Member Profile

Jen Willoughby is the Steward of the Blue Water Doula Collective (BWDC), a collaborative, membership-based community supporting doulas who serve at life’s thresholds. With more than 20 years of experience as an occupational therapist across homecare, rehabilitation, community mental health, end-of-life care, and academia as a professor, Jen brings both clinical depth and grounded compassion to her leadership.

BWDC was created as a place where doulas gather, grow, and walk others home. Through structured monthly membership pathways, Jen offers mentorship, professional development, collaborative networking, shared wellness space access, and community support for both facility-based and mobile doulas. The collective is intentionally designed to reduce professional isolation, strengthen ethical practice, and cultivate sustainability in this sacred work.
Jen leads End-of-Life Doula Certificate trainings aligned with NEDA core competencies and proficiency standards, equipping doulas with foundational knowledge, ethical grounding, and applied skills. She also teaches Reiki Level I and II certifications and facilitates restorative self-care retreats that nurture resilience, reflection, and renewal for caregivers and helping professionals.

Her work bridges professional standards with spiritual presence — emphasizing non-medical, non-judgmental support, cultural humility, and advocacy for expanded integration of doula care within healthcare systems and community settings.

At the heart of Jen’s leadership is a steady belief: no one should walk birth, death, or grief alone — and those who serve deserve mentorship, collaboration, and a grounded place to belong.