- Pin it
- SubscribeUnsubscribe
- Embed
Ariel Swift hasn't added a story.
Have you ever had a passion? One where your entire focus is to learn
more, share more, and live and breathe by this passion?
That is the relationship Deb Pocica has with the field of
placenta encapsulation. For more than a decade, Deb has been reading,
learning, staying current with scientific studies, and becoming
culturally aware of how the placenta has been used and modified to
help women and their families recover from birth.
She became known as "The Placenta Lady." She committed
to a placenta tattoo on her arm. She started a training company
called Tranquil Transitions after learning and witnessing what the
placenta encapsulation standards were when at the time. She was
compelled to improve the standards for how people were learning about
placenta encapsulation, and make it safer.
Notes. Scraps of paper. Bits of her brain poured out onto
unorganized sheets... She knew safe temperatures for storage,
steaming, and dehydrating. She knew how to counsel clients on if they
were good candidates for the service. She knew how to help
encapsulators take responsibility for safe handling and follow up.
But Deb was timid. And Deb needed help turning her notes and sheets
of paper into a booklet.
Her goal was to spread the information on placenta encapsulation
and demystify the process. Her goal was to teach safer methods for
handling and consumption. And she did it. She did it!
In 2014, Deb Pocica took a business training with Randy
Patterson, CEO of ProDoula, and she shared publically at that meeting
her goal to spread her program to a larger audience.
Soon after, Deb began negotiating and then brought her placenta
knowledge and notes to the conference table at ProDoula's office in
Peekskill, New York. With help, a manual was organized and mass
produced, and a training and certification program was added to the
doula certification machine already in the works through ProDoula's website.
Placenta Prep had its first training in April 2015! (The first
name was Placenta University.)
Deb believed she had found business partners who were able to
see her vision and offer support. She believed her partners valued
the process of learning and certification, to increase the standards
that placentas were being handled and given as an aid. She believed
her business partners would fulfill their duties as outlined in their
contract.
Deb was wrong.
One of the things that ProDoula taught Deb Pocica was that a
person should be in a relationship because she wants to be, not
because she has to be. ProDoula believed Deb had to be in a
relationship with them because she was timid and because she was less
experienced in business. They were wrong.
And while it was not financially beneficial to leave the
partnership and leave the students she was devoted to mentoring, Deb
walked away from the partnership asking for nothing in return and
remained distant, thinking ProDoula would see she was not going to
threaten their structure or invite past students into her new
ventures.
She was Deb The Placenta Lady. And she would remain The Placenta Lady.
We believe ProDoula does not want Deb to be The Placenta Lady.
ProDoula is suing Deb Pocica.
Deb is being accused of "stealing trade secrets."
Deb needs to pay a lawyer who is licensed in New York State to
respond and handle ProDoula so she can return to her passion and
continue to teach people about placentas and placenta encapsulation.
Deb has written a new manual. Deb has created a new training
template. Deb has not engaged with past students in an effort to grow
her new business The Placenta Traning Company.
Deb is a small business owner trying to make a difference, and
she lives by a polite code of mutual respect and quiet decency. She
is modest. She is hard working. She is a mother who has needed to be
creative over the years to care for herself and her children.
Placentas are a part of Deb's livelihood.
ProDoula claims to be a company with a desire to lift women up
and promote strong business practices. They have not respected Deb
Pocica's contribution to the creation or development of the Placenta
Prep Program, and instead of letting them continue to squeeze Deb for
money - either through other ProDoula training classes or by not
compensating Deb outright - Deb walked away.
She said no more. She stood up to a bully and now the bully is mad.
David was able to defeat Goliath with an incredible shot with a
skilled arm and a solid rock. No fancy armor. No fancy swords.
We are here supporting Deb to put as many rocks in her slingshot
as is needed to ensure she is able to teach and make her unique
contribution to this world.
**Our campaign support has been so fantastic. Thank you! After
being live for three full days, we were 90% to our goal amount. We
have increased the goal by $5000 after discussing other expenses that
would be a part of this experience. The expenses may include airfare,
hotel, food, and transportation to be present in court in New York
State. We hope the amount of support people have given is encouraging
and appreciate any amount you would consider contributing to Deb's cause.
Highlights
See all activity164Activity
Meet the team
Delete media item?
Delete this item from the media gallery? It will also be deleted from any related story update.
Set as ?
The campaign video will appear in social media and email.
The campaign cover picture will appear in social media and email.
The will appear at the top of your campaign page and in social media and email.
Reset ?
It will be removed from the top of your campaign and won't be used as default in social media and email. The will remain in the media gallery.
Embed
Share a link
Delete update
Delete this story update?
Any pictures or videos will remain in the campaign's media gallery.
Report campaign
Report submitted
Thank you. We take reports like yours very seriously. Our goal is to keep the community safe.
Please know that we may contact you for more information, but that we won't notify you personally of our decision. If the campaign remains available within a few days, it's likely that we determined it not to be in violation of our policies.
Thank you. We've already received your previous report. If the campaign remains available within a few days, it's likely that we determined it not to be in violation of our policies.
Tell us about the problem. Please fill in both fields below.
Record a video
Upload a video
Nothing grabs attention for your cause like a personal video. Take a minute or two to record one now. Record a short video message of support. Or upload one from your device. You can preview or redo your video before you post it.
Nothing grabs attention for your cause like a personal video. Upload a short video message of support. Upload a short video message of support. Or record one right now.
- Most effective video length: about a minute.
- Maximum length: 5 min.
- You can preview or redo your video before you post it.
Heads up! The existing video will be replaced.
Email your friends
Join our team
Tell people why our cause matters to you. Your personal message will encourage others to help. Easy, effective, optional.
Say it in video
Short personal videos by supporters like you are incredibly powerful. Record one right now and you'll help us raise more money. Easy, optional, effective.
Add a personal goal
Set a personal fundraising goal. You'll encourage more contributions if you do. And rest easy. There's no obligation to achieve your goal or bad consequences if you don't. Easy, optional, effective.
We have a video!
Video thumbnail
We'd love to show you our campaign video. Want to take a look?
, you're already on the team.