Meet Abbey Barnosky | Doula & Speaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abbey Barnosky and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abbey, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
My mission as a doula, educator, and activist is to help families embrace an abundant life. I give these families my time, my hands, my knowledge, my passion, and my heart. I believe in my work and I believe in its ability to make a difference. I also believe in the people that I serve. I believe that through their unique journeys they can come out stronger and closer to each other than before. Building strong families, to build strong communities, to build the kingdom of God.

I believe in missionaries, ministers, pastors, midwives, birth workers, medical staff, birthing centers, hospitals and more! I believe that together we can do anything to help the people who need the help the most. My desire is to work hand and hand with anyone I can so that we can be a strong, Christian, earth-wide community of warriors.

As a doula I view my role as a glue helping connect as many people as I can with the resources that they need. And through that empowering not only the individuals and families, but the ministries and resources that support them.

I decided in July of 2018 to accept the call into being a doula as a ministry. And because of that my services are income based or free. My hope is that no family has to choose to not have a doula or other important services like Childbirth education or breastfeeding education because they can’t afford it. I have helped many families who otherwise would have had no support or help. And I have been blessed to watch those lives changed!

What should our readers know about your business?

The first 2 years of my business we the hardest. We were living in a broken down trailer, that was being held together by duct tape and prayer. I was working as an artisan and a nanny in addition to my doula work. Water dripped through our roof every rainy day, we taped over holes in the floors to keep the cold out, and I remember laying in my bed one stormy night and hearing the tree in the back yard fall on our roof, right above my and my husbands bed. That Sunday morning I went to church and cried in tears through the song: “Your love is fierce, Like a hurricane, That I can’t escape, Tearing through the atmosphere, Your love is fierce.” And that was the last time that doubt would overcome me. Later that day the tree was removed and didn’t cause one scratch of damage to our roof.

Living in that level of poverty created my passion for serving low income families. Because having an empowering birth should not be a privilege for those that can afford it.

My passion is helping provide empowering services for everyone, because having an abundant life should not be a privilege. I do this through offering income-based services, free and low-cost resources, and creating community groups. As a doula, educator, and creator I strive to help families embrace an abundant life. I give these families my time, my hands, my knowledge, my passion, and my heart. No one is turned away because of finances because every voice counts at Voices of Eve.

And God has always sustained my ministry! One of the facets of my client care is that the fee is “pay what you can, when you can”. I will never forget the first time that a client paid all of her fee in one payment and that same week a part on my car broke that cost that exact amount. And I have so many stories like that! Serving in this way has empowered me just as much, or even more so, than it has my clients. It has put me in a position to lean on faith as a way of life and I am so grateful for that!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My family loves the Fort Worth Zoo, Science Museum, the giant Eyeball in Dallas, and all of the great nature trails and beauties of this great state of Texas! But also the amazing variety of food!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
in 2013 I birthed my first child at 11 weeks and 10 days, He was born sleeping. His name is Noah and he is the reason I added bereavement doula as one of my certifications. My birth story with him was hard and I was shocked and hurt by the carelessness that me and my husband were cared for by our care providers. But every time I get to serve a family who lay their babies to rest I get to change that story for someone else, and that heals my heart! My love for my son is a source for my passion to care for those in need and hurting and it gets me through the hard times. I dedicate my shout out to my son and to those families who walk the hard road of laying their babies to rest.

Website: voicesofeve.net

Instagram: instagram.com/voicesofeve

Twitter: twitter.com/voicesofeve

Facebook: facebook.com/voicesofeve

Youtube: youtube.com/voicesofeve

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@voicesofeve

Image Credits
Hannah Troyer, Mothering Memories (all the photos except 1) Kaylee Barnett, K Barnett Photography (only the photo with my holding the green scarf in the hospital room with the twinkle lights in the background)