Our Mission Statement

Michelle Ruffalo, LM, CPM has been a Florida Licensed Midwife since 2010 and in birth work since 2004. Her path started as a Certified Doula, Childbirth Educator and a Certified Hypnobirth instructor. When she was with women in labor, supporting and educating them, she witnessed how women were not listened to and that obstetrical violence was real. Since she could not change the system from the outside, she decided to change it from the inside. At the age of 40, she started Midwifery School and it was the BEST decision she ever made! She created Tampa Bay Midwives after leaving her job as the Clinical Director of a busy birth center here in Tampa. She has been married to Ralph for almost 30 years and has a son, Malachi. She also has two kitties that she loves very much. 

Courtney Julien, LM, CPM, has been practicing midwifery since 2016 in a variety of Florida settings. She first earned a Bachelor's in women's studies, which is what inspired her affinity for this work. She is also the IDEA coordinator at The Florida School of Traditional Midwifery, allowing her passion for caring for marginalized communities to come to fruition. She and her husband Mike have a daughter, Meila. 

Nicole Whiting, LM, CPM is a 2023 graduate of The Florida School of Traditional Midwifery. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, she moved to Gainesville, FL in 2020 and settled in Tampa a couple years later. She has been interested in birth work since watching her eldest niece be born in 2003 and gained a love for home birth while working at various sites around Florida. When she's not midwifing or encapsulating placentas, Nicole enjoys spending time with friends and exploring other countries.