because we had like negative intentions or like, let's try to make them come here. Like only if they only can come if. Or get a discount or whatever. If they take my class. My, my chiropractic care. No, like there was none of that.

[Darcy]

Yeah. And well, that again, that is the best networking. The best marketing feels that way. Like, the other reason doulas and chiropractors are such a good fit for networking is like, if your spine and pelvis blind, your birth is going to be better. Like, and doulas are fans of that.

[Sierra Morgan]

So it's a real life thing. That's real.

[Darcy]

So of course we're going to sing the praises of chiropractors. And of course chiropractors are naturally minded and intervention. What am I trying to say? Yeah, resistant. Yeah. So. Or, or pro intervention, free birth. So of course they're going to recommend doulas. So. Yeah, I, like you said, it's not networking. I, I feel like a lot of doulas think, oh, networking is so sleazy. And like. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, don't.

[Sierra Morgan]

And I will say you don't need to pay to be in some of these networking groups. Like, my husband is in BNI and it works. Really? He owns a pest control company.

[Darcy]

Perfect for that.

[Sierra Morgan]

You have to stay in that BNI because you can only have one pest control company in it. And then if we leave, all those people that actually really do like us are not going to refer to us anymore because they're going to need to refer to the other ones right there. And it feels kind of icky, right? Yeah, but he's really good. Like, he's so honest. And so it's, it works on that front. But as a doula, like, you don't need to do these paid groups. No, I'm talking networking by one on one or inviting. Like, I've had people reach out to me now asking to network with me because they're newer.

[Darcy]

Yeah.

[Sierra Morgan]

And I'll be like, hey, so and so also wants to do that. How about all three of us meet at this local place so that we can all do it? And then I'm kind of like. Because it's a lot. I'm very busy, I don't have a whole lot of time to meet. I'm like, I'd rather do a 15 minute zoom, get to know you, then do a. Let's one on one, everyone go meet for coffee. Like, if there's a few people, let's all bunch up. Because then they also get to network with each other and it's not so awkward. Just like the repetitive.

[Darcy]

Yes.

[Sierra Morgan]

So. But it works so well. And you also learn who you don't want to refer to and that's okay.

[Darcy]

Yes.

[Sierra Morgan]

You learn who you do. Or I would refer some people to this, but not people who really need trauma informed care. Or I would really love to refer to this one for any LGBTQIA plus families. And this one actually might not be the best fit because there's lots of man woman stuff and maybe they would prefer a little more neutral of a place. Like you're going to learn that stuff and who. Because you're going to serve like such a wide range of clients. I have people on far ends of both spectrums. Luckily, most of them are somewhere in between.

[Darcy]

Yeah.

[Sierra Morgan]

You're going to have lots of people. Yeah. It's all for the good of your clients. If you get a little bit of a happy accident, payoff of some referrals in the future, great. But even if you don't, it's going to benefit your clients.

[Darcy]

Exactly. Yes. I love what you said about not having time to have coffee with every single person that reaches out because I. That's the point I am at. So I have started doing networking nights and before COVID I did one every probably once a quarter and now it's kind of evolved into just once every summer. And it happens to be on Thursday that I'm doing it this year. But I just have everybody. I invite everybody to chiropractors, doulas, photographers, come on my back deck, bring a snack to share. And once everybody's there and we've chatted a little bit, I literally make us go around. Everybody has two minutes to share who they are, who they help everybody bring your cards, we put them on the table. And it's awesome because so when I get all those newer doulas that, you know, want to meet for coffee. I'm like, come to the networking night. It's next month and it's so much fun. And this is the thing I always say about networking. Some of these people. I'm 16 years into being a doula. Some of these people have become my best friends.

[Sierra Morgan]

It's so great. I vacation with the one that I told you doesn't like to network with other people. I'm so glad she networked with me seven years ago. Now she says, I networked with you. That's all I needed to do.

[Darcy]

Right. Because you're a pro.

[Sierra Morgan]

She's like, I found the one that I like.

[Darcy]

Yeah, that's awesome. So I think that's another thing to point out is that some networking connections that you make are going to be these ones that you end up vacationing with that send you clients and you're back and forth, and some are going to be duds. And that's okay. And it's still, like you said, it's. You're still gathering data that you can pass along to your clients. And that's so great. So for anyone who is nervous about networking or just can't see, isn't really making any headway in their community, let's say it that way. Like, what would be your top tip for.

[Sierra Morgan]

There are. And everyone lives in a town that has different populations and things that are around, but go into mom groups and look at people that those people are recommending. So, like, type in the search bar chiropractor or acupuncture or pregnant or whatever. And look at the people. Like, start with those. And if you see that somebody's being recommended, that's low lift. They're probably already really integrated into the community. And it just takes a couple that are going to then go, oh, have you ever met so and so. And then you can start getting these warm intros and that's a little bit better. And also there are a lot of different companies. Like, you're, you know, you've been in 16 years, so you're doing these mix and mingles. Yeah, I live out in the suburbs, so I'm like, not. Nobody's coming to my house for a mix and mingle. I also don't have a nice deck, so. But there are different places here that do those. But you have to be in the right groups. Like, and if there's not one yet, you could start. Yes, we have, like the Austin Birth Professionals group here in Austin. I'm the admin of it now, but it started way before me. And anybody that's a birth professional in the area can have it. You could start that. That's so easy. And like, people are going to find that when they search. And you don't have to be anybody if there's not already one that's available. That's a good way to like, start. But also some of those groups, if they already exist and you can get in those, you'll see them advertise for those kinds of things. Like one of the local chiropractors does one like quarterly and she'll have a little birth. Birth worker networking night. And it's anybody who touches the perinatal period, anybody who works with people in the perinatal period. And then there's a local reproductive psychiatrist office that does one once a year and they have a mix and mingle that's really beautiful. They like hire caterers for it and it's like usually a local chef that does postpartum meals kind of things. So that's also a referral. And you can like, taste their food for what you would be referring to those bigger nights. Although it's. That's more. You might think like, Sierra, I don't even like networking. Are you serious? You want me to go to a giant thing with a lot of people at actually can be a little bit better. You can leave and nobody might notice. You know, like, you could just like talk to a couple of people and dip out. You can walk in and leave and. But you might like it and you might stay. And so I think that those bigger ones can actually be less pressure because there are so many people and than like a five person one or something. Because you're like, I'm stuck here. They know if I leave.

[Darcy]

Right. With a spotlight on you. Yeah.

[Sierra Morgan]

So that's like a lot of advice. But there's a. There's a lot of angles to that. But it's hard because people are in different population areas.

[Darcy]

Yeah. Oh, I know. It so depends on if you're in a city or a rural area. But those are.

[Sierra Morgan]

We have so many things.

[Darcy]

Oh, yeah.

[Sierra Morgan]

So lucky out here.

[Darcy]

That's so great. So this has been so good, Sierra. Thank you so much. So tell us how people can find you. And I know you have a special deal for listeners.

[Sierra Morgan]

Oh, I forgot we were doing that. I'm so excited. Okay, so I am. Empowered Beginnings is the name of my company. Empowered Beginnings. ATX is the handle on any social media on. And I should say Instagram and Facebook. I'm not big on other social medias and you can email me at [e-mail] that's my easiest one. And I also have a podcast you can go to birthbabypodcast.com that's a great one for people to refer to their clients. I also have some episodes that are even with you. We do one together that are specifically for doulas but I have a lot that are parent facing that are free resource for you to give them free information and I also have the birth baby academy. Now I I don't remember what I told you I would give people. If you remember you can tell make one up right now.

[Darcy]

I will put it in the show notes but you said that they could save 20 off okay. A training or certification through through October using coupon code Doula Darcy Darcy I

[Sierra Morgan]

remembered the what the code would be Doula Darcy. So 20 off of any classes and you can do that for the online birth doula training which I have a self paced one or if you want to come Visit in Austin, Texas. I have those about three a year usually. And you can get 20% off of that too.

[Darcy]

So cool. Well thank you so much. That is awesome and I will put all those links in the show notes for this episode. But I hope this has excited and empowered everybody to just get out there and get networking. And you know, I have to add in this I this is a might sound like a funny thing to say but and I don't even know Sierra if you've heard about this, but the World cup is going on right now and Scotland fans have invaded Boston and it's in the news, it's all over social media because they're awesome and they're just partying and singing and dancing in the streets and they're all talking about how surprised they are that Americans are so nice and that they're having a wonderful time. And it's because the news in Europe and social media in Europe makes it and I what I was saying to them is the news here makes Americans look like we all hate each other. So my point is everywhere getting out and actually interacting human to human is so powerful and so beneficial. And we're doulas. We need to have human connections with the people who are going to be interacting with our clients.

[Sierra Morgan]

So hey, go listen to my podcast on Birth baby podcast with Doula Darcy about using AI in birth work. There you go. You just said like don't be robots.

[Darcy]

Yes. So and like don't rely just on DMing or emailing like get out there and and meet people in real life. So awesome. So, Sierra, thank you so much for taking the time. It was so great having you on.

[Sierra Morgan]

Thank you.

[Darcy]

Thank you for tuning in to the Doula Darcy podcast. I hope you found this episode valuable and I'd love for you to join me on the next one. Let's keep the conversation going. Shoot me a DM on Instagram thedula Darcy or join my free Facebook community, the Doula Marketing Group, where we dive

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