Daphne is a Healer, Medicine Woman, Herbalist, Midwife, Mother, Grandmother, Wise Elder, Mentor, and Entrepreneur to name a few of her talents. Just being in the room with her was such a gift, and then to have the honor of over three hours of recording time with her over the course of 2 visits was just sensational. We're actually neighbors essentially and that just feels good. I am attaching her bio below so please take a look.
Daphne Singingtree began studying herbs at the age of 12, when she left home to live on her own. It was the seventies: it didn’t seem as strange then as it does now. She was in the middle of the 6th grade and that was the end of her formal education. She did what is now called unschooling, read books, traveled, learned about what interested her, like herbs and midwifery, when she was 17 without any formal course of study she passed her GED, and did not go to college until her late 40’s.Daphne has also been deeply involved in midwifery education and law in Oregon. She is the author of the Birthsong Midwifery Workbook, The Emergency Guide to Obstetric Complications, and Training Midwives: A Guide for Preceptors. A pioneer in direct entry midwifery, she was a founder and a board member of the Midwifery Education and Accreditation Council, helped write the Oregon Midwifery law, served on the Oregon State Board of Direct Entry Midwifery and was the chair of the Education Committee for the Midwives Alliance of North America. She is the founder of the Birthsong School of Midwifery, the Oregon School of Midwifery, Aviva College and Zaniyan Center. Daphne's connection with her Lakota heritage is a very beautiful, mystical and magical part of her story that she gets into in the show as well.
Daphne's balanced relationship with traditional Midwifery practice and the momentum of modern medicine and scientific research is what makes her so refreshing to hear from. She knows a lot of scientific data/facts which back up her opinions. Daphne's own births of her four children; 2 home births and two hospital births, she shares these stories on the podcast with such humility, honesty and love. I appreciate Daphne so much and I think you will too... so please enjoy this educational and powerful conversation with the honorable Daphne Singingtree.