All of The Nurturing Place courses were designed and presented by Kristi Ridd-Young, ICCE, CD(DONA), and DONA-approved Birth Doula Trainer. She was recently introduced as a speaker like this:

"Kristi Ridd-Young recently retired after a 17-year career as Midwives College of Utah president.  MCU is the largest MEAC-accredited, distance education midwifery school offering a bachelor's or master’s degree in midwifery.  As the founder of the Utah Doula Association, one of the oldest and largest doula groups, she continues to influence education and networking opportunities for doulas and childbirth educators. Kristi has been practicing as a doula for 36 years, a birth doula trainer for 30 years, and has trained over 2350 doulas. She has been involved in developing doula and midwifery education in Kuwait and Egypt.  Retirement did not last long.  Kristi is currently the Sr. Vice-President of AZOVA Health. She is developing a program for health plans to provide membership benefits for birth and postpartum doula support, childbirth education, and lactation support.  She volunteers with MCU as the Interim Board President and part-time as their Director of Public Affairs and Strategic Communication.

Though she has been mentored by many extraordinary maternal and child health leaders, Kristi credits her six children, seven step-children, and 18 grandchildren for the real-life lessons that influence her philosophies as an educator and a doula. Yoga was her thing before it was in. A voracious reader, Kristi’s parents used to catch her reading with a flashlight under the covers, and after her husband has fallen asleep, she can sometimes be found sneaking in a few pages by the light of her cell phone. (Shhh, don't tell!) Kristi and her husband David usually average 3000 miles a year on Harley adventures and love traveling."