2025 Speakers & Topics

Aimee Grant is a Senior Lecturer and Welcome Trust Career Development Fellow at Swansea University Centre for Lactation, Infant Feeding and Translation.

She has researched marginalized pregnancy and early motherhood for the past decade, including those living in poverty, stigmatized locations and Disabled women. Aimee's current research is an 8-year Welcome Trust funded longitudinal study using creative methods to understand Autistic experiences "from menstruation to menopause".

She is the author of two Documentary Analysis texts (Routledge, 2019; Policy Press, 2022), and is currently writing The Autism Friendly Guide to Pregnancy (and the fourth trimester), Managing Your Research Project, with Pat Thompson, Helen Kara and Inger Mewburn (Routledge), and is editing Using Documents in Research, with Helen Kara (Policy Press).

Commencing her midwifery career over 20 years ago, Anna has worked throughout the UK, in a variety of roles in midwifery practice, education, research, and leadership. She has experience of caseload, continuity models of care; providing midwifery care in all areas of clinical practice; and leading infant feeding services in community and hospital settings. Anna completed her PhD, in 2019, with the Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Unit (MAINN) at the University of Central Lancashire, England. Her thesis explored the influences of the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative upon midwives and service users. 

She has led research projects exploring Continuity of Career, CLiP learning in practice, and Student Midwife Continuity of Career. Passionate about supporting authentic, relational and social midwifery education she was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship, in 2019, from Advance HE for her contributions to midwifery education since 2010. Anna is the publisher of The Practicing Midwife, Australia Edition, and The Student Midwife journals and founding Director/CEO of the award-winning All4Maternity.com supporting the learning, sharing, and caring needs for all midwives and maternity workers. 

Anna has worked with national, regional and local teams to support midwifery education transformation, midwifery and maternity leadership, and programs to support internationally educated midwives with their transition to practice across NHS England alongside supporting education development and delivery around the world. 

Fiona has been a midwife for 35 years. She is also a registered nurse and maternal & child health nurse, a birth educator and bodyworker. She has worked in Melbourne public and private birthing hospitals and has supported many families with the birth of their babies at home and in hospital.

Interwoven throughout her midwifery practice has been an involvement in midwifery education and the teaching of Birthwork Workshops. The focus of all birth related teaching is on the dynamic pelvis and how to make space for the baby. 

Fiona is the co-founder of the Internal Pelvic Release Work Mentoring Program. She is also a Spinning Babies® Approved Trainer and a Spinning Babies® Aware Practitioner Trainer. When not teaching workshops, Fiona offers bodywork sessions to women in a 1:1 capacity, with particular emphasis on internal pelvic release work. 

Fiona’s drive to teach is fueled by a desire to see childbearing women hold birth knowledge, learn to honor their pelvic treasures and work with their innate power, and in so doing, eradicate birth trauma.

Fiona lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Dr. Hazel Keedle is a Senior Lecturer of Midwifery and Director of Academic Midwifery Programs at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University. She has over two decades of experience as a clinician in nursing and midwifery, educator, and researcher. Her research interests are vaginal birth after cesarean, birth trauma, and maternity experiences, which she explores primarily using feminist mixed methodologies. Dr. Keedle's work is recognized nationally and internationally. 

She has made many invited conference and seminar presentations, and her research has been widely published in academic journals and books. She is the author of the book "Birth after Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth," which is based on her PhD findings. Dr. Keedle is also the lead researcher on the largest maternity experiences survey, The Birth Experience Study. In September 2022, she became the Editor in Chief of The Practicing Midwife Australia from All4Maternity. Dr Keedle is passionate about improving the experiences of women during childbirth. She is committed to using her research to advocate for women's rights and to ensure that all women have access to respectful, supportive maternity care.

Illiyin Morrison is a dedicated midwife, author, and the visionary owner of Mixing up Motherhood, an empowering platform for mothers. With a passion for supporting women during their childbirth journeys, Illiyin brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her work. Her book, "The Birth Debrief," offers a compassionate guide for mothers, families and partners to navigate the complexities of perinatal experiences, providing insights and tools to process and heal.

Illiyin's unwavering commitment to maternal well-being extends beyond the birthing space. Through Mixing up Motherhood, she advocates for comprehensive postpartum care, destigmatizing mental health challenges, racism and unconscious bias and fostering a supportive community for all mothers and families. Her advocacy work emphasizes the importance of self-care, self-acceptance, and embracing the transformative journey of motherhood.

As a midwife, author, and influential figure, Illiyin Morrison continues to inspire and empower mothers, creating a positive impact on their lives and the broader maternal health landscape. Her dedication to enacting change and nurturing the well-being of women shines through in all aspects of her work.

Jessica is a licensed midwife and educator who specializes in out of hospital birth, sexual wellness and conception support. She has a skill and love for making childbirth and reproductive education digestible and fun for all people. When she’s not talking birth and bodies, she’s hosting a dinner party or traveling solo.

Nell Tharpe, MS, CNM, CRNFA, FACNM is a midwifery educator, author, and innovator. Nell is committed to reproductive justice, health equity, and optimizing perinatal health through excellence in midwifery practice.

Nell has been involved in birth work since 1977. She became a Certified Nurse-Midwife in 1986 and practiced full scope midwifery for over two decades. She has a dual certification as a Certified RN First Assistant, (CRNFA) and honed her suturing skills in the operating room, in OB/GYN and General surgery. Nell has been teaching suturing and perineal repair though in-person and virtual workshops since 1996.

Nell’s passions are bridging the gaps between clinical practice and emerging evidence, and developing systems and educational programs to improve clinical care. Nell is the original author of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery and Women’s Health. Her current project is establishment of clinical competencies and tools to guide the teaching, learning, and assessment of the essential skills for suturing and repair of birth-related tissue trauma.

Anna Maria Rossetti earned her Bachelor's degree in Midwifery from the University of Milan (UNIMI), Italy, in 2004. In 2009, she completed a two-year program in Continuity of Care and Salutogenesis under Verena Schmid at SEAO in Florence, Italy. She further advanced her education by earning a Master’s degree in Posturology and Manual Therapies from the University of Bologna (UNIBO), Italy, in 2016. Additionally, she is an accredited Spinning Babies® Instructor.
Anna Maria has extensive experience as a midwife, having worked at Hospital Savini, THO, in Milan, Italy, and as a Coordinator Midwife at Princess Elizabeth Hospital in Guernsey, UK. In 2010, she took on the role of Head Midwife at a maternity hospital run by the NGO Emergency in Anabah, Afghanistan. Since 2013, she has been practicing as an independent midwife.
Currently, Anna Maria serves as the Director of the postgraduate School of Midwifery Art (SEAO), in Florence, Italy. She is also the Director of the Editorial Board of SEAO Edizioni and the Founder and Director of ARCHIMETRA, an international journal dedicated to Salutogenesis in Midwifery Care, published by SEAO Edizioni.
As a highly sought-after speaker and educator, Anna Maria lectures on Psychoneuroendocrine Physiology at universities in Italy, Portugal, Brazil, the UK, Israel, and Russia. She is also a frequent presenter at conferences in the United States.

Dr. Hazel Keedle is a Senior Lecturer of Midwifery and Director of Academic Midwifery Programs at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University. She has over two decades of experience as a clinician in nursing and midwifery, educator, and researcher. Her research interests are vaginal birth after caesarean, birth trauma, and maternity experiences, which she explores primarily using feminist mixed methodologies.

Dr. Keedle's work is recognised nationally and internationally. She has made many invited conference and seminar presentations, and her research has been widely published in academic journals and books. She is the author of the book ""Birth after Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth,"" which is based on her PhD findings. Dr. Keedle is also the lead researcher on the largest maternity experiences survey, The Birth Experience Study. In September 2022, she became the Editor in Chief of The Practising Midwife Australia from All4Maternity.

Dr Keedle is passionate about improving the experiences of women during childbirth. She is committed to using her research to advocate for women's rights and to ensure that all women have access to respectful, supportive maternity care.

Nichole’s professional career in midwifery has spanned nearly two decades and includes health education consultancy, full-scope midwifery services in private, public and military facilities, and clinical faculty advisory.
Nichole earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina, completing her studies in 2005 and received her Docterate in Nursing Practice from Old Dominion University in 2022. She is currently working on her psych mental health nurse practioner certification. Her desire to listen to women was the motivation that led her to midwifery, a specialty she has practiced since 2005. Seeing herself as a partner in her patients’ health care, Nichole is passionate about working with women, individuals, and families to ensure safe and informed care. Her areas of expertise include sexually transmitted disease education/prevention and teen pregnancy, with a special interest in transgender care and perinatal mood disorders. Her passion for her community inspired her to open a home birth practice, Jamii Birth and Wellness Services, to be able to serve her community and work towards creating spaces for clients that want out of hospital birth.
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Nichole loves coastal living. She is the mother of two daughters and has one fur baby as well. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, knitting and exploring different cultures.

Rachel M. Dean serves as a Registered Dietitian and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Her passion for nutrition began after recognizing and becoming saddened by the fact that many individuals were suffering from ailments that likely could have been prevented. 

In 2010 she began providing maternal and pediatric nutrition counseling through government programs (including 7 years with WIC), hospitals and outpatient clinical settings. Over the years she has provided services throughout the country and has conducted trainings both locally and internationally.

Rachel studied Nutritional Sciences at Penn State University. Further curiosity in preventative measures for optimal health sparked her interest in learning more about feeding and the periods of infancy and young childhood. Rachel returned to school in 2012 and earned a Master’s in Public Health from the Department of Maternal and Child Health at the UNC Chapel Hill, where she also completed her lactation training through the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute.

Rachel serves as the Region 3 Lactation Trainer for the North Carolina WIC LATCH Program, providing lactation and nutrition trainings for WIC agencies, hospitals and outpatient offices across the state. She also serves as the owner of Harmony Nutrition & Lactation, where she supports parents of color and helps them feel comfortable with nourishing themselves and their little ones. 

Around 2017, she began to feel that although the experiences she gained were extremely valuable, there were still gaps in service and many families in the community that still needed support. Rachel is particularly passionate about decreasing racial health disparities and achieving health equity among all people. She helped create and was the Program

Director for the first two cohorts of the Lactation Consultant Training Program at Johnson C Smith University, the first Pathway 2 training program implemented at a historically black college/university in an effort to help diversify the field of lactation. 

She also serves as the Executive Director and Cofounder of Queen City Cocoa B.E.A.N.S., a nonprofit organization that assists new and expectant families of color in improving their overall quality of health and achieving a more balanced lifestyle through nutrition and lactation education and support.

Rachel is committed to life-long learning and providing excellent quality of care. She feels her roles are highly rewarding and loves being able to motivate and assist individuals and families in improving their overall health and well-being.

Raharni Rosfiyanti Meta, SST., M.Tr.Keb was born in Atambua, 20 August 1984. Started studying DIII of Midwifery at the Denpasar Health Polytechnic in 2002 and continued her DIV of Midwifery education at the same place.
In 2021 she continued her Masters in Applied Midwifery at the Polytechnic Semarang Health. Working as a staff midwife in the Wing Amerta of Prof.Dr.dr.I.G.N.G.Ngoerah Denpasar Hospital since 2005. Active in midwifery organizations and also active in various volunteer activities in various places in Indonesia.

Dr. Ruth Oshikanlu MBE Ruth Oshikanlu is a multi-award winning nurse, midwife and health visitor. A nurse entrepreneur, consultant, leader and parenting expert, she is passionate about supporting vulnerable children and their families to reduce health inequalities and improve their life outcomes. Her previous roles include: HIV specialist midwife, Family Nurse at one of the first pilot sites of The Family Nurse Partnership intensive home visiting parenting programme for vulnerable families, and Nurse Leader of The Lewisham Young People’s Health and Wellbeing Service.

Ruth is a Pregnancy Mindset Expert and supports pregnant women who have had assisted conception or previous pregnancy loss. She is the author of Tune In To Your Baby: Because Babies Don’t Come with An Instruction Manual.

Ruth is a Queen’s Nurse, Fellow of The Institute of Health Visiting, Royal College of Nursing and The Royal Society of Arts. She is the recipient of several national healthcare and business awards; a regular columnist and has published several feature articles in numerous national nursing and healthcare journals.

Ruth was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year 2019 Honours List for being an Ambassador for the Health Visiting Profession and for services to Community Nursing, Children and Families. She is a Churchill Fellow and was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from London South Bank University in November 2019.