In the Words of Families Served

Prenatal, postpartum, & writing support clientele have typically found me as a result of organic referrals from educators, midwives, practitioners, other doulas, friends, family, & prior clients who’ve pictured me as a great fit for a particular individual’s or family’s journey. My continued thanks to such generously loving, bridge-building hearts.

Student, Educator, and Parent Notes from Recent Guest-Writing Programs & Tutoring Families

“Ms. Deana: THANK YOU for your immense spark and wisdom you share. Being taught by you is a huge joy and privilege, and I am so grateful for every moment of it.”

— Middle school student

“First, thank you for encouraging us to submit [our child’s] poem into the contest. Needless to say, we were all quite shocked to hear it had been recognized!

Also, I understand you helped a lot with the [holiday] play. This may have been the first time I've ever seen [our child] express interest in something at school, and I feel like [our child] actually put some effort into it! It inspired me to enroll [our student] into an [extra-curricular] class.”

— Middle school parent

“Oh my goodness, I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes... Thank you so much for seeing [my child’s] potential!”

— Middle school parent

✎ ✎ ✎

“I’m so excited for this opportunity for [my child]! And I’m so thankful for the ways you have helped her grow as a writer this year! The first day of Christmas break, [they] spent the whole day working on poetry in [their] bed, and it made my heart so happy to see [them] in a flow with writing! And I felt so thankful for YOU!!! 

— Middle school parent

“Would you consider teaching at our school again in some capacity next year? I have absolutely loved working with you and I know the kids have gotten so much out of it!”

— Middle school educator

“[Our child] is loving your short story block, and I love hearing about what you are doing in the class. I feel like we're very lucky to have you teaching this block.”

— Middle school parent

“Thank you so much for your encouraging words about [our child]! We feel SO lucky to have you in [their] life.”

— Middle school parent

“For the first time last year, our 7th & 8th grade students were encouraged to submit their writing from Ms.Deana's [guest specialty] class into the annual Scholastic Writing Awards Contest. Scholastic is officially ‘the nation's longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens,’ providing a platform for awarding aspiring authors ages 13 and up within grades 7-12 with publication.

This year, [our] 7th and 8th graders' writing was submitted along with more than 600 others from across Missouri and Kansas. Seven of our students received eleven awards, including one Gold Key, two Silver Keys and 8 Honorable Mentions in the categories of Sci-fi/Fiction, Flash Fiction & Poetry. These will be published in the online publication Missouri Youth Write, and our winner of the Gold Key will advance to the national level. 

Writing and storytelling are integral to our pedagogy, but so, too, is the effort to inspire a life-long love for creative expression. It is affirming to the work of our school community and our unique pedagogy, to be recognized in one form of excellence on a broader scope. You would find it even more affirming if you were able to step into the classroom throughout their weeks with Ms. Deana; to see how our students developed their creative voice, pushed themselves to grow through new forms of expression, and felt deeply proud of their work. We celebrate all of them!”

— School Educator

Perinatal Clients & Students:

“Thank you so so much!! We are so grateful for you and everything you did for us over the weekend!”

— New mama, 2024

“We both got some rest and are feeling good. Thank you so much for everything; we made such a great team together and wouldn’t have wanted to do it without you!”

— New father, 2022

“Thank you, Deana! You were/are so wonderful!”

— New mama, 2022

“I haven’t had the chance to say how much I personally appreciated all you did for [my wife] and [baby] and me. I would have been so lost and anxious without your guidance. Thank you so much for helping with [our baby’s] arrival into our lives.”

— New father, 2023

“We can’t thank you enough for all of your help, encouragement, and support through labor and delivery!! We are very grateful. You were an amazing advocate!! And such a good support to have through all the ups and downs.”

— New mama, 2022

“Hi, Deana. It’s exactly a week since our big birth adventure. We wanted to thank you again for all your support last week. As we settle in at home, more and more memories come up. It’s so interesting to observe. The first few days were just filled with reacting; now we have more time to process and reflect. And in reflecting, we again and again tell ourselves that we could not have done [baby’s] birth without you. You were such a wonderful, calm guide through it all. Thank you!”

— New mama, 2022

“Thanks for the sweet note and the wonderful class last night. Yesterday was a hard day after not sleeping well the night before and your class made all the difference. I felt like a totally different person from when I arrived on the mat to when I left. Thanks for helping me to reconnect with my body, breath, and baby.

I'll definitely keep you posted on how things go. I look forward to introducing you to our little one when they arrive!”

— Prenatal Yoga Student

“Oh my goodness, we absolutely adored you and would love to move forward[...]! We would love for you to be our doula!”

— Expectant Mama, 2023

“Thank you so much again, Deana! Couldn’t have done this without you! This is all working out so perfectly, with so many thanks to you.”

— New mama, 2022

“Breastfeeding is going well and [baby] looks great according to the nurses and docs. Thank you again for everything. What a journey!”

— New father, 2022

“Thank you so much! We had fun and it was restful!!!”

— Postpartum mama, 2020

“Having a doula eased my anxieties about planning a homebirth as a first time mother. I felt supported by my [birth] team and confident that I had a team I trusted to help me through my pregnancy, labor/delivery, and postpartum journey. When my plan changed to a c-section due to my baby being breach, my doulas were the ones that were always by my side during the decision making.

While I didn't get the traditional labor/delivery-doula experience, I felt like having the support and guidance from my doulas allowed me to accept and eventually fall in love with my birth experience. If it wasn't for their constant support in my decisions, I would have felt much more alone and confused on what decisions to make for me and my baby. Through their guidance, I felt empowered, informed, and educated on my options at the hospital. While I was looking forward to the emotional and physical support the doulas offered during labor and delivery, my experience with them leading up to my c-section was just as invaluable in making sure I brought my baby into the world in the way I felt best.”

— New mama, 2020

“The nurses all commented on how well I managed contractions and [my spouse] just kept telling them it was all the prenatal yoga! Thank you so much for all of the support during my pregnancy.”

— Prenatal Yoga Student

“I want to thank you so much, Jenny and Deana, and the Full Circle prenatal family, for the support during my pregnancy. I would not have made it through this birthing journey without the Full Circle Yoga community. Something truly special is being created there, and I am humbled to be a part of it.”

— Prenatal Yoga Student

Have feedback you’d like to share? I’d love hear from you!