How one father developed a doula program for dads

By Chesnie Wardell Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service Published Jun 29, 2025 at 12:01 PM

When Joshua Liston-Zawad’s wife, Symphony, delivered their fourth child, Harlem, at home, the 31-year-old felt excluded.

The midwife would check on Symphony frequently, but not him.

That experience prompted him to do something for the fathers.

In 2021, Joshua launched Dad Doula University to provide non-birthing parents with free workshops on emotional changes, pregnancy and personal growth.

“As you go through becoming a parent, no one educates the non-birthing people or men on how to navigate changes within yourself,” Joshua said.

Doulas are certified individuals who provide emotional, physical and informational support during the prenatal, birthing and postpartum process.

From struggles to lessons

Symphony and midwife Dr. Lakeeta Watts encouraged Joshua to take his struggles and turn them into lessons for others.

Symphony helped create curricula, co-facilitate sessions and coordinate, while Watts provided Joshua with certified doula training.

“To see him commit to supporting other families in his unique way has been a pleasure to watch and support,” Symphony said.

A male perspective

Watts noticed Joshua often stepping back to elevate women's voices in different environments but reminded him that his perspective matters, too.

“I told him that even though that's very honorable of him, we often lose the voice of men in these spaces as well,” Watts said.

Dad Doula University initially started as a virtual program via Zoom and Clubhouse because of the COVID pandemic.

The program eventually secured a spot inside the Sherman Phoenix Marketplace, 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave., where in-person sessions are held.

(Joshua said the virtual option is still being offered to dads seeking support abroad.)

“Any dad who needs support, regardless of where you are, I got you,” Joshua said.

A safe space for dads

Among the participants of Dad Doula University is 34-year-old Markus Thompson, a single dad of two daughters who joined the program to connect with other fathers.

Thompson described the program as a great emotional space to release anxiety, fears and self-doubt.

“The men I was around were there during the times I felt alone,” Thompson said.

Throughout the program, Joshua taught Thompson about a birthing plan, a document created before labor to tell hospital staff one’s preferences on how the birthing should go.

“I teach men that it's their job to be in charge of this process, and the only way they can do that is if they involve the person that they’re caring for,” Joshua said.

Thompson said the birth plan included things you’d never think of like whether the mother wants music during labor or how to advocate for her when she can’t herself.

“Raising children isn’t a one-parent thing,” he said.

Thompson is now a 2025 alumnus of Dad Doula University’s two-week program and encourages other dads to join.

At the end of the program, graduates get a certificate; take their first family photo; and receive free baby essentials and a year's supply of diapers.

For fathers hesitant about seeking support during pregnancy, Joshua lives by a motto that says: “If I'm not OK, then nothing I touch will be.”