Amber Churn of Manhattan on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Amber Churn shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Amber, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: When was the last time you felt true joy?
Last time I felt too joy was where my puppy who is name Harlem was returned back into my care this past week. I raised him in Atlanta, but unfortunately, I had to leave him behind when I moved to New York City. My parents love to come in and raise him for the past several months, as I resettled into the city and gain a lot of work with Support. I also had a life-changing diagnosis that I had to become stable and to care for him properly. The first time he saw me he jumped for joy and I also jumped for joy! he is my heart, and I love being a fur mommy every day!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Amber, I am from Atlanta Georgia. My whole career has been about supporting women and children, and restoring broken families to health. I became medulla eight years ago and since then I’ve helped almost 100 families with dual work, birth, and postpartum, and my primary focus. These last couple years have been to help unsupported pregnant moms. I have a heart with my community being Afro-American to protect and restore the help of black mothers during labor and beyond, and to restore the family unit through birth education. I love to advocate for my clients and those who are less representative in the healthcare field. I also love to encourage Dad and birth partners on how to show up for the Mom and an educated and well represented way . I myself have seven nieces and nephews who I deeply love and work hard to give them example of how to care for their community. I am a believer in Christ and I use biblical principles to serve my clients and the community with genuine, love, dignity, and excellence .

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I remember in second grade we have field day. that was a special day usually at the end of the year, where kids in their classes would compete against other classes to celebrate the ending of another school year. I remember being in the final race of the day with all these kids that were bigger and faster than me, I take off run the referee says go, but as soon as I started to run, I tripped and fell on my face. Embarrassed, I thought about giving up and saying they’re knowing that I would never win the race. But then I realize I can’t get up and even if I didn’t win, I was gonna finish the race no matter what .! and that I did, I finished that race being proud of myself for keep going after I initial we failed. The crowd was so impressed with my resilience that my teacher ran to me and pick me up and celebrate it. My personal win! I knew from that day that was more powerful with resilience coming from a mindset versus from my circumstances. Ever since then I’ve been resilient and powerful against the biggest obstacles one can take on.

When did you last change your mind about something important?
so I was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure in the late part of 2023. Ever since then it’s been emotional battle of taking on two different lives at the same time. On one hand I live a life of a typical 36-year-old who is gaining traction with my career, figure out friends, romance, And in general where I finally fit in the world. Other other hand, I am a kidney patient who is undergoing dialysis three times a week while pursuing getting a kidney transplant. Both of those world collide a lot, and as much as I want to be normal, I know with facing a major illness. My life will never be the same. This has really made me go through seasons of anger, depression, hopelessness, and just general, generally not feeling optimistic about life. But one of the vice I was given to a kidney transplant. Survivor was that until I see that losing my kidney function, what’s the best thing that could ever happen to me was a good thing, I would never truly thrive in this chapter in life. So from that point on every day, I strive to see the good in this season even though it’s hard I try a lot love the hardest I can, I try to serve my clients the best I can. And in general, I try to be grateful and find joy and everything. I can. This has really changed this chapter for me even though I know I have more chapters to come in a long life ahead for me , I still think that my mental state towards horrible news has helped me to live a life. I am proud and joyful about.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Whose ideas do you rely on most that aren’t your own?
I rely on Christ teaching on how to treat people. And when I say, treat people how to love people who are deemed not valuable and society I follow his teaching on even how to give justice invoices to people who have been oppressed. I follow his teaching on the value of life, and even though Pro Life goes deeper than what a politician can say, it goes to a biblical stance where so deep to say that every human being is the image of God. I follow Christ’s example on sacrificing for others well-being. doing the work as a Doula you have to dig deep and see what is my motivation, where do I judge people, how do I lead people and honestly out of so many years of doing this very sacred work Crisis always been the center of how I’m able to care with such compassion and wisdom. One of the very first stories we see of birth Work is in the Bible and it’s Midwives protecting the mothers who were giving birth to the next generation. So I pull on that value when I’m a Doula and support our family to first and foremost use information in an apartment to protect those who are under my care, Christ love has been so abundant in my life with giving me loving family, friends, and a community. I overflow with compassion and love from my heavenly father that I am obligated to give it to others that needed it. Doula is the path that the Lord has given me to give that love to others.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What will you regret not doing? 
I would not stop fighting oppressive systems against black women from a pro-life point of view. I would never regret diving deeper into seeing everything and everyone having the same value in life to the person next to them. I would never look at Black people historically, as one of the greatest communities of strength resilience love that the world has ever seen, I would never regret seeing our strength as people, and as a population that has helped build the world around us. I would never regret being black and loving what all that entails never regret standing up for the rights of my people and the investment of my community, Even though it may offend or displeased people outside of the community. I would never regret following Christ and all of the maturity and loving people that brings. I will never regret adopting a puppy in the middle of the hardest, diagnosis, known man, but finding a new way to love life through it. I never regret becoming who I have to become to be resilient and to push on in the most difficult season of my life. I would never regret becoming an advocate for those who are the most vulnerable doing birth and beyond.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://achurn1.wixsite.com/birthnerds
• Instagram: The BlackBirthnerd