Our Team

We’re Here to Make Your Journey Sweeter.

We reimagined how doulas get trained, so the next generation is ready for every family, in every background, especially the communities that have been left behind the most.

Our founder built our curriculum upon ten years in birth rooms and homes with a 100% survival rate. It’s designed so that every doula who trains with us graduates ready to work, not still learning on the job. That takes more than one person.

This is the team that makes Sweet Bee Academy run.

Meet the people behind the hive.

Apply to Sweet Bee Academy

  • Smiling person with braided updo wearing a blue top and hoop earrings against a plain background.

    Leah Hairston, MSSW, CD, CLC, CBE

    CEO/Founder aka Head Doula in Charge

  • Smiling person wearing glasses, a white top, and a pearl necklace

    Helena Manu

    Executive Assistant

  • Smiling person with long braided hair in a tropical outdoor setting, surrounded by trees and greenery.

    NyJa Carter, MPH, CD

    Student Enrollment & Engagement Specialist

    Teaching Assistant: The Foundation & The Bridge
    Fertility, Birth & Postpartum Doula

  • Person smiling with natural hair, wearing a black top, standing in front of a white wall.

    Kelsey Dillon, CD

    Teaching Assistant: The Foundation & The Bridge
    Birth & Postpartum Doula

  • Close-up of a woman with long, wavy burgundy hair, smiling, wearing a cream and orange sweater, gold hoop earrings, and a delicate gold necklace with a small gemstone.

    Shanel Robinson, CD

    American Red Cross Certified CPR Instructor
    Birth Doula

  • A young woman with long, curly black hair smiling and standing outdoors in front of green foliage, wearing a white top, white cardigan, and a statement necklace.

    Pachet Bryant

    Insurance Benefits Navigator

  • Person smiling outdoors with trees and flowers in the background.

    Erika Watson-Lawson, MSH, RDN, LDN, CD

    Registered Dietitian & Virtual Doula

  • Smiling woman with curly hair wearing a black shirt and a necklace.

    Sonya Worthy-Okolo, PT, Birth Doula

    Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist & Founder of Oasis PT

Are you interested in training to become a birth worker?

Apply to Sweet Bee Academy