My name is Cándida (Candi) and I’m a plus size, afro-caribeña, queer woman living in West Valley City, UT. With a B.A. in Film & Media Arts, my current life revolves around reproductive and birth justice work with an emphasis on documenting abortion stories and birthing people of color with honor and respect. I’m an award-winning filmmaker, artist, birth worker, abortion storyteller, and mother.

I grew up uninsured in an immigrant, mixed-status family, in the underserved and heavily policed neighborhood of Glendale in Salt Lake City, Utah. My lived experiences have shaped how I navigate my calling and advocacy as a full-spectrum birth worker. My journey began after my own experiences with pregnancy – the first in 2014 when I had an abortion, and the second in 2017 when I gave birth to my child. Shortly after becoming a mother in 2017, I answered the calling to become a birth worker.

Being able to support people through every outcome of pregnancy – whether that’s birth, miscarriage, or abortion – has only solidified my advocacy for reproductive justice and liberation. Everyone who chooses to give birth or to end their pregnancy deserves to be surrounded by people who will respect and affirm their decisions. There is a sacredness to pregnancy that connects us to our ancestors and the land. Every pregnancy is different, and it is my goal to empower and educate as folks navigate their own experience. Our bodies are resilient and beautiful.

Areas served: Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah & Weber County

REGARDLESS OF YOUR NATIONAL ORIGIN, RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, ABILITY, SEX, FAMILIAL STATUS, AND IDENTITY, I’M HERE TO LISTEN TO YOU, TO SUPPORT YOUR VISION OF PREGNANCY AND PARENTHOOD, AND HELP FACILITATE IT INTO FRUITION. AS A NON-JUDGMENTAL BIRTH PROFESSIONAL WHOSE AGENDA IS YOUR AGENDA, MY MISSION IS TO ENSURE YOU FEEL THE STEADY PULSE OF SUPPORT, COMMISERATION, AND EMPOWERMENT YOU DESERVE. TOGETHER WE WILL FIND WAYS FOR YOUR PREGNANCY, LABOR, BIRTH, AND POSTPARTUM TO FEEL FULFILLING, CONNECTED, AND MANAGEABLE.

To learn more about birth workers/doulas, click here.