BOMA Incoming Board President: Erica Jacobi

​Erica and Kevin Jacobi with their four handsome boys

In this month’s spotlight we are featuring incoming board president, Erica Jacobi. We find Erica to have a very positive, upbeat personality and a can-do attitude!

Q.  First of all, congratulations on your new role as president of BOMA-USA!  What do you see as our opportunities and challenges in the next couple of years?

Thank you! Our previous board leadership has done so much to grow BOMA and develop us into a more polished organization, ready to support our network and grow the future of the Billings Ovulation Method® in the United States. Our opportunities and challenges going forward are one in the same. BOMA has a treasure to offer this country, but only if we can show that treasure to potential users. It is vital to make the Billings Method one of the methods that come to mind first when people think of natural, sustainable, and loving options for fertility awareness.

Q. Have you always been personally associated with Billings, or did you learn another method prior to Billings?

No, as a young woman I leaned a sympto-thermal method through my own research (aka Google!) and used that early in our marriage. Then after the birth of our first son, we struggled with accurate temperatures and ecological breastfeeding, which led us to Creighton. The Creighton Model quickly taught us how valuable having an NFP instructor is. The and the instructor’s support and willingness to answer detailed personal questions left us feeling far more confident than when we were self-taught. I’m a millennial, so Google is my go-to when learning something new. But I quickly learned the difference in success with having an instructor. That experience told me I wanted to be able to share that same confidence and become a teacher myself. My Creighton instructor encouraged me to investigate the Billings Method. After we saw its effectiveness, ease, and fit with modern day life, I was hooked.

Q.  What has your experience been like teaching Billings?

Teaching Billings has led me into new friendships. Making friends after the school-age years can be challenging! The small talk and looking for common interests are hard. How often do you meet somebody new and only talk about the surface-level topics? Talking about Billings requires deeper conversations about life and relationships. In a few meetings you share of your own life and theirs in topics you might not share as readily when meeting somebody new. Secondarily, as a teacher I get a front row seat to sharing in the joys and challenges in the lives of my clients, like navigating the struggles of delay in much wanted conceptions or sharing in the familiarization with the body’s changes postpartum and in times of change. Or conversely, there have been many times when I’m the first to hear about a positive pregnancy test or get to share in conversations about life with a newborn.  Teaching Billings allows me to hold the hands of my fellow women as we journey through life.

Q.  What words of encouragement would you give to someone who is thinking about becoming a teacher?

So many of us are already talking about birth control, spacing babies, breastfeeding, and fertility in casual conversations. Why not do it with the authority of a certified instructor? Again, I thought I knew what I was doing when I was self-taught, but teacher training changed so much.

Q. What is your “real job” outside of volunteering with BOMA-USA? Tell us about your family. 

Oh my, which job do you want to hear about? I’m a wife to Kevin, and we’re parents to 4 boys under the age of ten. I also have a job I enjoy at Tyson Foods. I love that working with food is something that impacts the world on so many levels and is always relatable. From the farmers to families, everybody is impacted by our food system.
We're a busy family of 6 living in northwest Arkansas. We work our way through the same challenges other Christian families face, trying to support each other's winding journey to sainthood. It's often everyday stuff. Sometimes, it means sticky messes and budgeting at home; other times, it takes the form of hiking or fishing in the beautiful outdoors. That support can even come from valuable alone time.

Q.  Looking forward, is there anything our teachers and/or general members can to do help us?

Participate! BOMA is offering a network for learning and fellowship, but I would love to see more participants join webinars, engage with BOMA on social media, and ask questions. You can start today by liking and sharing our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/billingsusa/ and forwarding this newsletter to your clients, friends, and family.