Our Team — Grow Prenatal & Family Center

We are a team of compassionate educators.

Founder/Co-Owner of GROW
Susan is a lover of all things birth, child and parenting. She is the founder and owner of GROW Prenatal & Family Center and was co-founder/director of Evolution Physical Therapy and Yoga from 2006-2015 before opening GROW.
Susan has established herself as a deeply respected leader in our local prenatal, postpartum, and parenting circles through her perinatal work in the community over the past 19 years. She is a wealth of knowledge and information for pregnant families and a compassionate, gentle voice of support for parents.
Susan has had the honor of supporting 200+ families in birth as a labor doula, and as a childbirth educator she has taught hundreds of couples in her popular yoga and birth workshops. She has been a featured presenter at the UVM Womens’ Health Conference and an educator for our local UVMMC labor and delivery staff in hands-on labor support.
She received her initial 200 hour yoga teacher certification from OM Yoga in 2001 and has an advanced Level 3 certification in pregnancy and postpartum yoga from Colette Crawford of the Seattle Holistic Center. As a yoga teacher, she is deeply steeped in knowledge of body and breath work and how to prepare people for the best birth possible in the weeks and months leading up to labor.
With a background in dance and 35 years of experience teaching movement to children, you can often find Susan humming a children’s song or singing a lullaby in a room full of babies. Susan has taught in a variety of settings ranging from public school classrooms to after-school programs to yoga studios. She is a contributing author of the Burlington Vermont Flynn Center’s “Words Come Alive” teacher manual and co-author of a children’s yoga book titled “Star Pose.” Susan is the proud mother of three boys – Emmett (19), Zinn (16) and Jay (10).

Co-Owner, Yoga Teacher, Childbirth Educator, Doula
Holidae is a passionate Yoga Teacher, Pregnancy Circle Facilitator, Childbirth Educator, Doula, and also behind the scenes as GROW's Operations & Marketing. Her journey with GROW began as a student during her pregnancy, where she quickly fell in love with the community and the support it brought to her experience. This sparked her drive to help others navigate their own transformative pregnancy and postpartum journeys with confidence and connection.
Yoga has been Holidae's constant lifeline since high school, shaping her life and guiding her through adventures from Spain to Boston to Burlington. In 2020, she deepened her practice with a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Sangha Studio in Burlington, Vermont. Holidae leads both prenatal/postpartum yoga and strength classes, with an empowering approach that believes women are at their strongest when navigating the life-changing experiences of pregnancy and motherhood. She creates a space where students can tap into their inner strength, connect with their bodies, and foster meaningful connections with themselves, their babies, and the incredible GROW community.
In 2024, Holidae expanded her expertise by becoming a certified Childbirth Educator and joined GROW's Childbirth Education team. By 2025, after the birth of her second son, she embraced her role as Operations & Marketing Manager and deepened her involvement in the birth world by becoming a birth and postpartum doula—helping families every step of the way.
When she's not at GROW, you can find Holidae biking, running, and skiing the mountains with her family, or cultivating her flower farm in Waterbury, VT. She lives in Waterbury with her husband, their two adventurous baby boys, and their playful 10-year-old puppy, Nelson.

Co-Owner, Childbirth Educator, Doula
Meg Bronz teaches Childbirth Education and Newborn Care Classes for GROW and is also a GROW doula. She has a deep passion for birth work and supporting families throughout their pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. She is a certified birth and postpartum doula, pilates instructor, registered yoga teacher, and has a background in social work.
Meg met Susan during her first pregnancy in 2010 and deeply appreciated the nurturing community Susan created. This experience combined with the struggles she encountered in the early days of parenting inspired Meg to follow her passion for supporting people through their pregnancies and beyond. She feels humbled and overjoyed to be sharing her knowledge as an educator at GROW. Meg’s priorities are to create a welcoming environment for all and empower people during their pregnancy and early parenting experience.

Childbirth Educator
Morgan is a childbirth educator with GROW and a private doula. She is also the owner and creator of The Postpartum Pantry, a local company providing nourishing products to families in the 3rd and 4th trimesters.
Morgan joined the GROW community in 2017 during her first pregnancy and through prenatal yoga, childbirth classes, and baby yoga, met many parents she is still close with today!
Through teaching and facilitating for GROW Morgan has found her niche, as helping families to prepare for childbirth and parenthood is one of her true passions. Morgan’s goal is to make all families feel welcome, prepared, and cared for as members of the GROW community!

Weights & Core Teacher
Abby is a certified fitness instructor and has always been passionate about health and fitness. She was born and raised in Middlebury, and grew up playing sports year-round. In college, she played on the tennis team and started teaching fitness classes to other students which was a new found passion of hers - combining fun music with exercise. Abby has taught various types of exercise classes at fitness clubs in Boston and upstate NY including Spinning, Barre, and BodyPump.
After having her first child this past summer, Abby has continued to learn exercises and build fitness routines but through a new lens. Weights & Core in the Richmond studio will focus on low-weight, high-repetition movements to strengthen and tone your full body. Welcome to all fitness levels!
Abby currently lives in Jericho with her husband, baby, and goldendoodle. When not teaching exercise classes, Abby works full-time for a digital marketing agency, and enjoys live music, good food, and being outside with her dog.

Yoga Teacher, Childbirth Educator, Perinatal Wellness Coach
As an integrative wellness coach, yoga teacher, childbirth educator and guided imagery facilitator Claire helps caregivers cultivate self-compassion, presence, and joy in their daily lives. As a mom, she understands the importance of taking time for yourself (and how challenging that can be) and encourages curiosity, compassion, and ease in her classes. Classes weave elements of rest, strength, and breath allowing you to connect with your body and mind from various paths. GROW gave Claire an unmatched sense of community and support during her pregnancy and postpartum journey and she is thrilled to be teaching!
Outside of GROW, you might find Claire gardening in her berry patch, strolling to a local brewery, or exploring a mountain top. She loves cooking, moving her body, and a good pun. She lives in Burlington with her husband, Patrick, son, Max, and pooch, Betty.
In addition to facilitating support groups and teaching yoga & birth classes for GROW, Claire also offers private 1-1 coaching and guided imagery sessions for the perinatal population, helping to explore new ways to integrate care and compassion into your day.

Yoga Teacher
The Yoga practice has the ability to help us learn to accept ourselves for who we are while continuing to grow.
Hope believes that yoga is truly for everyone and every body. She found yoga in her early twenties while she was experiencing severe depression and anxiety after leaving a verbally and emotionally abusive relationship. Her therapist at the time introduced her first to meditation to help quiet and focus her mind. She then encouraged Hope to seek out a yoga class and teacher that inspired her. Hope’s first eye-opening yoga class was a vinyasa yoga class at Zen and Now, in her hometown of Niantic, Connecticut. She left class shocked by how much quieter her mind was. Hope realized that the focus of linking breath-to-movement was the perfect way to get in touch with herself and facilitate authentic lasting change.
Hope began her career in the fields of health promotion and clinical research with a focus on education and outreach. After five educational and rewarding years, she realized that clinical work was not the best gift of her’s to share with others. After an inspiring solo trip to Barbados, lots of reading and soul searching, Hope decided the best thing she could offer the world was sharing the gift of yoga. Hope’s work as a yoga teacher brings harmony, grace and meaning to her life. Hope hopes to extend the light that yoga has offered to her back to her immediate community as well as the global community at large.
With extensive experience in care-giving and mental health education, Hope seeks to help her students deepen their relationship with themselves through self-awareness. Hope’s yoga flows invite practitioners to be introspective and mindful of their own individual needs.
We are all interconnected.
Let us come together in the practice of yoga to deepen our understanding of ourselves in order to connect with others on a deeper level. With the tools yoga has to offer, Hope invites you to a practice that helps us live our lives with more intention and authenticity.

Kids Yoga Teacher
What do mindfulness and Dr. Seuss have in common? Only Becky Groberg and your kids know the secret… Becky has been teaching fun and creative kids yoga classes with us since 2013.
After graduating from Champlain College’s Early Childhood Education program and becoming a Vermont Licensed Educator, Becky worked for Head Start with families and preschoolers for five years. She has always been inspired by children, and loves to help them find inner peace, balance and joy. In order to more fully focus on these passions, she became a ChildLight Certified Yoga Instructor and has been teaching yoga to kids ever since. Becky values her personal yoga and meditation practices as well, and in order to deepen her knowledge, completed a 200 hour registered yoga teacher training with Liberate School of Yoga.
Becky lives in Burlington with her partner and three young children.

Brianna is so excited to join the GROW family. She is a yoga teacher and women’s health nurse practitioner who is passionate about supporting women through every season of life. Her classes offer a thoughtful blend of strength, softness, mobility, and mindfulness. She strives to create a calming, inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome.

Yoga Teacher, Pregnancy Circle Facilitator, Birth Doula, Cloth Diaper & EC Class Educator
Brandy is a certified yoga instructor and birth doula, as well as one of our pregnancy circle facilitators and the educator behind our cloth diapering and elimination communication classes. She has been practicing yoga for 15 years and teaching for over a decade. She specializes in strength-based yoga flow classes. When you're doing yoga with Brandy it doesn't matter what you do as long as you do what feels good, have fun, and go out into the world and be nice to other people.
In addition to her role as a GROW yoga instructor, Brandy is deeply passionate about her work as a GROW birth doula and educator for families interested in cloth diapering and elimination communication. After giving birth to her son in the spring of 2023, she fully understood the immense importance of having the emotional support and advocacy of a doula and feels it is something that every birthing person should have access to. She is also fiercely passionate about low-waste, sustainable living and loves showing parents how easy and unmessy cloth diapering and infant pottying can be!
Brandy is also a certified fertility awareness educator and the founder of Sauvage Wellness where she teaches women around the world how to use fertility awareness methods of cycle tracking as natural birth control, to get pregnant when ready, and to have better periods.

Being a part of the GROW community from pregnant person to teacher, doula, and educator has been a life-changing experience for Brandy. To be a part of such a wonderful community fills Brandy with joy each and every day.

Yoga Teacher & Birth Doula
Courtney has been practicing yoga since high school, cultivating a lifelong practice that has strengthened her connection to herself and fostered a deep appreciation for the power of community. Inspired by the support and belonging she's found through yoga, she is passionate about creating that same experience for others.
In 2020, Courtney completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training through The Portland Yoga Project in Maine. She offers inclusive and accessible classes that meet students where they are, blending grounding movement with a playful, compassionate approach.
In addition to teaching yoga, Courtney is a doula who offers birth support on a sliding scale basis, reflecting her commitment to making care accessible and community centered.
After welcoming her daughter, Arlo, in 2024, Courtney's appreciation for community, self-care, and mindful support has continued to grow. Outside the studio, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her partner and daughter, reading, tending to her houseplants, and connecting with her neighbors. She brings warmth, presence, and genuine care to every space she holds.

Yoga Teacher
Kaleigh Mulpeter, Doctor of Physical Therapy, E-RYT has been teaching yoga and movement for over 10 years. As a longtime participant in the arts, Kaleigh holds a deep appreciation for the importance of our kinesthetic experience and movement as a form of expression and communication with self. Her in-depth knowledge of anatomy and the changes that occur throughout and after pregnancy allow her to craft classes that are informed and liberating. Her teaching style is alignment-based and upbeat; her classes are thoughtfully crafted with the highest benefit to students in mind.
Kaleigh owns her physical therapy practice, Renewal Physical Therapy, where she specializes in pelvic and perinatal rehabilitation. After having her own baby this past winter, she feels even more passionately about providing her community with opportunities to feel their best in their bodies. She is thrilled to be teaching at GROW!
Full class schedule and clinic information at: www.renewalptvt.com

Kids & Family Program Coordinator, Baby and Kids Teacher, NICU Project Coordinator
Emily’s experience as a certified yoga teacher, drama therapist, and mamma informs her work. You and your kiddo can expect to play, explore, connect, and get grounded in her classes. As a mother she knows that some days are a breeze and some days are down right hard (often they’re a mixture of the two). She welcomes any and all feelings and is skilled at tailoring a class for the needs of the group. Mindful movement, breathing, and working through-relationship, with those big and small, are the foundation to the practices she teaches.
Emily is a trained ChildLight Yoga teacher, has her Masters in Drama Therapy from NYU, and is a certified yoga teacher having completed her training at Sonic Yoga in NYC. She has taken trainings to ensure her classes are trauma informed and accessible to all.
In 2025 Emily added postpartum doula to her resume. Emily's work as a postpartum doula is centered around offering families the space and support they might need in the first few months, after welcoming a new baby to the family. Be it making nourishing snacks, doing laundry and dishes, or offering a listening ear, she's there to help keep the household afloat during these tender times. Along with working with parents and babies, Emily recognizes the importance of providing a supportive environment for siblings as they settle into life with a new addition to the family too. She's able to naturally adapt to what you and your family may need during this time.

Yoga Teacher
Molly is a yoga teacher and perinatal mental health counselor with over 17 years of yoga practice and 7 years of teaching experience. Originally from Connecticut, she moved to Vermont in 2021 with her husband, Tyler, their daughter, Francis, and a lively household of five cats and two dogs. Molly teaches a wide range of styles, from yin to vinyasa, and is passionate about weaving together knowledge of the body, brain, and breath to support her students’ growth. Outside of family and friends, yoga is her greatest love, and sharing it with others continues to bring her deep joy and fulfillment.

Strength/Yoga Teacher
Andrea Heelan is a pelvic health physical therapist dedicated to helping women feel strong, supported, and confident during pregnancy and postpartum. She earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Vermont and holds her Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification (PRPC).
Andrea’s classes blend strength training with pelvic floor and core education, with a focus on breath, alignment, and nervous system support. Her goal is to help you move safely, build real strength, and feel more connected to your body through every stage of the perinatal journey.
Clinic information at: www.renewalptvt.com

Doula
Rachel has been a doula since 2018. She came to this work after bringing her oldest child earthside and experiencing firsthand the importance of support, informed consent, empowerment, advocacy, and confidence during pregnancy, childbirth, and new parenthood. Holding this sacred space is one of her greatest responsibilities and deepest joys, and she is honored to join families on their journeys.
Rachel is certified as a labor and postpartum doula through CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association) and is also certified in Gilligan's Guide for optimal fetal positioning. She is passionate about providing parents and families with unconditional support, evidence-based information, and confident self-advocacy – and above all, helping them feel empowered, prepared, relaxed, and ready for whatever their journey holds.
Outside of her birth work Rachel is a wife to someone much taller than her, and a mother to four beautiful children: one born in the hospital and three at home (fun fact: the video of the birth of her first son went viral on Motherly due to a feature on pandemic home births—over 2 million people have watched her push a baby out!) On any given day, you might find her wearing princess dress-up, teaching herself how to garden, baking delicious treats, singing the entire Brandi Carlile discography from memory, or compulsively organizing something—and sometimes all of the above.

Yoga Teacher
A student of yoga for 13 years, Maggie has been teaching yoga for 5 years and yin yoga for 3 years. Maggie is inspired by using yoga as a way to get to know oneself and practice self-compassion. She has studied with Aiyana Athenian and Krishna Peter Perry of Shivashakti School of Yoga & Healing Arts, Emily Garrett of Laughing River Yoga, and Sagel Urlacher. Maggie graduated from her 200hr yoga teacher training in 2014 and received her certificate to teach yin yoga in 2016.
Maggie became a mother in early 2023 and benefitted both prenatally and postnatally from the community GROW provided. Maggie teaches a class that is well rounded and where students get the chance to be curious about themselves and be present in their bodies, minds, and hearts. Coming from a background in farming and agriculture, Maggie appreciates and honors the benefits and importance as humans of working with your body and brings this to her teaching. She is passionate about the importance of being in your body and the benefits that has for the mind. Maggie also has an additional training in anatomy and physiology through higher education courses. Maggie hopes you can walk away more connected to your body and with more kindness and curiosity for yourself. Sarayu graduated from Simmons College with a degree in Neuroscience and Behavior and a minor in Early Childhood Education. She has found great joy in working with young children and their families in a variety of settings over the last 15 years. Sarayu’s yoga classes are a joyful exploration of breath and movement using games, songs and storytelling. Informed by her experiences in toddler and preschool classrooms, she believes that children learn best when allowed to explore and express themselves freely!
Sarayu completed a kids yoga training with Coolidge Yoga in Brooklyn, Ma and her YTT with IndeaYoga in Mysore, India & Grace’s Anatomy School. Additionally she is a practicing doula and currently enrolled at Mercy in Action School of Midwifery. She is a licensed foster care provider for the state of Vermont, most recently caring for adorable 1 year old twins!

Yoga Teacher
Elise is a yoga teacher who offers classes infused with Restorative and yoga Nidra practices that emphasize mindful movement and nervous system support. She incorporates the use of props to create a welcoming and supportive practice for students of all experience levels.
Elise completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training at Sangha Studio in Burlington and her 85-hour pre & postnatal yoga teacher training through Sweet Pea Studio in Chicago, Illinois.
Outside of Grow, Elise is a Rapid Response Nurse at the University of Vermont Medical Center. She is also the owner of Vivid Movement, located at the Soda Plant. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, making art and camping.

Teacher
Kristen DeAngelis has been teaching Yoga for 15+ years with a background in Iyengar, Vinyasa, Hatha, Ashtanga, and Yin modalities. She completed her training in 2014 in Iyengar and an additional 200hr RYT in Rishikesh India in Hatha/Vinyasa.
Kristen is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Board Certified Functional Practitioner, Health Coach and an expert in women’s health, hormones and fertility of the past 10+ years. She is the Director of Health Coaching and Education at Vidal, formerly known as Nutrition Dynamic, a virtual 1-1 functional health coaching practice. Her expertise is additionally sought after by emerging coaches in the field of Functional Nutrition through her work with Metabolic Mentor University.
She is originally from South Shore Boston, MA but recently moved to Burlington, VT from Chicago. She is a new first-time mom of her baby girl Georgia, and loves getting outside, staying active, skiing, hiking and loves meeting people! She is thrilled to be a part of the GROW community!

GROW Kids Teacher
Colleen grew up in Huntington, Vermont and currently lives in Williston, Vermont with her husband, five year old son, house bunny, and flock of backyard chickens. She studied Studio Art at Johnson State college and has worked as a Chiropractic Assistant since 2015. Colleen completed her certification with ChildLight Yoga in 2020 after enjoying many sessions of participation with her son. Outside of the studio Colleen is an avid skier, a dancer, and enjoys sunny days on Lake Champlain on the family boat.

VerMamas Facilitator
Marion has been facilitating VerMamas postpartum support groups since 2022. She joined the GROW community in 2020 during her first pregnancy and has been personally grateful for prenatal yoga, VerMamas, postnatal yoga, and many babies’ and kids’ classes with her two young boys. Prior to the birth of her youngest, Marion worked as a clinical art therapist, completing specialized training in perinatal mental health. She is deeply passionate about providing support during the intensity of the postpartum period and is honored to facilitate community-building for so many new parents.
When not momming or facilitating VerMamas, Marion can usually be found with a camera in her hand, walking the dog, or racing through a good book (often all three at once). She lives in a rambling farmhouse with her two young kids, husband, senior cat, and enthusiastic rescue mutt.

Kids and Family Instructor
Nina Sklar is originally from Massachusetts and moved to Vermont two years ago to study Iyengar Yoga with her mentor.
Nina is a preschool teacher in Richmond at Honeycomb Kids, an outdoor school where they spend their days interacting with nature in a multitude of ways. She loves teaching kids new ways to move their bodies and witnessing the many effects it has- the increase in proprioception, working on their balance, increasing their sense of focus and stillness- the beauty of yoga is endless! Nina also loves exploring nature with children and helping them discover the magic embedded within the natural world.

Yoga Teacher
Dana discovered her practice in her early 20’s while training as a cyclist and runner. Seeking to find balance within her busy personal and professional life she found yoga.
Dana emphasizes individualizing your yoga practice by tailoring each class to match the energy and needs of the students who are present. You can expect themes of physical and mental wellness to be embedded throughout practice and to leave feeling refreshed and grounded.
Dana has completed a 200 hour teacher training with Sangha Studio in Burlington, Vermont. When Dana is not on her mat, she is teaching her fourth grade students, enjoying the outdoors with her three dogs, reading on the couch with her cat, or bouncing around from one social event to another with her husband.

Birth Doula
Dawn is a Massage Therapist specializing in Pre/postnatal care and a GROW Birth Doula. She is the owner of Sunrise Massages and has been providing care within the community for over 10 years. It has been a passion of hers to provide care and support families through pregnancy, labor and beyond.
Dawn received her Bachelors of Science degree in Wellness and Alternative Medicine in 2013 from Johnson State College. Since then she has received her Massage certification from Pyramid Holistic and Wellness Center, certification in Prenatal/Postnatal Massage from the Institute of Somatic Therapy, Training in Pre and Postnatal Yoga through Prenatal Methods and proudly holds a certification as a Birth Doula from DONA International.

You can find Dawn in Jericho with her partner, 2 children and family dog exploring the wooden trails and finding new adventures within the community.

Birth and Postpartum Doula
Heather’s mission is to empower you during your postpartum time. She helps to create space for you to process, celebrate and own your unique experiences as they unfold. Heather is a nurturing advocate for families, helping to support you as you heal from your birth experience and create the rest and space you need to care for yourself and your little one. She is the mother of two children.

L&D Nurse and IBCLC
Kait is a Registered Nurse (RN, BSN) and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). With a background in prenatal care and birth work in Burlington, Vermont, and currently working as a Labor & Delivery nurse at UVMMC, she brings a holistic and compassionate approach to all things birth, baby, and feeding. Finding a feeding rhythm during the tender early days of welcoming a new baby—whether it’s a first or a subsequent child—comes with its own moments of learning and growth. Kait is here to support families as they navigate this incredible transition, build confidence, and get to know their new little one.

Doula Partnership
Rising Sun Doula is a mom doula duo who is passionate about birth work and connecting with families in the community, we are here to offer families guidance, care and healthy resources for your journey as a growing family in a way that is uniquely supportive to you. We are beginning our journey and are excited to learn, grow and honor each birth as its own unique rite of passage.

Kara’s first birth in 2018 sparked her interest in Doula work; witnessing and supporting humans during a very special time. She has since completed labor and birth training with the UVMMC volunteer program and ProDoula, postpartum doula training with Cappa and postpartum and infant care with ProDoula. She worked with the Vermont Doula Company up until the birth of her 2nd child in 2022. Kara has a growing love for birth work and is so honored to share in that experience with her clients. Kara lives in Burlington with her partner and two boys and enjoys walking and biking by the lake, hiking and crafting.
Emily, inspired by supporting her sister’s pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum journey, completed a Birth Doula training with DONA in 2023. She has 2 young children of her own and believes that this is a special time in life when getting exceptional and nourishing support can change and empower everyone in the family. Emily has a masters degree in education, has taught young children and adults, she is certified as an Reiki practitioner and a Mind-Body Human Design Reader. She enjoys engaging in the arts, nature and diving into anything that is connected to self-discovery."

Dayva is really excited to be teaching baby massage with Grow at Richmond Wellness and being a part of the community there!
She has been supporting people during the perinatal period for over 20 years. Dayva is an Educator, Doula, Massage Therapist and Baby Massage group facilitator. She also works with people as a facilitator of The Resilience Toolkit , a Somatic framework for first-stage trauma healing and real- time stress navigation. She thrives when working with people to reduce fear and anxiety and cultivate a calm nervous system either while preparing for birth or during the postpartum time. Dayva's work is focused on how parents and babies can co-regulate together to strengthen healthy attachment bonds and reduce the risk of Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders.
In addition to working with Grow and her private practice, Dayva is the Program Director at the Janet S. Munt Family Room, one of Vermont's 15 Parent Child Centers. Her work at the Family Room focuses on health equity, food access, parent education and social emotional wellbeing for families. Recently she has been committed to training women as Community Doulas to provide cultural and language specific doula care. She is honored and humbled to learn from these women on a daily basis.

Dayva lives in Jericho with her amazing son Buck and is completely loving and in awe of how cool it is to be parenting a young teenager! She is reminded everyday that the seeds we plant with conscious parenting and non-violent communication will result in the most incredibly compassionate human beings with the best sense of humor.

Birth and Postpartum Doula
Demi-Joy Carr, originally from New York City and now residing in Vermont, is a dedicated birth and postpartum doula. With over a decade of experience as a nanny, specializing in infant care, her journey into doula work was inspired by her own childbirth experience in 2019. This personal experience ignited her passion for supporting parents through birth and postpartum, with a focus on gentleness, empathy, and individualized care.
Demi has received extensive training, including birth doula certification from Birthday Presence, postpartum doula expertise from Carriage House Birth, and a transformative two year long mentorship with Manhattan Birth. She also provides lactation guidance and leads support groups for new parents. Her goal is to empower families to create their ideal birth and postpartum experiences, offering unwavering support and personalized care every step of the way.
When she's not working, Demi enjoys spending time at home with her family, being outdoors whenever possible, and homeschooling her boys. She loves that doula work allows her to pursue her passion while still being home most of the time, raising her children.

Yoga/Fitness Teacher & Fertility Coach
Kendra discovered her love of yoga over 15 years ago, initially drawn to hot, fast, athletic-style classes to get a good sweat on and build muscle and flexibility. Over the years, yoga has transformed into something much deeper—a healing practice that carried her through loss and grief. Certified as a yoga teacher through Sangha Studio, Kendra aims to create a welcoming space where all bodies and experiences are honored.
While she still loves guiding students through dynamic, strength-based classes, she also specializes in prenatal and postnatal yoga, as well as offering compassionate classes for those navigating pregnancy and infant loss—holding space for grief, healing, and hope.
Beyond the yoga mat, Kendra is a Certified Nutrition Therapy Practitioner from the Nutrition Therapy Institute in Denver and works as a Fertility Coach, accompanying individuals and couples on their conception journeys. This unique combination of movement, nourishment, and fertility support allows her to offer holistic care that honors each person's individual path.
Kendra lives in Georgia, Vermont with her husband, son, daughter, and two pups. She loves spending winters at Sugarbush and summers in her hometown in the Adirondacks

Instructor, Dogs & Storks
Lucy is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and licensed Family Paws Educator. Her lifelong passion for strengthening the relationship between people and their animal companions led her to earn a Master’s degree in Animal Behavior & Conservation at Hunter College and a dog training apprenticeship with Andrea Arden Dog Training in NYC.
After moving back to Vermont in 2017, Lucy started her own dog training company, Dogspeak, and she now helps clients with dog training issues from new puppy potty training to leash reactivity to shy dog confidence building. In her training methodology, Lucy relies on the scientific principles of animal learning/behavior and positive reinforcement.
She’s so excited to bring her knowledge and experience to the families in the GROW community who are looking for guidance in building lifelong safe and positive relationships between their fur & human babies. Lucy lives in Ferrisburgh with her husband, their two dogs, and their toddler. Contact Lucy for private classes or visit her website for more information.

Overnight Postpartum Doula, Sleep Specialist
There’s nothing more valuable to a new parent than a good night’s sleep, which can be hard to come by in those first weeks after baby’s arrival. You and your baby are in great hands in the overnight care of Rachael. She’s been supporting families for the past decade with sleep, feeding, advice, and reassurance through the hardest time of parenting (when the sun is down).

Children’s Yoga Teacher
Emily Kayoi is a creative yoga instructor who believes that childhood is meant to be joyful, imaginative, and full of movement. With a heart for play and a background in education, she creates welcoming spaces where children can explore their imagination. Each session is a journey that might include singing songs, flowing through poses, or practicing mindful breathing disguised as an animal! Warning: there have been sightings of dinosaurs, mythical creatures, zoo animals, and even heavy machinery in class!
With a background as an English Learner (EL) teacher and over 200 hours of certified yoga training—plus an additional 90 hours focused specifically on children’s yoga -- she believes that yoga is more than just poses—it’s a playful path to self-expression, connection, and joy.

Overnight Postpartum Doula & Sleep Specialist
Anna is a newborn and toddler sleep consultant whose journey began as a birth and postpartum doula in Los Angeles. While supporting families overnight, she saw how many parents struggled with sleep as their babies grew. From newborn sleep shaping to toddler regressions Anna became passionate about guiding families through these changes with confidence.
She earned her certification through the Institute of Pediatric Sleep and Parenting (IPSP) and expanded her practice to support families virtually. Anna is also a certified birth and postpartum doula (DONA), lactation educator, and Holistic Newborn Care Specialist. In addition to sleep consulting, she offers overnight support and in-person sleep training, blending evidence-based strategies with gentle, intuitive guidance.
Originally from New England, Anna returned home to Vermont to expand her family and quickly found a sense of community at GROW. She is dedicated to changing the stigma around sleep training and empowering parents to create healthy, happy sleep habits that last.

Lauren is a full-spectrum doula in training. After working with young people as an educator for 2 decades, her own experience of giving birth ignited a deep desire to support parents as they move through the unique and transformative portals of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Lauren is committed to a model of doula care that centers the agency and empowerment of expecting parents, and contributes to an environment of connection and care at each stage of the journey.
Lauren completed her doula training with Birth Advocacy Doula Trainings in May 2026 and is currently working toward certification. She is a certified Birth Hypnosis Educator, and loves teaching expecting parents how to use self-hypnosis to approach birth with confidence, authenticity, and an honest openness to whatever might come. She holds a Master’s degree in Education for Sustainability, and is a PhD candidate at the University of Vermont. Her doctoral research explores creating conditions for life-giving relationships during times of accelerated social and environmental change.
Lauren lives with her husband and daughter in Burlington's New North End. She’s a gardener and musician, and loves to sew clothing and quilts when she can find the time.

Babywearing Consultant
Meghan is a certified babywearing consultant and the owner of Bello Beginnings, a Vermont-based doula practice with a special focus on fertility support for those needing extra help to grow their families. She and her wife are proud moms to two young children, and their path to parenthood included navigating complex medical, legal, and financial systems. That experience deeply informs Meghan’s compassionate and inclusive approach to perinatal support.
As a new mom, Meghan discovered a deep love for babywearing and the way it fosters connection, confidence, and calm for both caregivers and little ones. She is passionate about meeting families where they are on their babywearing journey and helping them feel empowered to choose and use carriers comfortably and safely, so they can fully enjoy the closeness babywearing brings.
Meghan first came to GROW in 2022 seeking yoga and community and is thrilled to lead both a weekly babywearing playgroup and a queer family playgroup.