hi, i’m elise tobias
London’s premier birth coach & doula
A trusted voice in modern birth education, supporting parents-to-be across the globe, and locally as a resident at The Portland Hospital.
“Elise is one of the brightest, passionate and most supportive persons I have ever worked with. She was born to teach the incredible science of hypnobirthing”
“Elise gave us so much confidence and strength as a couple to navigate the uncertainties and go into Labour with a positive mindset.”
“A brilliant and calming teacher who delivers a wealth of useful information in a really accessible way.”
there’s one thing i want every expectant parent to know:
Birth can be positive, calm
& incredibly empowering...
...with the right preparation and support.
But when I say ‘the right preparation’, I don’t mean rigid must-do-this plans, scripts, or trying to control how birth unfolds.
(The stuff you may have read in books, courses and on the internet)
I actually mean training your brain, your mind and nervous system, to understand how birth works...
So you can build the kind of inner steadiness that allows you to respond calmly whatever direction birth takes.
That perspective doesn’t come from theory alone.
It’s been shaped by:
Years of in-person birth
doula support
By the end of 2026, I will have supported over 100+ women and their partners.
Hands-on experience working with leading obstetric teams
"I first noticed the difference in women who had prepared with Elise before. They arrived in labour noticeably calmer, more confident and exceptionally well informed. As an obstetrician, that makes a real difference.”
Training NHS Labour
Ward teams
Working with and delivering physiology of birth training for Obstetric teams at The Whittington, the Imperial Collage Trust and to midwives at
The Portland.
And yes, my own lived experience of pregnancy, labour & birth
The catalyst for everything I do today.
but before we get into that, let me ask you:
You wouldn’t do a marathon, without training, would you?!
Yet lying on a bed, twenty eight weeks pregnant, having just fainted during a routine blood test, I realised something pretty unsettling: I was doing just that when it came to labour and birth.
A lovely sarcasm midwife pointed out, “If you can’t deal with a needle, how are you going to deal with labour?”. Now, we could absolutely unpack her bedside manner.
But honestly?
I couldn’t argue with the point.
I was about to run a marathon…and I hadn’t trained at all.
now, i’m a doula + birth prep coach
But back then, I was a high-flying TV exec...
Calm under pressure, used to big moments, deadlines, and responsibility. And yet, I went back to the office that day feeling low-key panicked.
Colleagues started sharing birth stories — theirs, their best friend’s, their cousin Maria’s — and within about ten minutes, I felt completely overwhelmed.
So I went home that night and decided I had two options:
a) bury my head in the sand...
b) Or...I could learn everything I possibly could about birth.
I read sixteen books. I immersed myself in birth physiology, psychology, and how the mind behaves under pressure.
I was O B S E S S E D.
And somewhere along the way, something clicked:
“When the thinking mind feels informed and safe, it knows when to step aside...
and let the subconscious brain and body do what it already knows how to do.”
My own birth was intense, but it was manageable. And while I was my first piece of evidence that training the mind genuinely works, that wasn’t the real takeaway.
The realisation was this: the preparation didn’t just support me through labour, it stayed with me when things didn’t go to plan.
When my birth took an unexpected turn after delivery, I found myself facing what, on paper, would have been my worst-case scenario. And yet, I was able to respond calmly. Not because everything was straightforward, but because I had the tools to stay grounded, think clearly, and move through it.
That’s when I realised...
This way of preparing wasn’t just about creating an “ideal” birth experience. It was about building the capacity to handle whatever birth asked of you: to stay calm, capable and in control of your response, even in the unexpected.
And I began to see something else, too. That this kind of preparation wasn’t widely available, and that so many women were leaving their births feeling overwhelmed, or even traumatised, simply because they hadn’t been given the tools to navigate those moments.
That insight became the foundation of what I now call my unique Captain & the Crew methodology: an approach to birth that trains the mind, trusts the body, and prepares you to respond calmly and confidently, whatever direction birth takes.
THIS REVOLUTIONARY APPROACH UNDERPINS EVERYTHING I DO
Birth isn’t something to control. But it is something you can train your brain for.
I think of birth like this:
Your subconscious brain (the part working beneath your awareness) is the Crew.
It knows the job. It’s highly trained. And when conditions are right, it can get on with the work beautifully.
Your conscious brain (the part responsible for logic and decision-making) is the Captain. The Captain’s role isn’t to micromanage every move. It’s to understand what’s happening and stay calm under pressure
Because the Crew — your subconscious brain — is the only part that controls your labour.
When the thinking mind tries to take over, it can interrupt that flow. The skill is learning how to let the Captain step back, delegate, to trust the Crew to do what they’re designed to do.
The Captain & the Crew approach is about making sure all parts of the mind and body are PREPARED for this incredible life moment.
When the Captain is calm and informed, the Crew can work efficiently. When the Captain is overwhelmed or fearful, the Crew feels it.
I’m a London doula, hypnobirthing teacher & birth prep coach
Trusted by leading obstetrician, Claire Mellon &
The Portland Hospital
"I first noticed the difference in women who had prepared with Elise before I even knew exactly what she was teaching. They arrived in labour noticeably calmer, more confident and exceptionally well informed. As an obstetrician, that makes a real difference. Elise’s approach is evidence-based, practical and refreshingly free from the ‘woo’. She prepares women for the realities of birth, whatever path it takes, and I see the benefits of that preparation and the support she provides time and time again”
Elise made us feel safe, confident and empowered.
With Elise's guide, I laboured mostly at home for hours and when we arrived at the birth centre the actual birth lasted about 30 minutes with no intervention.
Going with Elise is one of the best decisions we made this whole pregnancy, she was such a pleasure to work with and felt like more of a close friend with a tonne of knowledge than anything.
During the pregnancy my husband and I learnt a lot, always felt like we were in safe hands, had our questions answered asap and had the MOST amazing birth. We are so grateful for Elise and know she was a huge part as to why we got the birth of our dreams.
MOLLY, ULTIMATE BIRTH SUPPORT & DOULA CLIENT
My values as a doula
& birth preparation coach
↠ Learning & knowledge
I believe good preparation starts with understanding. My work is rooted in evidence, physiology, and psychology, and I take time to explain how birth works, what’s normal, and why certain approaches help. Knowledge isn’t about memorising information, it’s about understanding enough to feel safe to surrender and trust yourself, and your own decisions
↠ Preparation & response
Birth rarely follows a plan, so rather than scripting a “perfect” experience, I focus on preparing you to respond well. We build familiarity, flexibility, and mental steadiness, so when things shift, you’re able to adapt rather than feel thrown.
↠ Empowerment & confidence
My role isn’t to take over, I’m here to equip you. Confidence grows when you understand what’s happening and feel able to advocate for yourself. I guide you into your birth feeling capable, informed, and grounded.
↠ Trust & confidentiality
This work involves vulnerability and honesty, and trust matters. Whoever you are, and whatever you do, everything shared with me is treated with complete confidentiality.
Words can’t really express what you mean to us. You were the biggest part of every moment of this sacred journey. How could we ever have done it without you?
You came to the rescue with your amazing hands, guiding me – this time literally – through such a divine, difficult, beautiful experience.
We truly don’t think there is anyone better than you. The world is a better place for the work you’re doing.
VANESSA KIRBY, Ultimate Birth Support client
Ready for a calm, empowering
birth experience?
This is where you train your brain, equip your body and prepare to respond during labour and birth, however it unfolds.