STEPHANIE HEINTZELER
President, Preggie GmbH and The New York Doula
Growing up in Frankfurt, Germany, Stephanie Heintzeler was passionate about writing and tourism, but she knew early on that she wanted to become a midwife. After finishing her midwifery education in the Black Forest, Heintzeler began delivering babies and practicing acupuncture in a Frankfurt OB/GYN office. Soon, she also found herself writing and traveling between Germany and New York. Her book New Yorker Geschichten (New York Stories) was published in 2001. Two years later, after making the permanent move to NYC, she worked for a few years at a German travel agency and became a licensed tour guide. Now, Heintzeler is a full-time doula, offering childbirth classes, counseling during pregnancy, birth support, postpartum home visits and lactation consultation. Occasionally, she still leads bus tours for German tourists through Manhattan, with her guests being fully aware that she might have to abandon them at a moment’s notice if a client goes into labor! Her advice on doing it all? “Networking is everything. And following up. Become a member of a group like Out Professionals or BNI (Business Networking International), where you meet regularly. That way you can build relationships based on trust,” she says. “And take care of yourself. You are your best investment.”
