Bunky Team : Shania

Meeting Shania for the first time, I knew there was a special spark in her. Bounding onto the patio, in the heat of summer with as much energy as an Energizer Bunny. She was passionate, spry, and full of conviction. I knew that this budding Doula had a unique quality, and many of the same wild traits of myself in my earlier Doula days.

​Now that she has been cemented as a part of the Bunky team - as the loud, hilarious and opinionated one, no less! We are so grateful Shania serves our families with all her passion, now backed by evidence-based care, and her mix of deep knowing of Doula skills paired with the teachings of community mentors and a phenomenal training. 

Read more about her journey, story and what makes her unique - down below.

​So here we are, in the depths of the birth world, and like all who have their unique journey to getting here, mine was a long, uncomfortable path that I am still trying to account for. But we are here, and nowhere else has felt quite this right.  
​
I studied journalism in college, with a focus in Women's issues. I’ve always been focused on women’s issues, really. Going back to my days of playdates with disappointed 6-year old friends and very impressed mother’s who raved about my helping hand in the kitchen but unwillingness to play Polly Pockets. I ended up excelling in school and was encouraged by a professor to continue on with my Master's in Women's studies. To “master” women at any age, let alone 22, how precarious. So I ended up deferring. 
 
Over the next couple years, I was very unsettled with my decision to step back from school. The universe was working overtime to push me in the right direction, but my stubbornness did not allow for it. I took my life and others for granted. Both mentally and physically I was unwell and unsatisfied. I really believe that the people with a strong, unharnessed energy are the ones who inflict unnecessary troubles in their lives or the lives of others accidentally.

I began working with different BIPOC groups, as well as crisis centres, just trying to satisfy some small part of me that longed to be of service to vulnerable people. I started writing a small zine; with the goal of creating a space for unknown femme creators to create freely without judgment. It was a great success, yet I still felt unsatisfied in my pursuits. 

After relocating to Montreal, the last person I loved died in Toronto. And this changed the way I moved through life. I heard the word 'Doula' somewhere one day not long after their passing. I still don't know where I heard it, it’s as if a voice just whispered it to me. I actually had to Google it to find out what it meant. I’m still trying to backtrack to where I was or what I was reading, because I know the moment I heard it, I knew I would become it. 
 
So I reached out to my online community, and was quickly connected with a few doulas in the PNW, and they pointed me towards Doula Trainings International (DTI). I am still so thankful everyday for those strangers (now friends) who carved out time and space to guide me through the first steps of this journey. For introducing me to a community of fierce people who are always looking after each other. 
 
Becoming a doula has truly allowed me to direct all this unharnessed energy I possessed. To heal amongst the healing. To help others heal, with consent. To lend all of myself and be met with the same vigor. 

There was a long period before I found my calling as a doula, where I would constantly take it upon myself to help others who did not ask for my help. Acknowledging consent within lending energy has changed the way I serve all people in my life. 

There is a life before parenthood, much like there is a life before becoming a doula. And just like we believe our experiences shape how we parent, it is much the same for doula’s and how we serve. Being able to share our journey into this work with you, is just another way for us to connect more authentically. 

With each birth and family I have the pleasure of supporting, I grow a deeper understanding of myself as a helper, as well as the collective power of humankind. It is a great privilege to have curiosity and compassion be at the centre of both my work and my life.