Sunny is this week’s “Femme Voices” feature! Founder of “Yoniverse Talks”, Sunny is a birth worker who started her business after realizing how poorly women of color are treated when they seek medical treatment and the skyrocketing mortality rate of Black women during childbirth. Sunny offers many services, teachings, and products to help women through their fertility issues, childbirth journies, and even their trauma. Yoniverse Talks is centered around the idea that women of color must rally together to work towards healing and gaining access to safer and better quality healthcare.
Read on for more about Sunny and Yoniverse Talks!
Please introduce yourself. What is your name? Where are you located? What are your pronouns and how do you identify?
Hi, I’m Ashleigh but I go by Sunny! I am currently located in the DC area. However, I am relocating to San Diego, CA in 2020. I use the pronouns SHE/HER and I identify as a lesbian femme wombyn. I’ve used the term queer as well, but I mainly identify as a lesbian aggressive femme.
You’re a birth worker and an entrepreneur who aims to “inspire, motivate, [and] empower” their clients. Tell us a little bit about your business.
Yes! I am a Full Spectrum Birth Worker who specializes in melanin wombyn care. My brand is a very large, all-inclusive brand that entails fertility assistance, childbirth and postpartum doula services, spiritual and energy healing, hoodoo workings, and advocacy work.
I work with women who have PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids and other reproductive ailments to either help them get pregnant or help them to live better lives through my education, services, and products. I also am a life and spiritual life coach and help women unlock their potential and heal from emotional traumas.
My overall goal is to help women of color understand their power and autonomy in their lives with their wombs and during their care. Black women are 243 times more likely to die during childbirth. That is absolutely insane and it’s my job to heal the collective and bring awareness. Even if I can’t heal everyone, I can inspire the collective to heal each other.
How long have you been running “Yoniverse Talks”? How and why did you start it?
I have been running Yoniverse Talks since September 2017! It is still very much a baby but with a large purpose. I started Yoniverse Talks after my personal bouts with health care. I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2014 and didn’t receive a lot of proper care and support from my doctors.
It took me years to get a definitive result but also took forever for anyone to hear me. I remembered my past experiences prior to my healing myself and it was just absurd. My ex-love inspired me by telling me that I could really do this. She believed in me and pushed me to do it. She has always been my motivator and inspires me a lot. So, I started by becoming a childbirth doula in 2016 and the rest is herstory!
Does what you do make you feel like a part of a bigger community? If so, what is your biggest or most important contribution to this community?
Absolutely! I am a part of a collective of women who are passionate about birth work and making sure that our women of color are getting the proper treatment they should have been receiving. My biggest contribution to my community is my advocacy work and my teachings.
Each week, I have two segments on my Instagram (Womb Wellness Wednesdays & Doula Thursdays). Here, I offer free education online at your disposal that day. Each week, there is a central theme as well as a Q & A option throughout the day.
My products also help my community because I am an herbalist who is passionate about healing the womb. I teach women about the different herbs and foods they can eat on a regular basis to either increase fertility or help with their womb ailments. Everything I do is all about autonomy and helping women come back to their ancestral roots and power.
Do you consider yourself a creative? What does that mean to you?
Absolutely. I’ve been a creative since I was a little girl. I’ve been a writer since I was about 13. I use to write short stories and poetry. I was very heavy into poetry writing for many years, once I landed in the lesbian scene in my area. I may revisit that era in my life very soon!
Being a creative means (to me) that you tap into who you truly are and let the world see the creativeness that is your mind, spirit, and energy. I’ve always fallen for the artsy girls and that is exactly what I am. It’s near and dear to my heart.
The Glam Femme seeks to explore the multi-dimensionality of queer women and folks of color. In what ways would you consider yourself multi-dimensional, if at all?
I would say that my multi-dimensionality would stem a lot from my mind and how I see things. Some people see the world in black and white and I choose to see the world in color. Very vivid bright colors that paint stories and understandings. I come from a very multi-cultural world. Being from the Islands (Barbados), I grew up having a different understanding of cultures and perspectives and living in America really shifts your mindset as well.
What struggles related to your intersectional experiences do you face and how do you overcome them?
I can’t really answer that question because I haven’t experienced struggles within my brand or role. I also don’t place any energy into struggles because it slows me down.
What is your favorite, most effective self-care method?
Shopping! I have a problem lol. I use to hate shopping before and I found it was because I didn’t see the importance of slowing down. Now, my guilty pleasure is TJ-maxx and finding great deals! I also make my own skin care products and I am in the process of formulating my skincare line so I periodically test my products on myself.
What are you most proud of about yourself and what you have accomplished?
I’m extremely proud of everything I’ve done. I can’t list just one thing. Nine years ago, I was extremely depressed. My best friend passed away and I entered a very toxic relationship with someone who I thought was the love of my life. She was extremely broken and it created more broken pieces within myself. From there, I spent 9 years healing, growing and transforming myself. I never thought I would be here today. I never imagined nor knew that I would be a business owner, student midwife, and doula. I feel like my dreams have truly come true.
Do you have any upcoming projects or goals?
Yes! I am studying to become a Direct Entry Midwife as of July 2019 so I am very excited about that! My upcoming project is geared towards my doula business. I am launching my doula certification program for women of color late summer/early fall of 2019. It will be catered towards women of color and centering around black maternal death rates. I’m very excited about stepping into this doula mentor role.
How can we see your work/contact you/etc.?
You can find me on Instagram at @yoniversetalks! My website is www.yoniversetalks.org. The link to email me is on my Instagram bio and also on my website under Contact Us. My movement is mainly on IG but my shop and services are located on my website!
