Hot Wombs & Cool Minds: International Women’s Day Edition. Doula Spotlight: Trusha Solankee | Brand Feature: Leesha Williams, ONYX Branding Co. & Kindred by Leesha.
- Yevan
- 16 hours ago
- 5 min read
By Sacred Birth and Flow
Two women. Two paths. One shared commitment to powerful change.
Doula Spotlight on Trusha Solankee
This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the women who don’t just talk about change, they quietly embody it.
In a world where birth is too often clinical, rushed, or stripped of context, doulas like Trusha Solankee, Founder, @MyDoula_andMe, are rewriting the narrative. With clarity, compassion, and cultural intelligence, she is part of a new wave of birth workers who are making support feel personal again.
Trusha’s work sits at the intersection of advocacy and softness. She supports families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum with a presence that feels steady, informed, and deeply human. No performance. No hierarchy. Just real care for real people navigating one of life’s most powerful transitions.
This is doula care that understands nuance. That honours heritage. That creates space for questions, emotion, and informed choice.
And on International Women’s Day, that feels exactly right.
We asked Trusha six soulful questions for this Hot Wombs & Cool Minds feature. Here’s what she had to say.
1. What inspired you to become a doula?
"I’ve always been the go-to person for pregnancy and newborn care advice, and I love it! I used to work in the marketing team for Mothercare, supporting online communities for mums-to-be and new mums, but also dealing with highly sensitive topics such as baby loss and miscarriage. I put together the advice hub with guides on what to pack in your birth bag, how to breastfeed, safe sleeping and so on. I now work with a maternity brand, Hatch, heading up communications and working with local mum groups. Becoming a doula brings together everything I love!"
2. What’s one birth or postpartum moment that’s stayed with you?
"When I was 18, I used to care for a set of twins every weekend from when they were newborns right up until their 1st birthday. They won’t remember me, but I will always remember them!"
3. What’s a myth about birth or postpartum you wish more people would challenge?
"The ‘snap back’ - I did a whole campaign on this at Mothercare"
4. What’s always in your doula bag (or your virtual doula toolkit)?
Lip balms
Deodorant
Notes
Pen
Phone charger
Blanket
Newborn nappies
Water
Wipes
Birth comb
Tens machine
Mini fan
5. How do you rest and reset between clients?
"Sleep! Gym and spending time with my daughter"
6. Being a doula is....
"....just the best job ever!"
To find out more about Trusha and her doula packages, email: mydoulaandme@outlook.com or follow her on Instagram @MyDoula_andMe
Brand Spotlight on Leesha Williams, Onyx Branding Co. & Kindred by Leesha
Please note: I’m not paid to feature these brands and/or products, nor do I have any affiliation. I simply believe they’re worth sharing.
From supporting women and families through birth, we move into another kind of witnessing, the art of seeing and capturing people as they truly are through the lens of photographer and visual storyteller Leesha Williams, founder of ONYX Branding Co. and Kindred by Leesha.
Leesha's work centres around Black and Brown owned businesses, families and parents, with a focus on honest moments, accurate skin tones and imagery that feels lived-in rather than posed. As a single mum and creative, her work is rooted in care, representation and slowing things down.
We asked Leesha six questions about representation, creativity, and the quiet art of helping people see themselves reflected truthfully.
1. What first drew you to this work?
"Photography came into my life as a way of noticing things I didn’t want to forget. I’ve always been drawn to the in-between moments, the softness, the mess, the realness that doesn’t always make it into polished narratives. Over time, that naturally evolved into brand and family photography, because both are really about identity and being seen as you truly are.
Supporting Black and Brown owned businesses and families wasn’t a strategy; it was personal. I’d spent years not seeing people who looked like me reflected properly in branding or family imagery, or seeing skin tones flattened, stories simplified, or joy made to feel niche. Through Onyx Branding Co. and Kindred by Leesha, I wanted to create work that feels affirming, where people don’t have to explain themselves or shrink. Just honest imagery that says, you belong here."
2. What’s a moment from your work that’s stayed with you?
"There have been quiet moments during family sessions where a parent pauses, looks at their child, and you can feel something soften in the room. No posing, no direction, just presence. Those moments stay with me because they remind me that this work isn’t about perfection, it’s about memory.
In brand work, it’s often when a client sees their images for the first time and says something like, “That actually feels like me.” Especially for Black women and founders who’ve never felt comfortable in front of a camera. Those reactions ground me.
They remind me that representation isn’t abstract, it’s felt in the body."
3. What’s something about photography, creativity, or representation that you wish more people understood?
"Good representation isn’t just about who’s in the frame, it’s about how they’re seen. Accurate skin tones, thoughtful lighting, patience, and care all matter. You can’t separate the technical from the emotional.
I also wish more people understood that not everyone wants to be polished or performative. There’s power in softness, in everyday moments, in images that feel real rather than aspirational. Creativity doesn’t have to shout to be impactful."
4. What’s always part of your creative toolkit?
"Slowing down. That’s the biggest thing I bring into every shoot.
Practically, I always have music nearby, something calming or grounding, especially for family sessions. But more than anything, I bring attunement. Checking in, reading the room, letting things unfold rather than forcing them. Whether I’m photographing a brand founder or a family at home, connection comes first. The camera comes second."
5. How do you rest and reset when you’re holding space for others?
"Rest looks very unglamorous for me, and I’ve learned to be okay with that. Quiet mornings, slow edits, being present with my daughter, and letting myself exist outside of productivity.
As a mother and a creative, I’ve had to learn that rest isn’t something I earn; it’s something I need to stay grounded. Sometimes that means stepping away from the camera entirely. Other times it’s just sitting with a cup of tea and doing nothing. Those pauses are where I come back to myself."
6. Finish this sentence: The work I do is…
"The work I do is about care, memory, and representation. It’s about holding space for people to be seen as they are, and creating images that feel like home."
A creative whose work centres on care, representation, and the quiet power of being truly seen.
Discover more of Leesha’s work and connect with her through the links below:
Website (Onyx Branding Co.): https://www.onyxbrandingco.com
Website (Kindred by Leesha): http://kindredbyleesha.mypixieset.com
Instagram (Onyx): https://www.instagram.com/onyxbrandingco
Instagram (Kindred): https://www.instagram.com/kindredbyleesha
For this International Women’s Day feature, we spoke with two women whose work reflects care, presence, and representation in powerful ways. Trusha Solankee continues to support families through birth and early parenthood, while Leesha Williams creates imagery that helps people see themselves truthfully and fully.
Different work, shared intention. Care, presence, and the quiet power of women shaping the world around them.
In birth spaces, creative spaces, and beyond, women are still quietly running the world.
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