Rhonda Lavoie
- Nov 20, 2019
- 5 min read

Introducing Crocus Doula and Wellness Services!

Offering support, wisdom, comfort, education and coaching to moms-to-be, and their families, is the dedication of a doula. Moms who work with a doula tend to have an easier birth experience and the continued support after baby arrives can be the key to increased self esteem, lower the chances of postpartum depression, better the bond between mom & baby and help make the breastfeeding process a successful one. Let’s meet Kayla Madder and learn about her business, Crocus Doula & Wellness Services....

~Rhonda Lavoie

Broker/REALTOR®

Describe your business: My business is based around providing support and building community for new moms and families. Crocus Doula and Wellness Services provides both birth and postpartum doula support to our clients, and offers other products and services as well. We also put on workshops, retreats, and facilitate support groups for new moms and expecting couples.

What drives you to do what you do? What motivates you? I became a doula because I had a doula and the support and assistance I felt from her was incredibly helpful for me. I started my business because I knew firsthand the struggles that can come with those early days of becoming a mom, and I wanted to make sure there were doula services and supports available to more and more people in Saskatoon and area.

What has surprised you most when owning your own business? The incredible connections I would make with other business owners. I knew there were great local businesses here in Saskatoon, but I didn't expect to have so many amazing opportunities to collaborate with

others. I love collaboration and supporting local, so this has been a big bonus for me.

What was it like when you first started? Oh gosh! A TON of self-doubt and impostor syndrome. I really had to learn how to get out of my own head in order to start to be successful. I never would have started accomplishing my goals if I'd continued to sit there and doubt whether I was trained/experienced/good/etc. enough to succeed at owning my own business.

What is something people don’t know about your business? One thing they might not know is that it encompasses more than just my personal doula services and that doula support can look different for different families. Lindsey Gardner is our birth doula and is also a pre- and post-natal yoga instructor so she brings a lot of great offerings to the table. I am a postpartum doula, offering in-home services, but also other services that don't involve me coming into a family's home. Lindsey and I both offer educational and planning sessions with expecting couples and we work at We Move as their in-house doulas as well!

What would your customers say they love most about doing business with you? I think the thing our clients would say they like the most about us is that we are non-judgmental, evidence-based, and pretty easy going. We really focus on our clients making the right choices for their body and their family, which looks different for everyone. We provide research-based information to our clients and then support them in their decisions. I think this mutual respect, trust, and support is what makes our relationships with our clients so positive.

How do you motivate and encourage yourself? We generally make time to catch up and debrief among ourselves. Doula work takes so much heart and emotional energy that we make sure to fill our cups back up and check in with one another to make sure we're taking that time to recharge. Where do you see your business in the next years? I definitely see the team at Crocus Doula growing and I can also see us offering more retreats and workshops because we really enjoy that aspect of our work and connecting with our clients in a different way.

What are your greatest challenges? On a personal level, my greatest challenge has been adjusting to the schedule of running my own business as opposed to the 9-5 schedule I was used to. It has been incredible to make my own hours and spend time in the day with my children, but on the other side of that comes the need for setting boundaries in order to not be working around the clock. This is still a work in progress for me, haha, but I'm getting there!

What is something most people don’t know about you? The thing most people don't know when they first meet me is that I kind of stumbled into this work and that it wasn't what I intended to do when I started on my career path. I worked in the sciences for many years and only fell into supporting new moms and families when I felt a need for resources as a student parent myself at the U of S. After being a part of the team supporting that group for a few years, I realized that it was actually my true passion to work with moms, and I started looking for more ways to make it into a career.

What do you love most about your town/city? I really love that in general, the local businesses in Saskatoon tend to support one another and genuinely want to see everyone succeed. In the connections I've made and collaboration I've been able to be a part of, I've been pleasantly surprised by the positive community between businesses and small shops here locally.

Why do you think it is important for people to support local? Saskatoon may seem like a big city, but it's still a fairly small market. Of course, supporting local is incredibly beneficial to the local economy. But, if local businesses are going to make it here, they need the support of their community and as a small business owner myself, I see nothing better than small local businesses supporting one another.

What are your favorite restaurants? This is both a hard and easy question - because there are SO MANY great restaurants in Saskatoon. We really are spoiled when it comes to food. My favourites would be: La Bamba, Hometown Diner, New Island Sushi, La Taqueria Mexicana (at the Farmer's Market), and the classic Broadway Café.

What are your favorite things to do locally? My family and I spend a lot of time at the Farmer's Market - maybe too much, haha. We also like to go to any local festivals and events. My husband and I play beach volleyball together in the summer and I personally like to get out to community events for women like events by Ask Mum Saskatoon or The Well Collaborative.