Whether you’re expecting a little one, supporting a loved one through pregnancy, or simply passionate about better maternal care, you’re going to be inspired by Toni Curtis. As the founder of BirthWise Doula Services, Toni provides comprehensive, holistic, and evidence-based support to families throughout their entire journey — from fertility planning and pregnancy through labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery. With a deep commitment to compassionate care, education, and equity, she helps families achieve empowered, informed, and positive birth experiences while addressing the urgent maternal health challenges many communities face.
Up Close & Personal With Toni Curtis
Beverly Hills Magazine: Toni, it’s such an honor to have you on the show. How are you?
Toni Curtis: I’m doing well. How are you?
Beverly Hills Magazine: Doing very well. First of all, congratulations on what you’re doing. I love your business. It’s incredible.
Toni Curtis:: Thank you so much.
Beverly Hills Magazine: So, Birthwise Doula Services — what first inspired you to become a doula and start your company? And for those who may not know, what exactly is a doula?
Toni Curtis:: It was really a combination of life experiences. One of the biggest was losing my brother when I was a teenager. He passed away from a medical mistake when he was only six months old. Watching that kind of loss destroy a family changed me forever. I watched my father carry that pain until the day he passed away.
I also personally struggled with infertility for 17 years, which forced me to challenge the narrow perspective modern medicine often has regarding women’s health. Through that journey, I learned so much about the female body, emotional health, nervous system regulation, and holistic wellness. Today, I’m blessed with two children, and my experiences shaped my purpose. I realized women need real support, education, compassion, and advocacy throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery.
A doula is someone who supports women and families emotionally, physically, and educationally during one of the most vulnerable and transformative experiences of their lives.
Beverly Hills Magazine: That is such a powerful journey. It’s incredible how you transformed pain into purpose. What really stood out to me is how deeply you care about women not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well.
Toni Curtis:: Absolutely. Pregnancy and birth affect every aspect of a woman’s life — mentally, emotionally, hormonally, financially, spiritually, and physically. Unfortunately, many women are dismissed with phrases like “it’s just hormones,” when in reality there are very real neurological and physiological processes happening inside the body.
Women deserve education about how their nervous system works, how stress impacts their body, how nutrition affects healing, and how emotional trauma can impact birth outcomes.
Beverly Hills Magazine: That’s fascinating. I think many women have never heard these explanations before.
Toni Curtis:: Exactly. Most women are never taught how stress affects the body during pregnancy. For example, chronic stress impacts cortisol levels, sleep, digestion, emotional regulation, and even labor progression. Things like anemia can affect healing, energy, mood, sleep, and overall wellness, but often women are simply told, “You’re anemic,” without deeper support or education.
That’s why my work is holistic. I combine childbirth education, wellness support, nervous system regulation, breathwork, movement, herbal wellness, and emotional support to help women reconnect with their bodies.
Beverly Hills Magazine: You clearly approach this from a very comprehensive perspective. I know you mentioned breathwork and nervous system regulation. Can you explain more about that?
Toni Curtis:: Of course. I’m also a professional breathwork facilitator and yoga instructor, and I focus heavily on neuroscience and nervous system function.
Women’s bodies are uniquely designed, and our nervous systems directly impact our reproductive health, emotional well-being, and labor experiences. Breathwork is incredibly powerful because it activates the parasympathetic nervous system — the “rest and digest” state — which helps women regulate stress and reconnect with themselves.
Many cultures and healing traditions throughout history have practiced forms of breathwork because it genuinely changes brain chemistry and emotional regulation.
Beverly Hills Magazine: That’s amazing. So your work extends far beyond labor and delivery.
Toni Curtis:: Definitely. While I am a doula and advocate for maternal health, my mission is much larger than birth itself. Birth is part of a woman’s lifespan journey. Her emotional health, life experiences, trauma, nutrition, stress levels, and environment all impact her birth experience and long-term health outcomes.
I help women understand their bodies and advocate for themselves during one of the most important moments of their lives.
Beverly Hills Magazine: You also mentioned that childbirth is natural, but not necessarily instinctive. That really stood out to me.
Toni Curtis:: Yes, because just because the body is designed to give birth does not mean women automatically know how to navigate the emotional and physical experience. Birth brings up fear, trauma, vulnerability, and emotional intensity.
Women need support, preparation, education, and guidance. During labor, everything about who you are emotionally can surface. Fear and trauma can slow labor, increase distress, and affect outcomes. That’s why emotional support matters just as much as physical support.
Beverly Hills Magazine: That makes perfect sense. So how do you practically support women throughout that process?
Toni Curtis:: We begin with education. I’m a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator, so I teach women how birth works physiologically, how to move their bodies during labor, how positioning affects birth outcomes, and how to understand what’s happening in their bodies.
I also provide emotional coaching, comfort measures, nervous system regulation tools, movement guidance, and advocacy inside the hospital setting.
For example, baby positioning can significantly impact labor progression and pain levels. Small body movements and positioning techniques can completely change the birth experience.
I stay with my clients throughout labor to help them feel safe, informed, empowered, and supported.
Beverly Hills Magazine: That level of support sounds incredibly comforting, especially during such a vulnerable experience.
Toni Curtis:: It truly is. Many women are terrified during labor, and what they need most is reassurance, patience, and calm guidance. I remind them that they are capable, powerful, and not alone.
Birth is transformative. It changes you emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. My role is to help women move through that process feeling supported instead of fearful.
Beverly Hills Magazine: One thing that really shocked me was hearing you discuss the maternal health crisis in America.
Toni Curtis:: Unfortunately, maternal mortality rates in the United States are extremely concerning. Women in this country are more likely to die from childbirth complications than women in many other developed nations, and Black women face even higher risks.
That’s why advocacy, education, emotional support, and informed decision-making are so critical. Women deserve compassionate care and people who truly listen to them.
Beverly Hills Magazine: What do you believe women fear most about childbirth?
Toni Curtis:: Interestingly, most women think they fear birth itself, but often they fear what happens after. They wonder how their life will change, whether they’ll lose themselves, how motherhood will affect their identity, relationships, career, finances, and emotional well-being.
Birth is not just a physical event. It’s a complete transformation of a woman’s life.
Beverly Hills Magazine: Thank you, Toni, for your dedication to better births, stronger families, and healthier communities. Toni, your compassion and wisdom are truly inspiring. What you’re doing is so important for women and families everywhere.
Toni Curtis:: Thank you so much. My mission is simply to help women feel educated, supported, empowered, and cared for. Women deserve to feel safe and respected during birth, and I’m honored to walk alongside them during that journey.
Toni Curtis is a beautiful example of what happens when passion meets purpose. Through BirthWise Doula Services, she continues to provide families with knowledge, emotional support, and advocacy during one of life’s most transformative experiences. Toni’s passion for maternal wellness, education, and emotional support is transforming the way women experience pregnancy and birth. Through Birthwise Doula Services, she is helping families feel empowered, informed, and deeply cared for during one of life’s most sacred experiences.