In this powerful episode, Davon Crawford sits down with birthworker, future midwife, and community healer Jadea for an intimate conversation about the ways our stories shape us, and ultimately save us. Together, they explore how trauma, both personal and collective, impacts the work of Black doulas and the communities they serve. Jadea shares her journey into birthwork, the challenges she has faced navigating traditional healthcare systems, and the moments that affirmed her calling. The conversation dives into healing, advocacy, mental health, and the resilience that sustains Black doulas doing trauma-adjacent work. Listeners will hear reflections on what a truly liberatory birthing space looks like, the importance of community-based care, and how the pathway toward midwifery deepens this commitment to justice. This episode offers grounding, wisdom, and an unwavering reminder: our stories carry power, and when shared with intention, they become medicine for ourselves and our communities. Jadea Edmonds is a birthworker, future midwife, lactation educator, and self-taught Indigenous herbalist whose path is deeply rooted in intuition, ancestral wisdom, and the healing traditions of her lineage. Her journey into birthwork blossomed with the home birth of her son in July 2022—an experience that awakened a profound calling to support women in reclaiming their emotional, spiritual, and embodied birthright. Raised as the oldest of four and guided by a lifelong instinct to nurture, Jadea carries a steady, grounding presence into every birth space she enters. She weaves together her personal birthing experience, her training as a doula, and her connection to plant medicine to create a sanctuary of support for families navigating pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Her care honors the body’s natural rhythms, the spirit’s wisdom, and the sacred storytelling that lives within each parent she serves. Jadea believes birth is more than a moment—it is a rite of passage that reconnects us to our mind, body, and soul. Her work centers liberation, community care, and the resilience of Black birth workers who hold space for trauma, transformation, and generational healing. Through her commitment to midwifery and holistic birthwork, Jadea reminds mothers of the power they already carry: the power to birth, to heal, and to rise. Guided by the Earth, spirit, and the stories that shape us, Jadea walks her path with intention—believing deeply that when our stories are shared, they become medicine for ourselves and our communities. Davon Crawford is a student nurse at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and a student midwife with the National College of Midwifery. She is the founder and Executive Director of Partnerships for Doula Doula, a community-based collective that has trained and mentored over 70 doulas in Northern California. In her role, Davon builds collaborations with hospitals, public health departments, and community organizations to expand access to culturally affirming doula care for people of color. She also advocates for Medi-Cal reimbursement for doulas and midwifery decriminalization in Georgia, with a vision to transform healthcare through equity-driven leadership.
