Hey, nice to meet you!
I’m Jessica of The Wealthy Apple: Doula + Yoga.

wealthy is having an abundance of comfort, support, knowledge, and resources.

apple is the round fruit of a tree of the rose family; an ancient symbol of fertility, abundance, and love.

I’m Jessica (she/her). I was born and raised in Michigan, and moved to New York City to fulfill a childhood dream (one of many). I’m the eldest child. A laid back “Type A” who will happily help you color code your closet or bookshelf, or keep you on track of emails. A few stops prior to birth work include work as a creative intern for an entertainment agency, marketing coordinator for an engineering firm, and a bartender at one of the busiest restaurants in Manhattan (I am known for my delicious margaritas). I enjoy exploring nature, artsy things (design, photography) traveling the world, tending to my plants and exploring New York City through food.

Below are answers to some common questions I am often asked about myself and why I do this work.

What lead me to become a birth worker?

The yoga practice has always been a grounding and healing influence on my personal life, which eventually led me to into birth work. After completing my 200 hour yoga certification, I was searching for ways I could offer the healing practice of yoga to communities in need. I discovered the non-profit, Exhale to Inhale, that offers trauma-informed yoga to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. After teaching my first series of trauma-informed yoga at a domestic abuse shelter, I wanted to find ways I could help folks find agency in their bodies and feel empowered within themselves. The idea of becoming a doula came to me, and from there I began my journey towards birth work.

Who are you as a birth worker?

My ultimate goal as a doula is to provide the birthing person with an abundance of support, nourishment, and resources throughout their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Mindfulness and trauma-informed practices greatly inform my approach to both birth work and yoga.

I also bring a sense of humor, grounding presence, attentiveness and emotional awareness to each of my clients.

What experience do you have as birth worker?

As I like to say, I have “one foot in woo, one foot in medicine” in that I honor the fact that there is no one way to birth a baby. There is no direct pathway to birth, and every birth I attend is simply its own unique event. The births I have supported include hospital births, unmedicated hospital births, homebirths, VBACs, high risk pregnancies, inductions, unplanned caesareans and planned caesareans. Inclusivity and diversity is embodied into how I function as birth worker, and I always aim to listen, learn, and lean into how I can serve as an ally for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. It is always an honor to be sharing the birth space with families as they transition into the world of parenthood, and my duty is to help guide and protect that space.

I received my training through DONA International with Debra Pascali-Bonaro and Robin Lim’s Gentle Birth Doula Retreat in Bali, Indonesia. The experience allowed me to dive deep into the birth world through understanding the emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of childbirth as well as cultivating a sisterhood with doulas from around the world. I also have completed additional training and mentorship with Manhattan Birth. In addition to birth work, I am also a yoga teacher specializing in prenatal, postnatal, trauma-informed, vinyasa, and therapeutics and am currently studying to become a yoga therapist.

Why the name The Wealthy Apple and what does it mean?

The Wealthy Apple is actually a translation of my name Wealthy (Jessica) Apple (Apfel - the German word for Apple). Besides the quirky business name, I stand by the meaning. I am here to support my clients with an abundance of comfort, support, knowledge, and resources (wealth) and nourishment through therapeutic yoga or supporting them throughout their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey (hence, the apple).

Trainings and Education

Gilligan’s Guide for Doulas
Integrative Lactation & Feeding Specialist (ILFS) | Manhattan Birth (currently certifying)
Starting Your Practice Y1, Advancing Your Practice Y2 | Manhattan Birth Mentor Program
CPR Certification (Adult, Child, Infant), American Heart Association Heartsaver® CPR AED Program
Intimate Partner Violence & Pregnancy | CONNECT Training Institute
DONA International Gentle Birth Doula Training | Ibu Robin Lim and Debra Pascali-Bonaro

Yoga Therapy Certification | Prema Yoga Institute (currently enrolled)
300 Yoga Certification (RYT 500) | Pure Yoga
Prenatal Yoga Mentorship with Deb Flashenberg | Prenatal Yoga Center
Prenatal & Postnatal Yoga | Prenatal Yoga Center, New York, NY
Yin Yoga | Integral Yoga Institute
Feet-on-the-Ground Trauma-Informed Yoga | Yoga to the People
Exhale to Inhale Trauma-Informed Yoga | New York, NY
Lotus Flow Vinyasa Yoga (RYT 200) | Laughing Lotus Yoga Center

Graphic Design | Parsons The New School for Design
Broadcast & Cinematic Arts | Central Michigan University
Art History and Italian Studies, American University of Rome