SPEAKERS

Carmen Ferreira is a Midwife and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).

She has worked at Hospital de Santa Maria, Hospital Lusíadas Saúde, and Hospital CUF Descobertas.

Carmen is the author of the “Bebé Saudável” blog – an innovative project in maternal and child health – which achieved major success and led to an active social-media presence, currently with over 160,000 Instagram followers.

She appears regularly in television segments on topics related to promoting maternal and child health.
Carmen written and published three bestselling books: “Estamos grávidos! – e agora?”; “Nascemos! – e agora?”; and “Vamos ser Pais – e agora?”.

Carolina Coimbra, a black woman, has worked as a doula since 2019, trained by Nurturing Birth.

She holds a degree in Sociology and is in the final stage of completing a master’s in Sociology at ISCTE.

Carolina is the mother of an 8-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. It was her first birth that sparked her interest and led her to become an activist for women’s rights in pregnancy and childbirth, as well as in anti-racism.

She is a cofounder and current board member of Associação SaMaNe – Saúde das Mães Negras e Racializadas em Portugal (Health of Black and Racialized Mothers in Portugal), which emerged as a collective in 2020 and became a formal association in 2022.
The collective arose after the murder of George Floyd, when the anti-racist movement in Portugal came together against the violence inflicted on black and racialized people’s bodies.

Together with four other women, she conducted a study to understand the experiences of black and racialized women in Portugal during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period (2021–2023). The report with the results is available on the organization’s website: (https://associacaosamane.org/).

Cláudia Costa has been a Physiotherapist since 2007, with training in Osteopathy from ESITEF (2008–2011).
She started her career in pediatrics 11 years ago and holds a postgraduate degree in Pediatric Osteopathy from ESSATLA.
She completed attended several specialized courses in Pediatric Osteopathy.

Since 2023, she has been attending an international training — Meningeal Approach with Luís Pérez Battle — which explores in depth the impact of prenatal and birth experiences on a child’s health and development into adulthood, a perspective that has greatly influenced her clinical practice.

She combines neuroscience with manual therapy, enhancing the outcomes of her interventions.
She believes that a baby is an integral part of an environment that continuously influences them not only physically but also psychologically and emotionally, with the family being a fundamental component of the therapeutic process.

She developed the concept of the Physiological Approach to the Baby Course, which she teaches at Master Science Lab,a leading national training organization, sharing her unique perspective on babies with physiotherapists and osteopaths.

She is the founder of Restart, a clinic in Vila do Conde, where she has been working exclusively in private practice since 2014. Pediatrics is her true passion, making up 90% of her clinical work.

Cláudia Telles de Freitas is a Senior Trainer and Consultant in the Portuguese National Health Service (SNS) nd across the broader healthcare sector.
She lectures in postgraduate and master’s programs at various universities, focusing on communication, leadership, innovation, and humanization in healthcare.

Cláudia works as a curator of multidisciplinary teams advising top and mid-level managers in the strategic transformation of health organizations.
She is the author and consultant of competency development, innovation, and humanization programs, with recognized impact within the SNS.

She is a visiting researcher at the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP) – Center for Interdisciplinary Health Research and at the ESEP – MAIEC Lab NursID-CINTESIS. She is also a regular keynote speaker and motivational presenter at national and international healthcare events.

CEO of Cláudia Telles de Freitas & Partners, a consulting firm specializing in organizational development for healthcare institutions, she is an expert in reputation management, crisis communication, corporate protocol, and organizational storytelling. She is an internationally certified Executive Coach (IICD), a Licensed Practitioner in NLP (Society of Neuro-Linguistic Programming), and a DISC Behavioral Analyst certified by the International DISC Institute.

Cláudia is a certified International Storyteller (McSill Story Studio), known for her work in teambuilding and creating transformative group experiences. She is a Board Member of ESPAÇO T – Association for the Support of Social and Community Integration, where she volunteers her skills and is an honorary member and associate of several Portuguese professional associations.

Renowned Certified Professional Midwife, Elizabeth Davis holds a postgraduate degree in Holistic Maternity Care, and is an educator, policy consultant, and specialist in holistic healthcare, with over 40 years of experience.

She is internationally active in promoting physiological birth and is widely sought after for her expertise in midwifery education and organizational development. She is co-founder of the National Midwifery Institute, an accredited midwifery training institution.

Elizabeth began her journey in the late 1970s, when direct-entry midwifery was illegal in most of the United States. Having experienced firsthand the stark contrast between a violent hospital birth and a transformational homebirth, she felt compelled to build the organizational and political framework to make homebirth widely available in her country.

She was a founding member of the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA), open to midwives of all backgrounds; the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), the certifying body for the CPM credential; and the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC), the accrediting body for direct-entry midwifery programs. She played a significant role in legalizing midwifery in California and has supported legislative efforts across many other states.

A long-time homebirth midwife with extensive international exposure, her primary mission is to support the autonomy of the profession, firmly believing that the holistic care model best serves both clients and care-providers through its integrity and sustainability.

She continues to teach Heart & Hands Midwifery Intensives, along with lectures and workshops on emergency skills, intuition, trauma-informed care, and support across the female lifecycle.

She is the author of six books, including the textbook Heart & Hands: A Midwife’s Guide to Pregnancy and Birth, now in its fifth edition (2019). https://elizabethdavis.com

Joana Cristela holds degrees in Clinical Psychology and in Music (Singing).
Alongside her career as a singer and instrumentalist, she has worked as a music therapist, holistic therapist, voice teacher, and sound therapist. Her work integrates music, psychology, and energy-based practices, exploring the voice as a pathway to healing and personal transformation.

With over 20 years of experience in vocal teaching, musical practice, and music therapy, she created the Sing & Heal approach, which uses the voice as a therapeutic instrument and a means of self-knowledge. The method blends her artistic practice, clinical experience, and additional training in holistic therapies and sound healing.

She works in both individual and group settings across age groups—from children to older adults—through workshops, retreats, talks, and meditative concerts. The core of her work is the voice as an integral expression of the self, fostering emotional release, psychophysiological regulation, and reconnection with one’s deeper identity.

Her practice is based on the voice as an instrument for healing and transformation, understood not merely as a vehicle for communication but as a tool with direct impact on mental, emotional, and bodily health.

Kathryn Stagg is a mother of four boys — twins and two singletons — and has dedicated her professional life to supporting families through breastfeeding, sleep, and parenting challenges.

She began her journey as a breastfeeding peer supporter, volunteering for years in and around Harrow, NW London, UK.
Her passion for breastfeeding support led her to train as a Breastfeeding Counsellor with the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers, and six years ago she became a certified IBCLC – International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

After a particularly challenging sleep experience with her fourth “high-needs” baby, she was inspired to train as an OCN Level 6 Holistic Sleep Coach, under Lyndsey Hookway.

Kathryn combines feeding and sleep support holistically, understanding the deep connection between both in supporting families effectively.
She runs a small private practice, seeing families both in person and online, offering guidance in breastfeeding, sleep, and parenting.

Alongside her clinical work, she continues to teach music part-time, her original profession.
Kathryn is the author of “Breastfeeding Twins and Triplets: A Guide for Professionals and Parents”, and is currently working on a new book about sleep in multiple birth families.

Manuel Albano is Vice-President of the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG) since 2020, a position he also held between 2009 and 2011.

He graduated as a Social Worker by the Institute of Social Work of Porto (1993), and since 1994 he has worked hard on defending gender equality, women’s human rights, and gender-based violence.

From 2012 to 2020 he served as Director of the Northern Delegation of CIG.
He is National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings since January 2008, coordinator of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th National Plans against Trafficking in Human Being and Focal Point to the OSCE for gender equality and human trafficking issues.

Mariana Miller is a Psychologist, with a degree in Clinical and Health Psychology from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra. She holds a postgraduate degree in Third-Wave Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies, with clinical and scientific work focused on sleep disorders, particularly insomnia.

Mariana began her journey in the field of sleep during her internship and master’s thesis research at the Sleep Medicine Center of the Coimbra Hospital and University Centre (CHUC). She is currently in the final stage of her PhD in Clinical Psychology, where she developed and tested the ACTCOM-I protocol, a psychological intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and compassion-based approaches, tailored for the treatment of chronic insomnia in adults.

She is a member of the Portuguese Sleep Association and the World Sleep Society, and the author of several scientific communications and publications in the field of sleep research.

Her clinical practice and research are guided by the belief that understanding sleep requires a holistic view of the individual, including how they relate to themselves, others, and the world. She is committed to integrating this understanding into an effective, individualized, and evidence-based intervention.

Mário Santos is a nurse and sociologist, specialist in social studies on childbirth.
He holds a PhD in Sociology, a Master’s degree in Health, Medicine and Society, and a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing.

Mário is an Integrated Researcher at CIES-ISCTE, with a particular interest in topics related to home birth and obstetric violence. He is also a Visiting Lecturer at the Escola Superior de Saúde da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa and at ESESFM, where he teaches social sciences in health.

He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Maternal and Obstetric Health Nursing.
His work has been widely disseminated through scientific presentations and publications at both national and international levels.

Matilde Rocha is a medical student at ICBAS – University of Porto.
She currently serves as Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health at the National Association of Medical Students (ANEM) in Portugal.

She has led and contributed to several initiatives in reproductive health, including the organization of two national congresses and a school-based sexuality education project.

In 2024, she represented Portugal as an official delegate at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York and at the World Health Summit in Berlin.

She is an active member of Women in Global Health – Lusophone Community, advocating for gender equity in health on a global scale.

Mikaela Övén is Swedish and has been living in Portugal since 2001. She is the mother of three children (aged 21, 17, and 14).

She studied Social and Behavioral Sciences at Lund University (Sweden) and holds a degree in Human Resources with a specialization in Skills Development from Malmö University (Sweden).

She is a certified facilitator by Family Lab (Sweden) and a Certified Mindfulness Instructor (Sverigehälsan, Sweden).
A NLP Practitioner and Certified Coach, Mikaela also has additional training in Family Communications, Resonant Language, Nonviolent Communication, Relational Skills in Schools, and the Neurobiology of Love (with Dr. Stephen Porges and Dr. Sue Carter).

Founder of the Academy of Conscious Parenting, she is the author of nine books on conscious parenting, mindfulness, and personal development for both adults and children, published by Porto Editora.

Mikaela is the co-host of Inspiração Para Uma Vida Mágica, the first personal development podcast in Portugal, as well as O Podcast da Parentalidade Consciente. She has featured in segments on conscious parenting and mindfulness on radio and television Portuguese networks (M80 Radio, Porto Canal, and SIC).

Rodrigo Ayoub holds a Medical Degree from the University of Rio de Janeiro. He specialized in Orthomolecular and Anti-Aging Medicine at the Institute of Orthomolecular Medicine (IMO-RJ) – Professor Hélion Póvoa.

He also holds a Master’s Degree in Aesthetic Medicine from the University of the Balearic Islands (Palma de Mallorca) and a Postgraduate Degree in Medicine and Cosmetic Surgery from the University of Barcelona.

Rodrigo Ayoub has attended numerous courses and congresses, and he has been practicing clinically in this field in Portugal for the past 25 years.

Rute Pereira is a Midwife and Specialist Nurse in Child and Pediatric Health.

She has been working for 10 years as a Midwife at the Maternity Unit of Portalegre Hospital, as part of the hospital’s “Proximity Maternity” project.
She is co-author of the “Low-Risk Pregnancy and Postpartum Monitoring Project,” which includes autonomous care by midwives for pregnant women in the district who are at low risk of complications and do not have a family doctor.

She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Maternal and Obstetric Health Nursing at the University of Évora,with a thesis entitled “Women’s Vocalization in the Birth Experience”. She has co-authored a scientific article on this topic and is actively conducting further research in the area, with plans to publish additional articles.

She is a visiting lecturer at the Higher School of Health of Portalegre – Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre.
She has been continuously developing and deepening her knowledge and skills through ongoing professional education, including Certification in Lactation Consulting (CAL) by Rede Amamenta, Infant Massage Instructor (APMI), Babywearing training, among others. She has also attended the Parir em Movimento Cycle with Núria Vives and various training courses under the Nascer Positivo Program run by UTERUS – Integrated Women’s Health.

She deeply believes in the transformative power of midwives in promoting health, health literacy, and a full and conscious experience for women during one of the most impactful moments of their lives. Advocates for women’s central role not only in childbirth, but throughout all the stages that precede and follow it. Changing lives begins by welcoming stories — and that is what drives her every day.

Violeta Belhouchat is franco-chilean, born in Chile and residing in France.

She is the coordinator of the bilingual practice Sexology and Resilience, providing support to women survivors of rape, incest, chemical submission, genital mutilation, and other sexual traumas. Women seek her consultations to improve their intimate lives, reclaim sexual pleasure, and develop the ability to experience orgasms and fulfilling sexual relationships.
Her work addresses topics such as post-traumatic body perception, erotic imagery after trauma, physical tension responses during intimacy, sexual aversion, sexual inhibition, or hypersexualization with risky behaviors, supporting women aged 18 to 68.

She is the author of the book “Clitoris 4U: An Interview” (Amazon), recognized as the book with the most clitoris illustrations in the world, dedicated to scientific dissemination of female sexuality.

She conducts lectures, workshops, and exhibitions on clitoral anatomy, post-traumatic sexual pleasure, sexual rights, and intimate autonomy.