Hi, I’m Cedar (they/he)*

I am a full-spectrum careworker, community educator, and project manager with a passion for land stewardship, relationship, trauma-informed care, accessible educational practices, and the complexites of justice.  With seven years of experience as a perinatal professional, as well as prior training and experience in somatics and trauma-informed care, I absolutely love providing support to people in transitional moments, especially those revolving around reproductive health, family building, and gender-and-identity-related experiences.

As a trans non-binary person, I am practiced in the art (and awkwardness) of transition, and bring this knowing and compassion to all of my clients and students as they face a variety of thresholds and transformations, including conception, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, as well as loss, termination, and surrender.

Though my work centers trans and gender non-conforming individuals (I jokingly say I’m “straight-friendly and cis-inclusive”), I am also committed to doing education and advocacy work to dismantle oppression caused by the gender binary, so that people of ALL experiences and identities can have their unique needs met by careworkers and service providers. The main routes I have taken in order to contribute to a cultural shift towards person-centered care are: teaching gender-affirming practices to birth workers and other professionals, offering trans-first LGBTQIA+ competency consulting to individuals and organizations, and participating in conversations and movements that imagine and create an anti-oppressive trans- and queer- affirming world.

I am proudly Philly born and raised, have traveled to do care and farm work across Turtle Island, and currently live and am building new relationship with stolen land in Middle Tennessee. I am designated human companion to Weasel (a chihuahua mix) and Poe (a gentlemanly black cat), budding amateur animator, angst-y meme-maker and comedian, as well as a rock and moss enthusiast. Professionally, I worked for three years as the Program Director and Co-Lead Teacher at Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings, have been a guest lecturer and speaker in a number of professional training programs and conferences, and am a self-employed careworker who loves to show up with big megaphone energy… while also doing some of my best work from my bed or while laying in a hammock.

Some of the identities I hold and experiences I have had that influence my work are: white, queer, trans, non-binary, pansexual, polyamorous, in recovery from substance misuse, survivor of sexual and domestic violence, neurodivergent, mentally ill, upper-middle class background provided childhood access to stable housing/food/healthcare and provides ongoing financial privilege, college-educated, English-speaking US citizen (third generation immigrant), not noticably Disabled, living with thin privilege.

The Love Over Fear Community Fund has been an integral to the social and political sustainability of my work. Examples of how resources from the fund have been used are: to support the work and education of Black birthworkers and organizers, distribute “Queer + Pregnant” to those with limited resources, and personally serve full-spectrum carework clients with financial access needs at low-to-no cost. You can learn more about the core values that guide my work here. 

With acknowledgment of both the inherent value and worth of all humans, as well as the inequities and injustices of the education and academic systems navigated to gather much of this learning, below are some of the trainings, courses, and certifications I’ve participated in. My hope is that this list gives you a sense of where I’m coming from, as you consider working with me. While, at this point, I do not align with the actions or values of all learning experiences listed, they still played a part in how I arrived here . If you have curiousities about any of the learning listed below, please feel free to reach out.