Emma Yoder, Founder
I started Connected Doulas because I knew what it felt like to walk into a birth or a postpartum home and feel the relief in the room — not just because “support” had arrived, but because someone who truly cared had shown up.
Before I was a founder, I was a doula. I built my practice across Greater Philadelphia — the Main Line, Chester County, Wilmington — doing birth support and postpartum nights for families who needed more than a stranger from an app and less than a round-the-clock nurse. I got good at one thing: matching what a family actually needed to what a doula could genuinely offer. That's still what this agency is built on.
We have been providing support to families since 2018, and Connected Doulas now has over 60 doulas between our Philadelphia and Denver teams. We're fully booked most months, and families in Bryn Mawr and West Chester and Wilmington keep finding us because their neighbors told them to.
Now I'm finishing a dual-degree MD/MBA program, with plans to return to Colorado to practice medicine. Connected Doulas is growing with me. The Denver expansion isn't a growth strategy — it's me building something for the families who will be my neighbors.
My wife, Carolyn, runs operations and finance. Monica oversees intake and client relations. Laura helps us find and connect with the best doulas in the community. Even though I am catching babies as a doctor now, not your doula — I still know every person on our roster, and I'd trust any of them with someone I love.
If you're a family looking for support, find your match here. If you're a doula in Philadelphia or Denver, join our team!
A bit more about me...
My fascination with birth began as a little girl growing up on an organic farm in Kutztown, PA, spending late nights in the barn assisting with the births of goats, horses, and cows. In fact, I was present for the birth of my first horse, which I rode and competed with for many years.
My first introduction to becoming a doula was working with a local homebirth midwife in Lancaster County, who recommended I take training. For many years, I have been an active member of Philadelphia Alliance of Labor Support, providing sliding scale and volunteer birth and postpartum doula services to Philadelphia Families. I have also worked as a hotline advocate for Poppyseed Health, an online platform that provides 24/7 doula chat support to families during pregnancy, postpartum, or through a loss.
Outside of doula work, I am a medical interpreter for French and Spanish, a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ and women’s reproductive rights, and above all else, I identify as a devoted yogi. I have been a yoga teacher since 2017 with experience teaching vinyasa, restorative, trauma-informed, and pre/post natal yoga. I am honored to have been awarded a grant to fund a yoga program at a women’s safe house in Berks County.
In my personal life, I am an avid traveler and explorer, nature lover, and social butterfly. I am grateful to spend my life with my soulmate, Carolyn, who is also the director of finance and operations at Connected Doulas.