The Virtual Circle is a safe(r) space to connect with an aligned community of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of color) families and birth workers. This online community is the first of its kind and you have landed here for a reason....

The Virtual Circle is the only membership program where you can connect and build with a diverse community of BIPOC Parents, parents-to-be and a variety of birth workers, sacred entrepreneurs and healers. Within The Virtual Circle you are able to directly connect with other members, engage with experts, ask questions and share stories. As a member you gain a seat at our gatherings, workshops, cohorts and  masterclasses about all things birth work, holistic wellness, childbirth prep, parenting, and much more! You also are able to network, ask questions, seek resources, and share your offerings amongst the entire community. You will have access to all previous recorded offerings conveniently found in one designated area.

Meet your host, Sumi!

I have been supporting families since I was a child myself. I can remember feeling extra lovingly protective of my baby cousin coming home from the hospital. In fact, my Auntie likes to joke that she was my first client. I was only 3 years old at the time and was clearly channeling a future or past iteration of myself. Today, I am a mother, a midwife, and a facilitator/teacher. I have known that I was called to be a midwife since I was very young. Even when I thought was taking a side quest it was aligning me towards my fullest potential all along. Today I live abroad and travel the world with my partner and our children. I collaborate with a few international organizations that focus on the protection and preservation of traditional midwifery in various capacities from direct midwifery care, skill shares, immersions, and policy.

I have an intentional small practice as a midwife and deeply enjoy being able to pour more and deeper into each of my clients. Outside of palpating bellies and catching babies I deeply enjoy the still of lounging in a hammock and reading a good book, cooking yummy food, swimming in natural bodies of water, and making friends all around the world.

I am passionate about many things as you will see blossom throughout our time together in The Virtual Circle. I would love to encourage you to share your passions with us all and allow us to witness you in your aligned expression.

Right now I am building community virtually and I know that one day this space will transition to us al digging in dirt, sipping tea, and deep belly laughs over yummy foods while our children al play together in the back ground.

Welcome!
Mama | Midwife | Mentor
Sumayyah “Sumi” Franklin

Virtual circle is for you if…

• You are a BIPOC parent, parent-to-be, birth worker, or sacred entrepreneur
• You are seeking your people and desire to cultivate community!
• You are ready to be embraced by a loving and warm community
• You are eager to learn as much as you can and open to sharing your gifts, interest, and wisdom with others, too!
• You are a BIPOC birth worker who is budding, blossoming, or blossomed and desire a safer space to witness and be witnessed
• You are a BIPOC person or partner who is pregnant, soon to be pregnant, or parenting and desire access to holistic resources and support along your journey
• You are a BIPOC sacred entrepreneur or healer who holds adjacent space to parents or birth workers

Benefits

• Connect with our diverse community of birth workers, parents, parents-to-be, sacred entrepreneurs, healers & more
• Regular live gatherings surrounding wellness, movement, parenting, running a sacred business, and more!
• Monthly masterclasses regarding birth work, holistic wellness, holding space, body literacy, and more!
• Access to one-on-one support from Midwives and mental health practitioners
• Consider this a vault of wisdom, knowledge, and tools that you can access at your convenience
• Resources galore that is constantly growing and expanding...

As we build this community together, we have some great features for creating exclusive content, deeper conversations, richer polls, and online or in-real-life events. Plus, by building this community off social media, you can have a more efficient and valuable experience with us and each other.

There are more ways for you to meet people virtually (set up a Zoom date) or IRL who are near you (we miss this), who fall into the same categories, or who care about the same topics. We can’t get this in free groups or on a website elsewhere.

Our various plans

We thought long and hard about how to ensure our offerings are sustainable. After many years of offering only one plan we have decided to expand to various plans. This will allow us to offer more, hire experts to share with us in various ways, and to prevent burn out from the beloved Sumi’s touch team. All members in the community will be able to see and interact with one another in our general feed area. However, depending on the plan you choose will determine which spaces you have access to. You will be able to upgrade or downgrade at any time. So, let's explore the plans to find the perfect one for you!

Cultivating Community

This is our general admission. In this plan,  you will have access to many offerings. You will be able to join us for Sumi’s Regular community wide calls, the empowered family network, community feed, birth worker directory (posted on Sumi’s website and across her socials), full access to “This is a calling” exclusive podcast, and more!

Life school

Do you find that you are seeking more mentorship, a solid source for information and opinions, and you are ready to deep dive into many of the topics regarding birth work, child birth preparation, parenting, and wholistic living? Whether you are a birth worker or a parent this space is perfect for you then! You have access to all spaces offered in “life school”, but with additional access to premium groups and gatherings. These spaces will be hosted by Sumi and other experts in fields like Pelvic floor therapy, mental health, nutrition, herbalism, body literacy, parenting, and more!

Ask a midwife

Raise your hand if you have found yourself down the endless rabbit holes of doctor google. You don’t know where to look  or who to ask for solid second opinions, alternative perspectives, or additional resources. Well look no further, because now you have found just what you were looking for. This tier gives you access to our exclusive advice hotline called “Ask a midwife”.  You will have access to a midwife to consult with and support you throughout your journey whether you are preconception, trying to conceive, pregnant, in labor, or postpartum. Our team of midwives are well versed in full spectrum midwifery care, BIPOC, and trauma-informed! So, Ask a midwife, we look forward to answering your questions!

Wholistic living

This plan is specifically for those seeking deep space holding in both one on one and group settings. We have teamed up with some of the most dynamic, competent, and skilled therapist and professional space holders of color. If you have ever seemed therapy then you know how hard it is to find an aligned practitioner. I can guarantee you that our team of therapist are just what you have been dreaming of: Culturally congruent, a shared lived experience as you, skilled in training and called on by spirit, holistic in their framework and philosophy, and holds a deep awareness. Each of our practitioners are socially conscious, spiritually grounded, and trauma-informed. Each practitioner is safe for Black, queer, trans, immigrant, poor, undocumented, polyamorous, and all other marginalized folks. We specialize in offering support to folks who are desiring to conceive, pregnant, contemplating termination or have decided to terminate, have experienced loss, birth trauma, and postpartum. We offer support in Spanish, English, and Greek.

FAQs

If I am a parent and only want to join the parent meet ups and childbirth preparation course, do I need to join the entire network? Do you have a plan thats just for that?

We do not have a plan that is only for the parent meet up and childbirth preparation course. It is fully up to you if you choose to engage and take advantage of the various offerings or not. I think that some people feel as though they will not engage on our other offerings but certainly do at some point. That may be attending a live with Sumi or guest, listening to the Sumi’s exclusive podcast called “This is a Calling”, or participating in one of the various challenges through out the year. You will also have access to the community feed where you can ask a wide array of community members about various resources our questions.

If me and my co-parent/birth support partner want to join the empowered family network offerings do we need to each have our own accounts or do you offer a bundle package?

You each will need to open an account as we do not have a way to sign up two separate people from one plan. This is also important because the Papas and Partners space is completely confidential space for those who resonate with being their. This is to ensure a safe(er) space for the Fathers and partners to connect, share, and grow.

If I join will I be able to view previous recorded offerings?

Once you join, you will be able to access all previous recordings that are associated with your tier access. We already have an extensive library of past offerings and loves by Sumi so go binge!!

How long will we have access to the course material for Emerge or any other courses offered through the Virtual Circle?

Each course has a different life span. For Emerge you will have access to the course for one year. Online any other child birth preparation course we are more focused on cultivating community. This is what will sustain you on your journey. As long as you are a member you will have access to the resource library which is expanding more and more!

I am a birth worker and I want to ensure that this is intended for us to join or is there a separate group for parents versus birth workers?

The Virtual Circle is a space that is intended for families and birth workers alike! I know that this is a new concept to have us all share space together in this way, but truly this is the missing link. We recognize that certain topics may require sacred anonymity so there are separate spaces within the community distinguished for Mama’s and for Birth workers.