This story is a series collaboration with Twendé, a TN accelerator program.
Kristin Mejia is the founder of Homeland Heart Birth & Wellness which seeks to create a safe space and improve birth outcomes for women, infants, and families of color. Through programming and services designed for women and infants of color, resources for families of color, and training and support for women of color midwives and doulas.
What was the catalyst for you to start your business?
My work with breastfeeding was my catalyst for birth work. There were always people asking “Hey, can you be my doula?” and the answer was no. “Can you refer me to another Black doula?” and I said: “Actually, I can’t.” It hurt my feelings to not be able to be a resource for people. So I started researching what it would take to create a space for certifying and developing other doulas of color.
What made you want to participate in the Twendé program?
We as Black people didn’t put ourselves in these trenches of our health. We’re not the reason that we have chronic hypertension, lack of resources is the reason for all of it. When I’m in founder circles…for the most part it’s white people who are working on world problems and I’m working in such a siloed issue, that being in a group of non-people of color doesn’t do it. When I found out about Twendé I said, “I think this is gonna be it.”
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