About Me
Who I Am
Hey y’all! I’m Emily, a disabled, immunocompromised, and Covid-conscious Full Spectrum Doula and Lactation Educator, AASECT-certified Sexuality Educator, and Violence Preventionist.
As a queer and nonbinary Southern transplant now living on Munsee Lenape land (AKA, the “Hudson Valley”), I am dedicated to making care work and education more accessible through kindness and compassion.
My Background
Growing up on the Gulf Coast taught me so many important lessons. Organizing beach cleanups taught me about the value of reciprocity with the land. Hurricane Katrina taught me about the importance of mutual aid and showing up for your neighbors. The culture of Southern hospitality taught me about the worth of connecting with others, finding common ground, and humanity. I feel so lucky and privileged to have had these experiences shape who I am and my approach to care.
At the same time, growing up there came with its own challenges. The rigid culture around gender norms meant exploration and curiosity were squashed. The prioritization of wealth and power meant racial and economic inequity was normalized. The lack of social emotional skills and sex education meant sexual assault and relationship violence were all-too-common. These experiences, too, have shaped the trajectory of my work.
From home, I went to college at Syracuse University, where I became involved in anti-sexual-violence activism on campus. The education I received during that time not only empowered me to leave a harmful relationship but also to change my major so that I could continue this work.
I became a NASPA-certified Peer Educator at our Office of Health Promotion, and I received my B.S. in Education and English with a minor in Health and Wellness. My vision was, and is, to create a liberated world free of violence.
From Syracuse, I moved to Ohio, where I became the Rural Prevention Educator at YWCA Dayton. Three months in, the Covid-19 pandemic began, and five months after that, I received my autoimmune disorder diagnosis.
While I already understood myself to be multiply disabled and to care about disability justice, these events collectively signified a turning point in how I would practice advocacy moving forward.
Disability justice is a term coined by Sins Invalid and, in particular, the late beloved Patty Berne. It means that we must center disabled folks who experience intersectional forms of oppression, rather than the dominant social group.
Disability justice is also an active practice of love and care. As a doula and educator, it means that I value bodily autonomy, or the right to make decisions about our bodies. It also means I welcome you just as you are, nonjudgmentally, with patience and compassion.
I moved to New York in 2021, where I continued my work as a Violence Prevention Educator focusing on campus populations and continue to do so today. I received my Holistic Sex Educator certification with the Institute for Sexuality Education and Enlightenment, as well as my AASECT Sex Educator certification, in 2024.
One of the most common questions I (and every sex educator) gets asked is, “Is this normal? Am I normal?” And unless someone is experiencing pain or harming someone else, in most cases the answer is yes, you are normal. We grow up with so much stigma and shame around our bodies, selves, and sexual experiences. Whether discussing the history of birth control, troubleshooting how to make intimacy more accessible, or learning about reproductive anatomy for the first time, part of my job is to help you understand yourself better, make informed decisions, and cultivate joy.
I love teaching, and at the same time, I felt the call to offer more direct support. As a Full Spectrum Doula, I offer care across the full spectrum of reproductive experiences, including fertility and conception, pregnancy, abortion, loss and grief, disability, birth, and postpartum and am proud to be working on my certification with Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings. If you are seeking any Full Spectrum Doula services, I would be honored to see if I would be a good fit for your needs.
Currently, I live with my cat, Kenzie and work on unceded Munsee Lenape land, or what is known as “the New York Hudson Valley.” When I’m not at a doctor’s appointment or working on mask advocacy, I love to read, garden, embroider, spend time with friends and family, cook, and drink way too much coffee.
My Values
Connection
Compassion
Care
Failure
Patience
Justice
Anti-racism
Anti-oppression
Kindness
Sustainability
Bodily autonomy
