Gaylea is a Certified Professional Midwife, licensed in Tennessee and Kentucky. She has attended over 1,000 births, including home-births, water births, VBACs, breech, and twins. For almost two decades, she has provided birth services to a diverse patient population in various Middle Tennessee hospitals, birth centers, and private homes.
After a focus in psychology and human development at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Gaylea studied nursing on a master’s level at Vanderbilt University, while enrolled in the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Program. In 2007, she began working as a labor doula and birth assistant, the same year she created Alpha Childbirth, which evolved into the very popular Roots Childbirth curriculum.
In 2016, Gaylea opened Roots Collaborative Care, a brick-and-mortar practice, offering trauma-informed, integrative healthcare, where she practices midwifery and women’s health across the lifespan, alongside her amazing interdisciplinary team. She also continues to teach childbirth classes, is a NARM preceptor, and sits on the Tennessee Midwifery Association board as the Central Tennessee representative. Gaylea also hosts the podcast Preg Your Pardon.
She has been married to her high school love, Scott, for 30 years, and they have three sons: Austin, Bailey, and Casey. Their eldest, Austin, passed away in January 2021, deepening their commitment to holistic community healing. Gaylea enjoys running, hiking, kayaking, gardening, and meditation. She is also President of The Art Rest Move (ARM) Foundation, a nonprofit (501c3) supporting those who are in relationship with grief. Gaylea is available for writing collaborations and speaking engagements.
