Sharon Stoliar is a Sri Lankan born Australian mother of three, former midwife, nurse, and a passionate advocate for against birth trauma, racism and antisemitism in maternity care,

 

Sharon’s advocacy stems from her own traumatic 2011 birth, which led to acute compartment syndrome, chronic pain, and PTSD, as detailed in her memoir, Scars of Gold (2023), which won the Literary Titan Gold Book Award. Sharon’s story has resonated widely, with appearances on podcasts like Kidspot’s The Juggling Act, Dr Justin Coulson’s Happy Families, Beth Ryan’s Growing, Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond’s Podcast, 2LifeDoula’s Doulas Uncensored. She has also appeared on News segments on TV such as ABC news, and live on Channel 9’s The Today Show with Belinda Russell and David Campbell, as well as live on Sky News Australia’s Sharri Show.

 

 

As the current President of the Maternity Consumer Network, she has been a key voice in addressing systemic racism and advocating for culturally safe maternity care for women of colour, including South Asian and Jewish communities. Following the October 7, 2023, massacre, Sharon, who is married to an Israeli Jewish man, emerged as a courageous advocate against rising antisemitism in Australian healthcare. Despite facing retaliation and professional punishment for speaking out about hateful rhetoric and discrimination, she has continued to highlight hypocrisy in unions and institutions that claim to promote equity while tolerating bias. In addition to the Maternity Consumer Network, she is also the Public Officer for the newly formalised Australian Zionist Healthcare Alliance.

 

 

Sharon is currently working on completing her PhD thesis, and she holds a Bachelor of Nursing (2006) and Graduate Diploma in Midwifery (2008) from UTS, and dual Master’s degrees in Public Health and International Public Health (2013) from UNSW. Her PhD research investigates midwives’ personal birthing experiences, and has been published in Q1 journals such as BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, and has Women and Birth. Sharon has spoken several academic conferences, including being an invited keynote speaker. She also regularly speaks at functions and advocacy events about various topics ranging from maternity care, public health, racism, antisemitism, and advocacy.

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Sharon currently resides in Sydney with Jewish husband, her son, two Jewish step children and her fur babies.