CHRISTIE RINDER
The Visionary Behind Tampa Bay's Premier Doula Agency
CERTIFIED BIRTH DOULA (CD), CERTIFIED LACTATION COUNSELOR (CLC), ADVANCED CERTIFIED POSTPARTUM & INFANT CARE DOULA
From Solo Doula to Industry Leader: 17 Years of Excellence
Christie Rinder didn’t set out to build Tampa Bay’s leading doula agency. After becoming a doula in 2009, she simply fell in love with supporting growing families and spent years attending births, answering late-night calls, and walking alongside families during these truly meaningful moments of their lives.
But when demand consistently outpaced her capacity as a solo practitioner, she realized Tampa Bay families needed something that didn’t exist: a reliable doula agency with supportive systems and guaranteed support for local families. Rather than continuing solo and turning families away, Christie envisioned something bigger—a team of exceptional doulas who shared her commitment to compassionate, professional care.
That vision became Buddha Belly Doulas in 2014 – Tampa Bay’s first full-service doula agency. Today, what started as one doula serving one family at a time has grown into one of Tampa Bay’s most trusted doula agencies, supporting hundreds of local families each year.
Leadership & Professional Credentials
- 17 years supporting Tampa Bay families through pregnancy, birth, and the fourth trimester
- 6 years as President of Tampa Bay Birth Network (2012-2017), leading regional advocacy and community education programs, events and resources
- ProDoula Certified in both birth and postpartum support, with ongoing continuing education requirements
- Certified Childbirth Educator & Lactation Counselor through nationally recognized training programs
- Guest Speaker at Tampa General Hospital's childbirth classes, sharing expertise with expectant families
- Florida Doula Trainer for the Perinatal Quality Collaborative under University of Southern Florida, teaching nurses and doctors about Labor Support Skills.
- Industry Recognition: Winner, Best of the Bay 2025
Media & Awards
- Winner: Best of the Bay 2025 Doula Services
- Featured speaker: Tampa General Hospital childbirth education program
- Professional leadership: Small Business Executive Program, JM Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, 2025
- Professional leadership: Tampa Bay Birth Network President 2014-2020
- Professional leadership: Consultant/educator with the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative
- Guest expert: Collabs.io Magazine Feature article (2021)
- Guest expert: Tampa Bay Times (2020)
- Guest expert: Good Living Magazine (2017)
- Guest expert: Bayside TV (2015-16)
- Guest expert: Studio 10 (2014)
- Advanced Comfort Measures Specialist, ProDoula 2024
- Advanced Support for Postpartum Specialist, ProDoula 2024, 2026
- Alumni Labor Doula Training, ProDoula, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
- Alumni Postpartum Doula Training, ProDoula, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025
- CPR Certified, American Red Cross, 2021
- Doula Agency Owner Business Training, 2021
- Certified Labor Doula, ProDoula, 2018
- Postpartum & Infant Care Doula Certification, ProDoula, 2018
- Placenta Preparation Training, ProDoula, 2017
- Certified Lactation Counselor, ALPP, 2016 - Present
- Waterbirth Education Workshop, Barbara Harper, RN, 2016
- Advanced Business Training ProDoula, 2015
- VBAC Facts Workshop: History, Politics & Stats, 2015
- Postpartum Doula Training, ProDoula, 2015
- Childbirth Educator Certification, CAPPA, 2012
- Spinning Babies Workshop, Gail Tully CNM, 2012
- Labor Doula Certification, Charis Childbirth, 2010
- Labor Doula Certification, CAPPA, 2009
When Christie isn't supporting families...
When Christie is not leading the team at Buddha Belly Doulas, she enjoys spending time with her two sons, Shane and Jack. She is also an artist, plant lover and storyteller whose experiences with motherhood, caregiving, profound loss, and resilience have deepened her compassion and shaped the way she supports others through life’s biggest transitions.
"When I was a solo doula, I saw too many families struggle to find reliable postpartum help. They'd hire someone who couldn't guarantee availability, or work with well-meaning individuals who lacked professional training standards. I created Buddha Belly Doulas to solve that problem systematically."
Christie Rinder
Philosophy of Care: More Than Support - True Partnership
Christie has built Buddha Belly Doulas reflecting Buddhist principles of peace, patience, positivity, strength, and wisdom — combined with the very best systems in place to support your growing family. Every family gets assigned a dedicated support team, managed by a full-time postpartum director, with backup systems that ensure no one ever goes without care.
Under Christie's leadership, Buddha Belly Doulas has grown to:
- 35+ certified doulas on team, all ProDoula trained with ongoing professional development
- 400-500 hours of postpartum support provided weekly across Tampa Bay
- 3-county service area: Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties
- Dedicated Tampa Bay facility: Beautiful, purpose-built center for classes and support groups
- Full-time support staff: including Justine Brown, Client Care Director and Jenessa Pena, Postpartum Support Director, who manage all family matching and ongoing care coordination.
A Personal Note From Christie:
Every family that chooses Buddha Belly Doulas gets the benefit of everything we've learned over 17 years of supporting Tampa Bay families. We don't just assign you a doula — we create a support system that adapts to your needs and never leaves you wondering who to call. That's the difference between working with an individual and working with an agency that's built this from the ground up.