In this radiant conversation, Blyss sits with beloved elder midwife Anita Rojas, whose story spans from milking cows in the remote mountains of Nayarit, Mexico to nearly four decades of midwifery in Oregon. Anita shares her early life in a self-sustaining village, the traumatic hospital birth of her twins that awakened her calling, and the path that led her to serve families with reverence, faith, and fierce love.

Her wisdom is steeped in generations of traditional knowledge, spirit guidance, and deep personal healing. She speaks of her evolution from a self-taught midwife to a Tao Hands healer, her years running a busy birth center, her decision to walk away from licensure, and the power of presence and love in the birth room.

Anita shares:

• Stories of the ancestral midwives in her family
• Memories of growing up without electricity, hospitals, or stores
• How a traumatic hospital birth became the catalyst for her calling
• What it meant to be self-taught through direct experience and community learning
• Her years running a busy birth center — and why she chose to walk away
• Why she gave up her license to practice as a traditional midwife
• Her nuanced reflections on what “traditional midwife” really means
• How trauma, intuition, and spiritual guidance shape her practice
• The breathwork she teaches to help mothers come back into their bodies
• How she reclaimed her ability to attend breech births through deep personal healing
• What she believes midwifery is really about — and why it all comes back to love

“Love is going to heal — and it starts with birth.”

Mentioned in this episode:

Black & Blue Cohosh + Cotton Root Bark for Labor Induction

We explore the traditional use of black cohosh, blue cohosh, and cotton root bark to support the onset of labor. These herbs have long been part of the midwifery toolkit — used to encourage contractions, ripen the cervix, and gently stimulate the uterus when labor feels close but isn’t progressing.

Disclaimer: This is not medical advice. We share this for educational and historical purposes only. Always consult trusted resources and experienced practitioners when considering the use of herbal allies in labor.

Elizabeth Davis

Elizabeth Davis is a Certified Professional Midwife, educator, and author of Heart & Hands: A Midwife’s Guide to Pregnancy and Birth. A pioneer in the modern midwifery movement, she’s spent over four decades advocating for holistic, woman-centered care and training generations of midwives through her teaching and the National Midwifery Institute.

Further Reading & Support:

• Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susun Weed
• Herbal Healing for Women by Rosemary Gladstar
• Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year
• Consultations with elder midwives or lineage-based herbalists

Thank you to all the elders, donations and volunteers that have made this project possible.

Together, we can preserve the wisdom of elder midwives for generations to come. Give today and be part of this legacy.…please visit bridgemidwives.com for more information on how to donate.

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Archivist and Producer: Blyss Young

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