Maternal Mortality Is Preventable.

We Have the Record to Prove It.

Black moms are more likely to die of childbirth-related causes, regardless of income or academic achievement. Actually, the more you achieve financially, the more your risk climbs. That is the truth I built this work around. Whatever we do for the most vulnerable works for everybody and keeps everyone safe. When every doula is trained to our standard, the US statistic of 84% maternal mortality can become 100% survival in our lifetime.

Sweet Bee Academy exists to equip the next generation of doulas to practice at that standard. We don’t just train doulas, we form the most well-equipped, excellent doulas possible.

10 Years in Birth Rooms · Evidence-Based Training · Equipping Doulas for Successful Careers

Trusted by Families Who Expect Excellence

  • “The level of compassion, comfortability, and knowledge go unmatched. Leah’s knowledge and the ability to make you feel respected for your decisions and aware of your options is what I love the most.” — Jennifer Lawrence (NFL Wife)

  • “Leah is an absolute gem who is walking in her purpose as a doula. I used her for the birth of both my daughters, first time for labor support and second time for postpartum support. She was so incredibly helpful, I couldn’t have done it any other way. I highly recommend Leah for any doula needs.” — Sasha Robinson (Repeat Client)

  • “As a Black woman, I found it vital to have someone throughout my pregnancy and birthing process that could teach me and my partner everything we needed to know before our baby was born. Move over Mary Poppins!” — Yvonne Lawson (First-time Parent)

  • “We loved our experience with Sweet Bee for doula and postpartum support. Leah took all the mystery out of the process which helped to lessen our anxiety since it was our first birth. We would HIGHLY recommend Sweet Bee to anyone looking to feel supported during their pregnancy and labor process.” — Emily Nixon (First-time Parent)

Train With the Standard

Others Are Measured Against

For a decade, we kept 100% of our clients safe, alive, and thriving. Now we teach you how to do it.

Apply to the Sweet Bee Academy

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Meet our Founder

“I’ll train you to help parents deliver healthy babies and serve powerfully without burning out.

Being a successful birthworker is not about luck. It takes preparation.


Let’s get you ready!”

-Leah R Hairston, MSSW, CD, CLC, CBE

Train with Sweet Bee Academy
Train with Sweet Bee Academy

A Fulfilling Doula Career

Includes Being Financially Realistic

A full-time doula career is possible. But it doesn’t happen by accident, with martyrdom, or underpricing. The next generation of doulas should not have to stumble their way to success as I did. Sweet Bee Academy teaches clinical literacy, sustainable business models, and how to charge what this work is actually worth. Your desire for financial stability doesn’t make you less committed to justice. It makes you more capable of sustaining it for the families who need you.

Learn How to Build a Sustainable Practice

Trusted By Clinicians & Leading Health Systems

  • UMMS logo
  • MedStar Health Logo
  • Johns Hopkins Medicine logo
  • Inova Health System logo
  • Sinai Hospital logo
  • GWU Hospital logo
  • Adventist HealthCare logo
  • Ascension Saint Agnes logo
  • GBMC logo
  • A black and white photo of a woman with dreadlocks smiling at a young child sitting on her lap, holding a stuffed animal, in a cozy indoor setting.

    We Educate

    Most doulas learn on the job, after they’re already responsible for someone’s birth. We do it backwards. We teach the evidence-based curriculum first. Real complications, real medical language, real decisions, before you ever attend your first birth.

  • A black and white photo of two hands cradling a pregnant belly.

    We Equip

    Information alone does not build a practice. We hand you the contracts, protocols, real-life scenarios, and necessary tools before you ever sit across from a client. You graduate ready to work with a sustainable practice.

  • A black and white photo of two hands holding each other, one hand has a tattoo reading "Laci 13" on the wrist.

    We Embolden

    A trained doula does more than “help you advocate”. They make sure a client’s voice is the loudest one in the room, backed by real clinical fluency. That’s what we train every doula in our network to do.

  • A black and white photo of a woman in a birthing pool with two young children, one of whom holds a cup of water.

    We Empower

    Every new parent deserves calm confidence, and every doula deserves financial stability. A doula trained by Sweet Bee helps families avoid chaos while building a practice that sustains you for the long term.

How It Works

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Apply & Reserve Your Seat

Submit your application. Reserve your seat in the Sweet Bee Academy with a deposit.

The Foundation

Move through 6 modules that build your practice with an evidence-based curriculum grounded in 10 years of real-life experiences.

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The Bridge

Become fully certified and begin your career by completing 8 modules designed to launch your practice on your terms.

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These three phases build toward one outcome: a doula who is educated, equipped, and economically sustainable. Sweet Bee Academy forms you into the doula who can charge what your work is worth. That means you build a practice designed to last decade after decade, because the best doula is the one still practicing in year 10.

Is Sweet Bee Academy Right for You?

This is for you if you are ready to stop hearing about and watching the maternal mortality crisis. This is for you if you want to start building a real doula practice; one where you can save lives, fulfill your purpose, and grow your income. Maybe you've been unsure how to get trained. Maybe you've trained somewhere else, and it left you informed but without a viable practice. Look no farther.

You are exactly the doula Sweet Bee Academy was built to equip, embolden and empower.

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This is Bigger Than Any One Birth.

Find a Sweet Bee Doula
Train with Sweet Bee Academy

We can end maternal mortality. Sweet Bee Services is focused on changing the 84% of preventable maternal mortality cases in the US, to 0% fatalities.

Sweet Bee Academy equips doulas, so we protect birthing parents and the families who love them. That is the work.

Now we’ve expanded access to the standard of excellence that for a decade kept over 200+ birthing parents alive and thriving.

You can train with us, or find a doula who did here.