Our Story
The Way of Tradition began as a group of friends coming together with a shared heart for birth and a desire to make midwifery a more sustainable, supportive calling.
Rooted in faith and led by women, we each bring a unique skill set while working together to best serve the families in our care.
Meet the Team
Stephanie Crunk
Traditional Midwife
My name is Stephanie Crunk. I am a Traditional Midwife and mother to 7, the first 6 of birthed at home.
I grew up on a farm as the oldest of 11 with the firm belief that prevention was the best plan, both in birth and daily living. Homebirth was a natural choice for me, and I am thankful every day for the knowledge and experience I already had before I had my first baby. Birth and midwifery have been my passion my whole adult life.
I began studying midwifery in 2000 while preparing and praying about being a medical missionary. I began to apprentice to a midwife and birthed my first two sons with her. During this time, I attended 2 doula trainings, a midwifery skills workshop, and monthly study group meetings. On the side, I did doula work for the added birth experience and worked as a breastfeeding counselor for WIC.
In 2007, we lost our second-oldest son to a traumatic accident, and this changed my course for a time. I went to First Responder school and then was certified as an EMT. I began to serve my community as a first responder and worked for an ambulance service as a 911 medical dispatcher and EMT. That was my main focus for the next few years until I found some closure. I gained many skills that have enriched my midwifery knowledge.
Working in EMS really made me see birth is NOT an emergency.
In 2010, I started to shift my focus back to midwifery. I assisted 3 other midwives over the next few years. I began to take on primary clients of my own. Then, in June of 2016, we relocated to Northwest Georgia. I have served the Calhoun area since 2018 as Mountainview Midwife. As life has changed and the practice expanded, I found myself in desperate need of support to be able to continue serving the community as a midwife. In June of 2025, several ladies stepped in to hold me, and I am forever grateful to them.
We are now The Way of Tradition Birth Collective.
Elli Hodge
Assistant Midwife
I have always had a deep love for women, families, and the sacredness of birth, and I’ve been serving as mothers as birth suppot since 2017. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of attending 75 births in both home and hospital settings, including twin and breech births, and that number keeps growing. Each experience has shaped the way I show up for families with a calm, steady presence during one of the most important days of their lives.
As a mother of eight children, including a set of twins, I bring both professional experience and personal understanding into the work I do. Birth is not just something I support, it is something I believe in deeply. I truly see it as part of God’s intentional design for women, and I feel passionate about protecting birth as a woman-led and woman-centered experience.
My care doesn’t stop once the baby arrives. I believe the postpartum season matters just as much as the birth itself, and I love supporting families as they settle into this new chapter together. One of my favorite parts of this work is quietly holding space for mothers while also capturing their birth stories through my camera in a way that honors their strength and the beauty of what they are doing.
As I step into my role as a midwife, I am continuing my education and hands-on training through The Way of Tradition School of Birth Arts. It truly feels like an honor to walk alongside families in this way, and I’m so grateful to be part of a birth collective that values compassionate, relationship-based care for the women we serve.
Hannah Floyd
Birth assistant/Admin
I began birth work in 2022 as a doula, and it didn’t take long for me to realize this was becoming something much bigger than a role for me. Supporting women as they step into motherhood has always felt natural to me because becoming a mother myself was something I had dreamed about for as long as I can remember.
Both of my own babies were born outside of the hospital, my first at a birth center and my second at home. Those experiences shaped the way I see birth and continue to guide the way I care for the families I serve. I believe birth is powerful, personal, and something women deserve to feel supported and confident in.
This journey in birth work has stretched me in ways I didn’t expect. It has been challenging at times, but it also helped me grow so much and confirmed for me that this is the path I’m meant to be on. I have come to trust God’s desgin for us and I’m in this work for the long haul. I’m ready to see where this journey takes me as I continue to learn, serve, and walk alongside families as they welcome their babies into the world.
I have completed trainings in breech and twins through Breech Without Borders and continue my education through The Way of Tradition School of Birth Arts. I’m always looking for opportunities to keep learning because I believe good birth work means never becoming complacent and always being willing to deepen both knowledge and experience.
It’s truly an honor to support women during such a meaningful season of their lives, and I feel grateful every time I’m invited into a birth space.
Marlea Boswell
Birth Assistant/Admin
I didn’t even know what a doula was until I was pregnant with my first son, but hiring one changed everything for me.
My first birth ended in a cesarean after a long labor, and that experience left me with a lot of questions. It led me into a season of learning about interventions, baby’s positioning, and how our bodies work during labor. Over time, I began to see birth differently and realized it isn’t something broken that needs to be managed, but a natural process that God designed our bodies perfectly for.
Between my first and second babies, I spent a lot of time learning about birth, attending trainings, and supporting families both in and out of the hospital. When I became pregnant again, I prepared in a completely different way and went on to have a healing home birth VBAC in my living room. I was surrounded by so many women who loved me and prayed for me, and I remember thinking this is how birth is meant to feel.
Having experienced both a cesarean and a vaginal birth gives me a unique perspective as I support other families. My approach is calm and supportive, and I care deeply about helping moms feel heard, respected, and confident in their choices.
Right now I’m in a season where being on call full-time isn’t the best fit for my family, but I still love supporting moms behind the scenes by answering questions, helping with scheduling, and creating breastmilk and keepsake jewelry to honor their motherhood journey.
It’s truly meaningful to me to stay connected to this work and to continue caring for families in these ways.
Alli Waters
Birth Assistant/Office Manager
I am a student midwife with a deep respect for the God-designed beauty of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. I believe that each mother and baby are uniquely created with purpose, and it is an honor to support families during such a sacred and transformative time.
As a homebirth mother of 3 myself, I understand how important it is to feel seen, heard, and supported. I strive to provide care that is both compassionate and grounded in knowledge. I value a peaceful environment where women feel safe, confident, and empowered in their decisions.
I am especially passionate about supporting physiologic birth, encouraging informed choice, and walking alongside mothers as they learn to trust their bodies. I also have a strong interest in breastfeeding/pumping support, helping moms navigate feeding with practical guidance, encouragement, and patience in those early postpartum days.
Trainings
Stephanie Crunk
Traditional midwifery apprenticeship 2000-2006 (did not complete due to leaving the practice after negligent actions on the part of my mentor)
Healthcare Provider Adult and Infant CPR 2000
Breastfeeding: The Gold Standard Conference annually from 2000-2008
Titus II Doula Skills Training 2003
WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor 2005
Birthing Options doula skills training 2005
Ancient Art Midwifery Skills Lab 2006
NRP certified 2006
NREMT certified 2009
Healthcare Provider Adult and Infant CPR certified 2009
Midwifery Wisdom Collection Midwifery Skills training 2017
Ancient Art Midwifery Skills Lab 2021
MANA Conference Suturing Lab and NRP certification 2021
Breech Without Borders Breech with Twin Training 2022
Birth Emergency Skills Training (BEST) 2022
Way of Tradition Midwifery Skills workshop (trainer) 2023
Breech Without Borders Breech with Twin Training 2023
Midwifery Wisdom Collective Skills and Drills 2023
NRP recert with Karen Strange May 2024
Midwifery Wisdom Collective Skills and Drills May 2024
Way of Tradition annual skills training May 2025
Birth Emergencies Skills Training Sept 2025
NRP training with Erlanger Jan 2026
NRP training Karen Strange Feb 2026
Elli Hodge
The Way of Tradition Skills workshop 2023
The Way of Tradition Skills workshop 2025
NRP Karen Strange Feb 2026
Hannah Floyd
Birthworker.com full-spectrum doula training 2022
The Way of Tradition Skills Workshop 2023
Breech Without Borders Breech with Twin Training 2023
Midwifery Wisdom Collective Skills and Drills May 2024
The Way of Tradition Skills Workshop 2025
NRP training with Erlanger Jan 2026
NRP Karen Strange Feb 2026
Marlea Boswell
The Way of Tradition Skills Workshop 2023
The Way of Tradition Skills Workshop 2025
Alli Waters
The Way of Tradition Skills Workshop 2023
The Way of Tradition Skills Workshop 2025