In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, I’m joined by Charlotte, also known as The Smart Doula (Instagram: @the. smart.doula Website: www.thesmartdoula.com

Charlotte shares her personal experience of perinatal mental health challenges, lifting the curtain on what can feel invisible, confusing and incredibly isolating in pregnancy and early parenthood. As a doula supporting others through birth and the postnatal period, she brings a unique perspective, both as a professional holding space for families and as a mother navigating her own mental health journey.

We talk openly about the emotional realities that often go unspoken: intrusive thoughts, identity shifts, expectations versus reality, and the quiet pressure to “cope.” Charlotte speaks candidly about what helped, what didn’t, and how support, understanding and self-compassion became essential parts of her recovery.

She also shares her deep passion for helping parents and birthing people set firm boundaries and clear expectations around their birth experiences. We explore how advocacy, informed choice and feeling truly heard can shape not only birth itself, but the mental health outcomes that follow.

Charlotte speaks movingly about her husband’s experience of trauma alongside her during their first birth. We reflect on how birth impacts partners too, and how, together, they processed what happened, strengthened their communication, and felt more prepared and equipped for the arrival of their second child.

This episode is for parents, birthing and non birthing individuals and parents-to-be, birth workers and anyone wanting a more honest conversation about perinatal mental health. It’s for those who have struggled silently, and for those who may not yet have the words for what they are experiencing.

Sharing these stories matters. It reduces shame. It builds connection. And it reminds us that you can be knowledgeable, capable and still need support.

UK Perinatal Mental Health Support

If you are struggling, you are not alone. Support is available.

You can contact your local NHS perinatal mental health team via your GP, midwife or health visitor.

For urgent mental health support in England, call NHS 111 and select Option 2.

In an emergency, phone 999.

You can also access specialist support through:PANDAS Foundation – helpline and support for perinatal mental illnessMind – information and local servicesSamaritans – call 116 123 for 24/7 emotional support

To connect with me about this episode or enquire about support through OT_Intuition, you can:

Email: [email protected] Follow and message via Instagram: @ot_intuition

Subscribe here: https://linktr.ee/ot_intuition

Website: otintuition.co.uk/home

If this conversation resonates, please follow, share and help us continue bringing honest, life-changing discussions into the light.

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You cannot regulate without first entering a place of safety and connection.

If you're stuck in fight, flight, or freeze mode, your body isn’t in a state where true regulation and rewiring can occur. The brain is misreading the moment as danger.  An intrusive thought can trigger panic or shutdown. You spiral, trying to solve or escape the thought, but your nervous system is locked in survival mode.

Let me share a quick story about my rescue dog, Dolly.

When Dolly first came home, she was hypervigilant. A sudden movement, a loud sound, even a gentle touch could send her into freeze or flight. Her body didn’t yet know safety. But over time, through consistent connection, gentle cues, and co-regulation, she began to soften. Her tail wagged more. Her eyes relaxed. Her body learned: “I am safe now.”

Humans aren’t so different.

To begin healing, we must speak to our nervous system in a language it understands—safety, connection, presence. Here are a few ways to do that:

🌿 Orient to your environment Look around. Name five things you see. Let your body know: “I am here, and I am safe.”

🫱 Touch with intention Place a hand on your heart or cheek. Gentle touch can signal safety faster than words.

🎶 Use sound to soothe Hum, sing, or listen to calming music. Vibrations help regulate the vagus nerve.

👥 Connect with someone safe Even a brief moment of eye contact or a shared laugh can shift your state.

This is how we begin to rewire. Not through force, but through safety. Through connection. Through repetition.

Your body is listening. Let’s speak to it with kindness.

With warmth, Jen @OT_Intuition The Intuitive Living Collective 

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🎙️ OT_Intuition | The Intuitive Living Podcast

Series 1: Perinatal OCD

Episode 5 – Katie: From Prison to Parenthood

⚠️ Content Warning:

This episode includes discussion of traumatic events, including the loss of loved ones and systemic failure in mental health services. While no graphic details are shared, some listeners may find aspects emotionally triggering.

Please take care while listening. Feel free to pause, skip, or return at a later time. Support resources are listed in the show notes.

In this deeply moving and honest episode, I sit down with Katie, a fellow queer occupational therapist whose path into the profession was shaped not only by her psychology background, but also by profound personal loss. She witnessed first-hand the positive impact OTs had on those struggling with their mental health.

Whilst starting her initial training in clinical psychology, Katie experienced a traumatic event involving the devastating loss of people she considered family. A tragedy connected to systemic failures in mental health services.

This heartbreaking chapter became the seed for a purpose-led journey, and the unexpected decision to return to university and undertake another degree, this time, in occupational therapy.

We explore:

🌱 Navigating trauma and finding meaning through a career shift into OT

🔒 Her work in forensic medium secure and prison settings

👶 The raw identity shift into parenthood — including intrusive thoughts and hallucinations

❤️‍🩹 Choosing self-employment and eventually accepting the need to reach out for therapy to support her own growth and recovery 

This episode is about what happens when systems fail, and how we slowly begin again. It’s a story of emotional labour, identity, quiet strength, and the rebuilding that follows trauma.

Whether you’re an OT, a parent, or someone navigating your own season of change….this conversation is for you.

💚 Follow @OT_Intuition – The Intuitive Living Podcast for grounded, real-world conversations about identity, regulation, and intuitive living.

#OTIntuition #IntuitiveLivingPodcast #OccupationalTherapy #PerinatalOCD #TraumaInformedCare #ForensicOT #ParenthoodAndPurpose #MentalHealthMatters #NeuroaffirmingCare #AuthenticLiving

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Phone your local crisis line if you need support now! Emergency? Phone 999. Otherwise call NHS 111 Option 2

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 Parenthood: From Overwhelm to Intuition - A Personal Journey

In this deeply personal episode, I (Jenna – founder of OT_Intuition) step out into the spotlight to share my own lived experience of Perinatal OCD. As a queer, neurodivergent parent and professional, I know what it’s like to feel like you’re losing yourself during the perinatal period. To be both a professional and someone navigating the crushing intensity of intrusive thoughts, compulsions, and shame.

This episode is a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt:

•  Afraid to name their thoughts
•  Buried under guilt and ‘shoulds’
•  Desperate for peace, purpose, and permission to be human

 I share how I moved from hiding my pain to honouring my intuition. Using ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), regulation strategies, and radical self acceptance to come home to myself.

 Listen in NOW to hear about: 

 Living with Perinatal OCD as a parent and a professional

 How intuition became my compass

Embracing authenticity from a place of lived healing and purpose

If you’ve ever whispered “Is this normal?” in the dark, this episode is for you.

 You are not broken. You are not alone. You are welcome here. 

Perinatal OCD is more than just an obsession with cleanliness or order. It manifests through intrusive thoughts and compulsions that can be debilitating. For me, it began with intrusive thoughts linked to trauma, spiraling into a cycle of anxiety and self-doubt. The shame and fear associated with these thoughts often made it difficult to seek help or even acknowledge the problem.

The Impact on parenthood is a profound experience, but when coupled with mental health challenges, it can become a source of anxiety. My journey involved grappling with thoughts that targeted my deepest values—my love and care for my children. The fear of causing harm, despite knowing it was irrational, was paralyzing. It affected my ability to be present with my children, leading to feelings of guilt and inadequacy.

Therapy played a crucial role in my recovery. Through exposure response prevention and acceptance and commitment therapy, I learned to unhook from intrusive thoughts and reconnect with my true self. These therapies helped me embrace uncertainty and focus on what truly matters—my values and the love I have for my family.

Balancing parenthood and mental health as a queer neurodivergent professional is an ongoing journey. It requires patience, self-compassion, and a willingness to seek help. By sharing my story, I hope to shed light on the realities of perinatal OCD and encourage others to seek support. Remember, you are not alone, and healing is possible.

Subscribe now to stay updated on more stories and insights into everything OT and my passion of living intuitively. 

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Visit OCD ACTION for advice, support and online groups and webinars

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Phone your local crisis line if you need support now! Emergency? Phone 999. Otherwise call NHS 111 Option 2

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A quick hello from your friendly OT and Coach - Founder of OT_Intuition Intuitive Living Podcast - Jenna Anderson-Frost. HELLO! :D 

Listen for a weee round up on what’s to come. Get in touch if you would like to be considered as a guest to share your stories. Maybe it’s related to OT and how it may have supported you to live authentically. A journey you have had with your own identity and finding a way to embrace your authentic true self. A mental health crisis that you feel could shed light on an under discussed area,  and/or just help others in relating to someone going through the same thing, someone who may not even have a name for what they’re  experiencing yet. Sharing our journeys, insights and support tools can save lives. DM me or email: [email protected] 

Hi and thank you for spending time with me and listening to all the exciting and hopefully supportive (I like to think life saving or at least life altering) for many. If you like what you hear please do follow, share and continue to support me. I value your input and feedback. Requests for topic suggestions you want to hear about can be considered. So I am always a DM away. Otherwise Subscribe 

Here ➡️ https://linktr.ee/ot_intuition?utm_source=linktree_admin_share

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Phone your local crisis line if you need support now! Emergency? Phone 999. Otherwise call NHS 111 Option 2

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OT_Intuition Intuitive Living Podcast| Series 1: Perinatal OCD | Episode Two: Lisa

When the People Meant to Help… Don’t. 

In this deeply personal episode, Lisa opens up about her experience with intense anxiety and harm OCD during the perinatal period; and the shame, fear, and judgement that followed.

She speaks bravely about the devastating impact of being misunderstood and dismissed by professionals, including a moment in an “anxious mums” group that took an unthinkable turn and felt like a living nightmare.

Through her own perseverance and self-led research, she found clarity and the right support and treatment. 

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt alone, ashamed, or failed by the systems meant to protect them.

You are not broken.

You are not dangerous.

You are not alone.

Follow @OT_Intuition and listen now.

#PerinatalOCD #HarmOCD #OCDAwareness #MentalHealthMatters #YouAreNotAlone #OTIntuitionPodcast

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Visit OCD ACTION for advice, support and online groups and webinars

Visit NoOCD for advice, treatment and signposting

Phone your local crisis line if you need support now! Emergency? Phone 999. Otherwise call NHS 111 Option 2

Send us a text

Trigger Warning. Some information shared in this podcast may be distressing to some listeners, please listen with caution and if you need to seek immediate support contact your local crisis line via 111 or Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org/branches/bristol/

https://bristolmind.org.uk/help-in-a-crisis/

Jules shares her experience of living with Pure OCD and its many distressing themes—including intrusive thoughts that deeply challenged her character and sense of self. 

For years, her symptoms were misunderstood as generalised anxiety, and she was often given the wrong treatment. Professionals lacked training and awareness around OCD, particularly Pure and Somatic OCD, and even after receiving a diagnosis, access to appropriate support was limited. It took a long time, but eventually, through the right knowledge, support, and treatment, she discovered the path to resisting the compulsion to seek Certainty, Comfort, and Clarity.

Episode 2 Dropping Soon! 

Resource Toolkit From Our Perinatal OCD Squad: 

. OCD action Charity 

. OCD stories podcasts

. Johnny say Therapy 

. The book ‘Break free from OCD’

. My Anxiety Toolkit Kimberley Quinn 

. Jenna Overbaugh 

. Kimberly Nixon (From Freshmeat) 

. Taming Olivia 

. Alegra Kastens 

And having a support network  🫶

Support the show

Visit OCD ACTION for advice, support and online groups and webinars

Visit NoOCD for advice, treatment and signposting

Phone your local crisis line if you need support now! Emergency? Phone 999. Otherwise call NHS 111 Option 2