Our team
Amy Michaelson-Ratcliffe, CPM, LM
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Amy has spent her adult life living in various areas of the United States as well as overseas. She is married to a Southern Gentleman and has a blended family of 7 children and one grand-baby.
Amy's experience in birth work began with working as a birth doula, childbirth educator, postpartum doula and breastfeeding counselor 12 years before she followed her resolve to become a midwife. Amy graduated cum laude from the Midwives College of Utah with her Bachelor of Science in Midwifery. During her education, she gained clinical experience with midwives in Singapore, Utah, Germany, and Virginia. Amy is certified with the North American Registry of Midwives as a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) - the only type of care provider trained exclusively in community birth. She is licensed under the Virginia Board of Medicine as a Licensed Midwife. Amy is currently working toward degrees in counseling and child and family development to be better able to serve her clients and community.
In Amy's spare time, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, barefoot trail-running, knitting, reading, and exploring. Every day she works intently to love justice, seek mercy and walk humbly (Micah 6:8).
Ryan Starling,
Office Administrator
Ryan came to Resolve in 2023, after working with Amy previously. She started out as a doula in 2008, then transitioned to midwifery in 2013. She is currently stepping back from midwifery to focus on her youngest, who is 4. She has 4 children, all of whom were born with midwives in the area, and the last was born at home. She believes in trauma-informed care and that the bonds babies form with their families during infancy play a significant role in shaping who they are throughout their entire lives. She believes that better care for all families strengthens them individually, and subsequently, society as a whole. When she’s not working on equity and access to better care or other continuing education, she loves spending time with her kids and dogs, reading (mostly Stephen King!), and all things crafty.
Brittany Monaghan,
Student Midwife
Brittany is currently a student-midwife, pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Midwifery at Midwives College of Utah. Originally from New Jersey, she now resides in Virginia due to her husband's active duty service in the US Coast Guard. Of all the places she's lived, Guam remains her favorite. Brittany enjoys life with her loving husband, their three children, and their pets.
A beach lover at heart, Brittany also enjoys taking walks, is a passionate Disney fan, her favorite movies are “Jaws” and “Beetlejuice” and she loves playing The Sims in her free time. Her dream of becoming a "baby doctor" began at the age of eight when her mother was pregnant with her brother, igniting a lifelong fascination with pregnancy, birth, and babies.
After a traumatic delivery with her first child, Brittany had two empowering water births with midwives for her second and third children. These experiences solidified her desire to become a midwife and support other women through their childbirth journeys.
In addition to her studies and family life, Brittany serves as the Chaos Coordinator for the local chapter of Hot Mess Express-Hampton Roads. This non-profit organization is dedicated to helping women and mothers navigate challenging times, offering a supportive hand rather than a handout. Brittany and her fellow members are committed to uplifting and empowering each other within their community.
Makenzie Hanson,
Birth Assistant
Makenzie is a believer, wife, and mother of two with a love for women and the sacred journey into motherhood and beyond. Her calling into birth work began in sunny Southwest Florida as a community-based birth doula. Makenzie is currently serving in the Hampton Roads community in any way she can, whether that be through a healing postpartum meal, doula support, education, or, most recently, as a midwife assistant. She frequently dreams of one day pursuing a midwifery education, catching babies if needed when she is not in the thick of raising her own. In the meantime, she is soaking up as much knowledge as possible.
Makenzie loves home life with her babies, home education, and cooking nourishing meals for her family. She can frequently be found wrangling her chickens around the yard as well as her children. Quiet mornings in the Word, solo hikes, and beach days are a few of her favorite things. In the evenings, you can find her snuggled up on the couch with her husband, whose anchored support keeps her grounded.
Makenzie believes that birth is an intimate physiological process that should be honored and that women were Divinely created for it. She aims to always serve through this framework as well as through the wisdom of those who have gone before her.