Today we’d like to introduce you to Yamel Belen
Hi Yamel, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a Mom of five married to my high school sweetheart. I always knew I would be in the world of pregnancy, labor/ birth and put myself through nursing school in hopes of being in that space. I quickly realized that being an RN in labor and delivery, I wouldn’t be able to have a deeper connection with laboring people and wanted to help in different ways, which is what led me to become a doula. I started as a solo practice, and now, more than six years later, we have a team with over seven doulas……. and growing. We serve all of Tampa Bay and have expanded some of our services nationwide.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not smooth at all. Juggling Motherhood/ marriage and also being a business owner is not easy. Additionally, being a doula, we give of ourselves a lot to our families. We need to make sure to make time to recharge to be well equipped for future families to support them to our best capacity. I have learned so much as a business owner, but I am so thrilled to lead an all-female, diverse, and inclusive team.
As you know, we’re big fans of One Love Doula Services. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
One Love Doula Services is a one-stop for families navigating the prenatal, labor/birth, postpartum and early parenting stages. We specialize in labor doula support, postpartum support, lactation services, childbirth education, holistic postpartum services, including placenta preparation and will be launching a new parent coaching program in early 2021. I also run a personal blog called Kurlycrown, where I highlight even more of what Motherhood looks like from my lens and doing so while staying true to your personal style.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice for new business owners is to do your homework, invest in your business. And this may sound so simple, but- do not give up. If you cannot stop thinking about your business idea, your baby, then it is meant to be for you! Get out there, talk to like minded people and keep in mind if I can, you can. I have grown this small business while being a Mom, an RN and with zero start-up funds. You can do it too!
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@onelovedoula.com
- Website: www.onelovedoula.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/onelovedoulaservices
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/onelovedoula
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