Wendi Cleckner, CPM LM
Wendi is a desert child at heart, born and raised on the Arizona clay. In 1993 she helped a friend through the birth of her first child and felt a passion to devote her life to moms and babies. The calling of midwifery has blessed her with travel across the world, taking her to the Philippines, the Sudan and Iraq. She believes in the intrinsic knowledge women hold in the ability to bring forth life, and will continue to work both individually and with the community, rallying for women to give birth as they choose. Meet Wendi…
Liliana Roth, LM, CPM
Liliana knew from a young age that she was called to support birthing people through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. After discovering the midwifery model of care, she began her formal training at Via Vita School of Midwifery and graduated in 2018. She then completed her clinical experience through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) PEP program, participating in a rigorous four-year apprenticeship alongside experienced homebirth midwives and serving families across the Phoenix metro area. In 2022, she passed the NARM exam and became a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and Licensed Midwife (LM) in the state of Arizona.
Since becoming a midwife, Liliana has provided compassionate, family-centered care in high-volume birth centers, offering evidence-based education and supporting clients in making autonomous decisions that feel right for them. She believes every woman deserves to know their options and to feel loved, respected and supported in any birth setting.
Outside of midwifery, she enjoys time with her high school sweetheart, Thomas, and their two cats. She loves reading, sunshine, the ocean and spending time creating art, especially acrylic painting or pottery. Originally from and raised in Alaska, she takes every opportunity to get outdoors, whether it be camping or finding a beautiful swimming spot to enjoy.
Ariella Chung, LM, CPM
Ariella Chung is a proud Guyanese. Her cultural and family traditions from Guyana – her home – run deep in her passion for birth work. Ariella’s background is in early childhood education, specializing in infants through four years of age with special needs.
That’s where she discovered the different options for obstetric care. Coming from a family who grew their food in their backyard, and having a mother who raised her on alternative medicine, hearing mention of midwifery and out-of-hospital births around the age of 14 really started the ball rolling for her. By the age of 18, her start in birth work as a doula flourished. She made it her role to ensure mothers’ voices were heard, empowered, and physically supported.
Her profession is not only a passion, but a vital part of her lineage. A lineage that started with her great-grandmother and then grandmother who worked in island midwifery. Ariella has been intentional in her career, walking towards her calling. She loves serving families, and is committed to them for the whole ride!
Ariella is a homemaker of all things sweet and nourishing, while also enjoying a healthy amount of dirt out with her horses and gardening with her partner!
Hanifah Muhammad, Naturopathic Physician, Midwife
Hanifah is a daughter, mother, wife and widow, educator, herbalist, acupuncturist, community advocate, and student midwife. Originally from New Jersey, she moved to Phoenix in 2005 to pursue education in naturopathic medicine and begin her path as a doctor, midwife, and community healer.
Raised as a “community baby,” Hanifah was shaped by a circle of elders who instilled values of creativity, self-sufficiency, spirituality, and collective care. This upbringing formed the foundation of her deep respect for community, resilience, and service.
Her passion for birth work began in childhood, inspired by ancestral midwives who held knowledge, strength, and compassion in the most difficult conditions. By a young age, she knew she wanted to become a doctor who delivered babies.
Hanifah studied psychology and public health before training in naturopathic and Chinese medicine. Along the way, she built a family, started a business, and dedicated herself to advocacy work focused on health equity, reproductive justice, mental wellness, and food access. Her learning has also taken her to Africa and Haiti, where she worked alongside traditional midwives and healers.
In birth work, Hanifah sees her role as both practical and sacred—supporting families with skill, presence, and care, while creating safe, loving spaces for birth on their own terms. She believes every child is an answer to a prayer and considers it an honor to support families at the threshold of new life.
Outside of work, Hanifah enjoys music, art, photography, cooking, nature, travel, and time with family and community. She is guided by a lifelong commitment to supporting healing, life, and love through all its cycles.
Shakari (Shea) Lockett, Birthworker
Hi, I’m Shakari Lockett—proud mother of 6, grandmother of 2, and wife of 17 years to my incredible military husband. At my core, I’m a nurturer who thrives on giving. For me, midwifery is about nurturing, supporting, educating, and listening to each person’s unique needs to provide individualized care.
In January 2021, just one week postpartum, I began my first semester at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College’s Midwifery Program. Alongside this, I’ve been pursuing an associate degree in Non-profit Leadership, with the hope of combining both to start a non-profit. This organization will offer the same services I provided with Military Birth Resource Network, but with additional programs to ease the burden of things like chiropractic care, doulas, gas cards, and food assistance—resources that many in low-income communities desperately need.
One of the biggest challenges in these communities is a lack of resources and access. My goal is to support, educate, and help families find their voices by providing evidence-based information so they can make informed decisions. I’m passionate about improving pregnancy, birth, and postpartum outcomes, and I believe the change starts with grassroots community outreach.
This journey has been anything but easy. I moved twice for clinical placements, often away from my family, and navigated the grief of losing my father, aunt, and father-in-law along the way. But with the unwavering support of my cohort, family, friends, and preceptors, I made it through.
Other FATS Community Midwives
- Crystal Pena, CPM LM