The Rebirth is a space for women to reconnect with themselves through birth, breathwork and healing. Libby Millar supports women through pregnancy, birth and the transition into motherhood, as well as those processing birth trauma, grief or other significant life experiences. Through doula support, therapeutic and rebirthing breathwork, she creates space for women to feel safe, process their experiences and reconnect with their own inner wisdom. At the heart of it all is a belief that we don’t need fixing; sometimes we simply need the right support to find our way back to ourselves. Here, Libby talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind The Rebirth, the challenges she has overcome along the way, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
The Rebirth was born from my own experience of miscarriage and the many layers of grief that followed. I struggled to find the kind of support I needed, a space to process what had happened, to feel what I was feeling, and eventually to find trust in myself again. So, I became the support I needed.
My own healing journey introduced me to breathwork, which became a powerful part of my reconnection with myself. What began as a personal journey grew into a passion for supporting others through grief, trauma and life’s big transitions. Today, that work has naturally expanded into birth, where I get to support women through one of life’s most profound transformations. Whether I’m supporting someone through pregnancy and birth or holding space for them to process an experience, my intention is the same: to help them feel safe, supported and empowered to reconnect with themselves.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
The Rebirth grew organically from my own healing journey. After experiencing the power of breathwork for myself, I felt called to train in the modality and share it with others. I began offering breathwork sessions, workshops and spaces for women to explore their own healing and reconnection.
Funnily enough, I’d already named my business The Rebirth and was facilitating breathwork before I even knew rebirthing breathwork existed! Discovering it later felt like a beautiful full-circle moment, bringing together my interest in healing, trauma and the profound experiences that shape us from the very beginning of life.
Birth was also a familiar part of my world growing up. My mum is a midwife, so conversations around pregnancy, birth and babies were normal in our household, and I was fortunate enough to witness my youngest sister’s homebirth. In 2023, a friend asked me, “Will you be my doula?” I said yes, and that opened the door to a new chapter of The Rebirth. It felt like a natural extension of the work I’d already been doing – supporting women to feel safe, trust themselves and move through life’s big transitions with greater connection.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
My biggest breakthrough was realising that I didn’t need to fit myself into one box. Birth, breathwork and healing might look like different areas of work, but to me, they are deeply connected.
Through rebirthing breathwork, we can explore early experiences and patterns that may influence how we feel and respond in the present. Through birth preparation, we can explore fears, beliefs and past experiences that shape how a woman approaches birth. And through doula support, I can walk alongside her as she navigates the experience itself.
They are different pathways into the same work: creating safety, building self-trust and reconnecting with ourselves. Recognising that connection helped me understand the heart of The Rebirth and gave me the confidence to bring all these parts of my work together.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
I’m still learning! Becoming a mother has completely changed my relationship with work and what balance means to me. I want to build a meaningful business, but I also want to be present for the everyday moments with my little family: enjoying time in the garden, exploring nature and simply being together.
Motherhood has taught me that I can’t do everything at once, and I don’t want to build a business that requires me to sacrifice the very things I value most. I’m learning to work within the season of life I’m in, create boundaries around family time and allow the business to grow at a pace that feels sustainable. It’s a constant practice of trusting that I can build something meaningful without needing to do it all at once.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
There have been plenty of moments of self-doubt, where I’ve questioned whether I was good enough, whether people would understand what I do, and whether I could really build something of my own.
Stepping into birth work has brought its own challenges. Birth is such a deeply personal and transformative experience, and I feel a real responsibility to support women in a way that honours their individual needs, choices and experiences. I’ve had to learn to trust myself, honour my own approach and let go of the idea that I need to have everything perfectly figured out.
Through my years of working with trauma and my own exploration of breathwork, I’ve come to understand how important it is to create spaces where people feel safe enough to explore what they’re carrying. I believe women deserve to feel informed, supported and empowered to make their own decisions about birth. My role isn’t to promise a particular outcome, but to walk alongside women as they prepare for the unknown, navigate their fears and reconnect with their own strength and intuition.
I’m still learning, growing and finding my feet as a business owner and a mother. My biggest lesson has been that confidence doesn’t necessarily come before you take the leap; sometimes it is created by taking it – by showing up, doing the work and learning to trust yourself along the way.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The biggest pro is being able to create work that genuinely matters to me. I love that I can bring my own experiences, values and passions into The Rebirth and create spaces that feel authentic to how I want to support people. I also love the freedom to collaborate with other practitioners, bring women together in groups and share this work with the wider community.
The flip side is that you’re responsible for everything! There can be financial uncertainty, self-doubt and the temptation to always be doing more. When your work is something you’re deeply passionate about, it can be difficult to switch off. Motherhood has made me much more conscious of how I spend my time and energy. I’m learning that building a sustainable business isn’t just about growth; it’s about creating something that supports the life I want to live, too.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
I’d love to continue growing the birth side of The Rebirth, supporting women through pregnancy, birth and the transition into motherhood. I’m particularly passionate about helping women prepare for birth in a way that goes beyond information and logistics. It can be about creating space to explore their fears, reconnect with their bodies and feel supported in their own choices.
I’m also deeply passionate about healing after difficult or traumatic birth experiences. Birth can leave a lasting imprint on a woman, and I want women to know there is space to process what happened, make sense of their experiences and reconnect with themselves afterwards.
Alongside my doula work, I’d love to continue sharing the transformative potential of breathwork through individual sessions, group experiences and collaborations with other practitioners and businesses. Making this work accessible to more women and families is important to me. I want to help create communities where people feel less alone, more connected and supported through life’s biggest transitions.
I’m also proud to be a member of the New Zealand Association of Breathworkers (NZAB) and to take on the role of treasurer in 2026. Being involved in the wider breathwork community is another way I hope to contribute to the growth and sharing of this work.
Ultimately, my dream is to bring birth, breathwork and healing together in a way that helps women feel safe, supported and empowered, not just as they welcome their babies, but as they navigate the many rebirths that life brings.
Visit The Rebirth website to find out more, connect with them on Instagram or email them at connect@therebirth.co.nz.
