Education & Certifications
Serena received her first Doula training at a WombWise Workshop 14 years ago hosted by Secwepmc women in the interior of BC. She spent over 30 hours learning alongside empowered, inspiring and determined indigenous mothers on their path of reclaiming, integrating, and trusting traditional ancient wisdom in the birthing process and sharing it with families in their communities. In 2009 she received her Wise Woman Way of Birth Certification from world renowned midwife Gloria Lemay.
Serena weaves together over a decade of culminated experience gathered as a doula, teacher, and student of birth traditions, and a lifetime of body wisdom. As an infant, she recovered from two open heart surgeries. As a child she loved watching the birth of puppies, birds, plants and learning about the wild willed cycles and seasons around her. Serena's father is from India, and she grew up hearing stories of life, love and struggle as well as the relationship to food and the natural world of her East Indian grandparents and her aunts and uncles. Her mother is a power house woman who raised her 4 kids in rural northern Ontario. Throughout her childhood Serena embraced the importance of intuition and spent a lot of her spare time in the outdoors & wilderness observing, learning and trusting the life cycles around her. She worked for 3 years as a nature preschool teacher with Hand in Hand Outdoor Nature Education in Courtenay.
Serena currently facilitates the weekly free postnatal support group called Baby & Me with Town of Comox.
Between 2016-2021 she facilitated the postpartum group Mamacentric at the Cumberland Community School.
Serena weaves together over a decade of culminated experience gathered as a doula, teacher, and student of birth traditions, and a lifetime of body wisdom. As an infant, she recovered from two open heart surgeries. As a child she loved watching the birth of puppies, birds, plants and learning about the wild willed cycles and seasons around her. Serena's father is from India, and she grew up hearing stories of life, love and struggle as well as the relationship to food and the natural world of her East Indian grandparents and her aunts and uncles. Her mother is a power house woman who raised her 4 kids in rural northern Ontario. Throughout her childhood Serena embraced the importance of intuition and spent a lot of her spare time in the outdoors & wilderness observing, learning and trusting the life cycles around her. She worked for 3 years as a nature preschool teacher with Hand in Hand Outdoor Nature Education in Courtenay.
Serena currently facilitates the weekly free postnatal support group called Baby & Me with Town of Comox.
Between 2016-2021 she facilitated the postpartum group Mamacentric at the Cumberland Community School.
- Birth Becomes Her Birth Photographer Certification 2020
- Birth Coach Method Certification 2020
- International Placenta Specialist & Postpartum Doula Training 2016
- The Bold Method for Birth Facilitator 2014
- Hatha & Iyengar Yoga student * 2000-present
- The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) Certification * 2014
- Holistic Peer Counselling for Birth & Parenting with Nekole Shapiro * 2013
- Midwifery 101 with Gloria Lemay * 2012
- Wise Woman Way of Birth Doula Certification with Gloria Lemay * 2009
- Womb Wise Traditional Birth Attendant Intensive * 2007 & 2008
- Herbal Medicine Intensive with Sheelagh Mackenzie *2007
- Theater of the Oppressed Introductory Workshop * 2005
- Sociology & Cultural Anthropology, Kwantlen University * 2002-2004
Conferences
- Birthkeeper Summit * 2015, Berkeley, California
- SQUAT Fest * 2013, San Francisco, California
- Addiction & Pregnancy Support Seminar for Health Care Providers * 2007, Hope BC
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