Enroll in the January cohort

Doula Mentorship

You know the work. Now grow into it.

A six-week live mentorship for doulas who want their skills, their confidence and the business side of their practice to catch up with their training.

Enroll in the January cohort Hear from a participant

You do not need to be newly trained to join, and you do not have to have trained with BBU. If you have already completed a doula training, you can enroll — including if your certificate has expired and you want it reviewed. This page is not an initial training: if you have not trained as a doula yet, start there first.

Start with the initial doula training

$300

One price for the whole cohort. Everything included is listed below.

  • Six weekly live sessions on Zoom
  • Designed by Anna Rodney, led by Chelsea Derrico
  • Workbook, recordings and cohort discussion included
  • Six months of access to resources and the group
BBU Doula Mentorship instructor in a Birth & Baby University shirt

Hear from participants

Doulas who took the program describe it in their own words. Captions are available on each player.

A doula who took the program, in her own words: already trained before she joined, and clear about what the mentorship added on top.

What doulas say about BBU

Reviews from BBU doula training participants.

Shauna K.Labor Doula Training
“I have completed multiple other labor doula courses over the years and I can confidently say this is the most informative and useful course I have taken.”
Brittany P.Postpartum Doula Training
“The course was incredibly informative, well-paced, and full of practical details that truly prepared me for the day-to-day work of being a postpartum doula.”
Angela W.Anna’s in-person Labor Doula training
“Anna is extremely knowledgeable about birth and radiates that passion onto everyone she teaches. I would highly recommend taking any and all courses with Anna!”
Laura C.Labor Doula Training
“Even as a birth worker I had so much to learn from her.”
Saori B.Postpartum certification
“Her knowledge and how she structures the information makes this training accessible, easy to follow, and overall a great resource to come back to.”
Addi C.Postpartum doula training with Anna
“What I loved about her training is that she incorporated her years of experience as a doula into it and made it personal with tips and advice for new doulas.”
Chrissie D.Experienced birth and postpartum doula
“This wasn’t just a general refresher, it truly helped me fill in gaps, sharpen my approach, and walk away with practical, evidence-based tools I’m already using with clients.”
Shelley M.Experienced doula · training with Anna
“Anna’s training actually changed how I do things!!”
Adriana L.Childbirth Educator Training with Anna
“Her classes are interesting, engaging and full of useful information.”

How it works

From choosing your cohort to receiving your Doula certification, in the order it happens.

  1. Choose the cohort

    The January 2027 cohort meets six times, on January 5, 12, 19 and 26, and February 2 and 9, 2027, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. Central. Each session runs about 90 minutes.

  2. Enroll and pay

    $300 through BBU, covering the six live sessions, the workbook and the cohort resources.

  3. Get your access

    Your workbook, the session recordings and the cohort resources open up in Learn, BBU’s learning platform.

  4. Upload your proof

    Add your prior doula training — the certificate or the proof of training — privately in Learn. An expired certificate can be submitted for review.

  5. Attend the six sessions

    All six sessions are required. If you miss a live session, a recording BBU has approved can stand in for it.

  6. Receive your three-year Doula certification

    BBU staff review your prior doula training proof and completion of all six sessions. Once both are approved, you receive your three-year Doula certification for the appropriate discipline. An approved recording may satisfy a missed live session.

What mentorship can lead to

Mentorship is not itself a training program, so it does not by itself make you a certified doula. It can lead to a BBU credential when your prior training is approved and you complete the program.

  1. Who it is open to Doulas who have already trained, whether with BBU or with another organization, including doulas whose certificate has expired and who want it reviewed.
  2. Proof is reviewed, not assumed BBU staff review the proof you upload. There is no published list of accepted training providers, and no application is approved automatically.
  3. Which discipline BBU confirms which doula discipline your credential applies to when it reviews your training proof.
  4. What you receive When your proof is approved and all six sessions are completed, BBU issues a three-year credential for the appropriate discipline.

What the six weeks are for

Training teaches you the work. Mentorship is for the parts that come after — the client in front of you, the business behind you, and the decisions in between.

  • Confidence with your clients

    Bring the situations you are actually sitting with and work through them with a mentor and a cohort of doulas.

  • The business side of the work

    Systems, pricing, time and growth — the parts of doula work that training does not cover.

  • A network that outlasts the cohort

    Move through the program with a group of doulas and keep access to the resources and the community after it ends.

The January 2027 cohort

Six live sessions. Bring a real client situation, a question you have been carrying, or the part of your practice you have not had time to work on.

  1. 01 Tuesday, January 5, 2027 9:00–10:30 a.m. Central
  2. 02 Tuesday, January 12, 2027 9:00–10:30 a.m. Central
  3. 03 Tuesday, January 19, 2027 9:00–10:30 a.m. Central
  4. 04 Tuesday, January 26, 2027 9:00–10:30 a.m. Central
  5. 05 Tuesday, February 2, 2027 9:00–10:30 a.m. Central
  6. 06 Tuesday, February 9, 2027 9:00–10:30 a.m. Central

All times are Central. Completion requires all six sessions. If you miss a live session, an approved recording can stand in for it. BBU staff review your completion and the proof behind it before the certificate is issued.

What the cohort works through

Six sessions, six themes. Each one starts from what the doulas in the room are dealing with.

01 Where you are and where you want to be Set the direction for the six weeks.
02 Client relationships and communication Support the families you already have, with more confidence.
  • Work through real client situations from the cohort
  • Strengthen how you communicate with families
  • Build confidence in the room
03 Professional and community relationships Build the network that keeps a practice steady.
  • Peer support and referral relationships
  • Community partnerships
  • Professionalism in your practice
04 Systems for the business side The parts of doula work that training does not cover.
  • Practice systems that cut down admin
  • Client-facing processes
  • What to systematize first
05 Time and sustainable growth Grow without burning out.
  • Managing your time across clients
  • Deciding what to take on
  • Capacity and pricing conversations
06 Reflection and next steps Leave with a plan for the months after the cohort.
  • Review the six sessions
  • Set your next 90 days
  • Know where to keep getting support

The workbook you work from

Mentorship is not a passive program. The workbook is where the session work happens, between and after the live calls.

Doula Mentorship Program Workbook

Pages for the work you do inside the cohort: setting your direction, working through client relationships, and the practice systems that carry the business side. The full workbook is included with the program.

Three selected pages are shown here. The full workbook is included with the program and is not published as a public download.

Who leads it

The program is designed by BBU’s founder and led by a practicing doula and mentor.

Chelsea Derrico, who leads the Doula Mentorship cohort

Chelsea Derrico

Mentor · leads the cohort

  • Team lead at Chicago Family Doulas
  • Mentor to practicing doulas
  • Childbirth educator

Chelsea leads the live sessions. She is a certified labor doula, postpartum doula, childbirth educator, and placenta encapsulation specialist. Over the course of her career, she has attended approximately 600 births and supported more than 1,000 families postpartum, experiences that have shaped her deep passion for supporting families and educating the doulas who serve them.

She has been mentoring doulas since 2019 and leading mentorship cohorts since 2025. She finds so much joy in helping doulas grow into their roles, build confidence in their skills, and navigate the realities of working with families. She understands that becoming a doula involves much more than learning the information; it means learning how to show up in unpredictable moments, navigate difficult conversations, trust your instincts, and support families with compassion and confidence.

Her mentorship style is warm, collaborative, and grounded in real-life experience. She believes the most meaningful learning happens when doulas have the opportunity to talk through the situations they are actually experiencing in their practices. Rather than focusing solely on theory, she creates space for honest conversations, problem-solving, reflection, and practical guidance that doulas can take with them into their work. Her goal is to ensure every doula feels heard, supported, and equipped with the tools they need to provide thoughtful, compassionate care.

At the heart of her work is a genuine love for education and a belief that doulas deserve the same level of support and encouragement that they work so hard to provide to others. She is passionate about helping doulas find their voice, strengthen their skills, and build sustainable, fulfilling practices. She believes that when doulas feel confident and supported, the impact reaches far beyond the individual doula and into the lives of the families and communities they serve.

Anna Rodney, founder of Birth & Baby University

Anna Rodney

Designed the program · BBU founder and lead faculty

  • Founder of Chicago Family Doulas and Birth & Baby University
  • Master’s degree in education · Former Special Education teacher
  • Lamaze Childbirth Educator · Newborn Care Specialist
  • Breastfeeding Educator · Sleep Consultant · Birth and Postpartum Doula

Anna Rodney is an educator, doula, and mentor who has supported more than 25,000 families and trained thousands of doulas and newborn care professionals. As founder and owner of Chicago Family Doulas, she leads a team of more than 500 birth and postpartum doulas.

Anna holds a master’s degree in education and spent more than a decade as a Special Education teacher. Her teaching combines evidence-informed education with practical guidance on communication, professional boundaries, problem-solving, and compassionate, individualized support.

Anna designed the Doula Mentorship program to help practitioners build judgment, confidence, and sustainable professional relationships. Her approach is warm, practical, and grounded in the realities of supporting families. Chelsea Derrico leads the live cohort.

Read more about Anna opens in a new tab
Anna Rodney introduces BBU.

Join the January 2027 cohort

The six live sessions with Chelsea, the workbook and the cohort group run on Tuesdays from January 5 to February 9, 2027, and those dates are listed above.

The program runs with a small cohort. Completion requires all six sessions. If you miss a live session, an approved recording can stand in for it. BBU staff review your completion and the proof behind it before the certificate is issued.

What is included

One price for the cohort, the workbook and everything that comes with it.

  • Six live sessions with Chelsea Derrico
  • The Doula Mentorship Program workbook
  • Session recordings
  • Cohort discussion and weekly prompts
  • Six months of access to resources and the group
Enroll in the January cohort

Questions

When does the next cohort meet?

The January 2027 cohort meets on January 5, 12, 19 and 26, and February 2 and 9, 2027, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. Central.

How long is each session?

Plan for about 90 minutes per session.

Can this lead to a certification?

It can, if you have already trained as a doula. Completing all six sessions and having your prior training approved by BBU staff makes you eligible for a three-year BBU credential for the appropriate discipline. Mentorship is not itself a training program, so it does not certify you on its own, and eligibility is confirmed by BBU staff rather than granted automatically.

I trained with someone other than BBU. Can I still join?

Yes. Doulas who trained elsewhere can enroll and submit their certificate or proof of training for review. BBU reviews proof case by case; it does not publish a list of accepted providers, and it does not approve anything automatically.

My certificate has expired. Is that a problem?

You can still enroll, and an expired certificate can be submitted for review. BBU reviews it rather than accepting it automatically.

Do I have to be trained already?

You do need prior doula training to be eligible for the credential. If you have not trained as a doula yet, start with BBU’s initial doula training, which is a separate, standalone program.

What if I miss a live session?

Completion requires all six sessions. If you cannot attend a live session, an approved recording can stand in for it. BBU staff review your completion and the proof behind it before the certificate is issued.

What does it cost?

$300 for the six live sessions, the workbook, the recordings and six months of access.