At Survivor‑Led Change, we believe every pregnancy, birth, and new beginning should be met with safety, dignity, and support. Yet in the United States today, exposure to violence during pregnancy is a major driver of preventable maternal harm and death, a crisis born not from individual choices, but from systemic failures to protect survivors.

We work at the critical intersection of maternal health and intimate partner violence (IPV), advancing survivor‑led solutions that honor autonomy, address root causes, and transform systems that too often cause harm instead of healing. Survivors, especially those navigating pregnancy and early parenthood, are the experts in what lasting change requires.

Hi, I’m Cassandra

I am a survivor, a midwife, and a systems‑change advocate.

I’m the creator of the S.T.A.R.S. Framework, a practical model that equips clinics, coalitions, and public agencies to coordinate survivor‑centered, trauma‑informed responses to IPV in maternal health.

As a Certified Professional Midwife with a master’s in Maternal & Child Health Systems and now a DrPH candidate at Johns Hopkins, I bring lived experience and professional practice to each partnership. I’ve seen firsthand how violence can shape the journey of pregnancy and, more importantly, how healing begins when survivors are met with dignity, not control.

Over the past decade, I’ve supported survivors, clinics, coalitions, public health agencies, and CCR teams to translate values into practice with warm handoffs, privacy‑protective documentation, and consent‑forward conversations.

I believe transformation is possible because I’ve lived it. When providers and systems prioritize autonomy and uphold the decision‑making power of survivors, they create space for safety, healing, and lasting change.

Our Approach

What sets our work apart is the fusion of the Midwives Model of Care and Survivor‑Centered Advocacy, a pairing that led to the creation of the S.T.A.R.S. Coordinated Community Response Framework for Maternal Exposure to Violence.

S.T.A.R.S. = Survivor‑Centered, Trauma‑Informed, Advocacy‑Focused, Response‑Coordinated, Data‑Synchronization. It brings clinical teams, advocates, and allied partners into alignment at the same time, turning shared values into everyday practice.

As a midwife, I hold space for complexity, honor autonomy, and walk alongside people, not ahead of them. The midwifery model teaches us to trust the body, listen deeply, and center the wisdom of the person giving birth, prioritizing dignity, consent, and presence. As an advocate and systems‑change strategist, I carry those same principles into policy rooms, multidisciplinary teams, and training, prioritizing collaboration, accountability, and survivor leadership over surveillance and control.

In every setting, the goal is the same: safer, more compassionate responses to violence, especially for pregnant and birthing survivors whose lives and health depend on it. Systems can change. Survivors can lead that change. And the way we show up for one another matters.

What People Say About Our Trainings

“​I had the privilege to know and work with Cassandra for many years. She has been a revolutionary force addressing IPV as a critical component in midwifery care. She has a long-standing dedication to holistic humanity within this public health crisis. This is demonstrated through a compassionate focus on the intergenerational empowerment that can occur through the childbearing process, and the role a medical-provider/midwife can bring to that exchange. Cassandra’s work in this field is an exponential asset both for pregnant persons, through midwifery services, as well as providers, through your training programs and presentations. Thank you, Cassandra, for your willingness to address IPV and childbearing health. You are an inspiration!”
— Audra Post - Midwife
“This was such an amazing training. One of the best I’ve been to. Thank you!”
— Training Participant
“You were just fantastic, so engaging, so kind and so so so informative!!”
— Training Participant
“Cassandra created a very safe and open space during this training for all involved”
— Training Participant

Survivor-Led Change | Systems consultation & training grounded in the S.T.A.R.S. Framework. We are not a direct crisis service.

24/7 confidential support:

More resources: LGBT National Help Center, Ujima - The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community (resources & TA), NIWAP - National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project (legal & benefits resources).

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© Survivor-Led Change.