Speaker Release

We are happy to introduce you to the below speakers.
​More will be announced each week as we build our tapestry of experience, variety, texture and colour.

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Bashi Kumar-Hazard

She is an Australian lawyer and the principal of B W Law, a legal practice directed at assisting women and children, and the Legal Director of the ANZ arm of the Human Rights in Childbirth (HRiC) International Lawyers Network. Bashi’s background is in competition and consumer law and litigation, developed while working for several years with Allens in Sydney, immediately after graduating with first class honours in Law and Economics from the University of Sydney. Under her maiden surname “Kumar”, Bashi has written and spoken on issues relating to competition and trade practices law, legal professional privilege and the ethics of free speech and the philosophy of law. Bashi’s focus in law expanded soon after she had her first child. From her own experiences, Bashi became aware of the widespread impact of current obstetric models of care on the emotional health and wellbeing of mothers. That awareness took her back to working with fundamental ethical principles and human rights law and forming networks with human rights lawyers in the USA, Netherlands, UK and Europe, with whom she now works closely to develop a legal discourse around the human rights of women in pregnancy and childbirth. Bashi is mother to three amazing young children, teaches ethics and grows orchids.

Dr Rachel Reed

Dr Rachel Reed is a Senior Lecturer and Discipline Lead in Midwifery at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. She has practised midwifery in a range of models and settings in the United Kingdom and Australia. Rachel is committed to the promotion of physiological birth, and of women’s rights (and rites) in maternity care. She is a writer and presenter, and is the author of the MidwifeThinking blog site.

Vicki Hobbs

Vicki Hobbs is a multi-award-winning Hypnobirthing Australia™ practitioner, birth & postpartum doula, remedial massage therapist specialising in pregnancy massage along with many other services to focus on women’s mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. She is also the founder and one of the trainers at the Doula Training Academy based in Perth, Western Australia. Since starting her business in 2004, she has had a thirst to know more and be better and embraces the collective knowledge gained from training, tradition and experience that is passed down from generation to generation. She is dedicated to training and encouraging women who want to become a part of the growing doula industry and providing them an ongoing learning hub and village of support.
www.doulatrainingacademy.com.au

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 dimensions of pregnancy and birth and menopause. Jane founded and runs The School of Shamanic Womancraft, an international Women’s Mysteries School.

Ann Blanche

My journey to being with birthing women began intensely when we moved from Melbourne to a small rural town in northern Tasmania way back in the late 1970’s. Following the birth of our first child in Melbourne I grappled to unravel the effects of the hospital environment had on a very normal birth and the consequences for parenting my newborn. I met and worked with fantastic women exploring the same issues and my commitment and calling to midwifery was born!
Deloraine was a hub for like-minded people and as “newcomers” we clung together. When we're all having babies I was often there. During those 17 years of attending approximately 500 births I was delighted, excited, sometimes bemused and above all, in awe of the very domestic miracle of welcoming new life into the world. I was also often very tired!
I mostly worked in partnership, often with a registered midwife, sometimes alone and in those days with great support from some of the local obstetricians and doctors. As well as supporting women to have homebirths we all worked together to establish birth centres, share care plans and postnatal support. It was a wonderfully rich and nurturing time.

Glenys Janssen-Frank

Glenys is a full-time PhD student at UTS, in Sydney, in the Faculty of Health. Her topic is the experience of asylum seekers, in the perinatal period, in high income countries.
Glenys has worked as a midwife for over 20 years and more recently has specialised in working with vulnerable pregnant women, in the community, with the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies program and then recently with Birth for HumanKIND as the doula co-ordinator. During her time at Birth for HumanKIND she trained as a doula with Rhea Dempsey. She is currently working as a BANK Midwife for The Royal Women’s Hospital and Sunshine hospital, in Melbourne.
She would like to acknowledge the Victorian College of midwives for a scholarship to support her PhD study. In addition, she is a current recipient of the Australian Government Research Training program stipend.

Catherine Bell

Catherine Bell is the creator of Birth Cartography and the author of The Birth Map: boldly goes where no birth plan has gone before. In 2019 she began a PhD Journey, with the view to look at what might happen if we maybe, just maybe, gave birth back to women. Or something like that. A doula since 2010, when doula was a word that still needed an explanation, she applauds how far we have come. And is prepared for how far we have to go.

Jane Palmer

For over 28 years I have been working in the field of childbirth education, both as a childbirth educator conducting parenting and birth preparation courses, and as a supervisor for course participants completing the Graduate Diploma of Childbirth Education. Passionate about supporting expectant parents, Jane established the well known website www.pregnancy.com.au. In 1997 Jane qualified a midwife and a couple of years later entered private midwifery practice. Today Jane practices as a private midwife, lactation consultant and childbirth educator. In addition Jane’s experience extends into the business world as the managing director of:
PBB Health Centre – a midwifery and medical health centre (established 2012 and sold in 2017) Pregnancy Birth and Beyond Pty Ltd (1992 to present)
Birth International Pty ltd (2016 to present) Jane Palmer Pty Ltd (2018 to present)

Nicole Moore

Nicole is a homebirth Mama of two - facilitator, filmmaker, writer, performing artist, public speaker...  She has been an oxytocin enthusiast and natural birth passionista since her own life changing birth experiences in 2002.
Nicole facilitates groups, couples and individuals (in person or online) to creatively & gently release the trauma of a less than blissful entry to life for oneself, or previous difficult deliveries of babies, creating freedom from painful, inhibiting or subconscious core beliefs.
Nicole@BirthIntoBeing.com.au
http://www.birthintobeing.com.au
http://www.nappyfree.com.au

Anna Watts

Founder of the Celebration of Birth Doula Academy, 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 over 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, birth and postpartum. 
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 deeply grounded approach to her teaching. 
The Celebration of Birth Doula Academy offers professional training and mentoring for Sacred Birth and Post-natal Doulas with a focus on holistic support through the journey of transformation in birth and beyond. www.celebrationofbirth.com 

Ronnie Moule

I am a GP obstetrician working in birthing in Castlemaine, and mother of 4, all born at home 
I am passionate about empowering women in birth, and for women to have opportunity for birth to be a healing process,
I am very fortunate to live and work in rural Australia, and provide care for families here for over 20 years. 

Amanda Watkins

At the age of twenty I started sitting with women in circle, for days at a time, under the guidance of Shivam Rachana. It was a depth of relating that I loved, a raw honesty and deep level of self enquiry that was scary, yet nourishing to be around.
We spoke of all things pertaining to a woman’s journey.
During this time I listened to countless birth stories. I paid close attention as women processed trauma from difficult births. I developed a deep understanding of what nourished a woman and of what depleted her.
Armed with this gift, I birthed my babies at home. My first son was breech and I was lovingly supported by my midwife Marie-Louise Lapeyre, and doula Sunderai Felich.
I came to know the transpersonal nature of birth and I was inspired to become a Doula.
After divorce in 2012, it has been trickier to drop everything to support a labouring woman. I have continued to support women/couples during pregnancy, birth and postpartum, but less frequently.
I find now, as I get my hands dirty as a gardener, my deepest yearning is always to be in that intensely honest place with a woman as she births.

Moran Liviani

I am a mother of 3 girls and a Birth Doula, HypnoBirthing Practitioner, Lamaze Childbirth Educator and also a Placenta encapsulation specialist. My passion for birth came from my own experiences which inspired me to support women in the best way possible so that they have a positive birth experience no matter what journey their birthing day takes them on. I have been a Doula for 7 years and it is truly a work of passion.

Nina Isabella​

I’m a devoted mother, Yoga Australia senior registered yoga instructor, independent childbirth educator, doula {professional birth attendant}, and passionate advocate for reclaiming women’s trust in their innate wisdom to birth and raise their children consciously. For me, teaching yoga is deeply informed by my own experience of pregnancy and birth and by my work as a doula. I consciously bring the insights gained from these experiences and apply directly to teaching. 

Tim O'Leary ​

Timothy O'Leary is an author, therapist and educator based in Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of Dads Who Can and has run prenatal classes for dads for over 15 years. He has appeared on TV and on radio and in the print media promoting the importance of dads and raising awareness about peri natal mental health issues for mums and dads.
His new book, The Relationship First-Aid Kit published by Hay House Australia. He is currently stirring things up with the Romance Revolution! https://timothy-s-school-387b.thinkific.com/courses/deepening-your-love

Sheree Stewart

Sheree is an Aboriginal speaker, midwife, doula, published author, manager, student hot air balloon pilot and a transpersonal art therapist. Jack of all trades really. She also has a whole bunch of children.
Her midwifery connects her with the whole experience of being human - from birth to death in all its messy perfectly imperfect forms. She has travelled in Cambodia, Ethiopia and Central Desert Australia and will sit with families through it all, whatever it looks like. 
Sheree's current role is managing the Koori Maternity Service at Western Health and being involved in 'Galinjera' - an all risk caseload model of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
With a deep-seated connection to her 60 000 years of Indigenous ancestry, Sheree seeks the beauty, connection and kindness in everything she faces as she believes this is a key factor to creating long lasting positive changes in the world .

Julie Bell

Julie Bell has been, at various times, a Registered Nurse, birth passionista, herbalist and now founder/owner of Blissful Herbs and author of the Melbourne Doula blog.
As a doula and volunteer humanitarian worker, Julie attended births in Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Nagaland, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States before returning to Australia to live.
She is the mother of  four babies, all born at home, in 3 different countries.
It is the passion of Julie’s life to support women in realizing their personal power and learning to wield it unapologetically. It is the joy of Julie’s life to be allied with a remarkable cohort of creative and inspiring women who are a force of love and change in the world. Birthing rights, women’s rights, human rights and the environment are causes never far from Julie’s heart.
A friend recently described Julie as “one of the most staggering and formidable people I have ever met”. Julie however, regards herself as a plodder, who “tried hard”. On her Instagram account @blissful.herbs which has a following of 36K, she writes “Expect radical. Do not expect tame.”
Into her 50s and beyond, Julie intends to continue to live radically, wage peace and make revolution.

Steffi Arvanitakis

Steffi has been devoted to working with  Birth for over 20 years. 
Supporting birthing families in the capacity of a Doula, Childbirth Educator  & Bodyworker Steffi also facilitates a monthly Birth Circle, Birth Preparation Workshops for Couples & Blessing Ways; all occasions that honour the sacred & deeper landscapes of the childbearing year.
Her education has been diverse and in addition to her certified trainings includes many years of cherished mentoring and apprentice-like tuition which have created the strong foundation of her work.
She has been fortunate to have been guided by several wise and gifted teachers and benefited greatly from their down to earth and hands on guidance.
Steffi places particular emphasis upon the presence of loving touch, the honouring, deep witnessing & healing of the body & deeper being throughout pregnancy, birth & postpartum. This commitment has inspired her delving into different fields of traditional bodywork & spirituality & acquiring an array of treasured cross cultural skills & practices.
She is also is core member of Laos Birthwork & has been involved in yearly voluntary birthwork support & education in remote Northern Laos for the past 4 years.
Steffi brings a warm & open hearted quality to her work & holding of space.
She lives in the beautiful Yarra Valley & is a mother of 3 strong natured children.She is also a passionate cook, a homemaker, hearth keeper, community weaver & lover of wild places.

Stacey O’Brien

Since the stillbirth of her son, Finn in 2002 Stacey O’Brien has shared her inspirational journey through grief with midwives, doulas, nurses and the bereaved. This journey has been healing for Stacey and the hundreds of people she has worked with. Her book “A Kiss From An Angel” has become a beautiful healing tool and a valuable insight into the bereaved mother and father’s journey through grief. While sharing this healing of grief, Stacey created “The Healers Workbook” which is a valuable resource and offers self-care practices for birth workers. “The Midwife’s Insight” is Stacey’s latest online training, offering a glimpse into stillbirth and a much needed educational toolkit for midwives and doulas worldwide. Stacey’s workshops are an inspirational journey of holistic healing and education that offer a very rare combination of lived experience, mental and physical health and practical support. 

Jennifer Barham-Floreani  & Dr Simon Floreani

Jennifer has always been passionate about reminding parents of their inherent right to navigate their family’s health outcomes and due to growing family commitments and her best selling book Well Adjusted Babies, Jennifer has dipped in and out of the practice but travelled extensively with her work. She has won a number of awards over the last 20 years and currently divides her time between family, writing and caring for pregnant mothers and families at Vitality, and with couples near and far.

​Dr Simon is passionate about outcomes. He believes quality healthcare is patient driven and based on deliverables. Wellness is a natural extension of a happy client who wants more from their health and their body; Dr Simon offers this to inspire clients to a better version of themselves than they often don’t even know exists as a possibility.
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Together Simon and Jen founded Vitality Health.

About 'Birth Time'

We are four women on a mission making a documentary to make a change in our maternity systems in Australia, and around the world.Our own birth experiences have been the catalyst to creating this documentary.After experiencing firsthand the many benefits of one to one midwifery care, Jo, Jerusha and Zoe were supported in achieving uninterrupted, non-medicalised, exhilarating and powerful childbirth.This is where our collective passion began.
Our team is from a diverse background and we each bring very different skills to the table that compliment each other.
​A midwife in private practice, a doula and photographer, an actress and an IT whizz who is an Olympian - our collective backgrounds and skills and our passion for this project is what has prepared us for taking on this challenge.