The Birthkeeper’s Path 10 moons course 2026!

What is the Birthkeepers Path Course?

The birthkeepers path is a 10 month educational journey which invites you to dive deep into women’s mysteries with knowledge, ritual and ceremony as you learn how to accompany families in the transformative states of pregnancy, birth and becoming parents.

Our first Birthkeeper’s Cohort in 2025 consisted of 10 students including former nurses, doulas and other’s completely new to the birthkeeper’s path. We’ve received so many glowing testimonials that we cant wait to welcome our next cohort in February 2026!

“To call The Birthkeepers Path a doula training does a complete disservice to what these last 8 months have been for me. This is so much more than learning birth skills, it is an initiation into the depths of women’s wisdom that transcends time. Please know that I am not exaggerating when I say that you will not leave this training the same person you were at the beginning. Joy and Jady walk with you, down into the portal of the womb, handing you the keys to unlock what you have felt calling you all this time. It is an opportunity to sit at the feet of true elders, wise women, and receive gentle but firm encouragement to walk forward with this wisdom with respect and reverence for those that came before. They are passing on the baton and you truly feel the importance of this work with each step. They are, in a way, midwifing you through the process of becoming the birthkeeper you were always meant to be. However, you know they are not working alone, as you close your eyes you can sense ancestral whispers, guiding you forward, cheering you on. The ancient midwives, healers and wise ones sit in the circle too; fortifying your spirit and guiding you back onto your own path. Be prepared for your heart to be blasted open and to know that you are held, loved and supported in unimaginable ways. However, please make no mistake this is not for the faint of heart, be prepared to put your big girl pants on and deal with all of your own shit, all your parent’s shit and whatever generational shit you also still carry. Expect to purge. Do not expect hand holding or coddling, but rather a bright light that shines on what has been hidden for far too long and a gentle nod as you start to place the pieces back together yourself. Your wounded healer will no longer be welcome in the driver’s seat taking you blindly down roads that regurgitate harmful cycles. Instead, you will be guided to take off the blindfold, place your hands steadily in control of the wheel and transform your wounds into golden fuel for your path. You will understand the true meaning of what it means to be of service, how you can best show up for your community at this time, not as a saviour but as a person simply walking in truth. 

We still have two months left on this amazing course and I can already say hands on heart it has transformed my life. It is made clear from the start that this training isn’t just about becoming a birthkeeper working directly with families. Although this part of the work is covered in amazing detail, Joy and Jady make it known that this can simply be a journey just for you. For me, I have tended to ancestral and personal wounds so deep and so raw that I do not even recognise myself in the mirror anymore. I have retrieved lost medicine from my lineage that will support me on my path for the rest of my life. I have weaved myself whole again, stitching together each part of me that has been silenced or pushed out.  For my work in the world, I now have the courage to say that I know what I am here to do, or rather say. It is clear to me now that my path is one of stepping up and speaking out, advocating and championing for change in how we tend to and care for women and birthing people across the board. So, thank you Joy and Jady for providing me with the greatest gift I have ever received; a reminder of the power held in my voice. 

So, honestly people, if you feel the call – just do it. This is a once in a lifetime journey with some of the wisest women out there. In a world so fast paced and mind focused, having the opportunity to learn in this way is a rare treat. Soak up and savour every inch of this experience whilst you can, as before you know it you will blink and you’ll be acting, saying and being all the things you have always wanted to be for the world.” (Tamsin Willow, 2025 Cohort student).

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Facilitated by Jady Mountjoy, an experienced doula and menstruality educator, and Joy Horner, a former independent midwife, and birth wisdom-keeper. in their respective careers Jady and Joy have received direct transmissions of knowledge from exalted elders in the birth world including Jane Hardwicke-Collings, Ina may Gaskin, Gail Tully, Suzanne Yates, and Penny Simkin.  They have crafted a heart-led holistic course for those who wish to become birth keepers or doulas to pass on the wisdom they have gathered from their clients and other wise teachers. Their many years of working inside and outside of the NHS system, combined with spiritual and shamanic trainings weave together a potent basket of sacred birthkeeper’s knowledge. Both are experienced teachers and mentors with over 45 years combined experience of serving birthing families and 50 years knowledge of parenting their own children, and both have an embodied understanding that birth works!

This unique course prepares you to accompany and care for families before during and after pregnancy, with supportive, trauma-informed skills which encompass body, mind, and spirit. As a birth wisdom-keeper you will learn the skills of holding space for families through their sacred rites of passage and transitions. Your place in the lives of these families is one of privilege that parents define for themselves, one which respects and dignifies their way of birthing, feeding and caring for their babies. One which marries the wisdom of their bodies and intuition, with a thorough respect for the body’s physiological processes which only occasionally benefit from medical care and intervention.

This birthkeeper’s path course is available to anyone who already works in the birth world as well as those wanting to take their first steps. It is suitable for midwives, doulas, and others who would like to deepen their understanding of the sacred and shamanic dimensions of pregnancy, birth, and new parenthood. It is also open to those wishing to take their first steps on the birthkeeper’s path. Perhaps considering a future career path as a midwife, doctor or doula. We particularly welcome prospective students who have protected characteristics which are under-represented in our area. We do everything we can to be inclusive and non-discriminatory.

This path is not always an easy one, and requires dedication, humility, and absolute honesty with the families you serve. If you feel called to this work you probably already possess many of these qualities. On the course you will gain additional understanding of how to walk with parents through their most vulnerable and powerful experiences, preventing unnecessary birth trauma, enabling them to step into their power by choosing what is truly right for them and their babies. You will learn practical skills, and through inner-enquiry will gain greater clarity in how to bring your gifts forward in the service of others. We ask you to dig deep into your own conditioning, birth imprints and beliefs about pregnancy, birth and parenting, inviting you to update old assumptions and habits.

Listen to one of our students talk about our course below.

Although this course is packed with factual information, research, and practical ways of working with clients, it does not make you a replacement for a registered midwife. It is always our client’s sovereign right to engage with maternity services or not, and as long as we are honest with our clients about our role, the limitations of our service, and we do not “act as a midwife” we are legally free to practice without fear of litigation.

We understand that many of you are mothers of young children or have other caring obligations that may require you to create space and time for yourself to complete this course. As mothers, with families of our own, we will support you in whatever way we can to help you reach your personal goals.

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Find out more in one of our next free discovery calls in November and December 2025, and January 2026.

It is a great chance to meet your course fasilitators and ask us questions about this amazing course.

All live calls start at 19:30 GMT and last up to 1 hour.  Find your time zone here Time Zone Converter – Time Difference Calculator

November 11th 

December 9th 

January 6th is the last call before the course commences on Saturday 1st February 2026.

Zoom link to join the live call:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83460221173?pwd=1ULQECcRtdxhw6W93zigvi0I0WWeT5.1

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What is included in the course?

10 months of online materials to work through at your own pace.

Downloadable materials to use in your own practice.

Monthly zoom gatherings with the rest of your cohort, for support and information sharing.

Three, private one hour long mentoring sessions with Jady or Joy.

Four weekend workshops, each consisting of two days, where you will learn practical skills, have time for self-reflection, and to hone the art of caring.

Contact with Jady and Joy throughout the course.

A private online chat area where you can communicate with other students.

Free membership of the Radical Birthworker’s Collective

Listening partnerships

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What is required to complete the course?

• Complete all online monthly modules.
• Complete the minimal level of homework – mostly personal reflections, podcasts to listen to or films to watch.
• Attend three private mentoring sessions.
• Write 2 book reviews.
• Create a pregnancy, birth, or parenting – related topic to be presented at the end of the course. This can be as simple as a factual handout, some artwork, or a much bigger project.
• Attend the four in person weekends (8 day workshops) in Glastonbury of practical skills, and consolidation of the online modules. Our workshops will be held in Glastonbury throughout 2025

We organise listening partnerships with a fellow student, for personal support and to practice listening and being witnessed, plus small study groups where you can discuss the course content and get peer to peer support from other students.

We envision the study and attendance time would equate to approximately 2- 3hrs per week. Of course, this could be more if you get really excited to read more about a topic.

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How can you use this knowledge after the course?

We can provide certificates of attendance for all workshops and modules completed.

These can count towards your continuing professional development (CPD).

You can use the knowledge gained to enhance your current doula or midwifery practice.

You could use it as part of your portfolio if applying for midwifery training.

Some professionals use it to enhance their understanding of caring for pregnant or postnatal clients if they work in other areas of healthcare, e.g. cranial sacral therapists, yoga teachers, hypnobirthing instructors etc.

The knowledge and skills gained during the course will equip you to be able to care for families throughout pregnancy, labour and birth, and early parenthood as a family companion, advocate or birthkeeper.

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How Much does it cost?

The investment for 10 months of online content, Downloads, In-person workshops, Email support, 3 Private mentoring calls and Monthly Zoom calls is:

£2,500 (GBP). Payment by instalments is available. Our Early Bird Offer of £2,300 (£200 off the full course price) is available until 31st October 2025.

2x £1,500 (GBP) Scholarship places are available for students with protected characteristics.

3x £500 Placements are available for those in financial hardship

Anyone who is in financial hardship or with low household income can apply to find out more about our accessible rates.

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Contact us

Email joy@birthjoy,co.uk with specific enquiries or subscribe for updates.

We are excited to welcome you on this exciting path!

Jady and Joy. x