Doula Trainer · Educator · Advocate
Melissa Harley
B.A. · AdvCD/BDT(DONA) · LCCE, FACCE · CLC
Melissa Harley has spent more than two decades advancing the doula profession through direct support to families, comprehensive doula training, and dedicated leadership within DONA International.
Her work is grounded in high-quality, accessible continuing education and in the strong sense of community she brings to doulas around the world.
How It All Started
Following the calling
Melissa’s entry into birth work began in the late 1990s. After witnessing the vaginal birth of her twin nieces in 2002, she followed her calling. She completed the DONA International birth doula workshop and earned her CD(DONA) certification in 2003. Her passion for teaching led her to become a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) in 2005, trained through Passion for Birth.
In 2007 she began her training to become a DONA Approved Birth Doula Trainer, then spent two years writing and refining her curriculum under exceptional mentors including Penny Simkin herself. She earned her trainer approval in 2009 and led her first doula training workshop in January 2010. This work blended her strengths in teaching, birth work, and mentorship, and set the foundation for her long influence in the doula community.
Melissa supporting her client at a home birth.
More than two decades, milestone by milestone
Training, Education, and Collaboration
Supporting doulas and families
Supporting doulas remains at the center of Melissa’s work. She has trained more than 1,400 doulas worldwide, offering engaging, interactive workshops that emphasize evidence-based practice, confidence building, and professionalism.
She continues to support families locally as well, having worked with more than 1,500 couples as a doula and childbirth educator. Her classes reflect the Passion for Birth philosophy of creating engaging, meaningful learning experiences.
Teaching and training doulas, from her 500th trainee to classrooms across the country.
Her dedication to ongoing learning is reflected in her leadership of the DONA Summit and DONA’s online education through DONA Elevate, where she develops programming designed to help doulas stay connected and supported long after their initial training.
In 2025 Melissa launched the CCDS Doula Collaboration Podcast, which features doulas she has trained along with other professionals in the birth and postpartum space. The podcast highlights diverse voices, professional insights, and the real work doulas are doing in their communities.
Melissa at the DONA Summit, in her role as Conference Coordinator.
Leadership at DONA International
Service to the profession
Her service to DONA International is extensive, spanning leadership, committees, and a full organizational rebrand. In 2015, Melissa led the DONA International rebrand and organizational overhaul, striving to honor the rich history of DONA International while modernizing its look and feel.
At the DONA International board table, Chicago.
With the founders of DONA International. Seattle, 2016.
Representing doulas, from Capitol Hill to the DONA Summit.
Writing and Advocacy
A voice for families and doulas
Melissa’s work extends into writing and media. She has contributed book and resource reviews to the Journal of Perinatal Education and has published essays in both volumes of the Bearing Witness (Joyful Birth) anthology series. She has also written about indigenous birth for the Science and Sensibility blog of Lamaze International, along with many articles for the International Doula Magazine and the DONA International blog. She has appeared as a guest on the InJoy Birth & Parenting podcast, sharing insights on the future of DONA International, doula work, education, and professional development for birth workers.
On Capitol Hill, Melissa has represented doulas, childbirth educators, and DONA International through Lamaze Advocacy Days and March for Moms, speaking to legislators and policymakers about the importance of doula integration in maternal healthcare and its impact on improving the maternal mortality rate and reducing racial inequities and disparities in and around childbirth.
The Penny Simkin Award
One of the field’s highest honors
In 2025, Melissa was honored with The Penny Simkin Award, one of the highest recognitions offered by DONA International. This award is named for DONA’s beloved founder Penny Simkin, whose lifelong work transformed childbirth support and helped establish doulas as an essential part of maternity care. Receiving this award places Melissa among a select group of professionals recognized for their exceptional contributions, leadership, and steadfast commitment to the doula profession.
For Melissa, this recognition carries deep meaning. She trained under Penny Simkin during her journey to become a DONA Approved Trainer, collaborated with her through DONA’s leadership, and has long modeled the type of advocacy, mentorship, and heart-centered service that Penny championed. The award honors Melissa’s decades of work uplifting doulas, strengthening educational pathways, and helping shape DONA’s future.
A Lamaze Fellow, FACCE
Melissa was named a Fellow of the American College of Childbirth Educators (FACCE) by Lamaze International, a recognition of sustained leadership and contribution to childbirth education.
Doulas thrive when they understand both the art and the evidence of birth support.
Melissa’s philosophy centers on the physiologic process of birth, informed choice, and the inherent strength that families bring to their birthing experiences. She supports meaningful decision making and confidence building, helping families explore their options and shape a plan that reflects their unique needs and vision for birth.
This philosophy also guides her work training new doulas. She teaches from a place of respect, empowerment, and skill building. Her trainings focus on developing strong, grounded doulas who are prepared to offer inclusive, client-centered care, communicate effectively in a variety of settings, and honor each family’s autonomy. She emphasizes reflective practice, professional boundaries, cultural humility, and the importance of creating safe and supportive environments for every family. By mentoring doulas through this lens, Melissa helps shape thoughtful, knowledgeable professionals who carry forward the values that have guided her work for more than twenty years.
Melissa is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Her heritage, and her family’s roots there, inform her commitment to diversity and equity in birth work, and her dedication to making space for every family’s story and every community’s traditions.
Renewing her Cherokee Nation citizenship in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, with her father and sister.
Home in Tallahassee
Outside of her professional roles, Melissa treasures time with her husband Ken and their two young adult children, the family she calls her core four. As proud Florida State University alumni, the Harleys can often be found at FSU events and tailgates. She loves the beach, a good glass of red wine, and above all else, quality time with the people she loves.
In 2023 she returned to Florida State to finish what she had started in the 1990s, earning her bachelor’s degree, a milestone that speaks to her perseverance and her belief in following through on what she begins. With that goal met, she plans to begin graduate school soon. Although her work takes her around the country, Tallahassee, Florida, will always be home.
Walking the stage at Florida State, 2023.
Her core four, together at graduation.
Game day with the Harleys at Florida State.
The Harley family, together for a family wedding.