Karin is the mother of three adult children and a proud grandmother. She has been happily married to her husband, David, for over 40 years. Several years ago, Karin felt a deep calling to serve in the birthing community. She began her journey as a doula, supporting mothers and babies through pregnancy and birth. Through this experience, she discovered her true passion — midwifery. In 2007, Karin became a licensed midwife and began practicing home birth midwifery. As her practice grew, she realized her desire to reach more women and families. With determination and faith, and despite many challenges, Karin opened Loving Arms Birth and Wellness Center in January 2015. Today, Karin continues to dedicate her heart and experience to providing compassionate, family-centered care. Her goal is to offer a safe, nurturing, and empowering environment for every mother and baby she serves.
Emily Rizzo, LM Licensed Midwife
Emily grew up in Palm Beach County and moved to Tampa to attend college, where she majored in Health Sciences. During her studies, a class on maternal health sparked a deep passion that ultimately led her to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Health with a focus in Maternal and Child Health, which she completed in 2015. While in her graduate program, Emily learned about the high cesarean rates in the U.S., shadowed a local midwife, and earned her Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) credential. After graduation, she worked with Healthy Start in Ocala for over a year but soon realized her true calling was in direct care with mothers and babies. This realization inspired her to return to school at the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery (FSTM), where she graduated in 2019. Since then, Emily has had the privilege of serving families in both a small home-birth practice and at Loving Arms Birth Center. She is passionate about ensuring that women and families feel supported, heard, and safe throughout pregnancy and birth. Emily believes in informed consent, client-centered and individualized care, and in empowering women as they transition into motherhood—whether for the first or tenth time. Emily considers it an incredible honor to walk alongside families during one of life’s most transformative experiences. She has two wonderful children and three lively dogs. Having had a home birth with her daughter, Emily describes it as a beautiful and peaceful experience that continues to inspire her work. When she’s not at the birth center, she loves spending time outdoors—soaking up the sun at the pool or beach, or exploring new parks around town with her kids.
SUPPORT STAFF
Students:
Sophia Turull Senior Student Midwife Sophia is a student midwife currently training at Florida School of Traditional Midwifery. She holds certifications in BLS and NRP, and is deeply committed to providing compassionate, family-centered care. Inspired to pursue midwifery by a calling the Lord placed on her heart, Sophia views this work as both a privilege and a calling. She is passionate about holistic care that honors the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of the childbearing journey, and looks forward to continuing to serve families through personalized, evidence-based care.