Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Braider.
Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In my mid- to late-twenties I worked with sexual assault survivors. It was incredibly meaningful work, but also immensely emotionally taxing. When I got pregnant with my first son, I knew that I couldn’t do that work anymore, so I shifted to non-profit consulting. The gig brought in some money and gave me a lot of flexibility so that I could be a very present parent but left me totally uninspired. By the time my younger son was ready to start preschool, I knew I needed something more. So, I sent an email out to my closest friends and colleagues and asked, “if you could see me doing anything, what would it be?” Everyone who wrote back said two things: something with food and something with women. I loved these ideas and decided to combine them by becoming a certified health coach. After completing my training, I primarily worked with women who had health challenges and moms who were struggling and overwhelmed by feeding their families for a variety of reasons, from kids with allergies and medical issues to not feeling confident in the kitchen. Then, about 5 years in, one of my mentors told me that she was selling her online meal planning service and I jumped at the opportunity to continue with my work on feeding families, but on a larger platform. Over the next 9 years, as my kids and I got older, so did the families that I worked to support. And increasingly I started hearing from my members about how my weekly newsletters were an inspiration to them as they entered midlife and all the challenges that came with that. That’s when another light bulb went off and I realized that my calling had shifted: while I still loved food and cooking, working to support these women as they navigated midlife was what I was meant to do. So, I started learning – taking a course on coaching people in midlife and getting certified as a menopause coach. Now, combining my training and expertise as a therapist, health coach, and menopause coach, I’m able to support women as a midlife doula as they navigate the realities of midlife as honestly, practically, and joyfully as possible. We work on everything from changing bodies and menopause to relationship and career struggles to managing sandwich generation stress and empty nesting. Watching these women step into their wisdom, strength, confidence, and health is one of the greatest joys of my life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There have been two main struggles. The first is that most women have never even heard of a midlife doula, so they don’t know that they need one. Once they hear what I do, it clicks and many women then immediately say, “oh, I need that!” But being a pioneer in a new field is a challenge. The other is that women are often uncomfortable with spending money on themselves. While paying for coaches, tutors, or whatever else their kids or partners might need is a no-brainer, many women struggle to put themselves on their list of priorities, let alone at the top, so I have come to realize that part of my job is to change that conversation, too, emboldening women to take a first step towards true, meaningful self-care.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Jessica Braider, Midlife Doula?
As women, our lives are complex, sometimes hard, and often beautiful, which is why I believe we can’t separate the practical from the emotional or the physical. Unlike other practitioners who focus on single issues, as a midlife doula I address the interconnected challenges of midlife – because your body, relationships, and career don’t exist in isolation. Using my various sources of experience, knowledge, and training, I am able to embolden your whole self, rather than focusing on one facet of your life. Together, we will prioritize, clarify, and come up with practical solutions to life’s challenges.
I offer both one-on-one and group programs that support women who are struggling with any, or all, of the following:
-Evolving Bodies: struggles with perimenopausal/menopausal symptoms, weight gain/body composition changes, health status changes, need/desire to make changes to diet, etc.
-Parenting Challenges: adjusting to an empty nest, navigating relationships with tweens/teens, managing exhaustion and parenting younger children, etc.
-Relationship Shifts: adjusting to a new stage of life together, different visions for the future, intimacy issues, partnerships ending, starting to date after a divorce, etc.
-Sandwich Generation Struggles: changing relationship with aging parents, care-taking stressors, balancing needs from kids and parents, etc.
-Career Changes: craving a change, determining vision for next phase in professional life, frustrations with age discrimination, figuring out how to slow down/transition, etc.
-Identity Shifts: as a mother, wife/partner, professional, daughter, friend, community member, etc.
If a woman is curious, but not ready to jump in with both feet, I also have a free weekly newsletter and an advice column that can help to provide inspiration and answers.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
For women looking for support, I offer one-on-one and group programs, a free weekly newsletter, and an ongoing advice column specifically focused on the issues that women in midlife encounter.
I also love collaborating with other professionals who work with similar populations – helping women to find strength and confidence in all aspects of their lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jessicabraider.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicabraider/
