We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shelli Mullins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Shelli, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
My purpose has evolved with the seasons of my life. At one time, my deepest calling was raising my children and homesteading, tending to the land and the rhythms of family life. As my children grew, I felt pulled in a new direction, one that built upon the nurturing and wisdom I had cultivated.
A series of serendipitous events led me to home birth midwifery. My background as a registered nurse laid the foundation, but I felt drawn to a more holistic and intuitive path. Training under a certified nurse midwife at My Mindful Birth and attending over 300 home births deepened my trust in the sacred process of birth and my role in supporting families.
Through Sacred Circle Birth Services, I now focus on creating a sanctuary for empowered, intuitive, and reverent birth experiences. My purpose continues to shift and expand, but at its core, it remains the same: to walk alongside others in life’s most transformative moments with intention, wisdom, and care.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a licensed certified professional midwife and registered nurse dedicated to holistic, community-centered birth care through my practice, Sacred Circle Birth Services. My work is about more than just delivering babies. It is about creating a space where families feel supported, empowered, and deeply connected to the sacred nature of birth. I believe birth is a transformative experience, and my role is to honor and protect that process while providing compassionate clinical care.
What excites me most is witnessing families step into their power, trust their bodies, and reclaim birth as a natural, instinctual event. Every birth is unique, and being invited into these deeply personal moments is an incredible honor. I focus on blending evidence-based care with intuitive wisdom, herbal remedies, and holistic support, ensuring that each family feels fully seen and heard in their journey.
Currently, I am expanding Sacred Circle Birth Services to offer more community-based education and support, including prenatal and postpartum classes, holistic wellness workshops, and gatherings that bring families together.
As my practice grows, my vision remains the same. I strive to provide a sanctuary where birth is honored, intuition is trusted, and families feel held in a circle of care, wisdom, and community.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are adaptability, leading with love, and perseverance.
The ability to adapt, or pivot when necessary, is essential. Life and career paths are rarely linear, and being open to change allows you to grow in ways you never anticipated. Every challenge or unexpected turn is an opportunity to reassess, adjust, and continue forward with renewed clarity.
Leading with love is another key element. Love, in this context, means approaching every situation with compassion, integrity, and a desire to serve the highest good. If you find yourself straying from this place, pause, realign, and return to your purpose. Love creates connections, fosters trust, and brings depth to the work we do.
The third quality is perseverance. The journey toward fulfilling your purpose will test your resolve. There were many moments when I had to ask myself whether a challenge signified the end of my path or an obstacle I was meant to overcome. Learning to push through difficulties, setbacks, and unexpected barriers is critical in discovering your true calling.
For those beginning their journey, my advice is to set your intention clearly and pay attention to the small signs and affirmations guiding you. Life leaves breadcrumbs, subtle hints and opportunities that lead you to your next step. Have the courage to follow them, trust in your path, and remain open to where your purpose may take you.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Without a doubt, the most influential person in my journey has been Isabelle Guillou. She was there at the very first birth I attended after earning my doula certification, and from that moment, I knew I had to learn from her. Fresh out of training, I was eager to advocate fiercely for my client’s rights, but as soon as I stepped into the birth space, I realized I wouldn’t need to fight. Isabelle was already doing everything I had hoped to. She was kind, skilled, and deeply attuned to the needs of her clients. I was in awe.
She took me under her wing when I was a brand-new doula with barely any experience. She didn’t just teach me; she poured her knowledge into me with incredible generosity. She had once dreamed of being a math teacher, and teaching came naturally to her. She wanted me to grow, to reach her level, and she invested in my learning with an unmatched depth of care.
It was Isabelle who saw my potential before I did. She encouraged me to go to nursing school and supported me every step of the way. She rearranged clinic schedules to accommodate my classes, always asked what I was learning, and shared her own wisdom to help me grow. When I graduated, she stood beside me at my pinning ceremony, a symbol of how deeply she had shaped my path.
When I moved on to midwifery school, Isabelle handed me the work itself. She let me be the primary midwife at births, stepping back with a simple, “I’m just going to take pictures.” She trusted me. She let me hone my suturing skills under her watchful, seamstress eye, guiding me with patience and precision.
And when I graduated midwifery school, she gave me the greatest gift imaginable. She entrusted me with an entire practice, a community of happy clients, a fully equipped office, and a legacy of care. She gave me the confidence to stand tall and call myself a midwife.
For six years, I was her student. Her principles became the foundation of my practice, her wisdom etched into my heart. When I finally received my midwifery license from the state of Illinois, the first person I texted was Isabelle. I needed her to know that I hope to be half the midwife she is and that I owe this journey to her.
She made a midwife out of me, and for that, I will love her for the rest of my life. She changed my fate.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sacredcirclebirthservices.com
- Instagram: @sacredcirclebirthservices
Image Credits
Dave Bald
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