EPISODE 19: High-Risk Birth, Misinformation, and Grief — with Sarah (L&D Nurse)

In this episode, I sat down with Sarah, a labor and delivery nurse who’s spent years in high-risk birth settings and has seen the full range of what families walk through. We started with a story that hit home, Sarah shared how her little sister got dangerous misinformation from TikTok about baby movement during labor, and how that led to a traumatic delivery. That moment was a turning point for her and became part of why she now shares factual birth education online.

We talked about:

How social media misinformation can change outcomes in birth

What “high risk” actually means (and what it doesn’t mean)

Autonomy, informed consent, and why the birth team’s beliefs matter

Bias in maternity care and how it shows up, even unintentionally

What it looks like to be truly present for families in hard moments

Grief and loss, Sarah shared about losing her close friend Amy and how that pain carries into daily life and work

This episode is about education, truth, and holding space, both in birth and in grief. If you’ve ever questioned your intuition, felt overwhelmed by information online, or are walking through loss…you’re not alone.

Share this episode with a friend, a parent, or a birth worker who needs it.

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EPISODE 18: Midwives, Myths, and the Gray Areas of Birth — with Miri & Kimberly Taylor

In this episode, I sat down with two of my favorite midwives, Miri and Kimberly Taylor, to talk through some of the harder, often uncomfortable conversations happening in the birth world right now. We started with the term “lay midwife”, why it’s confusing, often misused, and how it’s frequently used to dismiss the education, skill, and experience of midwives outside the hospital system.

We talked about:

Why the term “lay midwife” creates fear and misunderstanding

The black-and-white thinking around hospital vs. home birth

What resilience really looks like in maternity care

How midwives assess whether someone is truly informed or just reacting to trauma

Why transfers are not failures, but good clinical judgment

The importance of asking hard questions and informed consent

The pressure families face to navigate a broken system

What midwives and providers can do better, inside and outside hospitals

Both Miri and Kimberly brought honesty and clarity to what safe, ethical midwifery care actually looks like, across birth centers, home births, and hospitals. This episode is about nuance, preparation, and staying grounded in evidence instead of fear or ideology.

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EPISODE 17: Birth Trauma, Loss, and Honoring Everly’s Story — with Ashley Nerison

This episode comes with a heartfelt trigger warning, as it includes discussion of traumatic birth and infant loss. I sat down with Ashley—a strong, honest mom who shared her story of losing her daughter, Everly, after a planned home birth that took a devastating turn.

We talked about:

The planning and intention behind choosing home birth

The moment labor shifted and the silence that followed

How a shoulder dystocia changed everything in an instant

The NICU stay, Everly’s five days of life, and the grief that followed

The lack of postpartum support and the importance of informed care

What Ashley wants families and birth workers to know about real risk and preparation

Ashley’s courage to tell Everly’s story is a reminder that every family deserves honest, transparent care—and that birth conversations must include both beauty and heartbreak.

Please take care of your heart as you listen.

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EPISODE 16 : Faith, Abuse, and Finding Freedom — with Detra Part II

In this episode, I sat down with my friend Detra for part two of our conversation about moving through and out of emotionally abusive marriages, especially within church settings. Both of us spent decades in marriages that looked “godly” on the outside, mine was 31 years, Detra’s was 34. What we uncovered were the hidden patterns that kept us small, confused, and convinced that silence equaled faithfulness.

We talked about:

How church culture can hide or excuse emotional abuse under “submission”

The subtle manipulation and gaslighting that wear you down over time

The healing that comes from good therapy and solid truth-based support

The CORE principles from The Emotionally Destructive Marriage by Leslie Vernick

The freedom and clarity that follow leaving toxic environments

This one’s for anyone still questioning if what they’re living through is “bad enough.” You’re not crazy. You’re not faithless. And you don’t have to keep giving yourself up to prove your worth.

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EPISODE 15: My Adoption Story — The Truth, The Layers, and The Healing 

In this episode, I’m sharing something deeply personal, my own story as an adoptee. This is where I unpack what adoption has meant in my life, the complicated emotions that come with it, and the truths I wish more people understood.

I talked about:

Challenging the idea that love alone “fixes” adoption trauma

My story of finding out I was adopted and how those emotions changed with time

The attachment patterns that shaped my childhood and motherhood

What it was like to find my biological family and get my adoption records

Why every person in the adoption triad deserves empathy and space to heal

This one’s raw and close to my heart. If you’ve ever felt unseen, disconnected, or unsure where you belong, this conversation is for you.

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EPISODE 14: Birth, Teamwork, and Trusting the Process — with Lauren & Drew

In this episode, I sat down with Lauren and Drew, a couple whose story really shows what it means to grow, adapt, and keep your power through the unpredictability of birth and life. Lauren’s a labor and delivery nurse, and Drew’s a farmer who’s seen plenty of animal births, but human birth had a few surprises of its own.

We talked about:

How Lauren’s confidence as a nurse shifted after her first birth experience

What it takes to prepare as a couple, mentally, physically, and emotionally

Drew’s perspective as a partner learning to stay grounded and supportive

The fast, unplanned home birth that tested everything they’d learned

How faith, teamwork, and flexibility helped them find peace in the chaos

Their story is a reminder that birth (and life) doesn’t always follow the plan, and that true resilience comes from education, communication, and learning to let go of control when things get real.

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EPISODE 13: Anyssa Zancanella: When Birth Goes Wrong — A Mother’s Fight for Accountability

In this episode, I sat down with Anyssa Zancanella, whose birth story exposes what can happen when hospitals stop listening and systems fail families. Her induction took a devastating turn, mishandled IVs, poor monitoring, and an absent doctor led to an emergency C-section and lifelong challenges for her daughter, Azaylee.

We covered:

The chain of preventable mistakes that changed everything

How untrained staff and missing communication made things worse

The reality of pursuing justice when hospitals avoid responsibility

What advocacy, faith, and family strength look like in the hardest seasons

This story is heavy, but it’s also full of courage and clarity. Anyssa’s resilience is a call to action: trust your gut, ask hard questions, and never let anyone silence your voice.

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EPISODE 12: Growing Up with a Congenital Heart Defect — with Christopher

In this episode, I sat down with my oldest son, Christopher, to share his story of growing up with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect that meant open-heart surgery at just two months old. We wanted to give hope and perspective to parents navigating a diagnosis, and to anyone walking a path they didn’t expect.

We talked about:

Early hospital stays, surgeries, and the little details that stick with kids

What it was like for me as a very young mom learning to advocate in the NICU

The role faith and prayer played in our journey

Christopher’s teen and adult years, learning limits, managing fatigue, and still playing soccer

The realities of anxiety, depression, and finding purpose through hard seasons

Through it all, Christopher’s story is about resilience, not letting a diagnosis define you, but finding your own version of “normal” and realizing your story might be the hope someone else needs.

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EPISODE 11: Miscarriage, Resilience, and Finding Community — with Kurin

In this episode, I sat down with Kurin, mom of three, influencer, content creator, and fellow doula, to talk about her journey through multiple miscarriages and what it looks like to turn pain into purpose.

We talked about:

The loneliness of her first miscarriage and how silence made it harder

Losing breastfeeding with her son and navigating complex emotions

Feeling abandoned by her midwife and choosing a DNC as a turning point

The impact of grief on friendships, marriage, and motherhood during COVID

Honoring her losses through rituals, keepsakes, and rainbow babies

How she now supports other women through miscarriage with real tools and resources

Kurin’s story is honest, tender, and a reminder that support after loss matters more than the “perfect words.” Sometimes, just showing up is everything.

If you’re walking through loss or supporting someone who is, this conversation is for you.

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EPISODE 10: Healing After Adoption — with Tyler Baltierra

In this episode, I sat down with Tyler Baltierra, who you might remember as MTV’s original Teen Mom birth dad, to talk about what it’s really like to heal after placing a child for adoption. Tyler opened up about the pain, guilt, and the long road of making sense of it all, especially while doing it in the public eye.

We talked about:

The raw realities of being a birth father as a teenager

How fear and lack of resources pushed him and Catelynn toward adoption

The emotional manipulation that can happen in adoption systems

Grief, regret, and learning to sit with pain without minimizing it

Why adoption is more complicated than the stories we usually hear

Tyler’s honesty is a reminder that adoption isn’t just about babies, it’s about birth parents, adoptive families, and the work we still need to do to make sure families are supported first.

If you take one thing away from this episode, let it be this: your healing is yours, and giving yourself permission to be honest about it is one of the bravest things you can do.

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