In this episode of Evening Tea, Chaya sits down with Chinese medicine practitioner Miriam Pineles for a slow, curious conversation about acupuncture, healing, and the ways women’s bodies ask us to move at a different pace.

This conversation begins with a simple curiosity. Many of us have heard of acupuncture, maybe even tried it once or twice, but rarely do we hear about the deeper philosophy behind it or how it can support women through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Together, Chaya and Miriam explore what it means to approach healing without rushing, and how the body, the mind, and our emotional histories are often more intertwined than we realize.

They speak about the pressure many women feel to “bounce back” after birth, why slowing down can sometimes be the most important form of healing, and how practices like acupuncture and Chinese medicine create space for the body to restore itself in its own time. The conversation gently moves through pregnancy preparation, labor, emotional release, and the unseen work women carry in their bodies.

This episode isn’t about adding another thing to your list. It’s about remembering that options exist, and that there are women quietly doing work that helps other women feel supported, listened to, and less alone in their healing.

Pour yourself a cup of tea and settle in. 

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In this episode of Evening Tea, we open a gentle, honest conversation about the emotional undercurrents of pregnancy, postpartum, and womanhood, and one of the many ways women seek support when big feelings stay put.

Together with Fruma Weiss, we explore Emotion Code and Body Code as practices that some mothers turn to when the physical and emotional overlap in ways that are hard to name but impossible to ignore. This isn’t about offering a fix or defining a belief system. It’s about widening the landscape of what support can look like, especially in seasons where the traditional tools don’t touch what’s happening underneath.

We talk about what it means to feel “off,” why emotions sometimes linger, how the body holds what the mind can’t process, and why curiosity, not certainty, is often the doorway to relief.

If you’ve ever wondered why certain feelings won’t move, or if you’ve sensed that something deeper is asking for your attention, this conversation is an invitation to listen in and feel less alone.

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Tonight I’m sitting down with my own two-time homebirth midwife, Tania Zirulnik.

This conversation is about what safety really means in birth. About autonomy. About being guided without being pushed. About holding both trust in your body and clinical responsibility in the same room.

We talk through common fears around homebirth, the difference between support and control, and what it looks like for a woman to lead her own birth — within the realms of safety.

We also touch on postpartum, emotional vulnerability, and the importance of building support before you need it.

If you’ve ever wondered whether trusting yourself and prioritizing safety can coexist — this one is for you.

Pour a cup of tea and settle in.

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When I think about my first birth, the word that comes up is surrender. In this episode of Evening Tea, I share my full positive home birth story, an unmedicated, midwife-assisted, water-supported birth at 40+6 weeks gestation. From acupuncture on my due date to consciously releasing control, from waking up with my water broken with meconium to walking through early labor, from using the Bradley Method for partner-supported breathing to four and a half hours of pushing, to immediate skin-to-skin and delayed cord clamping, this is a detailed, honest account of a physiological birth at home. We touch on trusting intuition in pregnancy, preparing for natural labor, laboring at home, the tub experience, and postpartum recovery in our own bed. This is not medical advice and it is not a blueprint. It is simply one positive home birth story told gently and reflectively. If you are searching for home birth stories, natural birth experiences, or calm, empowering labor narratives, I hope this episode feels grounding, intimate, and real.

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This episode is a slow, honest conversation about inner communication and self-care as lived experience.

I’m joined by Yita for a nighttime conversation about listening to the body, trusting yourself without having all the answers, and staying present through hesitation, uncertainty, and emotional intensity. We talk about movement, stillness, creativity, spirituality, and what it looks like to come back to yourself again and again—without fixing or forcing.

There’s no agenda here and no conclusions to reach. Just a real conversation, unfolding in its own time.

Pour yourself a cup of tea, settle in, and listen gently.

You can find Yita @thewildproject_

You Can Heal Your Body by Louise Hay ⁠- https://amzn.to/4a47oVq
⁠Heal Your Body by Louise Hay⁠ - https://amzn.to/4tnIc3E

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So much of postpartum is endured quietly. The exhaustion, the overwhelm, the unmet needs that many mothers never expected or were never told to prepare for. In this episode of Evening Tea, I’m sitting down with postpartum doula Ruta Cohen of Whole Postpartum for an honest, grounded conversation about what postpartum really asks of a woman.

We talk about why postpartum support is so often missing, the pressure to bounce back, and how different things can feel when a mother is truly held before she reaches a breaking point. This conversation is not about doing postpartum perfectly. It is about slowing down, softening expectations, and remembering that care is not something you earn.

Whether you are pregnant, newly postpartum, or reflecting back on your own experience, this episode is meant to leave you feeling calmer, less alone, and more supported.

You can find Ruta at @whole_postpartum on Instagram.

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This is a solo Evening Tea - no guest, no agenda, no pressure to land anywhere.

In this episode, I share my personal journey growing up in a holistic home, how my relationship with food and care has changed over time, and what it’s looked like to redefine “holistic living” as an adult, partner, and mother. We talk about listening to the body, navigating differences without abandoning yourself, sitting with questions instead of rushing to answers, and choosing what feels aligned even when it’s imperfect.

This conversation isn’t meant to teach or convince. It’s meant to sit with you.

If you’re listening at night, I hope this feels like a hug.

If you’re still figuring things out, you’re not behind.

Some things are still steeping, and that’s okay.

Pour a cup of tea, settle in, and let this be gentle company.

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Pour yourself a cup of tea and settle in: this is Evening Tea. In our very first episode, I introduce myself, share my journey into holistic living, and explain why this space exists. From movement and nutrition to postpartum, natural medicine, and the power of community, we’ll explore what it means to live intentionally and listen to your intuition. Whether you’re a mother, hoping to become one, or simply a woman curious about holistic health, this episode is an invitation to slow down, get curious, and feel seen.

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