The Rainbow Connection

In this tender and courageous episode of The Rainbow Connection, Kristine McNeil shares the story of her daughter Banks, the profound loss that reshaped her life, and the emotional landscape of navigating miscarriage, trying to conceive after loss, and pregnancy after loss. Kristine opens up about the early signs she tried to ignore, the intuition she wishes had been heard, and the grief that followed the moment everything changed. She also reflects on the journey toward her rainbow baby—what it meant to carry both fear and hope, how she rebuilt trust in her body, and the ways she continues to honour Banks in her motherhood today. This episode holds space for the complexity of stillbirth, pregnancy loss, healing after miscarriage, and the transformative path of motherhood after loss.

We talk about:

- The early signs and intuition that something wasn’t right
- The devastating moment of losing Banks
- Navigating grief, trauma, and the unraveling that followed
- The fear and emotional weight of trying to conceive after loss
- How pregnancy after loss changed the way she trusted her body
- Rebuilding connection with herself while honouring her baby
- The birth of her rainbow baby and the emotions that came with it
- Motherhood after loss and living with both grief and gratitude
- The ways Banks continues to shape her life
- What healing now looks like for Kristine

This episode is a tender, powerful reminder that grief and beauty can coexist—and that birth, even in loss, can be sacred.

Get to Know Kristine:
Kristine McNeil lives in Greenville, South Carolina with her husband, Shawn, and their three beautiful children Earthside—Cadence, Sutler, and Cash. She also carries the love of her daughter, Banks, who lives forever in her heart. Kristine is a devoted mother, a lover of home decorating, and someone who finds joy in cheering her kids on from the sidelines and spending time with the people she loves most. Having walked through profound grief, she approaches life with gratitude, tenderness, and a commitment to finding beauty and purpose in every moment.

Instagram: @kristineemcneil

Connect with Kristin:
📍 Website: thedoulalife.ca
🌈 The Haven — Pregnancy After Loss Support: thedoulalife.ca/haven
🌸 Mother Like No Other — Loss Mom Community: thedoulalife.ca/mother
📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review — it helps get these stories and resources into the hands of the women who need them most. And feel free to share this episode with someone who could use this kind of support. Your support means so much.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

Shelby Corallo shares the story of her son, Luke, born at 22 weeks after a long and deeply hoped-for pregnancy following two years of IVF. In this episode, Shelby invites us into the joy of finally becoming pregnant, the sudden and traumatic turn that led to preterm labor, and the sacred hours she and her husband spent holding their baby boy. She reflects on grief, signs, and the ongoing journey of healing as she navigates life, motherhood, and pregnancy after loss with courage and honesty.

We talk about:

• Two years of IVF and the joy of finally seeing a positive pregnancy test
• A sudden hospital visit and the shock of preterm labor at 22 weeks
• Giving birth to Luke and the sacred hours spent holding him
• Leaving the hospital without a baby and the layers of early grief
• Learning to say her son’s name and claim her motherhood after loss
• Finding comfort in signs like rainbows and cardinals
• How grief shows up differently for partners
• Therapy, coping, and caring for yourself after loss
• Navigating the fear and hope of trying to conceive again after pregnancy loss

This episode is a tender, powerful reminder that grief and beauty can coexist — and that birth, even in loss, can absolutely be sacred.

Get to Know Shelby:

Shelby Corallo lives in Peterborough, Ontario, and works as a resource consultant in Durham Region. She is a wife, a dog mama, and the loving mother of her son, Luke. Shelby shares openly about loss, healing, and the quiet ways her baby continues to be part of her life. When she’s not lakeside soaking up the views, she finds comfort in cooking, cozy TV shows, and moments that help her feel close to her son.

Instagram: @shelbycorallo

Connect with Kristin

📍 Website: https://www.thedoulalife.ca
🌈 The Haven — Pregnancy After Loss Support Program: https://www.thedoulalife.ca/haven
🕊 RECLAIM — The PAL Birth Course: https://www.thedoulalife.ca/reclaim
🌸 Mother Like No Other — Loss Mom Community: https://www.thedoulalife.ca/mother
📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review — it helps get these stories and resources into the hands of the women who need them most. And please share it with someone who could use this kind of support. Your support means so much.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

Tallia Deljou shares the story of her son, born at 22 weeks, and the transformative journey that followed — through miscarriage, grief, and the slow reimagining of what motherhood could look like after loss. In this heartfelt conversation, Tallia opens up about rebuilding trust in her body, choosing not to become pregnant again, and finding peace and purpose in the waiting as she prepares to grow her family through surrogacy.

We talk about:
- Navigating multiple pregnancy losses and a 22-week delivery
- The shock, grief, and meaning-making that followed loss
- Rebuilding trust in her body and marriage after trauma
- Choosing not to get pregnant again and honoring her boundaries
- Exploring surrogacy and learning to wait with hope
- The spiritual and emotional lessons of loss and surrender
- Creating Mothers Rising, a space for moms-in-waiting
- Healing through community, reflection, and inner work
- Learning to give hope a place to live again

This episode is a tender, powerful reminder that grief and beauty can coexist — and that birth, even in loss, can absolutely be sacred.

Get to know Tallia:
Tallia Deljou is a life coach and writer on emotional health. Grounded in positive psychology and Internal Family Systems, her work offers insight, frameworks, and tools to help people navigate their inner landscapes, heal emotional wounds, and find their way forward. As a loss mom, she brings a deep understanding of grief, resilience, and the courage it takes to rebuild— weaving her lived experience into everything she teaches and creates.

Instagram: @talliadeljou
Website: talliadeljou.com/workshop-library

Connect with Kristin:
📍 Website: thedoulalife.ca
🌈 The Haven — Pregnancy After Loss Support Program: thedoulalife.ca/haven
🌸 Mother Like No Other — Loss Mom Community: thedoulalife.ca/mother
📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life


If you enjoyed this episode, please don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review — it helps get these stories and resources into the hands of the women who need them most. And please share it with someone who could use this kind of support. Your support means so much.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

Sue shares the extraordinary and deeply human story of becoming a mother at just 17, and the impossible, selfless choice she was forced to make — to give her baby up for adoption. From the isolation of a maternity home in the 1980s to the moment she held her son again 18 years later, Sue reflects on the heartbreak of loving from afar, and the profound healing that reunion brought.

Her path to motherhood took many winding turns. After reconnecting with her firstborn, she experienced a miscarriage — a loss she didn’t have the opportunity to process until many years later, something so many women quietly carry. Eventually, Sue welcomed her rainbow baby, and found redemption and fullness in a chapter she had once feared she’d never reach.

In this conversation, Sue opens up about grief, forgiveness, adoption, reunion, miscarriage, and the love that asked her to let go… only to find its way back home.

We talk about:
 - Becoming pregnant at 17 and being sent to a maternity home
 - The emotional weight of giving her baby up for adoption
 - Writing letters to her son during pregnancy
 - Reuniting with him 18 years later
 - Meeting his adoptive mother and finding unexpected connection
 - Experiencing miscarriage years later and grieving it in hindsight
 - Welcoming her rainbow baby Nick
 - How her story shapes the way she now supports families through loss

Sue’s story is a powerful reminder that motherhood is not defined by proximity, timing, or circumstance — but by love, in every form it takes.

🕊 This one is for the mothers who’ve had to love from afar, and for the love that always finds its way home.

Get to Know Sue:
Sue lives in Burlington, Ontario with her husband Joe and their two spoiled cats. She is the proud mother of two young adults, Nick and Hailey, who are both emerging artists in the film and musical theatre industries. Sue is a doula specializing in surrogacy births and pregnancy & infant loss, a certified Grief & Loss Coach, and a long-time facilitator of grief support groups. When she’s not supporting families or working as an Executive Assistant, she can be found long-distance cycling with Joe.

 📧 Email: [email protected]

Connect with Kristin:
📍 Website: thedoulalife.ca
🌈 The Haven – Pregnancy After Loss Support Program: thedoulalife.ca/haven
🌿 Mother Like No Other – Loss Mom Community: www.thedoulalife.ca/mother
📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life and @therainbowconnectionpodcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review — your support helps this show reach more families who need it.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

Rachael Shepard-Ohta, the founder of Hey Sleepy Baby, joins me for an honest and deeply validating conversation about postpartum anxiety, sleep after loss, and what it means to create safety — for both yourself and your baby — in those sleepless early months.

Rachael shares her own experience with postpartum anxiety, how it shaped the work she does now, and why so many mothers silently struggle with sleep. Together, we talk about the myths that make mothers feel like they’re “doing it wrong,” the pressure to sleep train, and how to tune out the noise and listen to your own instincts again.

We talk about:
🌙 The link between postpartum anxiety and sleep deprivation
🌙 Why mothers after loss often struggle with hypervigilance and safety fears
🌙 The science behind co-regulation and why closeness matters
🌙 Safe sleep setups — from bedside bassinets to the safe sleep 7
🌙 How to navigate online overwhelm and conflicting advice
🌙 The role of temperament in baby sleep (and why it’s not your fault)
🌙 Simple, realistic ways to reclaim rest and reduce nighttime anxiety
🌙 Letting go of guilt, bad-habit fears, and the myth that you’ll “spoil” your baby

This episode is a balm for every mother who has ever questioned if she’s doing it wrong. It’s a gentle reminder that there’s no one right way to sleep, to parent, or to heal — and that both you and your baby are wired for connection, not perfection. 🤍

Get to Know Rachael

Rachael Shepard-Ohta is an Infant-Parent Mental Health Specialist, Certified Sleep Consultant, and former Educator. She founded Hey Sleepy Baby in 2020 and hosts two podcasts — No One Told Us and You’re So Right. Rachael lives in San Francisco with her husband and their three young children.

📸 Instagram: @heysleepybaby
🌐 Website: heysleepybaby.com

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Articles & Guides:

• The Safe Sleep Seven — La Leche League International
• Is Bed Sharing Dangerous?
• BabyBay Bedside Sleeper
  
  

Book:

• Safe Infant Sleep by Dr. James McKenna
  
  

Podcast Episodes:

• Bed Sharing & SIDS — The Science and the Myths
• Sleep Training + Bed Sharing — What the Research Actually Says

Connect with Kristin

📍 Website: thedoulalife.ca
🌷 The Haven — Pregnancy After Loss Support Program: thedoulalife.ca/haven
🌙 Mother Like No Other — Loss Mom Community: thedoulalife.ca/mother
📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review — it helps this podcast re

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

Simona shares the story of her son, Saul, born still at 19 weeks, and the deep unraveling that followed. From the early days of IVF and endometriosis to the heartbreak of stillbirth and the silence that came after, she invites us into the complexity of love, loss, and lineage.

We talk about:

• Navigating endometriosis and IVF before pregnancy
• The day she learned Saul’s heart had stopped
• Grieving far from family and finding support online
• Discovering her mother’s own unspoken stillbirth
• Breaking generational silence around grief
• The power of embodiment, yoga, and breathwork in healing
• Learning to mother herself and honor her inner landscape
• The compassion she found — and the care she wished she’d received
• The friendships that deepened and those that fell away
• What it means to hold hope for her future rainbow baby

This episode is a tender, powerful reminder that grief and beauty can coexist — and that love, even in loss, continues to grow.

Saul, this one is for you 🕊

Get to Know Simona:

Simona lives in Berlin, Germany with her husband. Originally from Romania, she works as a user experience designer and is deeply devoted to her healing journey — attending an online Sangha (meditation community) and being an active member of the Healthy Grieving group for nearly two years.

When she isn’t tending to her adult responsibilities, you’ll find her wandering the streets of Berlin, practicing yoga, exploring somatics, or rating ramen restaurants and ice-cream shops across the city. She proudly holds a 2,758-day (and counting!) Duolingo streak in German and Portuguese — and humbly admits that English is not her first language.

Losing her baby boy, Saul, in the summer of 2023 opened a portal into the world of grief. Her path since has been tender and transformative, as she continues to hold hope for her rainbow baby. Through this experience, she’s learned not to hide her inner landscape, to honor her loss out loud, and to be steadfast in calling herself a mother — even when the world doesn’t always recognize it.

Simona is slowly becoming a student and advocate of grief, devoted to practicing this sacred, embodied way of healing.

📸 Instagram: @simona.cilliers

Connect with Kristin

📍 Website: thedoulalife.ca
🌈 The Haven — Pregnancy After Loss Support Program: thedoulalife.ca/haven
🌸 Mother Like No Other — Loss Mom Community: thedoulalife.ca/mother
📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review — it helps get these stories and resources into the hands of the women who need them most.
And please share it with someone who could use this kind of support. your support means so much. 🌷

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

Dr. Jessica Zucker joins Kristin for an honest, compassionate conversation about miscarriage, shame, and the lifelong work of normalizing women’s experiences.

Jessica opens up about her own second-trimester loss, what inspired her to write I Had a Miscarriage: A Memoir, A Movement, and how one New York Times essay became a viral campaign that changed the way we talk about reproductive loss. She also shares her journey through breast cancer, her latest book Normalize It, and the lessons she’s learned about grief, womanhood, and resilience along the way.

We talk about:

• The story behind the I Had a Miscarriage movement and its impact worldwide
• Why shame thrives in silence—and how storytelling helps it dissolve
• The cultural discomfort around grief and why “at least” statements cause harm
• How to truly show up for someone after loss (and what not to say)
• Why pregnancy loss education should begin in sex ed
• The ripple effect of sharing our stories and normalizing pain
• The importance of acknowledging hidden griefs—from miscarriage to menopause
• How Dr. Zucker continues her mission to support women after loss

This episode is a gentle invitation to move closer to the parts of our stories that hurt—and to discover how connection, compassion, and truth-telling can help us heal.

Get to Know Dr. Jessica Zucker
Dr. Jessica Zucker is a Los Angeles–based psychologist specializing in reproductive and maternal mental health. She is the author of I Had a Miscarriage: A Memoir, a Movement and Normalize It: Upending the Silence, Stigma, and Shame That Shape Women’s Lives, and the creator of the viral #IHadaMiscarriage campaign. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vogue, and more.

Website: drjessicazucker.com
Instagram: @ihadamiscarriage
Dr Jessica's newest release: Normalize It: Upending the Silence, Stigma, and Shame That Shape Women's Lives

Connect with Kristin:
📍 Website: thedoulalife.ca
🌈 The Haven — Pregnancy After Loss Support Program: thedoulalife.ca/haven
💛 Mother Like No Other — TTC After Loss Support Space: thedoulalife.ca/mother
📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode of the podcast, please don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review—it helps get the show and the resources mentioned into the hands of the women who need them most. And please share it with someone who could use this kind of support. Your support means so much.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

Cathy shares the sacred and devastating story of her daughter Sage, stillborn just days after a healthy ultrasound at 36 weeks. In this raw and powerful episode, she walks us through the shock of hearing “I’m sorry, there’s no heartbeat,” the 30-hour labor she endured, and the precious five days she and her husband spent with their daughter in the hospital. Cathy also opens up about her subsequent pregnancy with her son River—a complicated, fear-filled journey marked by early labor, infections, and the exhaustion of navigating pregnancy after loss.

Now, as a mother of both Sage and River and pregnant once more, Cathy reflects on resilience, legacy, and the daily balancing act of holding grief and joy side by side.

We talk about:

• The innocence of first pregnancy and the devastation of stillbirth
• Choosing induction, enduring a 30-hour labor, and advocating for an empowering birth even in loss
• Spending five days with Sage, and the importance of acknowledgment and memory-making
• The secondary losses of strained relationships and misguided support
• The emptiness of leaving the hospital without her baby
• Navigating TTC, delayed cycles, and the complexity of pregnancy after loss
• River’s birth and the overwhelming relief of hearing his first cry
• The coexistence of joy and grief in mothering both a living and non-living child
• Honoring Sage’s legacy while raising River and preparing to welcome another baby

This episode is a deeply moving reminder that grief is never just one goodbye — motherhood after loss means holding the “should-have-beens” alongside the living present.

🕊️ Sage, this one is for you.

Get to Know Cathy:Cathy Nguyen is a podiatrist, yoga teacher, and mother to her daughter Sage and son River. Born and raised in Perth, Australia, Cathy shares her motherhood journey openly, weaving grief, resilience, and advocacy into her life and work.

Instagram: @cathy.nguyen93Cathy's book: It Started with... "I'm Sorry, There's No Heartbeat"

Connect with Kristin:📍 Website: thedoulalife.ca

🌈 The Haven – Pregnancy After Loss Support Program (use promo code RAINBOW to save $100)🕊 Mother Like No Other – Loss Community (use promo code MOTHER to get your first month for only $11)📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review. Please share it with someone who could use this kind of support—your support helps this podcast reach the women who need it most.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

Emily Green, known to many as Emily the Medium, shares her profoundly moving story of becoming pregnant with her long-awaited daughter, the magical signs that led up to conception, and the heartbreaking miscarriage that followed. In this episode, Emily reflects on what it was like to experience loss as a spirit baby medium, how her daughter continues to communicate with her through dreams, signs, and synchronicities, and how we can all cultivate a deeper connection with our babies in spirit.

We talk about:

• How Emily first discovered her gift of connecting with spirit babies
• The magical dreams, dragonflies, and synchronicities that surrounded her pregnancy
• Navigating the push and pull of uncertainty throughout her pregnancy
• The heartbreaking day she learned her daughter had passed
• Moving through grief as both a mother and a medium
• The circular love between parents and their spirit babies
• Practical ways to keep the “portal” open for signs and connection
• Reframing intuition and learning discernment in grief

This episode is tender, spiritual, and a reminder that love transcends time and space— our babies are always with us.

🕊️ this is for you, baby girl.

Get to Know Emily:Emily Green, also known as Emily the Medium, is a spiritual teacher, intuitive guide, and author who has supported thousands of families in connecting with their spirit babies. Through her sessions, podcast, and book, she helps parents navigate loss, conception, and connection with the souls of their children.

• Instagram: @emilythemedium
• Website: thedoulalife.ca🌈 The Haven – Pregnancy After Loss Support Program: thedoulalife.ca/the-haven — use promo code: RAINBOW to save $100 on enrollment🕊 Mother Like No Other Community: thedoulalife.ca/mother (use promo code: MOTHER for your first month for only $11)📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life
• If this episode touched you, please subscribe, rate, and review—it helps this podcast reach more mothers who need it. And share it with a friend who could use the reminder that love and connection with our babies in spirit never ends.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!

Danielle Lampman opens her heart and shares the devastating story of her daughter Rosie, born still at 37 weeks. In this tender and courageous episode, Danielle walks us through the night everything changed, the birth and goodbye that followed, the trauma and PTSD that rippled through her first year of grief, and the long road to welcoming her rainbow baby.

We talk about:

• The night Danielle realized her baby girl had stopped moving
• Giving birth to Rosie and choosing to let family and friends meet her
• The beauty and heartbreak of including her daughters in saying goodbye
• Navigating the early days of grief and postpartum without a baby in her arms
• Living with trauma, panic attacks, and PTSD symptoms after stillbirth
• Finding answers through pathology and the questions that remained
• The journey of trying to conceive again and facing infertility after loss
• Becoming pregnant with her rainbow baby, Poppy, and navigating a new kind of hope and fear

This episode is a tender reminder that even when life doesn’t go as it was “supposed to,” mothers carry an unshakable love and strength that endures.

🕊️ Rosie Noel, this one is for you.

Resources Mentioned:

• https://countthekicks.org/
• Zuranolone Information (Postpartum Depression Treatment) — learn more about this newly approved medication for postpartum depression and how it’s offering hope for mothers navigating the hardest seasons of recovery. 

Get to Know Danielle:

Danielle is a psychiatric nurse practitioner, wife to Chris, and mother to five daughters: Lily, Holly, Rosie (forever loved), Poppy, and another little girl due soon. She lives in Durham, North Carolina, and is passionate about mental health, family, and honoring all of her babies.

Connect with Kristin:

📍 Website: thedoulalife.ca🌈 The Haven – Pregnancy After Loss Support Program: thedoulalife.ca/the-haven (use promo code: RAINBOW to save $100)🤍 Mother Like No Other – Support for Navigating Life After Loss: thedoulalife.ca/mother (use promo code: MOTHER for your first month for only $11)📸 Instagram: @the.doula.life

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review — it helps bring these stories into the hands and hearts of mothers who need them most. And share it with someone who could use this kind of support.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed this episode!