Usha Anandi's journey into feminine spirituality and embodiment began with her own story of trauma and numbness. Determined to heal the root of her disconnection and pain, she traveled all around the world, devoting her life to studying ancient healing practices and making them accessible for the modern age.
In this episode we explore the issues related to privilege and healing work, the impact of stress and isolation on our nervous systems, and some powerful embodiment practices to assist us during this time.
Returning guest Christa Gifford shares honestly about the challenges and healing she has experienced since the death of her daughter Goldie (story shared in EP 030). After the unexpected breakdown of her marriage, Christa had no choice but to confront her own demons and look within to discover what really needed to be healed so that she could move forward as a whole woman. Her powerful story will surprise you!
April McMurtry, creator of The Moon Is My Calendar, goes deep on how the moon serves as a guide to us on the journey of cyclical living and awareness, and how we can bring this awareness into our relationship with our daughters. April shares from her heart about the awakening she experienced in early motherhood, the deep peace she has discovered in living rhythmically, and what raising daughters intentionally has looked like for her.
Special guest Jessica Connolly shares her inspiring story of raising 4 daughters to be connected to their feminine power and potential, and how that is possible to cultivate at any age. Mellisa & Jessica describe a one-of-a-kind new project designed for mothers who want to empower their daughters to form a vital, healthy connection to the sacred power of the feminine cycle through practical tools, personal transformation and powerful community.
Best-selling author of Pregnancy Brain, Parijat Deshpande's world changed when her complicated, high risk pregnancy ended with the birth of her son at 25 weeks. In this episode, we explore trauma, the nervous system and how to use the mind body connection to not just manage a high risk pregnancy but actually thrive.
Join us on Tuesday, July 30th at 1:30pm PST on Instagram for a LIVE follow up conversation with Mellisa and Parijat where we will answer any of your questions and explore our conversation further!
Host Mellisa Reeves and guest Tamara Iglesias of Welly Nest, a conscious parenting coach, explore how motherhood brings up all of the unresolved issues in our lives and how conscious parenting serves as an invitation to heal our own selves.
Tamara believes that "parenting is our greatest opportunity to evolve. In this episode, we explore how motherhood triggers our childhood wounds, beliefs about the world, and even our own inadequacy as mothers. If motherhood is an opportunity to evolve, to transform, then these triggers are the catalysts that enable this transformation.
Healing our own wounds is the way forward, instead of getting caught up in the distractions of reacting to our children's behaviours and the anxiety so many of us experience. If you've ever felt in the trenches of motherhood and didn't know how to find your way through the dark, this conversation will be like seeing a glimpse of light for the first time in awhile.
As a journalist, Virginia Sole-Smith frequently wrote diet articles for women’s magazines but much of what she wrote never rang true for her. Then, when her first child was born with a rare congenital heart condition and wouldn’t eat on her own, she began to connect the dots of how outside influences can alter our bodies’ natural instincts to nourish and satiate ourselves.
Her new book, The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image, and Guilt in America, was inspired by her daughter’s resistance to eating, her journey to feel safe in her own relationship with food, and her experience of writing about diet culture. The book explores food culture, body image issues and eating disorders that can occur when societal rules disrupt our intuition, and the self-imposed judgments many women put upon themselves.
Virginia is a powerful voice not only for seeing yourself in a new way but also for raising the next generation in a new way that doesn’t assume we have to keep doing things the same way when it clearly isn’t working. Her book comes out this week and will be an incredible resource to anyone looking to de-program cultural messages about our relationships to our bodies!
In This Episode:
Show Notes:
Virginia Sole-Smith
The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image, and Guilt in America, by Virginia Sole-Smith
@MotherBirth.co on Instagram
Expectful — 1 Month Free Trial for MotherBirth Community Members
Few people have the tenacity and the resolve to recognize a gap in women’s health care services and then break down the barriers to fill the gap and find a place for themselves amid the new design. But, that is exactly what today’s guest, Director of Midwifery Care, Nikia Grayson, CNM, DNP, MPH did at CHOICES — Memphis Center for Reproductive Health in Memphis, Tennessee.
Coming from the DC area, Nikia found the infant mortality rates among families of color in Memphis distressing. With a lack of community-based programs and very little influence left over from the Granny Midwives of the past, Nikia set her sights on creating a high-quality, non-judgmental, comprehensive reproductive health center the entire community could use.
The organization Nikia helped transform — CHOICES — started as a cash-only abortion clinic. The organization now provides different health care choices based on community needs. During our conversation, Nikia shares information about her personal journey to becoming a midwife, the new birthing center, and how MotherBirth listeners can support the program.
Her passion for women, providing equal access for the entire community, and focusing on the entire spectrum of reproductive health needs is so inspiring. We are so excited to share this incredible conversation.
In This Episode:
Show Notes:
Memphis CHOICES Website
Memphis CHOICES on Facebook
@MotherBirth.co on Instagram
Expectful — 1 Month Free Trial for MotherBirth Community Members
Kate Woolley and her husband didn’t anticipate all the bumps and struggles they would face when they made the decision to become parents. When their first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, a fracture was created in their communications due to the different manner in which they dealt with grief. But when Kate faced rare and challenging conditions during their second pregnancy, their bond grew stronger than ever.
When her water broke during her 16th week of pregnancy Kate was placed on home bed rest. Then at 27-weeks, she experienced such an intense bleeding that she was placed in a high-risk perinatal unit where she was told by hospital staff that she was the most complicated, naturally-conceived pregnancy they had ever experienced.
During our conversation, Kate describes the roller coaster ride of emotions she experienced on her journey to motherhood as well as the myriad of rare physical conditions she faced including a cervical cyst, a placental abruption, and vasa previa. She also shares how her business, The Noble Paperie, was born from her experiences of grief, loss, and hope.
We are so honored to share these powerful stories with you during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and hope that you share with those you love who will find comfort and connection.
In This Episode:
Show Notes:
The Noble Paperie
@TheNoblePaperie on Instagram
@MotherBirth.co on Instagram
Expectful — 1 Month Free Trial for MotherBirth Community Members
Dr. Jessica Zucker is a well-known psychologist who specializes in women’s reproductive and maternal mental health, the founder of the ‘I Had a Miscarriage’ campaign, and a writer. She practiced clinically for years before her own 16-week miscarriage offered her a new perspective on the many aspects of loss and how it touches every part of a woman’s life.
During our conversation, Dr. Zucker shares the raw details of her loss, how getting intimate with death changed her and made her more emotionally available to her patients, why she created the ‘I Had a Miscarriage’ campaign and her fears about getting pregnant again.
October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and we hope that this powerful conversation helps create more space and openness between those who have experienced loss and those who haven’t. We believe that open dialogue in our culture is rare but so needed - especially in this incredibly misunderstood arena.
In This Episode:
Show Notes:
Dr. Jessica Zucker
@Ihadamiscarriage on Instagram
Expectful — 1 Month Free Trial for MotherBirth Community Members
Sarah Peck was the first employee to get pregnant at the Silicon Valley startup she worked for. And while her boss affirmed things would work out, she could feel unconscious competition and misogyny in the air. Inside she was feeling lonely and wondering if she was sacrificing the career she had built. In addition to her other duties, she was tasked with helping to write the ‘maternity employee handbook’ for the entire organization.
Since that time, Sarah has left that position to become an entrepreneur and to follow her passion for writing. She founded Startup Pregnant, a soulful space for women wanting to be intentional about the intersection of career and motherhood, based on her own experience of unpacking what it meant to be a woman in a corporate startup venture blended with her many years of blogging experience.
During our conversation, we delve into the seldom discussed topics of how the modern world changes the way women prepare for pregnancy, how keeping up with the Joneses can add stressors to what should be a transformative experience and the myth of finding a work-life balance.
Sarah articulates beautifully the struggle so many of us feel — how can we pursue meaningful work that matters while also desiring to create a family landscape that is nurturing and healthy?
In This Episode:
Show Notes:
Startup Pregnant
Startup Pregnant Podcast
@StartupPregnant on Twitter
Stitch Fix — Create a Style Profile and Have Clothes Delivered Right to Your Front Door
A lack of support during her postpartum transition inspired today’s guest, Kate Turza, to become a certified postpartum doula. Feelings of frustration and loneliness crept over her after the birth of her third child. Her searches for support in her rural Long Island community came up empty. She decided to offer women the support she wished she’d had by becoming a doula and by joining the board of a non-profit that facilitates a monthly birth circle.
During our conversation, Kate shares the problems she encountered during breastfeeding due to a retained placenta and lack of hormones, how doula training brought balance back into her life, and the struggles mothers and partners face finding community and support today’s individualized culture.
We talk about why postpartum support is absolutely negotiable, why you might want a postpartum Doula, and how to get the support you need even if there aren’t a lot of resources in your community.
In This Episode:
What a postpartum doula does
What a postpartum doula does not do
How mothers put pressure on themselves by setting unrealistic goals
How she dealt with increased anxiety during her postpartum transition
The struggles of breastfeeding and sleep deprivation for many new mothers
How a retained placenta affects a new mothers ability to nurse
How societal changes are affecting the fourth trimester
Considering a partner’s emotional needs during the birth cycle
Creating a support community for mothers and partners
Where to find support in the U.S. and internationally
How to build your maternity wardrobe with style and ease
Show Notes:
La Leche League — U.S. Branch
DONA — International Doula Training
CAPPA — International Doula Certification
Trust Your Body Again — Motherbirth Course
Stitch Fix — Create a Style Profile and Have Clothes Delivered Right to Your Front Door
Today’s guest, Evan Manskey, always wanted a family but doubted her body’s ability to have children. A self-proclaimed late bloomer, her monthly menstruation didn’t come until after she started driving. When she experienced excessive bleeding during her first two pregnancies, both of which ended as miscarriages, she was overcome with anxiety and fell into depression. She and her husband decided to take a break from trying to conceive.
Today, Evan and her husband have two sons and they are also foster parents to children who need temporary homes with loving families. During our conversation, Evan shares her emotional story of beating the odds, her difficult but beautiful transition into motherhood, how she fulfilled her desire to have a vaginal birth after a Cesarean (VBAC), and how fostering children affects family dynamics.
In This Episode:
Show Notes:
Stitch Fix — Create a Style Profile and Have Clothes Delivered Right to Your Front Door
In today’s episode, Amanda Cunningham shares the moving story of her two very distinct birth experiences. During her first pregnancy, she was euphoric and felt a profound spiritual connection to her son but after he was born, the separation triggered a severe postpartum loneliness which lasted for eighteen months. And after struggling with the decision of her readiness to have another child, her daughter was born with an undetected, random form of Down Syndrome.
Amanda’s feelings during her postpartum depression overwhelmed her and took a toll on her marriage. She found relief in a prescription of progesterone and the understanding that she was could affect how she allowed her feelings to affect her. Acknowledging her feelings empowered her to move forward and take the actions necessary to heal.
We talk about the extremely complicated emotions she faced after their daughters unexpected Down Syndrome diagnosis, how different she felt about her pregnancies, and how she came to terms with it all.
In This Episode:
Show Notes:
@RoryBlakeisGreat on Instagram
The Down Syndrome Diagnostic Network
Expectful — One Month Free Trial for MotherBirth Community Members
In today’s episode, we discuss the spiritual, mental, and emotional transitions women go through on their motherhood journey. Dr. Katayune Kaeni — aka Dr. Kat — joins us to share the traumatic personal experience that led her to specialize in maternal mental health and how she helps women to prepare for and heal from the under-discussed challenges mothers face.
When Dr. Kat experienced postpartum depression after the birth of her first child, she was unsure exactly what was happening. Like many women, she felt ashamed, embarrassed and didn’t open up about what she was experiencing. And as a psychologist, she thought she should be able to figure it out on her own.
During our conversation, we learn about how Dr. Kat started her healing process with energy work and whole body healing, how she empowers women to answer the ‘what if’ questions, and the many different ways our motherhood journeys change us.
In This Episode:
Show Notes:
The Mom & Mind Podcast
Mom & Mind Podcast on Facebook
Mom & Mind on Instagram
Dr. Kaeni on Twitter
Expectful — One Month Free Trial for MotherBirth Community Members
Today’s episode inspires women to shed the programming and ideals society has fed us about how we feel about our bodies and what we should look like. Licensed Psychotherapist Ellen Boeder shares insights on how to be empowered during motherhood and beyond and how we can profoundly respect the value of our nurturing, feminine, magnificent selves.
Ellen has spent most of her career working with women through the deep-rooted confusion that can lead to eating disorders and body image issues. She helps women sort through the culturally handed-down and media-driven information that has created unrealistic ideals of what it means to be a woman.
We get into how pregnancy and the postpartum period can be significant contributors to a woman’s perception of her body and lead to body dysmorphia, eating disorders and generalized shame about our bodies and even our worth as humans.
During our conversation, Ellen also shares her own personal journey to motherhood including how she integrated the newfound joy of motherhood with her treasured career.
In This Episode:
Show Notes:
Rearranged by Motherhood Blog
Rearranged by Motherhood on Facebook
Ellen Boeder Private Practice
College Backer — Listeners of Motherbirth receive a $10 match contribution with this link
In today’s episode, we have an in-depth conversation with Megan Connolly, a Co-Founder of Well Made Mama. There are many resources available to women regarding the physical changes their bodies experience during motherhood but few focus on the emotional and mental transformations that last a lifetime.
For Megan, starting a conversation and raising awareness about the importance of community during motherhood is essential. Her organization aims to offer resources and community to modern mothers to help them thrive in their transition to motherhood.
The science of motherhood often has a gap that exists in what to expect when preparing for a baby. During our conversation, we discuss the changes in our society that have removed the community component from motherhood, how making friends can be an essential survival skill for a mother, the neuroscience of motherhood, identity shifts, and how to adapt to all of these changes in a personal, healthy way.
In This Episode:
Show Notes:
Well Made Mama
Trust Your Body Again — A Course from Motherbirth
College Backer — Listeners of Motherbirth receive a $10 match contribution with this link
In today’s episode, we speak with three women who were instrumental in establishing midwifery into traditional, bustling, hospital settings. Between them, they have over 50+ years of birth work experience and they continue to mentor, teach and serve women in the midwife community and beyond.
Nel assisted her mother in the birth of a sibling at age three. The baby was stillborn. This left a lasting impression on her. After countless babies appeared in her life, she knew she should follow the path to midwifery and has dedicated her career to creating a homebirth model in a small hospital setting. She currently mentors and teaches midwifery to midwives in rural Maine. Nell has pioneered many revolutionary practices in midwifery and is well known for her contributions.
Denise is a midwife in a hospital in The Bronx. She assists women from marginalized areas of society gain access to a midwife in high-risk pregnancies. She works to build trust with doctors who may not understand the role or purpose of a midwife and with the patients who come from various cultural backgrounds.
Sharon is Chief of the Midwifery Division and oversees a midwife education program at Baystate Medical Center. She works with women who need care but have barriers to getting it. She helps women of all backgrounds to make informed decisions about their pregnancy with the goal of removing the anxiety and judgment sometimes related to the birth process.
We sat with these women and heard their powerful stories and now share their power with you.
*This is our second session of recordings with women who serve as midwives from the Motherbirth booth at the American College of Nurse-Midwives Annual Conference.
In This Episode:
Show Notes:
Listen to Episode #68 — “Peyote In Labor, Feminism, and Running Away From the Army”
College Backer — Listeners of Motherbirth receive a $10 match contribution with this link
In today’s episode, we speak with three extraordinary women who are dedicating their lives to the service of others. All three are birth workers who embrace respecting a woman’s cultural heritage and traditions. They candidly share their personal journeys and the wisdom they have cultivated over their many years of service.
T’Karima believes that birth is a ceremony. She is an American who deeply identifies with her Mexican roots. She is researching a highly controversial topic — using peyote during labor and giving birth in sweat lodges like many indigenous Latin American cultures do.
Missy is a certified midwife who serves all people. She is an advocate of human rights and for the LGBTQ+ community. She is working to implement an IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) program within her practice.
Mary Rose is a nurse/midwife who left the Army at 18 when she became pregnant after being raped. She gave birth to her son at The Farm in Tennessee. She stayed at the Farm for four years as a midwife assistant apprentice and she now serves Navajo women on a reservation.
We sat with these women and heard their powerful stories and now share their power with you.
*This episode was recorded live from our Motherbirth booth at the American College of Nurse-Midwives Annual Conference.
In This Episode:
Show Notes:
American College of Nurse-Midwives Annual Conference
T’Karima Ticitl on Facebook
College Backer — Listeners of Motherbirth receive a $10 match contribution with this link
Today’s guest, Ashley Logsdon, had always wanted to have children and in the most natural way possible. During our conversation, she details each of her three birth stories - all of which took unexpected turns in the opposite direction of her birth plans. Ashley had to learn to accept the way her daughters chose to came - and by her third birth, she had learned how to advocate for the birth experience she wanted, pioneering the adoption of gentle, family-centered cesarean procedures in her local hospital.
Her experiences proved that it is possible to have an empowering experience while proactively preparing for emergency situations. Ashley is a huge proponent of educating yourself ahead of time to remove the stress and uncertainty of making big decisions in the moment.
Ashley works as a coach and educator for families who wish to connect with each other and the world in a meaningful way. Through personality assessments and the concept of a family vision, she communicates intentional living and accountability. Along with her husband and three girls, she travels the U.S. full-time, in an RV. She advocates for women, encouraging them to make their voices known, whether that be in pregnancy, birth, health care or anywhere else.
This was a fun and inspiring conversation full of really practical tips for mothers facing cesarean birth, but also for anyone wanting to create an intentional family life full of joy and purpose!
Expectful is a guided meditation app for each stage of the motherhood journey — you can sign up for an exclusive one-month free trial here!
In This Episode:
Show Notes:
Mama Says Namaste
Mama Says Namaste Podcast
Mama Says Namaste on Instagram
Expectful — One Month Free Trial for MotherBirth Community Members
