The 2019 Retreat Program

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Doula Conference Retreat 2019 is a two-day, national conference for doulas and workers with pregnancy, birth, postnatal and loss. This event takes place during International Doula Week, on the beautiful tea tree tannin infused Lake Ainsworth in Lennox Head near Byron Bay, NSW on the 23rd-24th March, 2019.
As we finalise the schedule for this indulgent weekend, we would like to introduce you to the incredible speakers and workshop presenters we have coming together for this weekend.
​Stay tuned for the full program schedule, including speaker topics and session times.

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The Speakers & Presenters

Dr Sarah Buckley

Dr Sarah Buckley is a GP, trained in GP obstetrics, and mother of four homeborn children. She has been writing and lecturing to childbirth professionals and parents since 1997, and is the author of the internationally best-selling book Gentle Birth. Gentle Mothering,
Sarah has a special interest in the hormones of labour and birth and in 2015 she completed an extensive scientific report on this topic, Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing, published with Childbirth Connection (US) in 2015. She is currently a PhD candidate in this area at the University of Queensland, Brisbane Australia.
See www.sarahbuckley.com and her Hormonal Physiology report at http://transform.childbirthconnection.org/reports/physiology/

Birthwork - Jenny Blyth & Fiona Hallinan

Between them, Jenny and Fiona have 60+ years experience of working with birthing women and their bodies, and facilitating workshops. They are highly intuitive and skilled bodyworkers with a particular fascination for exploring and understanding women’s bodies in relation to birth. They have assisted an enormous number of women to connect with, understand, admire, prepare and heal their sacred pelvic space. Their workshops are an extraordinary blend of pelvic anatomy, body knowledge, body awareness, bodywork and profoundly attentive touch – as it relates to all pregnant women.
Fiona is a mother of 2, a registered nurse & midwife, child health nurse, independent birth educator and bodyworker.
Jenny is a mother of 3, grandmother of 2, independent birth worker, educator, bodyworker, author & film maker.

Rachana Shivam Evans

I have been active in the natural birth movement for the past 44 years.  After experiencing the devastation of an obstetrical managed delivery and the power and liberation of an orgasmic natural birth I am committed to do what I can to ensure that all women have the opportunity to choose the birth option that makes their heart sing and gives their babies the best possible beginning to life.. 
My background in Primal therapy, rebirthing and re-patterning pre and perinatal imprints convinces me that how we are gestated and born and how we give birth is the foundations of our ultimate health and well -being.  
The 28 years as co director of the Centre for Human Transformation working with courageous people committed to healing and elevating their vibration so as to be of service to others and to consciously conceive and birth their babies inspires me to share the knowledge that we discovered during that extraordinary journey.
With the support of the women of the International College of Spiritual Midwifery I have been able to create so much more than I could ever have imagined.  Together with the late Jeanine Parvati Baker and Clair Lotus Day bringing the message of Lotus Birth to the planet and seeing it flower and shower its seeds of love and unity throughout the world has been an enormous privilege.
I am delighted to be presenting at Doula Conference Retreat 2019 and wish you a wonderful time.

Lisa Fitzpatrick

Lisa Fitzpatrick is the go-to spiritual business coach for high-achieving, soulful, entrepreneurial leaders and coaches who have a powerful message and would like to start a movement. She is a specialist in sustainable business practices and loves supporting women to grow their online and offline presence in heart-centred, holistic and healthy ways. As a best-selling author and founder of Sacred Women’s Business Coaching, Lisa believes that when women tap into their feminine wisdom, the feminine shift restores balance and equality and helps to heal our troubled world. 
Lisa is a certified coach, experienced keynote speaker, best-selling author, yoga teacher, workshop facilitator, registered physiotherapist and mother. She lives in a subtropical paradise near Byron Bay with her two sons. 

Jane Hardwicke Collings

Jane Hardwicke Collings is a midwife, teacher, writer and menstrual educator. She gives workshops in Australia and internationally on mother and daughter preparation for menstruation, the spiritual practice of menstruation, and the sacred and shamanic dimensions of pregnancy and birth and menopause. Jane founded and runs The School of Shamanic Womancraft (formerly The School of Shamanic Midwifery), which prepares women to practice and teach the Women’s Mysteries and midwife the soul. 
Jane is the author of Ten Moons, the Inner Journey of Pregnancy, Thirteen Moons, How to chart your menstrual cycle, Spinning Wheels (a guide to the cycles), and Becoming a Woman (for girls approaching menstruation). 
www.janehardwickecollings.com
www.moonsong.com.au
www.schoolofshamanicwomancraft.com

Dr Bec Jenkinson

Dr Bec Jenkinson is a critical friend of maternity services and has been active in maternity consumer representation and advocacy since the births of her three children (now 11, 9 and 6). Bec completed a PhD in 2017, examining women’s, midwives and obstetricians experiences of situations where pregnant women decline recommended care, and in particular processes that might enable respectful care. She is currently co-leading the developing of a Queensland Health guideline for clinicians partnering with women who decline recommended maternity care

Anna Watts

Founder of Celebration of Birth, Anna Watts, is affectionately known as the ‘Wise Woman of Doulas’ or ‘Mama Doula’, she has been guiding women and their partners through the journey of pregnancy and birth for almost 30 years. Anna believes in honouring and celebrating birth as a ‘rite of passage’ for the family, supporting
empowered birthing choices and strengthening the spiritual connection in pregnancy and birth.
Anna’s wide experience as a Childbirth Educator, Doula Trainer, Pre-natal Yoga Teacher, Counsellor, Spiritual Healer, and mother of two beautiful daughters both born at home – one a water birth – brings a depth and groundedness to her teaching.
The Celebration of Birth Doula Academy offers professional training to Birth and Post-natal Doulas with a focus on holistic support through the journey of transformation in birth and beyond.
​www.celebrationofbirth.com

Dr. Oscar Serrallach

Dr Oscar Serrallach is a family doctor based in Byron Bay who specialises in post natal wellness. He has done specialist training in family medicine and functional medicine. He coined the term 'Post Natal Depletion' to describe a syndrome of physical and emotional symptoms that can affect mothers for years after the birth of a baby. His book the 'Post Natal Depletion Cure' takes a holistic approach in how to help  mothers reverse this depletion and recover their sense of wellbeing. 
Using Matrescence - the science of motherhood - to help support mothers through  this healthy transition into early  motherhood and avoiding the syndrome of 'Post Natal Depletion'.

Rhea Dempsey

Rhea is a mother of three daughters and four delicious grandchildren, counsellor and child birth educator with over forty years experience. Rhea has extensive experience working with women and families before, during and after birth. Her special interest is in exploring the psychological aspects of birth and the pyscho-social factors which can affect birth outcomes. Rhea is a highly respected and sought after presenter at conferences, seminars and workshops on birth and counselling issues. Rhea also works in private practice running an extensive schedule of classes for couples and groups as well as education and development for midwives and birth attendants.

Denise Love

Denise has been working in Women's Health internationally for 40 years.  As a registered nurse and a Doula and Doula trainer, both in birth and death.  She is passionate about the way we are welcomed into the world, freeing ourselves to live our lives the way we chose and having comfort and safety around the space we take our last breath in, and the way we are served.  

Ana Davis

​Ana Davis is a senior yoga teacher with over 20 years experience and is founder and director of Bliss Baby Yoga, which specialises in prenatal and postnatal yoga, fertility and women’s yoga (menstruation and menopause), and restorative yoga, offered online, and in-person in selected locations.  Ana is also a qualified Celebration of Birth Doula.  Mother to a 14 year old son, Ana has long been passionate about exploring the benefits of yoga and meditation for women’s monthly and life cycles and is excited to birth into the world her book, Moving with the Moon: Nurturing Yoga, Movement and Meditation for Every Phase of Your Menstrual Cycle and Beyondin late 2018.  

Darren Mattock

Darren Mattock is a trained Working With Men Professional who has been practising as an Expectant & New Dad Specialist for the past decade. He has worked with hundreds of dads in community and engaged thousands online, facilitating birth preparation workshops for dads, co-facilitating birth preparation workshops for couples, new dads support groups and private support work with expectant and new dads.
A key element of Darren’s work is educating childbirth and healthcare professionals, empowering them with tools, skills, knowledge and insights on supporting men becoming fathers. He has lectured student midwifes, presented at midwifery and motherhood conferences, doula trainings, and perinatal mental health workshops.
Darren is a huge advocate of doulas, is a homebirth dad and passionate about making a difference in the birth, fatherhood and masculine spaces. He lives with his 10 year old son Charlie in the beautiful Northern Rivers region of NSW.

Robyn Thompson

Robyn, an experienced Midwife and Breastfeeding Consultant has a 55-year history working in the Australian Health Services. Forty-three years a Midwife, Robyn has worked beside thousands of mothers and their babies in hospital systems, community based Maternal & Child Health and 25 years beside hundreds of women who chose to give birth at home. Awarded a PhD in Breastfeeding Research in 2014, she has completed extensive presentations of her data and experience around the country and in Prague at the Triennial ICM Conference in 2014. More recently she has shared her experience and knowledge to women of the world online, with her online video breastfeeding programs. Currently, the Mater Mothers’ Hospital Brisbane is implementing what’s now become known as ‘The Thompson Method’ throughout the maternity hospital, under the watchful eye of Professor Sue Kildea, in a bid to improve breastfeeding outcomes for women and their babies.The aim of Robyn sharing her knowledge, experience and wisdom with women and health professionals is help prevent the common breastfeeding complications faced by many women these days, such as painful nipple trauma, breast engorgement and mastitis.

Jess Permezel

Jess is a midwife, childbirth educator, and queer mama of two primary aged kids. She has taught CBE at My Midwives Melbourne since its inception, and in 2017 she developed Melbourne's only LGBTIQ+ specific CBE. Jess enjoys delivering professional development about LGBTIQ+ families to other perinatal care professionals and is passionate about health equality,  education and informed decision making.

Sally Cusack

Sally Cusack is a mother of two children and founder of Pregnancy Birth and Beyond Radio in 2010, a collaborative of parents and professionals from her region now known as PBB Media.
Sally became a presenter on the show in 2014 and has had the pleasure of interviewing many luminaries in the birth and parenting fields such as Dr Sarah Buckley, Dr Rachel Reed, Dr Michel Odent, Jane Hardwicke Collings, Jenny Blyth, Dr Hannah Dahlen, Rhea Dempsey and author of Heart to Heart Parenting Robin Grille. She is passionate about bringing the latest and highest quality information to families so they can make their own best choices, leading her to present events such as PBB Talks: A Close Look at Informed Consent with Dr Bec Jenkinson.
Sally has been a member of Maternity Choices Australia and consumer representative for women in her community since 2010. Since 2015 she has served as a maternity services consumer representative for her local health district. She was part of the community campaign that oversaw the reopening of the birthing service at Murwillumbah Hospital and continues to support women around the country to have their birth services rightfully restored.