Cornerstone Doula Trainings

04/02/2026

♡ As you may already know, Cornerstone is co-leading Project STRIDE, a partnered research study with the University of Southern California.

✧ Project STRIDE (Supporting To***co Reduction through Innovative Doula Engagement) is a research study exploring how harm reduction–trained doulas can support pregnant people who use to***co to reduce their use and improve mental health outcomes. The study is rooted in community care, harm reduction and advocacy, and centers relational, non-judgmental support throughout pregnancy and postpartum. Cessation is not required.

♡We are in the process of matching Pregnant folks to our trained Doulas.
Pregnant people in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy who have used to***co in the past three months may be eligible, and participants will receive free doula care from our birth doulas who have joined the study and have received specialized harm reduction training.

Please share with folks who may be interested. The QR code for the screener is on the second slide.

If you are able to post flyers in your offices or meeting spaces, send a DM with your mailing address and we will send you some printed flyers.

♡♡♡

01/30/2026

12/31/2025

2025 honorable mentions.

11/26/2025

I know it's been forever since I've posted. Still here, got a thousand pots in five thousand fires. 🔥 LOTS of creating for Cornerstone, OMG the harm reduction doula training is almost ready to drop. (👀 Are you on the mailing list?) Currently spending some much needed time holding my kiddo close, and hey... Bay Areaaaaaa - I'm moving back next year! 🖤N

04/12/2025

"If it can happen to them, we’re next." Let’s talk about what that really means... That phrase has been everywhere lately. And I get it—fear is real. But what happens when fear and personal impact become the only reason we pay attention?

When we say “we’re next,” what we’re really saying is:
Now that it might affect me, it finally feels urgent. But what if we asked instead: Why didn’t it feel urgent before? Why does harm have to reach our own doorstep before we call it unacceptable?

Justice asks us to care even when we’re not personally at risk. Solidarity asks us to act because it’s wrong, not just because it’s close.

So yes—it could happen to you. But more importantly,
it is and has already been happening. And that should be enough.

02/28/2025

♡ This just in… Washington just got added to the list of states that have approved Cornerstone ♡

🌿 Cornerstone is now an approved birthwork training organization for Medicaid doula reimbursement in 20 states—and counting.

Birthworkers with Cornerstone training can now register for Medicaid reimbursement in:

📍 Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas (Case Management benefit), and Washington state ✨

Want to become a Medicaid-approved doula? Our training is virtual, self-paced, closed captioned, and offered on a sliding scale. Sign up today! Link in bio.

02/14/2025

🩵💛 Big love to the world-changers 💜🩷

Birthworkers, midwives, advocates, harm reductionists, street medics, peer workers, community organizers—you are the ones holding it all together. Your love isn’t passive; it’s radical, intentional, and woven into every fiber of the work we do together.

Because we know birthwork is harm reduction.
Harm reduction is advocacy.
Advocacy is community care.
And community care is how we change the world.

❤️‍🔥Cornerstone birthworkers are weaving radical care into the fabric of our communities—standing together, showing up in solidarity, and shaping the future of reproductive care.❤️‍🔥

♡ Tag someone who embodies radical love and let them know you see the amazing work they do. ♡



ID: A digital illustration features pastel-colored candy hearts with white text, each representing different roles in birthwork and harm reduction. The hearts are arranged against a black background with small white sparkles. The hearts read: 'Midwives' (pink), 'Peer Workers' (purple), 'Harm Reductionists' (blue), 'Birth Workers' (yellow), 'Street Medics' (green), 'Advocates' (purple), and 'Community Organizers' (pink). At the bottom, the 'Cornerstone Birthwork Training' logo is displayed, featuring a stylized hand with an eye in the center and bold orange and yellow text.

02/09/2025

I don’t have all the answers—never have. But I do know that together, we have the power to shift history. Things are disorienting and unraveling fast, and we’re just fighting to hold onto our breath, our identities, loved ones, and sanity. But fear won’t save us. Collective action will.

What I do know:

‼️Fighting over being “perfect” activists or wasting your energy blaming folks for where we are is a trap. We don’t have time for that. Our reality is our reality—we either come together, or we fall apart.
‼️ No human being is illegal. Learn your rights when interacting with ICE, and don’t stand by when our communities need protection.
‼️ Trans people are sacred. We must protect our trans, q***r, and GNC family with everything we’ve got.
‼️ Public health is under threat and we're facing an information blackout while hella viruses are circulating our communities. Covid is still real. Mask up and protect our disabled and immunocompromised family.
‼️ Palestine, DRC, Sudan, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii still need us—don’t stop organizing and demanding liberation.
‼️ Ab is healthcare. We must keep each other resourced and safe.

What I'm doing:

💗 I’m making calls every day through the 5 Calls app (link in bio). I’m showing up at community teach-ins, leaning on loved ones, creating new training content, and training justice-centered birthworkers to help build the world we deserve.

💗 And I'm asking you: What are you doing? How are you staying grounded, if at all? What resources are you finding helpful? How are you showing up? Drop it in the comments and share it on your platforms.

We either come together, or we fall apart. Let’s organize. Let’s protect each other. Let’s build. We have work to do.

12/29/2024

✨Friendly reminder: Birthwork isn’t “women’s work.” It’s human work.

✨Anyone can be a doula, and everyone has a part to play in building a compassionate, inclusive, loving, and supportive world for all families and communities.

✨You don’t need to be a certain age, ability, gender, or even a parent to be a birthworker. Birth touches all of us—we’ve all been born. If you’re drawn to this work, you belong here.

✨This isn’t just “women helping women.” All parents, gestating and non gestating can experience postpartum depression. People of all genders give birth and deserve care that affirms and uplifts them.

✨Parenting, in all its forms, is a profound transition. Every parent deserves love, care, and a community that surrounds them with support during one of life’s most transformative times.

✨Ready to answer the call to justice rooted birthwork? All of our courses are open for registration and priced on a sliding scale - choose the price that works for you, no questions asked. Join the movement that is transforming birthwork! Link in bio to sign up.



ID: "Graphic with the text 'Friendly Reminder: Birthwork isn’t “women’s work”.' Decorative hanging hearts are at the top, and the logo for 'Cornerstone Birthwork Training' with a hand icon is at the bottom left. The background features small scattered pastel stars and dots for decoration."

12/28/2024

✨ 2024 in Review: What a Year! ✨

This year has been monumental for Cornerstone, and it’s all thanks to YOU, our incredible community. Here’s what we accomplished together:

🌟 Trained 367 doulas and implemented our Green Bottle Sliding Scale Pricing, making our programs more accessible than ever.
🌟 Secured an office at the East Bay Birth Collective in Oakland, where the first Cornerstone Doula Collective has officially begun its journey.
🌟 Awarded $21,502 in scholarships for our courses—out of pocket!
🌟 Collaborated with three state Medicaid programs to expand access to essential services.
🌟 Made our Labor, Birth, and Postpartum Trainings more accessible by translating them into Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Arabic.
🌟 Celebrated 18 years of transforming lives and communities.

💚 Coming in 2025:
We’re thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of our Harm Reduction Doula Training—the first of its kind! This innovative program will be setting a new standard for doula care. 🌿 Want to be the first to know when it’s available? Click the link in our bio to join our mailing list.

💬 Tell us: What do YOU want to see more of from us in 2025? Drop your ideas in the comments below!

Thank you for being part of our journey. Here’s to another year of growth, connection, and impact! 🫶

ID: Graphic with a soft pink and purple gradient background featuring bubble-like effects and sparkles. Two smiling individuals are pictured in the foreground: one with short teal hair, wearing a shirt that reads 'Birthworkers Against white Supremacy,' and the other with purple curly hair, wearing a tank top with a subtle tattoo visible on her chest. The text reads '2024 Year in Review' in bold, playful black font arched at the top, and below it, '...and a pretty exciting announcement for 2025' in smaller black text. The Cornerstone logo—a hand design with 'Cornerstone' text—is in the bottom left corner, along with the Instagram handle '.birthwork.

12/14/2024

🤔I’ve been thinking about how gratitude is sold to us—as the key to happiness, the path to serenity, the way to feel whole. But honestly, that’s always felt off to me. ✨Gratitude practices are an act of privilege.

Why are we told to just sit with what we have and feel good about it? What about digging deeper—thinking about how the things we’re grateful for are connected to systems that force others to go without? What about questioning how our comfort and abundance are built on harm, extraction, and imbalance?

😤I don’t want to sit in gratitude for my comfort while others are forced to suffer under oppression. Gratitude should be more than a feel-good exercise; it should push us to see the impact of our choices and the ways we’re complicit in harmful systems. It should challenge us to consume less, connect more to the earth, and work toward reducing suffering—not just for ourselves, but for everyone.

How does this land with you? What’s your relationship with gratitude, and has it ever challenged you to think differently about justice? 👇🏻Drop your thoughts in the comments—I want to hear from you.

PS: At Cornerstone, we believe birthwork is a foundational justice movement. These conversations are central to our trainings, where we explore how to make lasting change in our communities. Our classes are always sliding scale, and at checkout, you can choose to gift a training to someone you love. 💛



ID: A graphic with the text "We Are Looking at Gratitude All Wrong" in bold black lettering with a slight white shadow. Above the text are heart icons in pastel colors (yellow, pink, blue) hanging like charms. Below the text is the Cornerstone Birthwork Training logo, featuring a purple hand with an eye symbol and "Cornerstone Birthwork Training" written in orange. The background includes small scattered stars and dots in pastel pink, yellow, and blue for decoration.

12/01/2024

🌟 How Many Clients Should a Birthworker Take Each Month? Let’s Talk About It. 🌟

Birthwork is all about relationships. It’s not just about showing up on the birthing day—it’s about taking the time to really connect, building trust during the prenatal period, and being fully available when your clients need you most.

We say taking on 3-4 clients per month is considered full-time doula work. Here’s why:

✨ Clients Are People, Not Calendar Slots: Each client deserves your full presence. They’re navigating a vulnerable time in their lives, and stacking your schedule can make it harder to truly show up in the way they deserve.

✨ Advocacy Takes Time: Supporting clients often means educating, being present with them through their challenges, and advocating for their needs—work that requires energy and focus.

✨ Equitable Backup: No one can do it all alone, and having reliable backup is essential. 👉🏻Make sure to pay your backups fairly for their time and support. To take it a step further, consider working in small teams of 2-3 birthworkers. This approach not only ensures seamless, uninterrupted care for your clients but also fosters relationship and collaboration within our community.

✨ Sustainability for You: Taking breaks from being on call is just as important. Balancing your personal and community life with your client commitments helps you stay grounded and present for the long run.

✨Birthwork isn’t about filling a calendar; it’s about honoring our commitments to the people we serve. How do you balance being present for your clients with caring for yourself and your community?👇🏻Let’s talk about it in the comments.

ID in comments.