The Passionate Birthworker • Founder of WhatTheDoula & Yoga Instructor
Kaila Matthews is a Memphis native, wife, mom of two, and a birthworker passionate about black maternal health. Her background is in education, with eight years of experience in the local public schools and three years of experience in marketing and operations. Kaila holds an accounting degree and is pursuing a BSM for midwifery to become a certified professional midwife. In addition to Kaila’s impressive resume, she’s a yoga teacher, a mentor to local college students with STS Enterprises, a blogger for a local moms magazine, and sits on three local non-profit boards.
Kaila is passionate about supporting and advocating for maternal health, especially that of black women, through her business, WhatTheDoula. As a certified birth and postpartum doula, Kaila acts as a vital addition to one’s support team for pregnancy and postpartum, aiding families emotionally and physically by presenting them with evidence-based information. She loves supporting families looking to educate themselves on the benefits of breastfeeding, baby-wearing, creating healthy boundaries, and making informed decisions.
In addition to her vital work as a doula, Kaila gives back to the Memphis community through her work as a yoga teacher. She teaches at Elite Fitness Health & Wellness and CHOICES, and often guest teaches at The Yoga Kickback. Her niche is pregnant women and beginner-intermediate yogis. Kaila loves the opportunity to help people move their bodies and breathe better or more intentionally. She believes the things taught on the mat are transferable, and her community deserves that love. When she isn’t teaching yoga, Kaila is strengthening her practice at Sana Yoga.
By 2027, Kaila hopes to offer midwifery services and would one day love to open a Maternal Health and Wellness center where pregnant and postpartum people can access equitable resources and consistent support.
By Lucy Modzelewski
Photo by Tindall Stephens
Memphis Health + Fitness Magazine is proud to spotlight rising stars in the 901 fitness and wellness community in our inaugural 20 Under 40 issue. We received many amazing applications and handpicked a variety of individuals from different backgrounds and areas of expertise to showcase some of the best and brightest up-and-comers in our industry. We’re excited to present you with the honorees for the Memphis Health + Fitness 20 Under 40 Issue!
