Dr Carolyn Hastie is a trailblazing Australian midwife and academic with over four decades of experience. Currently a Senior Lecturer at Griffith University, she has long championed maternity care reform. In 1984, she secured Australia’s first visiting rights for midwives in public hospitals, later establishing the country’s first midwives' clinic. Holding a PhD from the University of Sydney, Dr Hastie is a widely published researcher, curriculum co-author, and recipient of the NSW Midwife of the Year award..

LinkedIn: Carolyn Ruth Hastie

Facebook: Carolyn Hastie 

Thinkbirth

Hello! it's me Mel! I am the host of The Great Birth Rebellion podcast, private midwife, mummy, keen gardener, PhD graduate, Midwifery mentor and the hostess of The Assembly of Rebellious Midwives online community.

I'm also the creator and your hostess for this convergence of rebellious midwives 2025. 

Since 2009 I have been a private midwife practicing in the Blue Mountains. My PhD looked at "Birthing Outside the System' and I am on a mission change the maternity care landscaoe firstly by helping establish more privately practicing midwives in Australia through my midwifery mentorship and through the great birth rebellion podcast.

I also have a degree in Naturopathy and, although I don't work as a Naturopath anymore, I  incorporate alternative therapies and nutritional guidance into the care that I give my clients.

I am married with two children born at home. Our family maintains a permaculture homestead in the Blue Mountains where we grow food, keep goats for milk and chickens for eggs.  

As I did last year, I'll be at the convergence speaking, Emceeing and embracing you all!

LinkedIn: Dr Melanie Jackson

Instagram: @melaniethemidwife

www.melaniethemidwife.com 

Hannah Dahlen is the Professor of Midwifery, Associate Dean Research and HDR and Midwifery Discipline Leader in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University. She has been a midwife for 30 years.

Hannah has spoken at over 100 national and international conferences and is a regular keynote speaker.

Hannah has represented midwifery and women through interviews in print, on the radio and TV hundreds of times and is featured in four documentaries. Hannah is a past President of the Australian College of Midwives and received Life Membership in 2008 for outstanding contributions to the profession of Midwifery.

In 2019 Hannah was awarded a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia (General Division) in the Queen’s birthday honours list for her significant services to midwifery, nursing and medical education and research. In November 2012 she was named in the Sydney Morning Herald’s list of 100 “people who change our city for the better”. She has been described as “the leading force promoting natural birth and midwife-led care in Australia.”

LinkedIn: Hannah Dahlen AM

Instagram: @hannah.dahlen

Dr Oscar Serrallach is an integrative medical doctor and a pioneer in maternal wellness based near Byron Bay, Australia. A graduate of the Auckland School of Medicine, he is globally recognized for identifying and defining "Postnatal Depletion"—a syndrome of deep exhaustion and nutrient deficiency affecting mothers years after giving birth. He is the author of the bestselling book The Postnatal Depletion Cure and founder of the MotherCare Project, dedicated to transforming postpartum healthcare.

LinkedIn: Dr Oscar Serrallach

Instagram: @droscarserrallach

Facebook: Dr Oscar Serrallach

droscarserrallach.com

Kristine Lauria is an internationally renowned certified professional midwife (CPM) and the Director of Education for Breech Without Borders. With over two decades of experience, she has attended thousands of births across the globe, specializing in complex maternity care, twins, and vaginal breech birth. A passionate educator and humanitarian, Lauria has worked extensively in low-resource and conflict zones, dedicating her career to training healthcare providers and restoring the vital skill of physiological breech delivery worldwide.

Instagram: @globalmidwife64

Breechwithoutboarders.org

kristinelauria.com

Heidi Williams is a privately practicing endorsed homebirth midwife, researcher, and educator dedicated to integrating complementary therapies into the Australian maternity system. As a course convenor and co-founder of Acuneedling for Midwives, she trains healthcare professionals to use midwife-administered acupuncture (acuneedling) safely. Williams holds a Master of Midwifery in research and is a PhD candidate examining the use of acuneedling to resolve foetal malposition during labour, bridging clinical practice with evidence-based obstetric care.

Facebook: Acuneedling Australia

Instagram: @acuneedling

acuneedling.com

Dr Kate Levett is an acupuncturist, public health epidemiologist, and leading researcher in maternal health with over two decades of experience. A Senior Research Fellow at the University of Notre Dame Australia, she holds a PhD from Western Sydney University investigating complementary therapies for labor pain management. Alongside Heidi Williams, she co-founded Acuneedling for Midwives, bringing safe, evidence-based acupuncture and acupressure training into standard midwifery practice to reduce unnecessary medical interventions globally.

Facebook: Acuneedling Australia

Instagram: @acuneedling

acuneedling.com

Athena is a midwife and psychotherapist who lives and works on Bundjalung country in the beautiful Northern Rivers. Combining her midwifery background and therapist training, she has found a kind of natural synergy working with women, midwives, doulas and obstetricians who are impacted by trauma.

She's the Director of The Birth Counsel, a Lecturer in Counselling at Southern Cross University, and has many years experience supporting women and families. She's terrible at maths, is a lifelong feminist, and can be surprisingly ruthless in a game of backgammon.

LinkedIn: Dr Athena Hammond

Instagram: @thebirthcounsel