About

I’m Nicola Mahdiyyah Goodall, a doula, traditional midwifery educator, birthkeeper and founder of Red Tent Doulas. I have spent decades walking alongside women and families through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, loss and the many transformations that happen around our reproductive lives.

My approach to doula work is grounded in the belief that birth belongs first and foremost to the woman giving birth. I support informed choice, bodily autonomy and the right of every woman to be listened to, respected and cared for with tenderness. I bring a wealth of practical, hands-on knowledge to my work, while always remembering that my role is not to take over, but to stand beside you.

My practice draws from traditional midwifery, herbal medicine, menstrual medicine, massage, belly and womb care, traditional postpartum practices, movement, food, rest and the simple but increasingly radical art of being present with another person. I am particularly interested in the ways women and communities have cared for one another around birth long before birth became something predominantly managed within institutions.

Over the years I have had the privilege of teaching and working internationally, learning alongside traditional midwives, birthkeepers, elders and community practitioners in different parts of the world. My work has taken me from the UK to East Africa, Egypt and beyond, and those relationships continue to deepen my understanding of birth, postpartum care and the importance of keeping traditional knowledge alive.

I am the founder of Red Tent Doulas, where I train and mentor doulas and teach traditional postpartum care, menstrual medicine and other aspects of women’s health. I have supported generations of new doulas into practice and remain passionate about creating spaces where doulas can continue learning, questioning, sharing and being supported themselves.

I am a Muslim woman and my faith is an important part of who I am. I understand the importance of culturally and spiritually appropriate maternity care and am particularly committed to making doula support accessible and welcoming to Muslim women, women from racialised communities and families who have not always felt safe, heard or well served within maternity systems.

I am also an educator and activist around maternity rights, racism and inequalities in maternity care. I believe good doula support includes helping people understand their choices, ask questions, find their voice and navigate maternity services without losing sight of their own instincts and values.

But underneath all of the teaching, knowledge and experience, my doula work is very simple.

I listen. I stay. I make tea. I rub backs and hold hands. I help create calm when a room becomes noisy. I remind women of what they already know. I support partners and families to find their place. I bring practical skills when they are useful and quiet presence when words are not needed.

Birth does not need another person in the room telling a woman what to do. Sometimes what it needs is someone who knows how to sit beside her, protect the space around her and trust her.

That is the heart of my work.