Mikaela Lynn (they/she) is a Certified Facilitator of The Resilience Toolkit and a Certification Mentor with the Resilience Toolkit Training Alliance. Based in the Greater Los Angeles area, Mikaela is also a NY State Licensed and CA Certified Massage Therapist, Certified Full Spectrum, Birth, and Postpartum Doula, Lactation Educator, and Reiki Master. They are trained in a wide range of healing modalities, with a special focus on reproductive health, pregnancy, and postpartum care. With over 25 years of customer service experience supporting people in high-stress situations, Mikaela is fiercely committed to advancing healthcare equity for historically marginalized populations, especially Black, trans, and nonbinary communities.
As a Perinatal Care Specialist, Mikaela offers emotional support, physical comfort, and practical, non-medical assistance to clients navigating reproductive health and perinatal care. Their approach is intuitive and personalized, drawing from a broad skillset to meet each person’s unique needs. Mikaela believes that awareness is power and helps clients build confidence in advocating for themselves, their bodies, and their families.
Mikaela works one-on-one with clients, teaches and mentors birthworkers, and has held leadership roles aimed at advancing the field. They have served on committees within DONA International advocating for traditionally marginalized birthworkers and promoting trauma-informed training and policy reform. Most recently, Mikaela was a member of the California Stakeholder Committee Workgroup that helped develop the state’s Medicaid doula benefit. They spent two years collaborating with stakeholders and the Department of Health Care Services to shape the current benefit and advocate for both doulas and families.
Currently, Mikaela is a co-lead and facilitator of the California Doulas Labor Table, guiding conversations about doula integration and advocacy within the Medi-Cal system. They also work closely with Community Doula programs across the state, supporting efforts to form a statewide collective and expand services for pregnant and postpartum people.
In collaboration with Nkem Ndefo, Mikaela co-developed and co-teaches Tender Love—the only embodied, trauma-informed training designed specifically for non-clinical birthworkers. They are excited to expand the program to include clinical perinatal care providers in the future.
Mikaela also holds an MFA in Acting from The New School for Drama. Their background in theatre brings a warm, grounded presence and magnetic energy to their work. Calm under pressure and quick-witted, they are a confident speaker, skilled facilitator, and engaging mentor.
Outside of work, Mikaela thrives on creative expression. Whether making jewelry, throwing pottery, building websites, or simply playing, they spend their free time creating and crafting. With two advanced degrees in talking and playing pretend, they bring a spirit of joy and imagination to everything they do.
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
Work with Mikaela:
Pricing:
- Individual Initial Session | 90 minutes | $175
- Individual Return Session | 60 minutes | $150
- Individual Brief Session | 30 minutes | $75