Creative Health and birthing Arts

Janice Marsh-Prelesnik Traditional Midwife, Herbalist, Massage Therapist, Musician, Speaker, Author
Back in 1981 Janice Marsh-Prelesnik,owner and director of Creative Health & Birthing Arts (CHABA), began her journey as a traditional midwife. Through the years CHABA has blossomed into a natural health care business and learning center.
If your organization or group needs a joyous and passionate speaker on the subjects of natural family living, midwifery, natural childbirth, or herbs, Janice is the speaker for you! Janice's speaking style is grounded in earthiness as she weaves stories, philosophies, experience, and science into engaging presentations.

Topics Janice has spoken on recently include:
	Holistic Midwifery Care Fresh is Best! The Medicinal Herb Garden Learning to Trust Your Intuitive Voice Herbs for Midwives Birth Ritual and First Impressions The Roots of Natural Family Living
Personal:
	Since 1981 Janice has worked as a traditional midwife, herbalist, massage therapist and musician and is the mother of four home-born, home-schooled children. Janice owns and directs Creative Health & Birthing Arts, a natural health care business, near Galesburg, Michigan. This business teaches, and provides the services of home birth midwifery care, herbal consults, and massage therapy. Janice also owns Granny Janny Herbs a quality herbal line which creates herbal remedies from fresh certified organic herbs. Janny Granny Herbs also has organic medicinal herb seeds for sale and medicinal plant seedlings and root cuttings in the spring and early summer. In 2005 Janice self-published her first book, The Roots of Natural Mothering, through her publishing company, Mother Muse Publishing.
Education:
	1977-1981 Music performance and music education major, Michigan State University 1981-1983 Midwife Apprentice 1983-1985 Intensive self study of the bio-regional herbs of Michigan, Studied David Hoffman's herbal correspondence course 1989-1993 Massage therapy school at Kalamazoo Center for the Healing Arts 1992, 1994, 1995 Each year attended Frontier's Cooperative Herbs three-day herbal conference 1999 Three day intensive on Soft Tissue Release 2002 Four day intensive Jin Shin Do Acupressure class 2005 BA in Nature, Culture and Healing program from Goddard College, Planfield, Vermont 2005 Studied Medical Herbalism Foundations in Herbal Medicine with Tierona LowDog, MD
Recent Speaking Engagements Include:
	Greater Kalamazoo Pregnancy and Baby Expo, Kalamazoo, MI Midwifery Today, Eugene, OR. Michigan Midwives Association, Lansing, MI. Midwifery Today, Philadelphia, PA. With Woman / Herb Workshop, Essex, England. Invited Speaker at Herb Workshop, Birmingham, England. Healthy Babies, Healthy Start, Kalamazoo, MI. NAPSAC, St Louis, MO.
Employment:
	1981-1983 ~ Self employed as postpartum helper 1981-Present ~ Free lance musician-voice, piano, and clarinet 1983-Present ~ Self employed as a traditional midwife 1990-Present ~ Self employed as massage therapist 1985-Present ~ Self employed as an herbal consultant 1995-Present ~ Began a school to teach midwifery, herbalism and massage therapy 2001-Present ~ Director of Center for Spiral Learning, a resource center for home school families 2005 Owner ~ Mother Muse Publishing--Books by and for women 2005 ~ Director of Religious Education at Unitarian/Universalist Church, Portage, Michigan
Books and Articles Authored:
	2004 Thinking Like an Herbalist 2004 Herbs for the Seasons of Pregnancy 2005 The Roots of Natural Mothering: Through the Seasons of Pregnancy, Journey of Birth, and Motherbaby Moon Time 2005 How Midwives Can Help Women Access Their Intuition, Article in Midwifery Best Practice 2005 The Midwife Garden, Article in Midwifery Today 2005 Picking Herbs With Grandma, Article in Nurture Nature Magazine 2005 Midwifery and the Divine Feminine, Article in Compleat Mother Magazine 2006 Midwife Lessons, Article in Midwifery Today 2006 Midwives and Music Chapter co-written with Lorna Davies for Lorna's upcoming book
Conferences spoken or performed at, or organized:
	2001-Women's Festival, Kalamazoo, MI 2001-Protocol panel at Michigan Midwives Conference 2001-Speaker on education, and musical performance at Midwifery Today Conference in Philadelphia 2002-Taught on second stage at Michigan Midwives Conference 2002-Speaker at CARES (Childbirth Alternatives, Resources and Educaiont Services), Kalamazoo, MI 2003-Culture and Birth, Speaker and organizer, Creative Health & Birthing Arts, Galesburg, MI 2003-Tea & Talk for Midwives, Speaker and organizer, Creative Health & Birthing Arts, Lansing, MI 2004-Herbs for Midwives-Essex, England 2004-Speaker at Anglia Ruskin University, Essex, England 2004-Tea & Talk for Midwives, Speaker, organizer, musical performer Creative Health & Birthing Arts, Battle Creek, MI 2004-Fair Food Matters, Speaker on natural family living, Kalamazoo, MI 2005-Midwifery Today Conference, Speaker, Musical performer, Eugene, Oregon