By the Grace of God, I Am Here: The Birth of Elevate Women’s Wellness

I’ve been a doula, a practitioner, a student. I’ve carried bodies through labor, through grief, through healing. But before I wore any of those titles, I was a woman—misinformed, misdiagnosed, and nearly broken.

And by the grace of God, I am still here.

This is why I’m humbled—and a little in awe—to officially introduce you to what He’s helped me build:

Elevate Women’s Wellness.

This isn’t just a business.

This is a ministry born from survival—a calling sealed in heartbreak. A system of care that didn’t exist when I needed it most—so I created it.

Before the Practitioner, There Was the Patient

I had my first two babies in my mid-twenties.

I was induced both times—once because I begged, swollen and tired and believing I’d be pregnant forever. The other was because I was told my baby’s amniotic fluid was “critically low.” No options. No education. No voice.

I labored through Pitocin contractions without medication until I couldn’t anymore.

Both births ended with epidurals.

Both births were survivable—but not supported.

I left the hospital not with confidence or clarity but with confusion and silence.

And like so many women, I spent my “recovery” doing everything but recovering.

No one told me how much healing would be needed.

No one told me how to rest.

The Birth I Fought For

Years later, in my 30s, I vowed to do it differently.

I studied natural birth. Read every book. Watched The Business of Being Born. Built a birth plan and a dream.

This time, when my OB suggested I schedule a cesarean for a potential breach baby “just in case,” I said no.

I stood up for myself—but I still stood alone.

Even with my husband by my side, we weren’t prepared for what real advocacy required.

I did achieve an unmedicated vaginal birth. I had educated myself. I was ready.

But I still had my membranes stripped—without my consent.

The provider smiled and said, “Well, you want to have your baby today, don’t you?”

As if my body wasn’t capable.

As if I hadn’t come this far without her “help.”

As if I didn’t deserve to choose.

I got through that birth. But even then, even with everything I had learned, I still felt like the system was holding more power than I was.

The Health Collapse No One Could Explain

After my second baby, my body started speaking in symptoms no one could decode.

With the help of Dr. Google, I diagnosed myself with Raynaud’s Syndrome because my doctor wouldn’t return my calls. Years later, it was officially confirmed.

Years passed. New symptoms rose and worsened.

In 2020, I found myself in the ER multiple times, convinced I was having a heart attack.

Cardiologists said I was fine.

Endocrinologists found nothing.

I wasn’t fine.

I lived in fear of not waking up.

I parented with panic sitting on my chest.

I prayed for relief—and found none in the systems meant to support me.

The Turning Point

When Western medicine failed, I turned to natural healing.

A chiropractor, who dabbled in autoimmune supplement protocols gave me my first real relief. Then, a naturopath introduced me to a world I never knew existed: mineral testing, rhythm-based care, and root-cause labs.

For the first time, I had a plan.

I had hope.

I began studying. Seeking.

Healing not just for myself—but for the women around me who had been failed the same way.

Then, in 2022, I lost my mother unexpectedly.

Watching her suffer in silence throughout her life, sacrifice her body for survival, and bear motherhood with no safety net broke something open in me.

I knew—I would never again be without the knowledge to support myself or another woman.

So, I became a Naturopathic Practitioner.

Now, I’m a doctoral student pursuing triple PhDs in Natural & Functional Medicine and Holistic Nutrition.

A student midwife.

A mother. A wife. A homeschooler.

A witness.

Why I Built EWW

Because the system isn’t designed to see us whole.

Because I was never just “tired,” “fine,” “stressed” or “emotional.”

Because the women I love have suffered—needlessly, silently, and for too long.

Elevate Women’s Wellness is not a clinic. It’s a calling.

It’s built on five foundational pillars:

The 5 Pillars of Elevate Women’s Wellness:

  1. Rooted Resilience™ Where thriving begins—through foundational support for hormones, digestion, metabolism, energy, and rest. This is where supplements, cyclical living, and restoration take root.

  2. Informed Autonomy™  Compassionate, evidence-based education without overwhelm. Here, we replace dogma with discernment—so women feel empowered, not pressured.

  3. Strategic Rhythm™ This is where smart systems live. Your cycles. Your plans. Your 12-week years. This is the rhythm your life has been missing.

  4. Dynamic Grace™ Permission to adjust. Psychological and spiritual grounding for the real seasons of motherhood and womanhood—where shifting focus is not failure, but wisdom.

  5. Collective Strength No woman thrives in isolation. This is your hub of sisterhood, mentorship, and leadership development. Because personal transformation becomes powerful when shared.

The ELEV8 Method™

Inside these pillars, every client journeys through the ELEV8 Method™—my signature step-by-step framework that bridges assessment, action, and alignment across seasons of pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and general recalibration.

Step-by-Step:

  1. Evaluate Initial assessments, lab reviews, and energetic body scans meet life-load reflection. You name what’s true—without shame.

  2. Lifestyle Alignment We optimize your stress, sleep, movement, and environment. Small shifts here begin massive restoration.

  3. Emotional Wellness With trauma-informed support and Inner Voice Scans, we release emotional tension and re-pattern survival-based behaviors.

  4. Vital Nutrition Nutrition isn’t a trend—it’s therapy. Here, we rebuild nourishment for depletion, digestion, and energy at the root.

  5. Elevated Supplementation Using bio-individual tools like NutrientRx and muscle testing, your protocol is built for your body—not the masses.

  6. Body Systems Support We tend to the internal ecosystems: thyroid, gut, adrenals, and hormones. Each one supports your rhythm—and your return to self.

  7. Therapeutic Interventions This is where the layers meet: frequency and sound therapy, homeopathy, doula care, and holistic tools to gently accelerate healing.

  8. Empowerment + Education We end with clarity, confidence, and spiritual grounding. You’ll leave equipped—not just improved.

So What’s Next?

Explore the two core ways to work with me:

  • The Clarity Lab™ – For women feeling “off” postpartum, preconception, or in midlife

  • Elevate Birth Blueprint™ – For pregnant women who want to walk into birth sovereign and supported

This is just the beginning.

Guides. Tools. The Clarity Journal newsletter.

Care that evolves with you, from cycle to cradle to crown.

Final Word

I’m not fully healed yet.

But I’m more whole than I’ve ever been.

And I believe the Lord uses every symptom, every setback, every “I don’t know what’s wrong”—to call us into deeper stewardship of our bodies and our stories.

If you’re reading this, He might be calling you too.

Let’s answer together.

Welcome to Elevate Women’s Wellness.

Tenaj Ikner

Pasadena Doula Associates offers expert doula services for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. Our experienced team provides compassionate support, evidence-based guidance, and personalized care, ensuring you have the confidence to embrace every step of parenthood—your trusted companion in Pasadena, CA and surrounding cities.

http://www.pasadenadoulas.com
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