For more than two decades, my work has centered around a simple idea: holistic care can be both knowledgeable and deeply human.
Long before midwifery became such an important part of my work, I was drawn to creating spaces where people could feel cared for as whole people.. not simply as a body, a diagnosis, a pregnancy, or a task to complete.
In 2006, I founded Kneading Time Holistic Therapy Center with a vision of bringing practitioners and healing modalities together in one welcoming, community-centered space. Although the physical center eventually closed, the vision behind it never really went away. Instead, it continued to evolve alongside me.
Over the years, my work has expanded across massage therapy, energy healing, childbirth education, reproductive health, pregnancy, birth, postpartum care, and midwifery. I have also spent years working and teaching within more traditional clinical and medical settings.
Those experiences may look very different from one another, but to me they are connected by the same purpose: creating meaningful experiences of care in which people feel respected, heard, informed, and actively involved.
I don't believe there is one right way to care for every person. I believe in bringing knowledge, experience, curiosity, and presence to the relationship—and beginning with the person in front of me.
Midwife
Shelly placenta expert t-shirt
Midwife
My Approach
I believe meaningful care begins with relationship. Whatever brings you into my space, my goal is to meet you with curiosity rather than assumptions. Your experiences, values, beliefs, preferences, and goals matter.
I bring my education, professional experience, and the tools available to me, but you remain the expert in your own experience. My work draws from both clinical knowledge and holistic practices. There are times when evidence, assessment, and clinical care are important, and there are times when comfort, touch, reflection, intuition, education, or simply being fully present with another person can meaningfully enhance an experience.
I value informed choice and honest conversation. That means sharing what I know, acknowledging what I don't know, discussing options when they exist, and respecting your right to make decisions about your own body and care. My role is not to determine what is best for you, but to help create the information, support, and space you need to decide what feels right for you...
Above all, I want the people I work with to feel seen, respected, and actively engaged in their experience. Whether our time together is a single massage, an energy healing session, a class, or a relationship that develops over months of pregnancy and postpartum care, I hope you leave feeling that the care you received was genuinely yours.
Experience & Credentials
My professional education and experience span more than two decades across holistic wellness, clinical healthcare, education, and pregnancy and birth.
Current Credentials:
Licensed Midwife (LM), Michigan
Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)
Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT)
Registered Clinical Sonographer (RCS)
Certified Childbirth Educator (CBE)
I continue to pursue ongoing education across both clinical and holistic disciplines, allowing my work to evolve as evidence, professional standards, and my own understanding of meaningful care continue to grow.
The Path That Brought Me Here
My professional path has never followed a perfectly straight line, but looking back, there is a clear thread connecting the work I have been drawn to.
My initial path is deeply rooted in clinical medicine. In the early 1990's, I trained and worked in emergency medical services and cardiovascular testing and cardiac ultrasound, eventually becoming an educator and professor in the field. Those 30 plus years strengthened my understanding of anatomy, physiology, critical thinking, clinical assessment, and evidence-based care. I have always had a tremendous respect for what modern medicine can offer, but also felt conflicted about protocols and guidelines that failed to integrate individualized, personalized care.
Alongside that work, I became increasingly involved in natural healing, and holistic health. I have always felt drawn to working with pregnant people and attending births. Eventually, my path lead me towards training as an energy practitioner, becoming a licensed massage therapist specializing in prenatal and postpartum care, childbirth educator and course creator, serving as a birth doula, and midwife assistant before ultimately pursuing professional midwifery. Today, I am a Certified Professional Midwife and Licensed Midwife in Michigan, and serve as Clinical Director and co-founder of OHMI Midwives.
Throughout that evolution, I have never left the holistic work behind. Massage therapy, energy work, education, clinical skills, cardiology, emergency medicine, and midwifery have each taught me something different about how people experience their bodies, their health, and their care... and offer a beautiful opportunity to integrate all of my learned experiences. My work today is informed by all of them.
I don't feel a need to choose between worlds. Clinical and holistic aren't opposing identities for me. They're both part of how I practice.
Community & Connection
Community has always been an important part of how I understand care.
I value relationships not only with the individuals and families I serve, but also with the practitioners, educators, advocates, and organizations working to make care more accessible, respectful, and responsive to the people within our communities.
Collaboration has been a recurring theme throughout my career... from the original vision behind Kneading Time to my work in healthcare, education, reproductive wellness, and community midwifery. I believe we offer better care when we are willing to learn from one another, recognize the limits of our individual roles, and build relationships across different professions and perspectives.
I am honored to serve on the Board of Directors for Solace Health, a reproductive justice organization working to improve access, advocacy, education, and support within our community. This work allows me to participate in something larger than my own practice and to remain connected to efforts addressing the broader experiences and systems that shape reproductive and maternal health.
"For me, community isn't separate from the work. It is part of the work."
Work With Me
There are many different reasons our paths might cross. You may be preparing for pregnancy or birth, looking for support during postpartum, seeking massage or energy work, exploring reproductive wellness, or simply looking for education and resources that help you feel more informed and connected to your own experience.
Whatever brings you here, you are welcome to explore the services and resources that feel meaningful to you.
Want to Hear More?
Sometimes the best way to understand someone's approach is simply to hear them talk about the work they care about.
In this conversation, I share more about reproductive healthcare, midwifery, autonomous birth, and the experiences that have shaped how I approach this work.
If you're considering working with me—or are simply curious about the philosophy behind my care—you're welcome to listen.