Meet Me Downstairs

Chaneen Saliee joins us today to create solidarity in motherhood. To bring a lens to the real, the messy, and the incredible moments that come with motherhood and parenthood. She is a ray of light and honesty and it's conversations like these that make mothers (myself included) feel less alone. We talk about some of our hardships, how we overcome, and create space for growth - not only within ourselves but in our children and our families. Chaneen is the author of Solidarity Poetry & Prose as well as the creator of Chic and Discreet, a breastfeeding clothing line. Her instagram page @chaneensaliee is an honest ray of light into motherhood, so definitely give her a follow! 

As for me! Check our Branding With Brit + and let me help you become the pilot of your own brand XOXO

Today we are lovingly entering a deep conversation about Miscarriage and pregnancy loss. My guest Dr. Jessica Zucker is an incredible women in the movement to release the stigma that surrounds miscarriage, she is actually the creator of the #IHadAMiscarriage campaign which took over social media and magazines and aided in giving women the freedom and acceptance to share their losses and not feel like they are doing this alone. It’s been too long that this subject has been silenced and shamed. Having women feel like it's their fault, or that their body has failed them. No more. We are here to help the journey of breaking down walls, pushing past judgement and standing in solidarity with the millions of women who have experienced miscarriage. A bit about Jessica, she is a Los Angeles-based psychologist specialising in reproductive and maternal mental health. She writes extensively on this topic for outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, and Vogue. Her first book I HAD A MISCARRIAGE: A Memoir, a Movement is available worldwide today! I hope you enjoy this episode, #IHadAMiscarraige.

We are back with another really good one for ya. We are joined by Miki Agrawal ~ a social entrepreneur, advisor and investor who uses creativity and disruptive innovation to challenge the status quo and change culture. We talk about living your truth in order to truly shine. Questioning the world around uz, how society has dictated things and how we can push against all of that to live in a way that feels real and authentic to ourselves. She shares with us business advice, experiences from her world of motherhood, and ways in which we can disrupt the world around us so that we are living a life that is truly lit up. She's an amazing reminder of what living with intention looks like and we are so honoured that she shared this space with us. 

A bit more about Miki ~ she is the founder of several acclaimed social enterprises: WILD, Thinx, and TUSHY (collectively valued at over 200 million). She is also the author of the #1 best-selling books Do Cool Sh*t and Disrupt- Her (one of my personal favourites). Miki was named “Fast Company’s Most Creative People”, “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum, and INC magazine’s “Most Impressive Women Entrepreneurs.” Miki sits on the board of Conscious Capitalism and advises several start-ups. What a resume right! Find out more about her here: https://www.mikiagrawal.com/ buy Thinx here https://www.shethinx.com/ and get your Tushy here https://hellotushy.com/ 

XOXO MMD

We close out Season 2 with the lovely Maisie Hill who is a menstrual health expert and author of the amazing book called Period Power and we are going to be chatting about harnessing the notion of period power and building a relationship with our body on an even deeper level. Learning how our bodies transition through a cycle that renews for us women every single month. Throughout the journey of our lives our periods will change and mold, and today we get to tackle some of those things that go hand in hand with womanhood, whether it’s feelings of shame or hiding, hormonal fluctuations, lack of awareness to what our menstrual cycle is and overall just how important the health of our period is to our overall holistic health. Let’s dig into it today and learn about this area of our femme existence. Maisie has a new book in the works and she also has amazing resources to help with your cycle available on her website and her Instagram. To get involved with her or be a part of her many programs and offerings, check her out https://www.maisiehill.com/ or  Instagram and download her free cycle chart here.  Lots of love XOXO MMD

Lyndie Irons ~ one of the most calm natured and kind women I've had the honor of speaking to, had an introduction to motherhood that was surrounded by tragedy. She lost her first husband at 8 months pregnant and had a very big role ahead of her as a new mom and dad. She graciously shares her story of new motherhood, through to deep motherhood as her son is nearing his 10th year. This episode is a very emotional one and a very strong one, dipped with the honesty and the sisterhood we all need. She shares with us her journey of parenting through loss and how her and her son have navigated their relationship with openness and vulnerability, forging an incredibly special bond that units them. She also shares with us the lessons she's learned from mothering for 9 years and the hurdles she's had to overcome as her boy grows into his own human. Lyndie, you are wonderful, i'm deeply thankful to you and your son for opening your doors to us. Lyndie also runs the Andy Irons Foundation (in honor of her late husband) where they focus on impactful, community-based programs for kids that address debilitating conditions like mental illness, addiction and learning disabilities. They strive to create a world where no child struggles alone. For information on how to get involved or to see what else they do, please check them out here: https://andyironsfoundation.org/

Did someone say orgasm? Today we are talking about the female orgasm ~ a very mysterious lady. It’s a topic that I’d say is still considered pretty taboo and would definitely could elicit a giggle or two but none the less, it’s a conversation that is so important to have. We are back with Melissa Vranjes our S1E1 guest, Fertility Awareness Educator, Women’s Sexual Wellness Guru + Yoga Instructor to help us talk about some much needed juice. As women, freedom in pleasure is something worth discussing. The freedom to have powerful sex, honest sex and feel confident asking for what we want in the world intimacy should be met with open arms from our partners and most importantly ourselves. Giving ourselves permission to explore our own personal world of pleasure and in turn learning what that looks like when we incorporate a partner. It’s time to remove the fake orgasm from our arsenal and work with our body to find orgasmic freedom. We navigated this episode today thanks to the sharing’s and bravery of our listeners ~ thank you for putting yourself out there with us. Let’s take a peek behind the curtain and find ourselves one step closer to orgasmic freedom.Check out Melissa’s pleasure treasures here as well as her workshops and social media.

Ever wonder what a Doula really is and how that support looks, feels + sounds like during pregnancy and birth? Well today we get those questions answered. Malaika Maitland, a Grenadian Doula + Yoga Teacher, joins us to helps break it down. She has such a poetic way of sharing her words and the wisdom that goes along with it is what makes her truly special. She talks to us about pregnancy and the emotions that go with it, how to navigate and release certain expectations for birth, what doula support in that transformational time looks like and she also shares her own motherhood experiences as a new mom. Malaika ~ thank you so much for your education today, what an honor it has been. Check her out here: http://malaikamaitland.com/ + Instagram - for info on her practices or just chat. xoxo MMD

This episode is in honor of the LGBTQ+ community as we welcome our first queer guest Ashe Brown from Pura Luna Apothecary. She brilliantly and vulnerably shares her story to motherhood that encompasses, 7+ years of trying to conceive with her partner as they went through donor after donor, different fertility methods, soul searching trips to costa rica and ultimately the guide of spirit who brought them their daughter Quest. She is so real about the struggles they went through to find motherhood, how they dealt with defeat, and how together as a partners they overcame everything. Not only is her story amazing and full of colour, she also offers beautiful words of wisdom to queer folk out there that are looking to start a family but feeling insecure about their journey. She also offers amazing inspiration to those who are bringing new life into the world right now. This woman oozes positivity and soul and i'm so grateful to her, her partner Cristin and their daughter Quest for sharing their story with us. To check them out head to their webpage: Pura Luna Apothecary and their instagram: Pura Luna Apothecary ~ love to all MMD xoxox

The first year of motherhood is one of the most altering years of self. We are changed - Girl to Mother - Self to Selfless, and wrapped within that is a myriad of symptoms; sleep deprivation, exhaustion, bliss, happiness, loneliness, vulnerability, strength and so much more. It's only now that conversations about the colours of this time period are coming to light. I'm joined by the wonderful Carolijn Braeken, mother + author from Amsterdam who gives us a beautifully honest look into her first year of motherhood and the struggles within it. We discuss how that period of lows, transformed into strength, and how that power of self has travelled on in her life as a mother. We explore the emotive inspiration for her book 'Motherhood a A Memoir Of Our First Year' and how society has depicted certain things of us Mothers that should bear no weight on how we express ourselves in motherhood. We also touch on the vast differences Caro experienced as she moved from child one to child two. I truly loved this conversation with her and just getting honest about that very first year. Listen to this ep, grab her book and follow her on Instagram, you won't be disappointed. Also don't forget to give us a rating and review as well, it really supports this community. Thank you all soo much! Blessings MMD xoxo

Not every journey to motherhood looks the same, and not every journey is an easy one. Sometimes that joy of holding your newborn can be brought to you through a path of loss, heartbreak, challenges, and healing, and it's so important that we as women and mothers give each other opportunities to share in the more difficult pathways. It's through that sharing that we can truly find allyship and kindred spirits like our wonderful guest Ali Prato. She shares with us, her experience of multiple miscarriages, which turned out to be something called secondary infertility, and her success story of conceiving her son through IVF. She also gets super real with the heartbreak that emerged from those reoccurring miscarriages and the silence that surrounds this topic, the pure determination of knowing that her son was mean't to be here after many failed attempts, the conflicts that arose in her marriage because of everything and how she worked through each finite intricate piece of the puzzle that led to her sons joyous existence. Not only is she an amazing guest and mother but she too is the host of her own podcast called Infertile AF where she celebrates all kinds of journeys to motherhood and those choosing not to mother at all. She's also co-founded an incredible organization called Fertility Rally that has been coined the worst group with the best members - a community of support and information for women + families struggling with fertility. Thank you Ali for providing honest conversation about tough topics and also for creating safe homes for women to go to, to find camaraderie and understanding. I hope you enjoy this real af episode ~ blessings to all, MMD xoxox