The Rural We: Ilana Siegal

Ilana Siegal is the owner of LifeWorks Studio in Great Barrington, Mass. A lifelong dancer, she teaches yoga and pilates, and is a certified doula. But to anyone in South County who has had a baby in the last five years, she's a lifeline of support during pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond. LifeWorks' open door policy extends far beyond childbirth classes, growing family days, and parenting groups; Ilana's invaluable advice is sincerely available 24/7 by phone. Ilana's life works by helping growing families, individuals, and Berkshire newbies and natives alike during all phases of life. 

I'm from Ann Arbor. I came here in January 1998 to attend Simon's Rock. I left for a long time and went to New York City where I taught dancing and then to Israel for a year. I've been a dancer my whole life. In Israel, I taught at a studio for Orthodox women who did the lion's share of the work raising their children as well as working outside the house while their husbands studied Jewish law. The community treated what I was doing as less of a service offered than as a good deed of value. It wasn't treated as a luxury but more as a necessity; they considered it important to take care of yourself so you could take care of your family. This was influential in my thought process for how I could make my life work. 

In Israel, I learned when the mother was taking care of herself, the whole community worked better. The entire community stepped in when the woman was pregnant. They helped with other kids, brought food, or even just sat with the mother. You don't need to be an expert to provide this kind of support, to just be there and provide space. 

For many years I taught classes and rented space, did the "Berkshire Shuffle." When I was pregnant with my second son, Reuben, the constant driving really took its toll. I was also on the fence about leaving my kids at home. I wanted to raise them but also wanted to work. There weren't many opportunities where I could do that. It turned out there was a whole other group of people who needed that. I opened LifeWorks in February six years ago. 

I knew I needed a community of people who were going through the same thing as I was and understood. I wanted to offer not only my support but access to resources. I was brought into this business by my own need for support and, building that for myself, I was able to help others. That's usually how it goes, when you figure it out for yourself there are usually others who need it.  

I'm so happy to come here every day and feels like it's my life's work, but there's so much more than can be done and I'm looking for opportunities to expand. There is a perception that a doula or support services are only for someone who can afford it. I'm figuring out ways to make support more available to everyone by becoming more involved in Community Health Programs and hospitals. The next step is getting the word out that support is for anyone who would benefit.

Things can happen here if someone has a vision; it's possible, it just takes drive and work. I'm looking forward to doing more. The Berkshires is a place where, if you're tapped in and sitting in front of the right person with the right vision, things can happen. I appreciate that idealist nature.