Exploring Life & Business with Danielle Pakus of Empowered After Birth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Pakus.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My career path has never been linear, and for a long time, I thought that was a problem. It seemed like everyone around me had found their one thing while I was still trying to figure mine out. Throughout my career, I found myself drawn to many different areas within health, wellness, and helping others. I’ve been a personal trainer, co-owned a health and wellness business, worked in relationship-focused roles, and spent years supporting people as they worked toward healthier, more fulfilling lives. While the roles looked different, they were all rooted in the same desire: helping people navigate challenges, gain confidence, and improve their quality of life.

Everything changed when I became a mom.

Like many women, I spent countless hours preparing for birth. What I wasn’t prepared for was postpartum. Just nine days after my son was born, I was hospitalized with bilateral mastitis. Breastfeeding was far more challenging than I expected, and the emotional and physical demands of new motherhood felt overwhelming at times. While I ultimately went on to have a successful breastfeeding journey, I experienced firsthand how difficult it can be for mothers to find the support, education, and reassurance they need during the postpartum period.

That experience ignited a passion I couldn’t ignore.

I began immersing myself in everything I could learn about postpartum recovery, infant feeding, maternal wellness, and family support. What started as a personal search for answers evolved into professional training as a Postpartum Doula and Lactation Educator.

Today, I am the founder of Empowered After Birth, where I help families navigate the transition into parenthood with confidence and support. Through postpartum doula services, lactation education, and online resources, my goal is to help mothers feel informed, cared for, and empowered during one of the most transformative seasons of their lives.

What I love most about this work is that it brings together so many aspects of my background. I get to educate, support, advocate, and build meaningful relationships with families while helping them navigate challenges that can feel isolating and overwhelming.

What began as my own postpartum journey has grown into a business dedicated to ensuring other mothers don’t have to navigate this season alone. Every family I work with reinforces why this work matters, and I am grateful for the opportunity to support parents as they build confidence in themselves and their growing families.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but looking back, I’m grateful for every twist and turn because they all led me here.

For a long time, one of my biggest struggles was simply figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. It seemed like everyone around me had a clear path. My friends knew what they wanted to study, what careers they wanted to pursue, and where they were headed. Meanwhile, I felt like I was still searching for my purpose and trying to figure out how to combine my passions with a meaningful career.

When I was younger, I also carried a lot of insecurity around academics. I was naturally athletic and excelled in sports, but I often felt like I wasn’t the smartest person in the room. That insecurity followed me into adulthood more than I’d like to admit.

After becoming a mom, I realized that while I had built a successful career, it no longer felt aligned with the life I wanted to create. The challenge was that I knew what I didn’t want, but I wasn’t yet sure what was next. Leaving the familiar behind and stepping into the unknown required a tremendous amount of faith.

When I started my postpartum doula and lactation educator journey, imposter syndrome showed up immediately. Even as a mother myself, I questioned whether I knew enough, whether I was qualified enough, and whether I could truly help other families. The funny thing is that once I started working with clients, I realized I knew far more than I had given myself credit for. My education, my personal experiences, and my passion for supporting mothers all came together in a way that felt natural.

Another challenge has been learning how to balance entrepreneurship with motherhood. Before becoming a parent, I was used to giving 110% to everything I pursued. If I had a goal, I would push myself relentlessly to achieve it. Motherhood forced me to redefine success. My son comes first. My family comes first. And now, with another baby on the way, I’ve had to learn how to pace myself, set boundaries, and build a business in a way that supports my life rather than consumes it.

In many ways, the challenges I’ve faced have taught me some of the most valuable lessons: trust yourself, don’t let fear make decisions for you, and remember that success doesn’t have to come at the expense of the people you love most.

We’ve been impressed with Empowered After Birth, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am the founder of Empowered After Birth, where I work as a postpartum doula and lactation educator supporting families through the transition into parenthood.

My work focuses on what happens after birth, a season that is often overlooked and underprepared for. Most people spend months preparing for pregnancy and birth, but very little time preparing for postpartum recovery, feeding, sleep deprivation, identity shifts, and the emotional intensity of becoming a parent. That gap is where I come in.

I specialize in helping parents feel more informed, supported, and confident during the early weeks and months after birth. That can look like in-home postpartum support, guidance with breastfeeding and infant feeding, prenatal education, or helping families feel more prepared before baby arrives so they are not navigating everything for the first time in survival mode.

What also sets my work apart is my background in health, fitness, and education. I went to school for health education and am a certified personal trainer and master health coach, with a strong passion for nutrition, especially postpartum nourishment and maternal recovery. I take a more holistic approach to postpartum support, including how nutrition, rest, and physical recovery all play a role in how a mother feels in those early weeks.

I often support families with postpartum meal planning and preparation, helping them think through how to truly nourish the body after birth in a way that supports healing, energy, and breastfeeding.

What makes this work especially meaningful is that it is both professional and deeply personal. I have lived through a challenging postpartum experience myself, including breastfeeding complications and the emotional impact that came with it. That experience is what ultimately led me here, and it shapes the way I support families today.

I am especially passionate about helping parents feel less alone. So many struggles in postpartum are made harder by silence or lack of preparation, and I believe that when families are given the right support early, it can completely change their experience of this transition.

At the heart of Empowered After Birth is a simple mission: to bridge the gap between birth and real-life postpartum so families feel held, nourished, prepared, and empowered as they step into parenthood.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I’m always learning and pulling inspiration from a mix of holistic health education, postpartum nutrition, and real-life connection.

One of my favorite podcasts is *The Culture Apothecary Podcast* with Alex Clark. I love listening to conversations around holistic health and wellness from a more lifestyle-based perspective.

When it comes to nutrition and postpartum nourishment specifically, I really love *The Food Doula* and *The Nourished Mother* cookbooks. They are such valuable resources when it comes to creating intentional, nutrient-dense meals that support postpartum recovery and help me better guide the families I work with.

Outside of specific resources, I also learn a lot from connecting with people in person. I really enjoy attending networking events, asking questions, hearing people’s stories, and learning from their lived experiences. Those conversations are often just as impactful as anything I read or listen to.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.empoweredafterbirth.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empoweredafterbirth/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpoweredAfterBirth/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-pakus-cpd-cle-02427673