Meet the initiative

  • Angela is a descendent of  Visayan and Gaddang lineages. She is a seer, traditional healer, reiki master, holistic coach, reproductive birth justice advocate, drummer, and mother of four, born into a lineage of spirit mediums. Her practice of 20+ years has been greatly informed by trainings, experiences, and multiple traditional cultural initiations. She is an initiated Spirit Medium in the tradition of the Shona people of Zimbabwe and an initiated Priest in the Afro-Cuban traditions of Palo Monte and Lucumi. 

    Angela is passionate about the empowerment of women through the nurturing, development, and embodiment of their spiritual gifts. She is a guide for those seeking methods to connect with their ancestors in a safe and sacred manner, methods that empower, facilitate personal and intergenerational healing, and align us with our destinies. Her work is anchored in the ancient belief/principle that each person is their own greatest healer and carries unique wisdom, magic, and medicine to share with humanity.

    Angela holds the sacred space of birth with reverence and is honored to support birthing persons on their journey.  In her perspective, traditional birth practices are a powerful and necessary vehicle for decolonization, claiming sovereignty, and liberation. She trained as a doula under the late Medrakanoeonapua, a beloved traditional midwife of Hawaii.

    Angela co-taught the https://ndorohealingarts.com/

  • Tara Compehos believes that birth is a mother’s dance with her baby and not about the midwife.

    She is proud to carry the lineage of legendary traditional midwife Medrakanoeonapua and reknowned lomilomi teacher Auntie Margaret Machado. Additional education includes a BFA from New York University, an internship with Mercy in Action in the Philippines and a Midwifery Arts degree from The Matrona. She is a Certified Professional Midwife, licensed in Hawaii and Louisiana.

    As a birth justice activist and community health advocate Tara served as the Vice Chair of The Hawaii State Homebirth Task Force. As the co-founder and Lead Project Collaborator at SHINE Sisterhood Initiative, Tara specializes in development and implementation of innovative, grassroots programs which grow out of communities and return power to birthing people.

    Tara works intimately with plant medicine in all of her practices. She offers midwifery, lomilomi, and education online and person.

  • I am Elizabeth Mekuria, of Liminal Birth Services. A mother of 3, a trained Birth and Postpartum Doula, Lactation Counselor, HypnoBirthing® Educator, Reiki practitioner and I prepare healthy plant-based meals for families. I’m currently living in and serving Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    I certified as a Full Spectrum Doula in NYC in 2014 through Ancient Song Doula Services and worked with them to provide people of color with doula care regardless of their ability to pay for services. I later trained with Innate Postpartum Care and have a passion for teaching and tending to the postpartum time. I'm a founding member of Ayzosh Berchi, a collective in Addis Ababa, where we focus on nurturing, supporting and empowering families through education, body based practices and support during the childbearing continuum.

    Since becoming a mother I've found a way to connect my passions for supporting and empowering humans, social justice, healing, the transformative power and miracle of birth and my love of delicious whole foods.

    I believe deeply in the power of women. I truly believe that when we change the way birth and the postpartum time happens we change the future.

    Driven by the insight gained through her own holistic birth experiences, she has become especially keen to highlight the potential for ‘alternative’ birthing practices to correct black maternal health disparities, reclaim ancestral knowledge, and heal from the problematic legacy of obstetric violence/ institutional inequity.

    Her current work focuses on fortifying families through the postpartum transition.

    Piper sits on the board of the SHINE Sisterhood.

    She serves as the Chief Advisor to the Black Maternal Health Fund.

    She and her partner live in Hawai'i with 7 of their 8 children.

  • Piper Lovemore is inspired by the concept of birth as a catalyst for personal growth and transformation. She has enjoyed a passion fueled career in the birth arts, and supported hundreds of families as a birth educator, doula and midwife.

    Driven by the insight gained through her own holistic birth experiences, she has become especially keen to highlight the potential for ‘alternative’ birthing practices to correct black maternal health disparities, reclaim ancestral knowledge, and heal from the problematic legacy of obstetric violence/ institutional inequity.

    Her current work focuses on fortifying families through the postpartum transition.

    Piper sits on the board of the SHINE Sisterhood.

    She serves as the Chief Advisor to the Black Maternal Health Fund.

    She and her partner live in Hawai'i with 7 of their 8 children.

  • Annie created all the original art you see here on this website, find more of Annie @anniemcconelopezarte