Our Care Philosophy
We believe birth is a normal physiologic process, not something to be routinely managed or directed. Our role is to observe carefully, support thoughtfully, and respond skillfully while honoring the individuality of each family we serve.
We deeply value autonomy, informed decision making and evidence informed care rooted in trust and collaboration. Families are encouraged to ask questions, explore options, and make choices aligned with their values and goals.
Our approach blends clinical knowledge with holistic support, including nourishment, education, nervous system awareness, and continuity of care throughout pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and newborn transition.
And above all, we believe people are meant to be cared for in community. In a Village.
Leanna Wiest, LM, CPM
The Village Midwives holds deep personal meaning for me. While it is a practice I co-created with my partner, the idea of the village has shaped my life long before midwifery ever entered the picture.
The village has saved my life more than once. I believe, at a soul level, that humans were never meant to do life or birth alone. We are designed for community, shared care, child-centered cultures, and the steady wisdom of matriarchal systems where support is abundant and no one is left carrying everything by themselves.
I have belonged to many villages in this life.
My first was rooted in breastfeeding. As a peer counselor and CLC, I opened my home to small circles of new parents, holding space as they learned to trust themselves and their bodies. What began around feeding quickly grew into connection, reassurance, humor, and the quiet relief of not having to do it alone.
Another formative village grew through a Waldorf inspired community in my hometown. I was part of the founding families who helped build this grassroots community from the ground up, shaping its rhythms, values, and sense of belonging over eight meaningful years. These were not just social circles, but living relationships that became chosen family. I still hold deep ties there.
Eventually, my path led me to midwifery. It felt less like a career choice and more like a remembering. This time, I brought with me a different skill set clinical training, lived experience, and an ever growing body of knowledge rooted in sacred birth work.
Supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum felt like a natural continuation of everything I had already been doing.
Co-creating The Village Midwives allows me to weave these threads together. I am a midwife and a member of the village. For me, care does not end when a baby is born, and connection does not expire at six weeks postpartum. The families I serve become part of my ongoing story, just as the villages before them shaped who I am.
If you are someone who values relationship, autonomy, depth, and a little humor alongside evidence informed care, you may feel at home here. I would be honored to walk this season with you.
Brittney Holmes, LM, CPM
My journey into midwifery began long before I ever attended my first birth. I was married at 18 and became a mother at 20. I now have four children, and like many families, my early birth experiences took place in the hospital. While I was grateful for medical care, my first two births often left me feeling unheard and without true choice or connection to the experience itself.
Everything changed with the birth of my youngest child. She was born at home, and the birth unfolded so quickly that my midwife did not arrive in time, my husband caught our baby with his own hands. That moment was profound. Surrounded by trust, instinct, and deep connection, I experienced birth as something powerful and deeply human. It was transformative, and it confirmed what I already felt: birth is meant to be supported, protected, and centered within the family and the village around them.
Caring for others has always been at the core of who I am. As a young woman, I dreamed of becoming a pediatric nurse and serving families through healthcare. I began my path as a CNA, then a phlebotomist, and entered nursing school in 2009. As my family grew, my path shifted, but my desire to serve never faded. Along the way, I traveled extensively and experienced cultures and communities across the world, deepening my respect for the ways connection, tradition, and community shape how families approach birth and care.
Today, I am not only a Licensed Midwife but also a homeschooling mother of three, which deeply shapes how I support families, with patience, presence, and a commitment to truly knowing the people I serve. As the Co- founder of The Village Midwives, my mission is to help families feel seen, heard, and deeply connected throughout their care. I strive to serve as a bridge, bringing together the safety of modern medicine with the wisdom of traditional, community-based midwifery.