Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Schutt.
Julie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a Middle TN native – I grew up in Lebanon and attended MTSU. I was always a very quiet, studious kid who fell asleep with a book on my face each night. My mother was the administrator of elections for Wilson County, so I grew up spending all of my free time and most weekends in the courthouse. I did very well academically but wasn’t really sure what I wanted to be when I grew up. I’d always drawn on everything from a very early age, so art seemed a natural fit, but my family wanted me to choose a focus where I could have a serious career. My degree was in Graphic Design, with a minor in Illustration, and though I loved all the studio classes and making things with my hands, I couldn’t wait to be done with all of the design classes. As soon as I had my degree, I started working at Vanderbilt in an admin role and after a year was offered an incredible opportunity to take a job in Los Angeles. I thought my then-fiancé (now husband) and I would be there for maybe 1-2 years, max. We fell in love with the city and stayed nearly seven years. I was exposed to a much healthier lifestyle overall, clean eating, walking everywhere, and beach trips every weekend. All of our friends back home in TN were on their second and third kids by this point, and it wasn’t even a blip on our radar nor our L.A. friends’ radar. We were married in Yosemite, took random road trips all over the Southwest and spent holidays in national parks. I was slowly climbing the corporate ladder at an accounting firm by this point and had landed in HR, which I really enjoyed. We moved back to TN in late 2016 because we wanted to be closer to family and buy a home. I continued working in the admin field, and ended up at an investment firm. There were some truly wonderful clients and though I enjoyed many aspects of the job, I was getting tired of wearing an extrovert mask each day and not showing up as my authentic self. Once I had my son in 2019, my entire life shifted dramatically (as you’d expect)! I had so much postpartum anxiety, and it was an extremely rude awakening coming to the realization that all the time I was spending away from my son doing something I wasn’t truly passionate about was eating away at my soul. I started looking into other fields and taking personality tests to see what would be a better fit. Doula jobs kept coming up as an optimal role, so I researched training options and local agencies. I reached out to a few doulas and scheduled coffee dates to discuss what the work truly involved. I originally wanted to be a birth doula, but after talking with them, I realized at this life stage, it just wasn’t possible for me to be away from my family for such long periods of time with clients in labor. Postpartum doula work seemed to be a much better fit because you could build more of a relationship with clients and schedule it out well in advance. I was planning to make the career switch the following year, but my body made the decision for me a few months later. I became very ill with pneumonia and was out of commission for a full month. I struggled with slowing down and focusing on healing, instead of missing work. After a lot of soul-searching, many discussions with my husband and the scary realization that I needed to move up my timeline, I took the leap and quit my corporate job. Shortly after I submitted my resignation, I finally started to heal. I completed my postpartum doula training a few months later, my CPR training, and had my first doula agency client. Making this career switch meant I had the flexibility and capacity to focus on and heal through many big life changes in my first year as a doula. Over the span of seven months, my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, my estranged father passed away suddenly, I had a miscarriage, and my son was diagnosed with autism. Being able to set all of this life heaviness aside for a set time each day and focus solely on my client’s family, show them how to interpret their baby’s cries, and so on made such a huge difference in my mental health. I discovered I had a true knack for it, and work felt truly effortless for the first time in my life. I’ve been doing this now for almost four years and have helped over 50 families navigate life with a newborn. It is so rewarding getting to work with families for extended periods of time, showing up as my authentic self, and getting invitations to first birthday parties!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but that’s to be expected in this field. People tend to either have no clue what a postpartum doula does, or they know someone who used one and raved about what a huge difference it made in their postpartum experience. Clients tend to come in waves, and there are definitely slower periods and busier periods. Getting my small business up and running to begin working was an exercise in patience, because I just wanted to do the work! The first few years, I only took agency clients as an independent contractor. I said yes to everything and many times had clients on the opposite ends of the city, so I spent a ton of time commuting. I’m much more intentional now when I’m meeting with a potential client to see what I can realistically offer in terms of my time and services once their baby arrives. I also have an extended service range fee to help offset some of the additional costs with gas and wear on my car. Almost two years after starting this career, I had my first slower period and focused on getting my business website up and running. Marketing myself is still something I struggle with – I prefer to meet clients organically (such as at a grocery store or yoga class) or through referrals. I’ve done a few networking events, but meeting people one-on-one is where I shine the most. This is such personal work, and not everyone is going to be the best fit. It is an extremely vulnerable time to be in someone’s home, so it’s important that they are comfortable with you from very early on.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a postpartum doula. I specialize in helping families adjust to life with a newborn so they can feel empowered in their parenting journey. It is an intense experience that can be easily overwhelming, especially while recovering from giving birth. Throw in sleep deprivation, possibly learning to nurse, postpartum hormone dips, changing family dynamics, etc. and you can easily see where an extra set of experienced hands can offer a wonderful break for your growing family to re-set for the day. I work daytime shifts that typically last anywhere from four to six hours long. Many of the earliest shifts are about processing the birth experience with my clients and learning how to read their newborn’s cues. I’m known for my calm demeanor and direct approach. I help people to better understand that this is an intense experience for a finite amount of time. I also keep an eye and ear out for patterns that are out of the norm, such as specific sounds when baby is feeding that could indicate needing to see a lactation consultant. I always ask during my prenatal consultations if the client has a history of anxiety or depression so I can keep a close eye on PPA/PPD once baby arrives and refer for further assistance if needed. I love helping parents figure out what they need before they even ask. Having that intuition really helps me stand out in this field. I’m most proud of the positive impact I’ve had on families, and they love that I keep it real with them! Knowing the doula you’re working with has also been through this experience (especially the sleep deprivation) and has made it out to the other side gives them so much hope on days when it seems like nothing has changed.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love all of the options to see live music! I grew up attending concerts at Starwood, Nashville River Stages and City Hall. Seeing all the venues that have popped up, the free community concerts, and family-friendly options makes me so excited to take my son to more concerts as he gets older. My least favorite thing is definitely the lack of public transit options. I especially wish the train would run on the weekends! I know so many people that would be more willing to go to events downtown if they didn’t have to worry about parking. Traffic has gotten so much worse since we returned and is only going to increase.
Pricing:
- Hourly pricing is dependent on client’s address (map on my website)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://snugbugdoula.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snugbugdoula
