What if your nervous system could believe—deeply, fully—that it’s safe? In this episode, Diane explores the concept of nervous system safety, why it matters for women and mothers, and how we can begin to rebuild it.

Through the story of a mother who transformed her second birth experience by shifting from fear to safety, Diane illustrates how safety in the body is not just emotional—it’s physiological. You’ll learn about Polyvagal Theory, practical nervous system regulation tools, and reflection prompts to help you reconnect with safety in your own life.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

Workshop Invitation:

Join Diane for her upcoming live experience: Midwifing Your Life: Reconnecting With the Woman You’re Becoming, a 90-minute workshop designed to help you rebuild safety in your nervous system, reconnect with yourself, and step into your next chapter with confidence.

Is midlife burnout just the price of success? Not if Karen DiGenova has anything to say about it. In this episode of The Midwife Life, Karen joins Diane to talk about reframing midlife from a season of decline into a time of powerful transformation.

A former global HR leader for brands like Deloitte, Nike, and Columbia Sportswear, Karen knows firsthand how professional women get stuck in go-mode—until their health forces a full stop. She shares her own journey through perimenopause, Hashimoto’s, and PCOS, and how it inspired her to leave corporate life and launch Ms. Midlife, a wellness company built to help women thrive instead of just survive.

We dig into Karen’s signature framework, the Seven Branches of Midlife Wellness, and talk practical, bio-individual strategies for energy, sleep, movement, and hormone balance. Whether you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, or just ready to feel better in your body, this episode will leave you feeling clear and empowered.

Karen DiGenova is the founder of Ms. Midlife, a wellness company that helps high-achieving women become the CEOs of their health. After 30+ years in HR leadership and her own lived experience with autoimmune and hormonal challenges, Karen created the Seven Branches of Midlife Wellness Framework—a personalized system designed to transform burnout into sustainable vitality. She offers 1:1 and group coaching, corporate workshops, and retreats, all grounded in evidence-based lifestyle strategies that work in real life.

What we cover:

Prompts for reflection:

Links + resources:

Connect with us:

Connect with Karen:

Resources:

Like this episode?

Share it with a friend who’s navigating midlife—and hit subscribe so you don’t miss the next conversation.

Midlife isn’t the beginning of the end—it’s the start of a whole new chapter. Let’s make it a powerful one.

In this deeply honest and inspiring conversation, I sit down with Brielle Jenson, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, a midwife with over 20 years of experience, an IBCLC, and the author of the stunning new book Confessions of a Midwife. Brielle has worked in hospitals, home births, and birth centers, bringing a rare, unfiltered perspective on the challenges, triumphs, and deeply human moments of birthwork.

Her work has been recognized in the field of midwifery, including a nomination for the ACNM Media Award in 2025, highlighting her dedication to sharing authentic stories and elevating maternal health conversations.

In this episode, we dive into:

This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about the human side of birth, whether you’re a parent, a birth professional, or simply fascinated by the art and science of midwifery.

Key Takeaways / Reflection Prompts:

Next Step: Take the Sacred Reset Quiz

Feeling inspired to reflect on your own energy, growth, and next steps? Try my Sacred Reset Quiz to discover:

🎯 Take the quiz here: What are you ready to reset?

Resources & Links:

🎧 Check out more episodes of The Midwife Life: Listen Here

What if you could move through your next life transition like a birth — held, supported, and deeply trusted?

In this powerful episode, Diane invites you into the Midwifing Your Life framework — a model of transformation rooted in the wisdom of midwifery. Whether you're starting something new, navigating the messy middle, or releasing what no longer fits, this episode is for you.

You’ll explore:

This isn’t about productivity.

Journal Prompts from the Episode:

Light a candle. Take a breath. Reflect on these:

1. What is this season of your life really asking of you?

2. What kind of support are you craving—but not currently receiving?

3. What would it feel like to be held, instead of holding it all?

4. Who are you becoming… if you stopped hustling and started healing?

Listen to this if you're…

Links Mentioned:

Stay Connected:

September is a season of transition, and a perfect time to pause, reflect, and reset. In this special birthday-themed episode, I guide you through a soulful end-of-summer reset, helping you release what no longer serves you, reflect on growth and lessons from the past year, and set clear intentions for the season ahead.

You’ll experience:

Whether it’s your birthday or not, this episode gives you the tools to do your own “birthday reset” and step into your next chapter with clarity, purpose, and soul-aligned energy.

✨ Plus: Stick around until the end to learn how you can deepen this work in my “Midwifing Your Life: Cultivating Community & Embracing Transformation” workshop.

Journaling & Reflection Prompts from the Episode:

1. What’s one thing I want to release this year?

2. What’s one thing I want to invite in?

3. What do I celebrate about myself right now?

4. What lessons or breakthroughs from the past year can I carry forward?

5. Which habits or practices will support my intentions for the next season?

6. What small, meaningful step can I take today to align with my reset?

Resources & Links:

🌿 Join the waitlist for the “Midwifing Your Life” workshop: https://forms.gle/Vxj3xbYJvLNVNYVf6

In this bonus replay of The Midwife Life, host Diane Ortega is joined by Alyssa Leon, founder and CEO of Cherry Blossom Doula Services. Together, they discuss Alyssa’s unexpected journey into the doula profession and the evolution of her solo practice into a thriving doula team. Alyssa opens up about the joys and challenges of supporting families through birth and postpartum care, and how her work has shaped both her career and her life. From establishing a successful practice to creating a sustainable work-life balance, Alyssa shares invaluable insights and experiences that will resonate with anyone passionate about birthwork and supporting women.

Listeners will gain an in-depth look at how Alyssa has expanded her offerings, founded Root & Rice Collective, and how she’s now empowering other birth professionals through mentorship and community collaboration. This candid conversation highlights the importance of aligning integrity and sustainability within the doula community while emphasizing the need for self-care and balance.

Key Takeaways:

Did you enjoy this episode? 

Subscribe to The Midwife Life for more empowering conversations about birth, postpartum care, and women’s health. Leave a review and share with friends who would benefit from these inspiring stories and expert insights. Your story matters—reach out and share it with us!

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with us:

What happens when you’ve grown, healed, shifted, and expanded… but your outer life still looks the same?

In this soul-stirring episode, Diane explores the tension between internal transformation and external reality. If you’ve ever felt like you’re living in the gap—the sacred space between who you were and who you’re becoming—this conversation is for you.

Through story, reflection, and ritual, you’ll discover how to honor the in-between, trust the unseen, and stabilize as your life catches up to your growth.

What You’ll Learn

🌿 Why the “in-between” season is not failure but integration

Reflection Prompt

Before September begins, light a candle and ask yourself: How do I want to feel about the woman I am becoming?

Let that answer guide how you step into the new month.

Links + Resources

✨ Take the Sacred Reset Quiz → https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/688e71b12541f0610fceaf59

If this episode spoke to something deep in you, share it with a friend

In this bonus replay, Diane Ortega is joined by guest, Kari-Ann Hubbard, LAc, MSOM, a national board-certified acupuncturist and herbalist specializing in women's health, fertility, and perinatal care. Kari-Ann shares her extensive knowledge of Chinese medicine, explaining how this ancient practice takes a holistic approach to wellness by considering the interconnectedness of the body, mind, and environment. She also discusses her personal journey into this field and how it has helped her and her clients find balance and healing.

Key Topics:

If this episode has inspired you to explore the world of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, be sure to share it with a friend.

Resources & Connect with Kari-Ann:

To find a provider: 

⁠https://www.nccaom.org⁠ (National Board certification) 

⁠https://aborm.org⁠  (Acupuncture and TCM Board of Reproductive medicine) 

⁠https://www.Acufinder.com⁠ 

Music effects on Perinatal mental health and labor pains: 

⁠https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32763833/⁠

Yang, et al (2021) "Effectiveness of acupuncture on anxiety disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials." 

⁠https://annals-general-psychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12991-021-00327-5⁠

⁠https://lunaacupunctureaz.com/⁠

Connect with us:

Your message is already inside you; it’s not something you have to chase down or force into existence. In this episode of The Midwife Life, Diane Ortega, midwife, mama, and sacred space holder for your becoming, guides you through the process of midwifing your message, from the first quiet spark to the moment you’re ready to share it with the world.

Through personal stories, practical tools, and a guided visualization, you’ll learn how to honor the timing of your message, protect it while it grows, and release it into the world without rushing or over-polishing it into something unrecognizable.

If you’ve been feeling the nudge to speak up, tell your story, or share your work, but you’re not sure where to start, this episode will remind you: the real magic happens when you speak from your scars, not just your successes.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:

💬 Let’s Continue the Conversation:

If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Listen now and start midwifing your message into the world—one truth-filled breath at a time.

What if your “new beginning” doesn’t look like a vision board or a sprint toward reinvention, but instead feels like a soft exhale?

In this episode of The Midwife Life, Diane guides you through the energy of The Sacred Reset—a kind of beginning that doesn’t demand hustle, but rather honesty. This is for the woman who is burned out on doing, craving rhythm instead of rigidity, and ready to begin again… but different.

Diane explores:

Connect + Continue

Listener Love Prompt

✨ If this episode spoke to a tender part of you, pause and share it with a woman you love. We rise better when we rise together. ✨