NONA BIRTH EDUCATION & COUNSELING Ā· COLUMBIA, MISSOURI
About Erica and Nona Birth Education & Counseling
A background that bridges birth support, mental health, and embodied education
Erica Kroll has been teaching and studying mind-body birth education and prenatal yoga for over 25 years. She is a licensed perinatal therapist, educator, and retired doula, and the founder of Nona Birth Education.
Nona at a glance
Neuroscience-informed, mind-body birth education.
Nona Birth Education offers neuroscience-informed, mind-body birth education for expecting parents and professional training for doulas, prenatal yoga teachers, and childbirth educators. Our approach recognizes birth as a neuro-psycho-social process shaped by physiology, nervous system regulation, relationships, environment, and care context.
Rather than treating birth as only a physical or medical event, Nona's work integrates evidence-based education, embodied learning, and trauma-aware care to support informed decision making, self-advocacy, and attuned support during pregnancy, birth, and early parenting.
WHAT GUIDES THE WORK
The meaning of Nona
In Roman mythology, Nona was a goddess associated with the ninth month of pregnancy, one of the three fates said to spin the web of life.
The name carries how Nona approaches birth: as a threshold that deserves preparation, respect, and attuned support. Every class and training is built on the same set of commitments.
01
Mind-body education
Birth is regulated by autonomic systems that respond to internal and external cues. Birth Coherenceā„¢ integrates nervous system science, embodied awareness, and relational support to help parents and professionals understand how stress, safety, and connection influence labor, coping, and recovery.
02
Evidence-based
Evidence-based care integrates the best available research, clinical expertise, and the values of the birthing person. Nona emphasizes individualized care and critical thinking, challenging routine interventions that are driven by policy rather than physiology or lived experience.
03
Trauma-informed
Because many people enter pregnancy with a history of trauma, all Nona classes and trainings are trauma-informed and focused on prevention: realistic expectations, informed choice, self-advocacy skills, and attention to nervous system responses in birth and care environments.
04
Honest and practical
Clear, accurate, and realistic education about birth, care options, and support roles. Rather than reinforcing cultural myths or idealized narratives, the focus is on helping people make decisions aligned with their values and circumstances.
05
Advocacy
Self-advocacy involves understanding options, communicating needs, and collaborating with care providers. Doulas and educators learn collaborative advocacy rooted in helping clients have agency in their care.
Erica's story
ERICA KROLL, M.ED, LPC Ā· E-RYT 200 Ā· RPYT
Erica Kroll has been teaching and studying mind-body birth education and prenatal yoga for over 25 years. She is a licensed perinatal therapist, educator, and retired doula, with a professional background that bridges birth support, mental health, and embodied education.
Erica began working in women's health in 1999, first training as a doula through Doulas of North America (DONA). While working as a doula, she also worked for the Boone County Health Department's WIC program, providing peer counseling and developing breastfeeding education and support curricula.
In 2000, Erica completed training in Whole Birth Yoga & Support, a mindfulness-based prenatal yoga and group support program. She later assisted in teacher trainings and facilitated Whole Birth Yoga classes and support groups for more than a decade. In 2003, she studied Birth Educational Counseling and Body-Centered Hypnosis with Dr. Gayle Peterson, whose research informed the development of Birthing From Within and Whole Birth Prenatal Yoga. These early influences continue to shape Erica's emphasis on mind-body coping and embodied awareness in birth.
Recognizing a need for specialized mental health support during the childbearing year, Erica completed a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology with a minor in Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2010. She earned her professional counseling license working with survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence.
In 2012, Erica founded Nona Birth Education to integrate birth education, prenatal yoga, therapy, and group support for families in mid-Missouri, as well as professional training for birth and mental health professionals nationwide. Since 2020, Nona's educational offerings have expanded online, with a focus on training prenatal yoga teachers, doulas, and childbirth educators in nervous-system-informed practice.
Education, credentials, and professional trainings
Education and credentials
Erica's education and professional training include graduate-level counseling education, advanced trauma training, prenatal yoga certification, and applied polyvagal theory. She has served as a consultant and instructor in academic, clinical, and public health settings.
- Polyvagal Informed Certificate, Polyvagal Institute 2025
- Training in Applied Polyvagal Theory in Yoga: simple practices to enhance wellbeing, Polyvagal Institute 2023
- Registered Experienced Yoga Teacher, E-RYT Yoga Alliance 2023
- EMDR Training and Consultation, EMDR Training Center, LLC 2017
- Registered Prenatal Yoga Teacher, Yoga Alliance (RPYT) 2015
- 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, RYT-200 Registered Yoga Alliance 2015
- Consultant, University of Missouri, Women's and Children's Hospital Low Intervention Birth Program 2015
- Instructor: Intro to Women's and Gender Studies, University of Missouri, Columbia, Fall 2013
- Postgraduate Training, Postpartum Therapy and Assessment, Postpartum Stress Center 2011
- Counselor/Program Coordinator, True North of Columbia, 2010-2012
- Masters of Education, Counseling Psychology, 2008-2010, University of Missouri, Columbia
- Graduate Minor: Women's and Gender Studies, 2008-2010, University of Missouri, Columbia
- Bachelor of Arts and Science, General Studies, 2005-2008, University of Missouri, Columbia
- Certificate in The Peterson Method: Birth Educational Counseling and Body-Centered Hypnosis 2003
- Certified Whole Birth Yoga Instructor: mindfulness-based prenatal yoga and group support 2000
- Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, Columbia/Boone County Health Department 1999
- DONA Birth Doula Certificate 1999
Trainings and presentations by Erica
Erica has provided professional education on perinatal mental health, birth education, and nervous-system-informed care for hospitals, health departments, behavioral health organizations, and birth professionals since 2014.
- Professional Training for Burrell Behavioral Health, "Part 2: Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Intersections of The Social, Psychological, and Physiological" 2020
- Professional Training for Boone County Health Department, "Evidence-based Policies and Practices for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders" 2019
- Professional Training for Callaway County Health Department, "Evidence-based Policies and Practices for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders" 2019
- Professional Training for Burrell Behavioral Health, "Part 1: Overview of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders" 2019
- Professional Training for University of Missouri Women's and Children's Hospital Labor and Delivery Nurses, "Nona Birth Education Doula Training" 2015
- Nona Birth Doula Trainings, 2014 to present
NONA BIRTH EDUCATION & COUNSELING
Learn with Erica
Classes for parents and trainings for professionals, in Columbia, Missouri and online.
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