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How does living in deep relationship to the seasons and cycles of nature impact your sense of belonging on the earth?

Today's guest, co-founder of Moon Seeds planner - Erica Ela Bartoli, spent some formative years traveling and living in intimate connection with the elements, first in a yurt and later as she traveled around Africa, with the sky often as her ceiling.

During these "rewilding" years, she began to more deeply connect with the lunar cycles (new and full moons), the seasons, and her own body.

Eventually, she began leading moon circles, and from there found her way to co-creating this planner which got her more in touch with tracking her menstrual cycle and realizing how aligned cyclical living was with her lifestyle of seasonal living.

Her story is hers to tell and in this conversation, you'll hear how life-changing synching to her cycle has been, and why she's chosen to continue living in a yurt with her children in the forests of Oregon.

We also talk about the history and practice of holding red tent spaces in large gatherings or in communities, what they entail, why they're important and so much more!

Resources:

• Sign up for the waitlist for winter 2026 Natural Contraception the Herbal Way program!
• Free Track Your Cycle Naturally (FAM) guide
• Episode 42: Reclaim your menstruation with rest, ritual & replenishment
• Check out the planner! Moonseeds.love (discount code: wombwisdom)

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you. ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal health concerns.

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Click here to send me a quick message :)

So much of life these days seems to be polarized. As if the world is black and white, right and wrong. And this is no different in the birth world.

As social media reach has taken hold, I've been watching the rise of polarity especially in the "free birth" community. Honestly, I had friends freebirthing before Instagram existed, but I also trained in homebirth midwifery for 5 years.

So my frame has always been pretty nuanced.

I've witnessed empowered hands-off births at home, more hands-on home birth midwifery styles, birth center births with nurse midwives, empowered hospital births and even the cascade of interventions happen in hospitals.

Over the years of my midwifery training and birth work (this was 10-15 years ago), I became curious about more hands-off styles in home settings. My favorite births I witnessed were the ones where the midwives left (I was a doula) and/or sat in the corner knitting or reading for hours.

And this is exactly the kind of story Leah shares in this week's episode. Except even more surprising in some ways. Her birth was truly self-directed, and the midwives seemed to be holding the container of safety, offering options and reminders and cervical checks when she asked for them, but always deferring back to her direction.

There is so much in this story that I hope plants seeds of possibility of nuance in the spectrum of what's possible in birth.

And she also shares about the practice of postpartum yoni steaming, and how that was a key to her personal pelvic floor healing after her severe tear which required surgery. So you'll hear about that, too!

I could go on and on, because this episode really is a must-listen from my perspective, we all deserve to hear stories like these!

Resources:

• Sign up for the waitlist for Natural Contraception the Herbal Way program!
• Free Track Your Cycle Naturally (FAM) guide
• Today's shownotes: Get links to Leah's steaming + birthwork offerings
• Episode 25: Immediate postpartum care the herbal way w Liz Philbrick
• Harvard study -- reduced inflammation through kinder self-talk
  • couldn't find the study but found these:
    • Mindfulness + positive health outcomes - Harvard professor Ellen Langer + Harvard Health
    • Emodiversity + Biomarkers of Inflammation

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you. ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal health concerns.

Support the show

Click here to send me a quick message :)

Holy mama! This week is monumental and I want to honor it with you because this podcast would be nothing without the community of thousands of listeners who have tuned in over time. THANK YOU.

Today marks episode 200!!

So I decided to craft a simple episode highlighting the power of celebration -- to embody the practice of celebrating (including 2 of my biggest celebrations from this podcast journey) and invite you to join me in this podcast party too.

A lot of times we associate the buoyancy of summer with joy and celebration.

But ancestral traditions across cultures also come together in the darkest nights of the year to find and bring the light into the darkness, often together, often in celebration.

So, while this time of the year has a very different quality than bright summer days, it is an entirely appropriate time to tune into quiet reflection and receptivity AS you are also finding the guiding light and celebration.

So please join me in celebrating Herbal Womb Wisdom's 200th episode!! In whatever ways feel great for you.

Resources:

• Today's shownotes: The medicine of celebration
• Join the waitlist: Natural Contraception, The Herbal Way
• Episode 19: Pelvic liberation and softening w Chaya Leia Aronson
• Episode 61: Pelvic wisdom - healing trauma w Dr Emily Wilson
• Episode 77: Myofascial release for pelvis + chest w Lindsay Courcelle
• Episode 119: Clearing womb trauma w Dr Sarah Wylie
• Episode 141: Uterine unwinding w Dr Kathryn Kloos
• Episode 192: Pleasure as medicine w Dr Emily Wilson

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you. ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal health concerns.

Support the show