Keeping Your Power® with Traci Doula

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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EPISODE 9: Real Talk with Mama Nurse Tina — Birth, Humor, and Honest Education

In this episode, I sat down with Mama Nurse Tina—a labor and delivery nurse, educator, and mama of four—to talk about what it’s really like behind the scenes in birth work. Tina brings her wisdom, heart, and humor to the table, and we laughed plenty while also getting real about the challenges and rewards of this work.

We talked about:

Why she moved from emergency nursing to labor and delivery

Supporting families after loss and the moments that stick forever

Birth deserts, education gaps, and why online teaching matters

Nurses, doulas, midwives, and OBs, why collaboration is everything

The balance of being real online while staying sensitive to people’s stories

Tina shared how she wants people to feel informed, not judged, and why childbirth education can be the key to asking better questions and making empowered choices. Together, we dreamed about what true teamwork in birth care could look like.

If you want honesty, a few laughs, and practical wisdom you can carry with you, this episode is for you.

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EPISODE 8: Leaving Abuse, Rebuilding Life — with Detra

In this episode, I sat down with my friend Detra to talk about her journey out of an abusive marriage after decades as a pastor’s wife in a conservative church culture. We got real about the pressures faith communities can put on women to stay silent, small, and “obedient,” even when it’s breaking them.

Detra shared how she finally found the courage to leave, literally jumping out of a car one night, and the road that followed, including time in a homeless shelter in New York. She opened up about the unexpected places she’s found support, joy, and new life, and how she’s learned to spot the old patterns that try to creep back in.

We talked about:

How faith and church culture can pressure women to stay in unsafe marriages

Why leaving doesn’t mean you’re free from old patterns

Rebuilding life after losing reputation and community

Trusting your intuition and owning your story

This conversation is for anyone who’s ever been told they’re crazy for trusting their gut. You’re not. Your voice matters, your worth isn’t up for debate, and you can keep your power in the process.

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EPISODE 7: Fighting for Birth Options in Alabama — with Kimberly Taylor

In this episode, I sat down with my friend Kimberly Taylor—certified nurse midwife, certified professional midwife, licensed midwife, and mama of four, to talk about what it’s really like to fight for respectful, safe birth options in Alabama.

Kim shared:

How it felt to go from a supportive midwifery culture in Washington to swimming upstream in Alabama

The pushback, licensing challenges, and outright attempts to shut her down

How one supportive OB helped open doors in a hostile system

The realities of hospital vs. home birth and why informed consent matters

Why she refuses to water down care, even when it would be easier

This is an honest look at the uphill work of building bridges, protecting choice, and staying grounded when the system feels stacked against you.

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EPISODE 6: Birth, Belief, and Breaking Old Patterns — with Care Messer

In this episode, I sat down with my friend and fellow birth worker, Care Messer, to talk about the deep stuff, where our beliefs come from, how early trauma shapes us, and why self-awareness matters in healing.

We opened up about:

Our personal birth stories and how they laid patterns we didn’t even realize

My journey as an adoptee and what early separation left me holding

How parenting sometimes means writing apology letters and breaking old habits

The pressure families feel around induction, and what education can shift

Care and I both believe that you don’t have to stay stuck in the stories you were handed. You can choose to dig in, reflect, and rewrite how you show up, for your kids, your community, and yourself.

This episode is a reminder that resilience isn’t about pretending you’re fine. It’s about sitting with the real stuff, asking better questions, and doing the slow, brave work of healing.

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EPISODE 5: Midwifery, Boundaries, and Speaking Up with Miri

In this episode, I sat down with Miri, a midwife with deep wisdom and lived experience to back it up. We talked about what it really takes to find your voice, in the birth room, in birth work, and in life.

Miri shared how her roots in the UK’s midwifery model shaped her early perspective, and what it felt like to land in the U.S. and enter a system that didn’t always value intuition, advocacy, or relationship-centered care.

We talked about:

The power dynamics doulas face in medical settings

Why “just the doula” is never the whole truth

Getting therapy, doing the inner work, and building self-respect

Midwifery illusions, hospital realities, and asking the right questions

What it means to advocate for others without burning yourself out

This one is for the doulas, the midwives, the birth workers who feel like outsiders—and for the parents learning to speak up and stand tall. You’re not alone.

Follow Miri on Instagram: miri_the_birth_nerd

Resources for you: 

Spokane River Midwives

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