Becoming Parents Podcast

Alexandra is a mom to 3 children, and the founder of Just the Inserts, a platform dedicated to empowering individuals with accessible, transparent information about medical choices. With a solid research background and a passion for informed consent, she guides people through the complexities of pharmaceutical products and decisions. Her commitment to clear, reliable information has earned her recognition as a trusted voice in the community, helping countless individuals make more informed, confident healthcare decision

Website: www.justtheinserts.com

Socials:

Instagram: @Justtheinserts 

@Justthealternatives 

X: @Justtheinserts

I started with saying NO to having babies (with the guy I was married to). 

This took me down the fertility rabbit hole trying to figure out if I was going to be able to have a child one day, with the right person. 

Eventually, I met the right person, and worked to prep my body for a year before saying yes to getting pregnant - and we got pregnant on the first try. 

Pregnancy was easy & birth was not! 

From induction to flailing epidurals, it was 36 hours of labor before meeting our baby boy. He's now 7, and parenting is... fun, challenging, and exhausting -- especially while being a serial entrepreneur.

I'm the CEO of Holistic Fertility Institute- training doctors who want to specialize in fertility, and supporting couples who want to conceive. 

I'm also the co-founder of Madre Fertility, the first Smart Fertility Analyzer that uses AI to help couples understand the root causes of their fertility struggles. 

FIND HER HERE:Instagram.com/holisticfertilitydoctor

holisticfertilityinstitute.com 

madrefertility.com

I’ve spent 20+ years leading remote teams—first as an EVP at DreamWorks and a VP at 20th Century Fox and then as a 3x tech CEO.  Along the way I learned that what actually makes remote work successful isn’t what most people focus on…and I picked up some amusing stories that illustrate these learnings.

I run a community of 34K productivity-minded people in The Sukha and I've heard your name from some of them. I’d love to join you on Becoming Parents - Birth Stories and Birthwork Wisdom to share the unexpected lessons from Hollywood and tech—things that remote workers and leaders rarely hear but need to know. 

I run a remote working community and I've studied the last 6 years about Flow States, tips and tricks to maintain focus while working from home. Sukha is the focus app for remote work.

I'm having my first child (son/IVF) in November and this summer I am sharing lessons I've learned along the way.

www.thesukha.co/media has fun content about my journey, things I can speak to with intelligence and humor, etc. etc.

I run a remote working community and app.

FIND HIM HERE:

www.TheSukha.co

[email protected]
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-puri/

I was a stepmom before I was a mom. So my first child was my husband's third child. 

I have two kids and two stepkids with a pretty fair age-gap between them and bringing everybody together as a family was harder than expected. 

I was surprised at how isolating motherhood was ... I was never alone and also felt alone. I did not have depression. 

The second birth was much faster than expected and without pain relief which was not at all my plan ...but it is how it went. :-)

Amy Stone is an author, coach, and creator of The Art of Imperfect Adulting, where she champions adults navigating life's rich complexities. Through her engaging interview-style podcast and vibrant online community, she empowers individuals to embrace non-linear life journeys and continuous personal growth. She’s a mom, a stepmom and a seven-time Ironman finisher who bakes sourdough bread. Amy combines lived experience with practical guidance to foster authentic personal development.

FIND HER HERE:

Website: https://imperfectadulting.com/

Facebook IA: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564917968308 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartof_imperfect_adulting 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@imperfectadulting 

• Going from a potential career in pharmacy to chiropractic. 

• Experience as a chiropractic patient with college athletic performance. 

• Chiropractic chose me. 

• Inspired to help kids and women during their pregnancy. 

• 7 years in practice, miracles, running my own business and creating community.

• Grew up in Hawaii, but stayed in the mainland for opportunities

I am a holistic family chiropractor. My practice is called The Village Chiropractic and Family Wellness

FIND HER HERE:

@dr.kaitlynshikada 

@thevillage.chiro

* I discovered that I was pregnant at age 29 a month after opening my own solo legal practice in a suburb of Cleveland, OH

* My partner and I grew up in Louisville, KY. Our families were there, so we had no day-to-day support from them

* My law school colleagues were practicing law 5 to 6 hours' drive away from where I was living.

* I had to build my own tribe as a working mother.  My partner was working 70 or more hours a week.  So, although he was providing food and shelter, I was on my own as a parent and business woman.

* I suffered a bad miscarriage when my son was 2 years old, and was hospitalized for a week because of heavy bleeding and passing lots of blood clots.  My mother flew in and took care of my son and brought him to the hospital to visit me. It was years later that I finally felt the grief of this loss and allowed myself to heal from this trauma.

* I divorced when my son was almost 3 years old and he developed ADHD. I went on a healing journey to help him, and in the process began healing myself. I studied all kinds of healing modalities in an effort to keep him off drugs for his condition.

* I have been a working mother - married, divorced, remarried and single since my son was born

* He is now a successful entrepreneur with a son of his own.

For years, I was an attorney.  I am still licensed to practice law in Colorado.  I owned a sold a solo practice that I started in Lakewood, OH, a suburb of Cleveland

I used the proceeds of the sale to buy into a firm in Longmont, CO, near Denver, and became a partner in the firm. We sold the firm several years ago

I opened Jewel Consultancy, and am the CEO of the company offering Work-Life Harmony and Balance Coaching, Transformational Mentoring and Soul Readings.

FIND HER HERE:

https://jewelconsultancy.com

https://www.facebook.com/arlene.jewel/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/arlene-cohen-miller-54435b59/

https://x.com/JewelCoachPCC

https://www.instagram.com/jewelcoach2/

https://www.tiktok.com/@jewelcoach2?lang=en

https://www.youtube.com/@arlenecmiller

- 3 birth experiences

- 1) intended home birth with midwife, ended as cesarean due to cholestasis

- 2) heartbreak of a 24-week fatal diagnosis, termination, vaginal delivery to a stillborn baby (my son Wilde) 

- 3) rainbow baby through a VBAC after induced labor with repeat cholestasis

- career shifted to being a postpartum doula at 39

- work to shift the narrative around postpartum care, rest, recovery

- left my marriage after 17 years together, became a "part time single mom" - most challenging and brave decision I had to make

I'm a postpartum doula and poet/author. 

FIND HER HERE:

www.fosterwilson.com

www.instagram.com/thefosterwilson

I was adopted in the 1960s, at birth. Became a parent in the 1990s. My life journey led to self discovery and searching for birth mother. I discovered things about her and her life that answered the fundamental questions - where did I come from? What does 'home' mean?

I am a co-founder of a healthcare start up

FIND HIM HERE:

https://www.mark-jamilkowski-author.com/

https://x.com/RoadtoMoresco

- I had my dream home birth in December 2022

- Discuss motherhood while managing a small business, the pros and challenges that come with this

- 2 years + journey breastfeeding

- motherhood has only further my mission, and calling for the work that I do and very much inspired the launch of my podcast - the legacy of love

Sara Ecklein is dedicated to bringing healing and peace to individuals during end-of-life transitions. As the founder of Trust & Honor, a mindful fiduciary agency, she serves as a trusted partner and compassionate advocate for clients in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Sara also hosts The Legacy of Love podcast, where she redefines what it means to plan for the future with intention and heart.

Sara’s mission was shaped by her profound experience witnessing a loved one’s final days. Since 2014, she has worked in the private professional fiduciary field, specializing in issues affecting senior and disabled populations. 

Sara is a CA Licensed Professional Fiduciary and a Certified National Guardian. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and toddler and works every day to build her legacy of love.

FIND HER HERE:

https://www.trustandhonor.co/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067625615341

https://www.instagram.com/themindfulfiduciary/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-ecklein/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-legacy-of-love/id1756395177

- As a teenager I was taught - as many are - that slip up once in the bed and you are pregnant

- Always figured kids would simply happen but they weren't my one big dream that would make me satisfied in life. I have always been spontaneous and loved adventure and travel and possibility. 

- Decided to get married. Decided to have kids. 3 years later, not pregnant. 

- lucked out to be living in Cambridgeshire England (we're Canadian) at that exact time, as IVF was covered by public health for 3 rounds. 

- felt grateful and lucky

- One fresh round, pregnant. Twins. Early miscarriage. 

- frozen round, 2 put in, one baby created on Canada day, ironically, and brought me my first child. 

- gestational diabetes, frequent monitoring, super healthy, early induction 37 weeks and 4 days. 

- emergency c section, with plenty of trauma, blood loss, full general anesthetic, baby with group b strep, 9 days in the hospital,husband not allowed overnight. 

- baby sick with snotty cold full 2nd month

- then I felt like I was born to be a mother for 3 years. Brought my baby with me on adventures, 

Built a community of other spontaneous folk. 

- Got pregnant with second with no IVF, somewhat without trying

- took control of birth, doula, different hospital, the full deal. 

- 2nd child 3 years apart. Very hard. Couldn't meet everyone's needs. Isolated in England. 

- Moved back to Canada March 2020 in height of pandemic 

- a dark year of feeling no purpose

- then started an applied positive psychology course, then the coaching course, and found my community of people who want to learn similar things to me and found myself again. 

- now, I coach, I learn, I take small courageous steps and I'm building The Courage Club, where women meet, play, laugh, and try new things together to build our courage muscles...so that when we want to go for that big, audacious dream, our bodies and brains remember that we can do scary things. 

Mel Findlater is a passionate Possibility Coach, nature lover, and mother of two, dedicated to helping women embrace their big, audacious dreams with courage and playfulness. As the founder of Permission to Be Human and Courage Club, she empowers women to connect with their purpose, stretch their comfort zones, and take bold steps toward meaningful impact. With certifications in applied positive psychology coaching, forest school education, and laughter yoga, Mel blends her love of play, nature, and connection into all of her work. Known for her warm, authentic nature, Mel creates safe spaces for women to grow, connect, and thrive - together.

FIND HER HERE:

Website: https://www.permissiontobehuman.ca/

Podcast: https://www.permissiontobehuman.ca/podcasts/permission-to-be-human-the-podcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/permissiontobehumanco

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/permissiontobehumancoaching/