A Life Shaped by Nature, Justice, and Care

Drawn to Southern Vermont, Kayla Brookins found alignment between her own values and a Brattleboro community grounded in justice, care, and connection to the natural world.

When Kayla Brookins moved to Brattleboro in 2022, she wasn’t sure how she would adjust—especially to her first Vermont winter. “I was at first quite terrified of the notion of staying through the winter,” she recalls, “but then I was absolutely seduced by the spring, and I couldn’t imagine leaving quite yet.” What began as hesitation quickly became something deeper.

Kayla moved to Vermont from Pennsylvania, and while the seasons helped her settle in, it was something else entirely that made Brattleboro feel like home.

A Shared Set of Values

“I’ve never felt so culturally at home in another place before,” Kayla says. “I felt as if I finally arrived home when I got to Vermont.” What stood out most was the alignment between her own values and the community around her. “My core values of living in loving harmony and partnership with nature, my nature-based spiritual practices, my beliefs of justice and respect for all beings are shared by the whole community here in Brattleboro—and that has felt so amazing.”

That sense of shared belief fostered something Kayla hadn’t found elsewhere: belonging. “I feel a sense of belonging here,” she says, “and at this point, I never want to live anywhere else.”

Putting Down Roots Through Care

Based in Brattleboro, Kayla has started her own business as a birth and postpartum doula and certified herbalist, Sacred Openings. She supports families through pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood. Her work is grounded in empowerment and trust. “I believe in being the change you wish to see in the world,” she explains, “and allowing that to act as a natural inspiration for others.”

Kayla sees her work as part of a broader cultural shift in Vermont—one that values care, community, and relationship with the natural world. “Vermont is ripe to attract the midwives that we so desperately need,” she notes, pointing to the state’s shared concern for people, planet, and collective wellbeing.

Choosing to Stay

What keeps Kayla in Southern Vermont isn’t just the landscape or the pace of life—it’s the feeling of resonance. “My beliefs of justice and respect for all beings are shared by the whole community here in Brattleboro,” she says. That alignment has made the town not just a place to live, but a place to grow roots.

By choosing Brattleboro, Kayla Brookins has found a community that reflects her values—and a place where she can continue showing up fully, in service to others.

Move to Vermont

Want to live here too? We’d love to have you! Check out the resources on our Move to Vermont page or Connect with a Vermonter to get connect to our 1:1 relocation support.