Episode 53: Doula Confidence and Doula Dysmorphia

Episode Summary

How do you define confidence for yourself as a doula? In an era when you walk around with a supercomputer in your pocket, the pressure to know everything has not gotten lighter, even though more of us are figuring out that you cannot know all of it and you do not need to.

We talk about doula dysmorphia, the gap between how a doula sees her own work and how it actually shows up for her clients. We get into ongoing skill development, how confidence grows differently from competence, and what to do when the inner critic gets louder than the work warrants. There is always something more to learn. The trick is not letting that turn into self-doubt that costs your clients your full presence.

Useful for newer doulas wrestling with imposter feelings, and for experienced doulas who need a reminder of the difference between humility and self-erasure.

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Mentioned in This Episode

Doula dysmorphia and self-perception

Confidence and skill development across a doula career