Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabia Wade.
Sabia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began my journey as a nursing assistant working on the East Coast, I was actually in school to become a nurse but after being in the medical field for about five years, I realized I wanted something different in my life. I learned about doulas in the Philadelphia community and after taking a leave from my employment, I decided to move to Massachusetts and begin my doula journey with The Prison Birth Project. As a volunteer doula with The Prison Birth Project, I worked with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated birthing people, as well as birthing people in substance abuse recovery. I LOVED IT! That experience with PBP became the foundation for my life, my career and all that I bring to the world.
I decided to relocate to San Diego in 2017 after visiting and feeling a pull to be here. In 2018, I decided to quit my day job and create a sustainable and abundant life in a meaningful way. I am now the Founder and Executive Director of For The Village, a nonprofit that provides doula services to low income and marginalized people in San Diego County, and owner of Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings, where I train full-spectrum doulas all over the world.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It definitely has not been a smooth road! My main struggle was believing in myself. The thought of leaving my day job and doing this work full time was TERRIFYING! What if I failed? What if I couldn’t make ends meet? What if no one could see the value in my mission? I had to get out of my own way, take the leap and trust in my ability to be successful.
My second biggest struggle was monetizing my experience and making my value visible to others. After I quit my job, I had to put myself out there, which is HARD. I was at every event, introducing myself to people, educating people on my mission and why it exists. It was challenging. There were a lot of people who didn’t believe in me but I had to push past them. Eventually, people started to gravitate towards me that believed in me and wanted to help me succeed. I’m forever grateful.
My advice to anyone ready to take the leap into living their dreams is to believe in yourself, GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY, make a plan and live and breathe that plan, even if it doesn’t seem like it’s working. Keep going and you will see progress, just stick with it!
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I am a full spectrum doula, educator, doula business coach and executive director. I specialize in education based around reproductive justice, all aspects of reproductive experiences and bringing attention to the racial dynamics that are affecting people of color and our birth outcomes.
The base of all of my work and my organizations are access, education and intersectionality. I am so proud of my nonprofit, For The Village, and the impact it is having on the San Diego Community. In my nonprofit, I train members of our San Diego community to be full-spectrum doulas to assist birthing people in San Diego. We have trained 44 amazing community members of different races, languages and experiences. We have served nearly 100 families in San Diego since April 2018!
I am also proud of my doula training school, Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings. It’s more than amazing and heart touching to see people from all over the world ready to learn and make changes to improve life for everyone!
Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
I grew up in an urban area and at 13 years old, I lost my father to gun violence, amongst other negative experiences that could impact a child’s life. However, through all my experiences, my mother always kept my life on track. She is the epitome of strength, independence and taking charge of your life. Seeing how unstoppable she was (and still is) definitely made me the badass that I am today!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theblackdoula.com
- Email: sabia@theblackdoula.com
- Instagram: @theblackdoula
- Other: www.forthevillage.org and www.birthingadvocacy.org
Image Credit:
Erin Leigh
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