Episode 40: Brave Journey's Mission

I am going to talk about something a little bit different in this week's video. Typically we talk about all topics related to birth and postpartum, and we'll get back to that next week, but today I wanted to tell you a little bit about my mission and my vision for Brave Journey. (If you're feeling "couldn't care less about you, Cara, get back to birth topics", no worries I get you! You can click here to catch up on previous birth/postpartum weekly videos).

Brave Journey's Vision:

I have a vision that every single birthing person who engages with Brave Journey either through purchasing one of my course program offerings or engaging with these free weekly videos comes away equipped with accurate, quality, evidence-based knowledge. And I have a vision that birthing people are able to engage with these videos and with this information and these courses that I offer and take that information and determine what feels right for themselves.

Brave Journey's Mission:

My mission is that you feel that you, as a pregnant person, feel a sense of grounded-ness and clarity and confidence after engaging with the information, tols, and resources that I provide.

Brave Journey's Values:

Education:

My first value is education. I value high quality, evidence based, good information. I value shared information as a form of empowerment. In terms of education, I valuie equipping you with the information you need to make informed decisions to demystify the medical space, the modern medical context where most of us are giving birth.

Advocacy & Empowerment:

I also value advocacy. Advocacy means a few different things in this context. One is that all birthing people are included and welcome here. That means the LGBTQIA+ folks are welcome here. This is why I use gender neutral language. I never assume the gender of the birthing person or the birth partner. Everybody who is birthing and who is supporting a birthing person is welcome here and should feel heard and seen and talked to here.

Another element of advocacy is addressing the disparities in birth and breastfeeding outcomes between people of color and white people. In particular, I have committed to redirecting a percentage of Brave Journey's revenue towards organizations that are expanding access to culturally competent and culturally connected birth and breastfeeding resources. Advocacy means redirecting funds to organizations that are reducing disparities in outcomes. 

Connection:

The third value of Brave Journey is connection. What does connection mean? Connection is connecting to self. Attuning to yourself, finding the sense of internal knowing and checking in with what feels right for you. Practicing that attunement and connection with self prenatally and during pregnancy.

Connection also means connecting with your birth team. Connection with your birth partner, connection and trust with your birth team, building a birth team that will be there for you to support you through your birth experience. This is connection.

If you've read this far, thanks for reading! Establishing these core values and vision for Brave Journey helps guide me as I move forward sharing information, offering courses, and walking alongside pregnant and birthing people as they prepare to labor, birth, and meet their baby.

Embark on your birth journey with courage. 

Full Transcript:

[00:00:00] Hi, I'm Cara Lee. I'm a Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator and the owner and founder of Brave Journey. And I am going to talk about something a little bit different in this weekly video. Normally we talk about all topics related to birth and postpartum, but today I wanted to tell you a little bit about my mission and my vision for Brave Journey and a little bit about my values.

I have a vision that every single birthing person who engages with Brave Journey either through purchasing one of my course program offerings or engaging with these free weekly videos comes away equipped with accurate, quality, evidence-based knowledge. And I have a vision that you birthing people are able to engage with these videos and with this information and these courses that I offer and take that information and determine what feels right for you. Make informed decisions and make them for yourself and for your infant and know and feel supported by the information that I've offered, that you are the boss [00:01:00] of you and, you know, what's best for you. Only you can know what feels right in your individual circumstances.

I offer you information. I offer you context and equip you with tools and resources, and you go and select which ones work for you. And you own your experience as a birthing person. And you bravely navigate your Brave Journey. Your birthing journey.

My mission is that you feel that you as a birthing person feel a sense of groundedness and clarity and confidence after engaging with the information that I provide and the tools and the resources.

And I have some values.

My first value is education. I value high quality evidence based, good information. I value that as a form of empowerment that birthing people can walk into their birth spaces with information that they can access in ways that feel good for them. I value in terms of education, [00:02:00] equipping you with the information you need to make informed decisions to demystify the medical space, the modern medical context, where many of us are giving birth.

I also value advocacy. Advocacy means a few different things in this context. One is that all birthing people are included and welcome here. That means the LGBTQIA plus folks are welcome here. This is why I use gender neutral language. I never assumed the gender of the birthing person or the birth partner. Everybody who is birthing and who is supporting a birthing person is welcome here and should feel heard and seen and talked to here.

Another element of advocacy is addressing the disparities and birth and breastfeeding outcomes between people of color and white people. In particular, I have committed to redirecting a percentage of the Brave Journey revenue towards organizations that are expanding access to culturally competent and culturally [00:03:00] connected birth and breastfeeding resources.

So these are organizations that are reducing disparities in outcomes and I'm redirecting revenue. That is an element of advocacy, which is a value of mine and is a value of Brave Journey. . Then the third value of Brave Journey is connection. Now, what does connection mean? Connection is connecting to self. Attuning to yourself, finding the sense of, of internal knowing and checking in with what feels right for you. Practicing that prenatally and during pregnancy.

Then there's also connection with your birth team connection with your birth partner, connection and trust with your birth team, building a birth team that will be there for you to support you through your birth experience. This is connection.

So that's a little bit about Brave Journey. My vision, my mission with Brave Journey and some of the values that guide the way, the entire way that I talk about birth, that I provide childbirth education. The whole way my courses are framed around these concepts: education, [00:04:00] connection, and advocacy and empowerment.

I really look forward to getting to know you further. Thank you.