To start off our Aaliyah in Action Self-Care Package interviews we have the amazing Alexis Harmon, owner and founder of The Dope Doula! Once home from the hospital and starting the healing process, Liz received a self-care package from her doula, Aaliyah in Action Board Member, Jade Hillery. Part of that package was Recovery Tea from The Dope Doula.
The Recovery Tea blend was so comforting and Liz would especially reach for it on a difficult night. Once Aaliyah in Action came into the picture, having Alexis' tea was an absolute must-have for the self-care packages. We are so proud to say that the tea in our packages comes from a local business.
In addition to creating tea blends, and other pregnancy and postpartum items, Alexis is a certified holistic doula, birth doula and perinatal wellness practitioner. Alexis understands this community well, she has experienced loss and knows how important it is to still take care of yourself in the immediate grief stage. As Alexis said, "recovery is long and takes so much out of a person. 'Restoration' is the word that kept coming up for me". We could not agree more and know how powerful her Recovery blend tea is to get the restoration process started.
As a member of Aaliyah's tribe, we sent Alexis some questions so you can all get to know her better and understand how integral she is to the work we do at Aaliyah in Action!
What made you want to enter the holistic doula space?
Like many birth workers, I come to this work through my own experience. I gave birth to my first child at 15 and to say I lacked support would be an understatement.
As I prepared to welcome my second child ten years later, I worked with a doula who provided excellent support and education and who inspired me to explore doula work as a career for myself. My goal as a holistic doula is to nurture, support and inform each client I have the pleasure of working with and to help them gain confidence and clarity through all stages of the reproductive spectrum.
What makes your recovery tea special, especially for those who have experienced the loss of their baby? How do you choose your blends?
I consider this work to be sacred and put a lot of thought, prayer and intentionality into each product I create. As someone with personal experience with perinatal loss, I considered my own healing process and how challenging it was coping with immense physical and emotional pain following one of the most difficult chapters of my life.
While crafting this blend, I meditated on the phrase "Nourish & heal the body, calm the mind" and chose to work with herbs that were nutrient rich, offered relief against common postpartum symptoms like cramping and bloating and those which are known to combat stress and anxiety.
What does it mean to you to be involved with Aaliyah in Action?
Being involved with Aaliyah In Action is a full circle moment for me. It's an opportunity to offer support and stand in solidarity with other parents who have experienced perinatal loss.
I'm grateful to be part of a project that I know will have such a huge impact on local families and provide even just a tiny bit of light in the midst of great darkness.
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Thank you, Alexis for being a part of Aaliyah in Action - we love and appreciate you so much! You can read up on all of The Dope Doula's services, here and follow her on Instagram, @iamthedopedoula.