Vermont Doula Company- Mary Kate Spiegler and Haley Parizo

On this episode of Vermonters in Business, co-hosts Drew Kinney and Travis Spencer sit down with Mary Kate and Haley of the Vermont Doula Company to talk about their journeys to Vermont, the important role doulas play in supporting families, and how they built Vermont’s only doula agency.

They break down what doulas actually do as non-medical professionals providing physical, emotional, and informational support during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care. The conversation also tackles common misconceptions, including the belief that doulas are only for unmedicated births or are the same as midwives.

Mary Kate and Haley share how Island Doula evolved into the Vermont Doula Company, now entering its fifth year with a growing team of 12–15 employees offering birth support, postpartum care, education, and in-house massage services. They discuss their unique employee-based model, the importance of a team approach for continuity of care, leadership growth, the realities of burnout and staffing challenges, and their vision for the future — including training programs, consulting, podcasting, and expanding access to doula care across Vermont.