Meet the Doula Couple Behind the Holistic Haven Supporting Expectant Parents

When Will and Tameka Walker were expecting their first child, they were a budding young couple approaching a lifetime of firsts. At that time, Will was finishing a tour of duty in Germany, with Tameka accompanying him.

The expectant couple was admitted to a German hospital for three days, where the staff didn't speak any English. "There was a real language barrier, and I wasn't someone who cried out or yelled for help," Tameka admitted.

"I went inward and just channeled my own strength to get through." As a young expecting father, Will recalled feelings of powerlessness in that moment. "I didn't feel like I had adequate support, but most importantly, I was scared," he shared.

During those three days of labor, Tameka needed an emergency C-section. "There wasn't any wound care, no follow-ups, or check-ins on how we were feeling mentally," she confessed. Additionally, no one in Tameka's immediate family has had a C-section.

Once the Walkers returned to the United States, the young couple continued to navigate the rocky terrain of parenthood with no true guidance besides each other.

Fast forward a decade after the birth of their first son, Amir, and the Walkers were pregnant with their second son, Royal. Over the course of those ten years, the married couple focused on strengthening their relationship and pursuing personal growth.

"Becoming parents changed our relationship, as any young couple could attest to," Tameka told Beaufort Today. Although she had a prior cesarean, Tameka achieved a successful vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) in a planned out-of-hospital birth.

"We drove over to Georgia, rented a lake house, and had a baby boy 24 hours later. My husband was making smoothies and supporting me with positions.

The overall care was there," she relayed. Reflecting on their first pregnancy, the Walkers were able to surround themselves with immediate support. A midwife, a midwifery assistant, Tameka's aunt, and the pair's then-10-year-old son served as an emotional anchor at the lakehouse, on the sun porch, which served as the birth site.

After Tameka's sister was struck by a car while navigating postpartum psychosis, the married couple sought to take action. According to the National Library of Medicine, in the United States, around 29–44 percent of Black women experience postpartum depressive symptoms (PDS), but few can properly access mental care services. "Those statistics that we all read about— that became real life for us," Tameka disclosed.

Soon after, Willie and Tameka Walker opened Energy Evolution, a holistic wellness center designed to close critical gaps in maternal and family support. "We went through a real evolution to be able to hold space for families where it's non-judgmental," Tameka said to Beaufort Today.

For more information check out Energy Evolution's website: https://energyevolutionsc.com