hi, I'm Whitney (she/her)
JD | C-FSD (BADT) | C-CBE (BADT)
Birth and postpartum are sacred rites of passage, moments that deserve to be met with intention and respect. They are physiological events and profound human transformations. You deserve to thrive in this experience, not just get through it.
I actually started my career as an attorney. After my third child was born, I realized how deeply this work called to me, and I made a big career pivot. I trained in Los Angeles, where I lived for about twenty years after graduating from MSU. I’m certified as a childbirth educator and full-spectrum doula through Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings.
I went on to develop and offer the birth education curriculum for the Long Beach Birth Center. I'm a two time apprentice of author and educator Britta Bushnell, PhD, and later served as a Mentor for her Perinatal Apprenticeship Program.
My unusual professional path from law to birthwork has shaped an approach rooted in autonomy, informed decision-making, and the belief that preparation should increase a person's capacity to respond, rather than create the illusion of control.
When my family recently moved back to Southwest Michigan, I brought all of that experience home with me. My work has since grown into a passion for supporting pregnant people, increasing access to care, and advocating for reproductive justice. Today, I teach private and community education on a sliding scale, collaborate as a class facilitator at Rootead in downtown Kalamazoo and speak to groups, libraries, and other audiences about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
At the heart of everything I do is a simple belief: pregnancy, birth and postpartum aren't just medical events to prepare for but opportunities to more deeply understand transformation and the person we're becoming. Everyone deserves to be informed, supported, and celebrated. How can I help?
Member: Bronson Hospital Patient and Family Advisory Council | Birth Justice Bar Association | If/When/How Network | Amplifier-Level, National Perinatal Task Force
speaking + writing
I speak and write about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum as profound human experiences.
My areas of focus include:
- pregnancy as teacher: what lessons pregnancy offers us that apply to labor, birth, and postpartum
- autonomy and advocacy in childbirth: understanding your rights, informed decision-making, communicating with providers, grounding in your authority
- preparation...without the illusion of control: developing resilience, expanding our expectations and cultivating the capacity to meet what unfolds
- why childbirth education matters: what meaningful preparation can offer families and communities as a whole
I bring an interdisciplinary perspective shaped by law, birth education, doula work, mentorship, and years of teaching.
featured media + engagements:
- Voyage Michigan, Conversations with Whitney Graham 2026
- Voyage L.A., Meet Whitney Graham of Long Beach 2024
- Guest Speaker, Parker University: Multimodal Rehabilitation of the Prenatal and Postnatal Patient 2023
- Kalamazoo Public Library: It Takes A Village: Why Childbirth Education Matters 2026
- Portage District Library: Making Sense of Childbirth Education 2026
Upcoming:
- Rooted Birth Justice: Know Your Birthing Rights November 2026
- Transformed By Birth Summit: Advocacy as a Practice of Becoming November 2026
01
Honoring bodily autonomy, personal choice, and innate wisdom is essential.
02
Those who hold privilege must dismantle the systems that cause harm to those without. This is a lifelong journey that requires openness to growth and change.
03
All individuals are worthy of being treated with dignity, grace, respect, and candor.
04
Creating diverse networks, equitable resource sharing, and community engagement lead to better outcomes.
