Laura Atsma Brown

I am committed to intuitive health & decision-making. I believe in a world where people feel seen & supported, most especially through transformative times.

Journeying my own Rites of Passage emboldened me to pursue this work. Before my 30th birthday, I survived: Hodgkin Lymphoma, Osteomyelitis, a nearly fatal car accident and intimate partner violence. Through these experiences, I learned to trust myself, to be my own advocate and to navigate the medical system. I am privileged to have had the needed resources, internally and externally, to survive and grow from those traumas. Everyone should be so blessed.

My personal story compliments a decade of professional experience in healthcare. For three years and over 500 Exams, I taught the next generation of medical providers as a Gynecological Teaching Associate. I encouraged informed decisions about sexual & reproductive health for as a Health Educator with FHCSD for two years. I’ve been a union organizer for nursing home workers, lobbied for mental health resources at the CA state capitol, canvassed, marched, rallied & worked the voting polls. My personal & professional experience with our medical system creates a holistic perspective and informs my care & advocacy.

While I am not (yet) a mother, caring for children & families has been woven into most of my life. At five years old, I became a big-sister and at eleven years old a “Mother’s Helper”: an extra set of eyes, another pair of hands, a reassuring presence for new moms. I started babysitting in 4th grade and have been: tutor, teacher, camp counselor, coach & nanny. I encourage children’s innate wisdom and honor them as individual reminders of what hope looks & feels like.

With pride, I claim San Diego as my hometown and speak Spanish fluently.

Thank You,
Laura

Professional Development

Doula/Birthworker Trainings
Business Essentials for Birthworkers, Cornerstone Doula Trainings
Belly Binding, Tema Mercado
Mother Warming: Traditional Postpartum, Wyse Women
Spinning Babies, Nicole Morales
Chest & Womb Health, Traci Faith Guw Thonalig Hughes Hamilton
Tending the Postpartum Psyche, The Matrona
Homeopathy Basics for the Childbearing Year, The Matrona
Doula Finishing Series, Birth Education Center
DONA Birth Doula Training, Gerri Ryan & Lisa Simpkins
2018-2021, Certified Doula, DONA International

Audited Childbirth Education
Birthing From Within
Hypnobirthing

Member, ReBirth Doula Collective
Volunteer, Operation Doula

RYT 200HR, Yoga & Meditation Center
Member, Yoga Alliance

Reiki I Practitioner. Usui Shiki Ryoho Lineage. Michael Purviance, Reiki Master
Reiki II Practitioner. Usui Reiki Ryoho Lineage. Raana Jarrahian, Reiki Master

Bachelor of Arts: University of California, Davis
Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies
International Relations: Peace & Security