The Alissa Alter Show

When it comes to motherhood it's time for radical change. To let go of antiquated ideals and expectations and step into our truth. Dr Ariana Witkin MD (She/Her) joins us today to talk about how being a pediatrician did nothing to prepare her for childbirth, postpartum, and being a new mom. And how there needs to be some radical changes in our healthcare system to support moms postpartum.

Ariana Witkin AKA Mama MD is a Pediatrician, Postpartum Coach and Motherhood Mentor. She started her business after the birth of her daughter and experiencing firsthand the lack of coordinated care and support for new mothers.

When she isn't educating, empowering and holding space for new mamas you can find her examining Massachusetts' newest and cutest residents in her local community hospital, chasing after her sassy toddler, spinning on her Peloton, or stargazing on the deck with her husband.

She is a board-certified pediatrician and completed her pediatric residency at University of Washington, Seattle Children's Hospital. She has contributed to Glamour, VeryWell Family and Business Insider, amongst others. You can stay up to date with all her latest news (and catch a glimpse of her baby girl) by following her journey on IG @arianawitkinmd. To learn more and access her free resources, visit: www.arianawitkin.com.

Download your free guide to the 20 Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy & Postpartum here. Want to connect with me further? Follow me on instagram and join our private Facebook community Mom's Club. Want to learn more about what I do and why I do it? Are you looking to elevate your pregnancy and postpartum experience? Visit me www.alissa-alter.com

We are conditioned to avoid pain at all costs. But what if staying so safe for so long is actually holding us back. In this week's episode I share some lessons I've learned through painful experiences. Physically and emotionally. Pain isn't the enemy. It is the messenger to our brain to pay attention, be careful, and send healing. And if we keep ignoring it, which I am so good at doing, the pain will increase until it knocks you to your knees. Can we instead challenge ourselves to listen to our pain and soothe it before making it disappear? You tell me.

Download your free guide to the 20 Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy & Postpartum here. Want to connect with me further? Follow me on instagram and join our private Facebook community Mom's Club. Want to learn more about what I do and why I do it? Are you looking to elevate your pregnancy and postpartum experience? Visit me www.alissa-alter.com

Did you ever wonder what happens when you're an American in Paris getting mixed messages from two different cultures and your husband is Italian so there's a third culture at play and you're expecting twins? I don't know, but Kate does!

In this episode we talk about utilizing what resonates from all of the information available. How different cultures can inform our experiences in positive and negative ways. And how we get to pick and choose what works for us to create OUR right way. Kate and I met because our dogs fell in love when we lived in the building in Greenwich Village. We became fast friends and I am constantly blown away by her wisdom, depth, and sense of humor. Kate is the Chief Marketing Officer & Head of Product Innovation at Circa, a fintech company that makes it easier for American renters to pay rent and stay in their homes. Kate was previously the co-founder and CEO of Atikus, a fintech company in East Africa that made it easier for financial institutions to serve difficult-to-reach demographics. She now lives in Paris with her husband, twin toddlers, and two dogs. One of whom, Virgil, is the love of Walter Alter's life.

Download your free guide to the 20 Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy & Postpartum here. Want to connect with me further? Follow me on instagram and join our private Facebook community Mom's Club. Want to learn more about what I do and why I do it? Are you looking to elevate your pregnancy and postpartum experience? Visit me www.alissa-alter.com

Discomfort is misunderstood. We see it as something negative that needs to be fixed. We so easily forget that in order to grow we have to get uncomfortable. We have to enter...The Discomfort Zone. Alissa has been there a few times and is here to share that each time you emerge from the discomfort zone you are a stronger, truer, more embodied version of yourself. That seems to be something worth getting uncomfortable for. Want to learn more about getting through the discomfort zone and learning to love it? Read Alissa's book Unstuck: From Understudy To The Study of Your Undercarriage available on Kindle and the Kindle App.

Download your free guide to the 20 Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy & Postpartum here. Want to connect with me further? Follow me on instagram and join our private Facebook community Mom's Club. Want to learn more about what I do and why I do it? Are you looking to elevate your pregnancy and postpartum experience? Visit me www.alissa-alter.com

I met Rebecca when I went for my first massage after lockdown. I had been terrified, but the stress and anxiety of the year had gotten to be too much so I made an appointment. The moment I met her I knew I liked her. Her energy feels so good.

I was totally freaking out because of covid and my anxiety, but I felt better being near her.

Then she gave me one of those life changing massages. I felt held and cared for and I could feel myself returning to myself. When we chatted after I knew I had met someone really special.

And I was right.

It wasn't until after multiple massages that I realized she has the most GORGEOUS nail art! And long nails! You never even feel them!

And she's a doula!

So I asked her to be in the show to share her wisdom and insight. And also as an excuse to take our friendship to the next level. Rebecca Clark (She/Her) is a licensed massage therapist with over 8 years of body work experience and a certified birth and postpartum Doula. Her goal is to introduce luxe and aesthetically pleasing wellness to people in a way that will help them incorporate self care on a consistent basis.

Learn more about Rebecca at www.fancyhandsmassage.com and follow her on instagram @fancyhandsmassage

Download your free guide to the 20 Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy & Postpartum here. Want to connect with me further? Follow me on instagram and join our private Facebook community Mom's Club. Want to learn more about what I do and why I do it? Are you looking to elevate your pregnancy and postpartum experience? Visit me www.alissa-alter.com

When a baby is born, so too is a mother. Everyone swoops in to care for, snuggle, nurture, and comfort the baby. But what about the mother? She also came out of that experience a new person. A stranger in her body and the world. I promise you she needs as much coddling, feeding, sleep, care, nurturing, and love as the baby. Honestly? More. Yet there is so much pressure to get back to everything. Work, your jeans, your activities, your old life. What is instead, we approached the first year postpartum honoring that we are new here too. That we are learning about ourselves, the world, and our place in it every single day. We are growing up together with our babies.

If you like this episode, you'll love the ebook ...

Download your free guide to the 20 Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy & Postpartum here. Want to connect with me further? Follow me on instagram and join our private Facebook community Mom's Club. Want to learn more about what I do and why I do it? Are you looking to elevate your pregnancy and postpartum experience? Visit me www.alissa-alter.com

Lisa Gajda (She/Her) had a successful 30 year career on Broadway before becoming a mother. In fact, she never even wanted kids until at the age of 41 and meeting her newborn nephew. Knowing the chances of conceiving without assistance were slim, they found an egg donor and now have two beautiful children who are "the coolest things ever."

This episode is about the mother inside us. And how she can be hibernating for a good long while and maybe even show up as a very different part of ourselves we didn't know existed. Lisa is now a therapist in training working at an LGBTQ+ affirming group practice in the flatiron district. You can follow her on instagram @Justmakidsyo

Download your free guide to the 20 Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy & Postpartum here. Want to connect with me further? Follow me on instagram and join our private Facebook community Mom's Club. Want to learn more about what I do and why I do it? Are you looking to elevate your pregnancy and postpartum experience? Visit me www.alissa-alter.com

Sometimes self care isn't enough. There I said it. We are constantly told our feelings are "normal" postpartum. It's normal to be tired, sad, and not feel like yourself. But when you find yourself filled with rage that the dog needs more water, the sodastream is out of bubbles, and you're waking up for a sleep intermission from 2am-4am again, it's time to call in reinforcements.

In this week's episode I'm sharing my story of reaching my breaking point, breaking down, and putting myself together again. With the support of a great therapist, Zoloft, and the strength to ask for the help I needed, I'm finally feeling better.

We are talking about Postpartum Anxiety and Depression, covid, and how it's ok to need more than a bathbomb to feel better.

Download your free guide to the 20 Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy & Postpartum here. Want to connect with me further? Follow me on instagram and join our private Facebook community Mom's Club. Want to learn more about what I do and why I do it? Are you looking to elevate your pregnancy and postpartum experience? Visit me www.alissa-alter.com

For the perfectionist, there is nothing more valuable or important than perfection.

In this episode Reema Zaman, an award-winning writer, speaker, actress, producer, and podcast host and I discuss how perfection ruled our lives and how we overcame it. Hint: it has something to do with loving yourself.

Reema and I met on the first day of our freshman year at Skidmore College. I will never forget watching her see her breath for the first time. I didn't understand how she'd never seen that before. Then again, I had never been to Bangladesh, Hawaii, nor Thailand.

We've known each other for almost twenty years weaving in and out of each other's and our parallel lives.

Reema is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir I Am Yours and the forthcoming dystopian novel Paramita. She is the head writer, creator, and an executive producer on the TV show SNAP. She is the host of the podcast Joy & Revolution with Reema Zaman. A renowned keynote speaker, Reema has been featured and published in the New York Times, VICE News, Dear Sugars, Vogue, Salon, and other noteworthy platforms. Born in Bangladesh and raised in Thailand, Reema lives in Portland with her rescue chihuahua, Fia the Fierce. You may find them both on Instagram and Facebook, and at www.reemazaman.com.

Download your free guide to the 20 Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy & Postpartum here. Want to connect with me further? Follow me on instagram and join our private Facebook community Mom's Club. Want to learn more about what I do and why I do it? Are you looking to elevate your pregnancy and postpartum experience? Visit me www.alissa-alter.com

In this week's episode we are talking about self care. It's all the rage and may be starting to take on a life of its own. Instead of letting this become another item NOT being crossed off the to do list, Alissa goes over her favorite way to start the day with a win. A quick, easy, integrative way to engage your core and pelvic floor AND calm your nervous system to prepare for the day in under 10 minutes in the coziness of your bed and whatever pjs you are or aren't wearing.

Download your free guide to the 20 Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy & Postpartum here. Want to connect with me further? Follow me on instagram and join our private Facebook community Mom's Club. Want to learn more about what I do and why I do it? Are you looking to elevate your pregnancy and postpartum experience? Visit me www.alissa-alter.com