Mikaela Lynn (they/she) is a Certified Facilitator of The Resilience Toolkit, and a Certification Mentor with the Resilience Toolkit Training Alliance. Mikaela is also a Massage Therapist (NY State Licensed, CA Certified), Certified Full Spectrum, Birth, and Postpartum Doula, Lactation Educator, Yoga Instructor, and Reiki Master currently living and working in the Greater Los Angeles area. They are trained in a wide range of modalities to support health and healing for people from all walks of life, with a special focus on reproductive health, pregnancy, and postpartum care. Mikaela has over twenty five years of customer service experience working with people in challenging situations and is fiercely passionate about improving healthcare equity for historically marginalized populations – specifically Black, trans, and nonbinary folks.
As a Perinatal Care Specialist, Mikaela holds space for people as they navigate reproductive health and perinatal care by providing emotional support, physical comfort, practical assistance, and non-medical care. Mikaela pulls intuitively from their vast repository of knowledge and skills when working with clients – tailoring their approach to meet the individual needs of each client. Mikaela believes that awareness is power, and supports clients to confidently navigate their own wellness journey so they can advocate for themselves, their bodies, and their families.
Mikaela works one on one with clients, teaches and mentors birthworkers, and has taken on leadership roles in the Perinatal field to advance the profession of Doulas and Birthworkers. They have served on committees within DONA international advocating for traditionally marginalized birthworkers and encouraging the implementation of trauma informed trainings and policy shifts throughout the organization. Most recently Mikaela served as a member of the Stakeholder Committee Workgroup to develop the Medicaid benefit for the state of California. She spent two years working with other Stakeholders and the Department of Health Care Services to develop the current benefit and advocate for doulas and families in California. Mikaela continues to work with Community Doula programs and organizations across the state to support the ongoing efforts to support non-medical birthworkers in forming a statewide collective, as well as continuing to expand services for pregnant and postpartum people.
Together with Nkem Ndefo, Mikaela developed co-developed the curriculum and co-teaches the Tender Love program – the only Embodied Trauma-Informed training for non-clinical birthworkers. They look forward to continuing this work as well as expanding the program to include clinical Perninatal Care professionals in the future as well.
With an MFA in Acting from the New School for Drama, Mikaela’s background in theatre gives her a warm, magnetic energy and commanding presence. She is able to confidently hold space for people of all types and audiences of all sizes. She is cool and calm under pressure with a wicked sense of humor, making her an engaging, authoritative mentor, speaker, and subject matter expert.
When not working, Mikaela is an artist through and through and thrives when creating and crafting. From two advanced degrees in talking and playing pretend, to making jewelry, pottery, and building websites she spends most of her free time in play and creation.
Work with Mikaela:
Certifications:
- Certified Facilitator of The Resilience Toolkit
- Reiki Master
- Certified Meditation Instructor
- Essential Oils for the Birth Kit Certified
- Newborn Care Specialist
- Certified Doula (Birth & Postpartum)
- Certified Full Spectrum Doula
- Certified Traditional Moroccan Postpartum Birthworker
- New York State Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT)
- National Strength & Conditioning Association Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (NSCA CSCS)
- California Certified Massage Therapist (CMT)
- 500RYT Certified Yoga Teacher
- NextStep National COVID-Ready Caregiver Certification
Additional Trainings:
- ICEA (Childbirth Education)
- Rebozo (trained by traditional Mexican midwife Naoli Vinaver)
- Spinning Babies (Nicole Morales)
- Reiki I, II, III (Mitra Sessions)
- Psychological First Aid (NCTSN)
- Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Advocate (PAIL Advocate – Nneka Hall)
- Grandma’s Hands Pregnancy & Postpartum Herbs & Nutrition in the Southern Tradition (Divine Bailey-Nicholas)
- TRADITIONAL POSTPARTUM BIRTHWORKER (Based on traditional Moroccan postpartum medicine. Certified by The Nafsa Project School, Layla B.)
Designations:
- President of the Doulas Association of Southern California (DASC) (2018-2022)
- California Ambassador for DONA International (2021-2022)
- LGBTQIA+ EDIA Committee member for DONA International (2021-2022)
- Stakeholder Workgroup Committee for the CA Medicaid Doula Benefit
Pricing:
- Individual Initial Session | 90 minutes | $175
- Individual Return Session | 60 minutes | $150
- Individual Brief Session | 30 minutes | $75