After undergraduate school at the University of TN @Knoxville, I studied nursing on a master’s level at Vanderbilt University while enrolled in the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner’s Program. After working in several conventional clinical roles post nursing school, I started attending births as a doula and a birth assistant in 2009, the same year I wrote the Alpha Childbirth curriculum that eventually evolved into the Roots Childbirth curriculum.

In 2016, after 5 years of didactic, clinical and traditional training in a very intensive apprenticeship, I finished the requirements set forth by NARM (North American Registry of Midwives) and received the credential of CPM (Certified Professional Midwife) and became fully licensed in the state of TN. I have attended almost 1000 births in a variety of settings including every hospital in Middle Tennessee. I have experience with homebirths, water births, multiples, VBACS (vaginal birth after cesarean), VBAC2, breech, and non-medicated births. In 2017 I opened Roots Collaborative Care, an integrative healthcare facility that offers an inclusive, trauma-informed approach to client and family wellness. While running the day to day operations at Roots I continue attending homebirths, teaching the Roots Childbirth curriculum and am a NARM preceptor. I currently have 2 students in their last phase of the CPM PEP Program. I also moderate a pregnancy-related podcast called PREG YOUR PARDON, available on all streaming platforms.

I have been married to Scott, my high school love, for 30 years and together we have 3 boys. Austin, Bailey and Casey. Our oldest son, Austin, left this world in January of 2021, as we held him in our arms. We miss him every second of every day. His loss has ignited our commitment even further to supporting the collective grief AND the collective healing of our community and our world. When I’m not catching babies, I enjoy spending time with my family, long-distance running, organic gardening, helping my husband with our chickens & bees and fine tuning my mindfulness practice which includes daily meditation and yoga. I am also the President of the The ARM Foundation, a 501c3 organization that supports and provides a safe space for those in relationship with grief.

I hope to leave the most compassionate impact while also leaving the smallest footprint possible on our planet.

“It only hurts because you’re alive. And that my friend, is a very precious gift.” ~Gaylea