Meet the Team

Elizabeth

Elizabeth is the founder of Looma Birth and co-founder of MotherKin. With over a decade of experience supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, she has built her work around education, connection, and compassionate care. As a birth and postpartum doula, prenatal yoga teacher, and community educator, she is also the creator of Empowered Hospital Birth®, Looma’s signature education approach designed to help mamas feel informed, grounded, and confident as they navigate modern birth.

Her work blends professional training with lived experience as a mother of three, bringing both depth and warmth into the spaces she creates. Through Looma Birth, Empowered Hospital Birth®, and MotherKin, Elizabeth’s vision is to foster a supportive, community-centered environment where families and practitioners feel truly held.

Co-Founder

When she’s not teaching or supporting families, Elizabeth is most often with her partner and their three children. She loves traveling, cooking, moving her body, and creating meaningful gatherings that bring people together. For her, the everyday rhythms of family life are just as important as the milestone moments—and that belief shapes the heart of her work.

Life Outside the Studio

Dani

Dr. Calahan earned her Doctorate of Chiropractic from Southern California University of Health Sciences in 2016, graduating Magna Cum Laude and receiving the Dr. Lester McCoy Clinical Excellence Award. She is a member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association and played Division I collegiate soccer at the University of San Diego, where she earned her BA in Sociology.

Over the years—and especially after becoming a mother—Dr. Calahan has come to deeply value the role of support, compassion, and connection in caring for families. She brings both her professional training and personal experience into her work, helping individuals and families feel supported as they move through the many stages of life.

Co-Founder

When she’s not in the office, Dr. Calahan is most often with her husband, Mike, and their two children, Jack and Ginnie. They love staying active, playing sports in the neighborhood, cooking meals together, and bonding over good coffee. A reader and fitness enthusiast at heart, she believes that the little moments—yes, even grocery shopping—are what make family life so meaningful.

Life Outside the Office

Our Team

Meet Clarissa!

Lactation Consultant/ Postpartum Doula

I am an IBCLC (Lactation Consultant) with experience as a postpartum doula for seven years, which gives me a lens into how baby is transitioning from womb to world. My goal is for patients to leave feeling empowered to make decisions throughout the duration of their feeding journey. As an extrovert, I really enjoy meeting new parents and bringing a positive perspective to troubleshoot whatever arises.

Meet Avonlea!

Pregnancy, postpartum and infant Physical Therapist

Avonlea Brown, DPT is a pelvic floor and pediatric physical therapist and the founder of Avonlea Brown Physical Therapy, specializing in pregnancy, birth preparation, postpartum recovery, and early infant development.

  • She works with women through each stage of motherhood, from preparing for birth to navigating recovery, helping them feel more connected, confident, and in tune with their bodies. Her approach blends advanced clinical training with thoughtful, hands-on care tailored to each individual.

    Her philosophy is simple: just because something is common does not mean it should be your normal. She is passionate about offering clear, honest guidance so women can make informed, empowered decisions.

    Based in Huntington Beach, Avonlea brings a grounded, real-life perspective to her work, shaped by her love for movement, wellness, and the outdoors. Her goal is to help every woman she works with feel strong, capable, and at ease in her body in a way that carries into everyday life.

Meet Aly Simons!

Perinatal Wellness Advocate & Founder of Pregnancy Pods

Aly is a perinatal wellness advocate and founder of Pregnancy Pods, a community-based program that prepares first-time mothers emotionally for pregnancy and postpartum.

  • She does this by forming small groups of women based locally in Orange County who are expecting at the same time — and equipping them with tools to navigate what’s ahead.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ With a background in maternal mental health and lived experience as a mom of three, she believes the emotional side of becoming a mother deserves just as much preparation as the physical — and that the right community makes all the difference. She is currently pursuing her LCSW licensure with plans to expand one into a private practice.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Meet Aixa Redmond!

Founder of Be Light Speech + Feeding Therapy and our in-house Infant Feeding Therapist

A pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) with advanced training in infant feeding, oral motor function, and child development.

  • Whether you're preparing for your baby's arrival, experiencing painful feeds, struggling with latch or milk transfer, navigating bottle feeding, or wondering if a tongue-tie is impacting your baby's function and development, Aixa is here to help you feel seen, supported, and empowered with practical tools, encouragement, and a plan that fits your family's unique needs.

    She also works with toddlers experiencing speech delays, articulation difficulties, and oral motor challenges.

    Outside the therapy room, Aixa's greatest joy is being a wife and mother. Her own journey has shaped the way she cares for families with empathy, encouragement, and a deep understanding that every family's story is unique.

Meet Adriana!

Occupational Therapist, Certified Neonatal Therapist, and the founder of Brilliant Babies

Adriana is a highly specialized licensed Occupational Therapist, Certified Neonatal Therapist, and the founder of Brilliant Babies.

  • Dedicated to supporting the developmental and feeding needs of infants, she holds advanced credentials including advanced practice in feeding and swallowing in the state of CA, specialty certification in feeding and swallowing with the AOTA, certification in neonatal touch and massage, board certified lactation consultant, and certified as a neonatal therapist. She specializes in neurodevelopmental support, safe infant feeding, swallowing treatment, and parent consulting.  

    Drawing on years of intensive NICU experience to advocate for medically complex infants, Adriana gives parents the tools, education, and confidence they need to help their babies thrive. Known for her kindness and interdisciplinary collaboration, she empowers families through compassionate, evidence-based care during the critical early months of life. 

Meet Denise!

Massage Therapist

My passion and dedication for empowering and supporting women in all phases of their lives, especially as they traverse the child bearing years, is rooted in my personal journey as a birth mother of nine. If only I knew then what I know now! 

  • With over 13 years as a massage therapist, certifications include:

    *Mayan Abdominal Therapy—often referred to as the gold standard of prenatal massage— supports mothers through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. This gentle yet profound therapy is also beneficial for menstrual issues, fertility challenges; basically, all things abdominal. 

    *Massage Cupping, VacuTherapies, Myofascial Decompression: Cupping offers so many wonderful benefits 

    *Trained Cranial Fascial Therapy (CFT) & Cranial Sacral Therapy (CST) for infants, children and the mother/baby dyad 

    Further supporting these main therapies are yoni steaming and The Matrona Birth & Postpartum Doula certification.

Meet Chelsea!

Maternal Coach | Perinatal Mental Health Specialist | LMFT (IL) | Mothercentered Practioner

Chelsea Solorzano is a maternal coach with a clinical background in marriage and family therapy and perinatal mental health.

  • Through her coaching practice, With Chelsea Maternal Coaching, she supports moms of young children who are ready to turn toward themselves with kindness — and discover what opens up in their mothering when they do.

    Her signature program, The Homecoming, guides moms, either individually or alongside a small cohort of moms in similar stages, through a 12-week journey of learning to tend to their inner world with the same patience and warmth they offer their children. Chelsea believes that moms need mothering too — and that when they begin to care for themselves, the emotional home they create for their family transforms.

    She relocated with her family from Illinois to California and is delighted to now offer in-person groups and individual sessions out of MotherKin in Costa Mesa/Orange County.

    Chelsea is a lover of sharing time with her husband and three young kids, connecting with family and friends, walking her rambunctious dog, reading in bed while eating dark chocolate, hearing new perspectives, collecting shells along the beach, window shopping, finding new bookstores, and — always — drinking coffee.

    *Please note that coaching services are separate from therapy or clinical mental health treatment.

    You can learn more about Chelsea and her work at withchelseacoaching.com.