Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual violence, trafficking, systemic abuse of power, reproductive rights, and medical trauma. Please listen with care and tend to yourself as needed.

In this episode of Transformed by Birth, I'm joined by somatic practitioner, embodiment coach, feminist health care advocate, and full-spectrum doula Pamela Samuelson for a courageous and deeply grounded conversation about bodily sovereignty in this cultural moment.

Together, we explore what it means to trust your body when systems of power undermine that trust. We talk about the continuum between reproductive rights, beauty standards, sexual violence, medical paternalism, and the subtle ways we are taught to doubt our own sensations.

Pam shares how reclaiming anatomy, touch, and embodied authority is not just personal work, but cultural resistance. We explore how self-trust is built through sensation, relationship, and community, and why becoming a parent can both expose and strengthen our roots.

This conversation is an invitation to remember: your body is not property, it is yours.

LEARN MORE

In this episode of Transformed by Birth, I'm joined by certified advanced birth doula, perinatal educator, international speaker, bestselling author, and the voice behind the Birthful podcast, Adriana Lozada, for a conversation that feels like it needs its own music intro.

Together, we explore the time warp of pregnancy, birth, and new parenthood. We talk about why minutes can feel like days while months disappear in a blink, how modern clock time clashes with physiology, and why timing contractions can become the first intervention in labor.

We also explore postpartum as baby time, what it means to hold a "both and" reality when life demands productivity while your body and baby move slowly, and how to build real support with intention. This episode is a grounding reframe for anyone wondering what happened to their ability to get anything done.

LEARN MORE

In this episode of Transformed by Birth, I'm joined by perinatal care specialist and Resilience Toolkit facilitator Mikaela Lynn for a grounded conversation about stress, nervous system regulation, and what it means to build resilience in the perinatal year.

Together, we explore why stress isolates us from our bodies, our relationships, and our sense of choice, and why resilience is not about pushing through but about strengthening flexibility and restoring connection. Mikaela shares a practical framework for self-assessment, how to find pockets of relative safety in a time of systemic stress, and why stabilization is the priority during pregnancy, birth, and early postpartum.

This episode is for parents navigating this turbulent time, for anyone recovering from birth trauma, and for perinatal professionals who want to support others without abandoning their own nervous systems.

LEARN MORE

In this episode of Transformed by Birth, I am joined by coach, doula, and author Jessie Harrold for a rich and deeply validating conversation about matrescence, the profound identity transformation that unfolds as we become mothers.

Together, we explore motherhood as a rite of passage rather than a pathology. Jessie shares her four elements model of radical transformation and helps us name what so many parents feel but rarely have language for: the grief, anger, ambivalence, and disorientation that accompany this becoming.

We talk about why losing yourself in motherhood is not failure but part of the developmental arc of transformation, how adult development theory helps us hold paradox with more skill, and why reclaiming motherhood from cultural extremes matters.

This episode invites you to honor both the unbecoming and the becoming, and to remember that you are not broken. You are becoming.

LEARN MORE

In this episode of Transformed by Birth, I'm joined by somatic trauma consultant, author, and maternal health advocate Parijat Deshpande for a deeply grounding conversation about high-risk pregnancy, preterm birth, and the NICU experience.

Together, we explore what the term "high-risk" actually means, how it is often misunderstood, and why hearing that label can be so destabilizing to the nervous system. Parijat brings clarity to the psychology and physiology of stress in pregnancy, helping us understand how fear, uncertainty, and incomplete stress responses affect the body and the birth experience.

This episode centers the lived experience of parents. We talk about trauma, grief, self-blame, and the often unseen emotional toll of high-risk pregnancy and NICU stays. We also explore practical, embodied tools for working with stress, supporting the nervous system, and reclaiming agency in moments when parents feel powerless.

LEARN MORE

In this episode, I'm joined by licensed therapist and author Vanessa Bennett for a powerful conversation about the stories we've inherited about motherhood, identity, intimacy, and worth.

Together, we explore what Vanessa calls "the motherhood myth," the cultural narrative that tells parents they should feel endlessly fulfilled, selfless, and complete through parenting alone. We unpack how patriarchy, capitalism, and shame-based conditioning shape modern family life, why so many parents feel isolated and overwhelmed, and how reclaiming agency and selfhood becomes part of the rite of passage into parenthood.

This conversation is honest, layered, and deeply validating. It invites you to question what you've been taught, reconnect with your inner authority, and remember that feeling stretched, disoriented, or dissatisfied is not personal failure — it is a response to a system that was never built to truly support families.

LEARN MORE

In this episode of Transformed by Birth, we explore the pelvic floor as a powerful and often misunderstood center of physical, emotional, and relational health with pelvic floor physical therapist, educator, and author Dr. Sara Reardon.

Together, we unpack why pelvic floor care matters not only during pregnancy and postpartum, but across the entire lifespan. We talk about the deep connections between the pelvic floor and identity, sexuality, confidence, movement, and healing, and why so many people are left without education or support during some of the most transformative seasons of life.

This conversation invites you to step out of shame and silence, reclaim agency in your body, and understand pelvic floor health as essential, not optional. Whether you are pregnant, postpartum, navigating midlife changes, or supporting families professionally, this episode offers clarity, compassion, and practical wisdom.

LEARN MORE

In this episode, we explore the neuroscience of nurturing, connection, and early brain development with neuroscientist, author, and mother Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum. Together, we unpack why the first three years of life are such a critical window for mental health, emotional regulation, and relational resilience.

We talk about how modern parenting culture often pulls families away from what babies actually need, and how understanding the science of nervous system regulation, co-regulation, and attunement can simplify parenting rather than adding more pressure.

This conversation is an invitation to slow down, reconnect with your instincts, and remember that nurturing is not about perfection. Whether you are pregnant, postpartum, parenting young children, or supporting families professionally, this episode offers clarity, compassion, and a powerful reframe for what truly supports both babies and parents.

LEARN MORE