Cera Merrick (they/them) is an herbalist, pregnancy loss and abortion doula, and Fertility Awareness teacher in training based in Oakland, CA, Ohlone land. They humbly walk with the plants on the path toward liberation and reproductive autonomy. They are passionate about expanding access to abortion and reclaiming abortion as a right of passage and a spiritual experience. As a budding Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) educator, they are committed to ungendering FAM to bridge this rich practice of body literacy to the queer community, folks of all gender and sexual expressions.

Michele Drake (she/her) is a Fertility Awareness Educator and advocate with a passion for supporting people in their contraceptive choices. After witnessing many friends struggle to find their ideal contraceptive method, balance their hormones, or achieve pregnancy, she was inspired to empower people with knowledge about their own bodies so that they may make informed choices about their health.

Michele offers one-on-one classes for contraception, conception, menstrual wellness, and achieving hormonal balance. She also donation-based distance birth control doula support. You can find her at micheledrake.com or on instagram.

This week, I’m speaking with Naomi Westwater, a friend, a musician and a witch. Naomi has endometriosis that was undiagnosed for 17 years. By sharing her story, she hopes that it may help other people experiencing symptoms she did to start seeking out support. So much of our experience and pain is minimized snd as you’ll hear in this conversation, speaking up can be met with a ton of resistance. The more information we have about what’s going on in our own bodies, the better.

Naomi Westwater is an indie singer-songwriter, producer, and witch from Boston, MA. Naomi is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with her Master’s in Music (Contemporary Performance, Production Concentration). Naomi is a queer woman of color and modern-day mystic. Reach out to her for tarot, music, and wisdom.

Instagram

Website

Spotify

Hannah Maynard is a clinical herbalist and magical human who came on the podcast this week to share her abortion stories. Hannah is a true ray of light and does a lot of work empowering others to be their best selves and put themselves first, she's such an inspiration to me. You can follow her on instagram for constant inspiration and daily sustainability tips. You can also check her out on her website: https://www.hannahmaynard.us/ talk to her about herbs!

In this episode, Hannah shares her abortion stories. She spent a lot of time feeling ashamed of her abortions and being unsupported in silence. We talk all about the importance of sharing abortion stories and releasing the shame and stigma that can be present. Abortions are a choice for you! It can be empowering and should be treated with reverence.

Happy listening!

A recent graduate of the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine, Justine Hazelcorn is a clinical herbalist who believes every human has the right to know their body, own their body, and take back their health. She is a strong advocate for giving people the tools they need to keep themselves and their families feeling their best. Her prior studies include a completed internship in Oregon with Herb Pharm, a completed apprenticeship with Lata Kennedy of Flower Power Herbs and Roots in New York City and a short study at the New Dawn Center in Costa Rica. This week, we hear her abortion story!

Felicia is an NYC Birth Doula, energy healer, astrology guide and enthusiast, and all . around feminist witch. She started @theredtracecollective in 2016, which is an ongoing  anthology of portraits of blood-stained panties along with stories of wombanhood. The project was inspired by her own inner journey of wombanhood after a disconnecting experience . via . birth control. Diving deep into her own connection to her female body and its magic led her down the doula path, where she aspires to support women in their own empowerment and autonomy. She practices shamanic energy healing out of Awakening in Greenpoint (@awakeningnyc/ www.awakeningny.com) where she also hosts new moon circles every month. She also offers astrology workshops . and readings . through @thelunarrising (www.thelunarrising.com).

Doula and Red Trace Collective Website: www.feliciasokol.com

Instagram: @feliciasokol

This week's conversation is an interview with Amelia Bonow, co-founder of Shout Your Abortion and Seattle-based abortion advocate. We talk about the beginning of #shoutyourabortion and how it's become a nationwide movement inspiring people to share their abortion stories in order to normalize abortion. We talk about the current affairs of politics and how now is such an important time to be fighting for abortion access. 

Support the #shoutyourabortion movement by sharing your story and adding the hashtag! Join your local chapter or start one! Keep talking and sharing!! Buy the book, it's wonderful. Make zines. To talk more about abortion and share your own story, email me at [email protected]

https://shoutyourabortion.com/

watch this documentary on TRAP laws and how the legal system is making abortion more inaccessible http://www.trappeddocumentary.com/bio

3/10 is National Abortion Providers Appreciation day...these are the people making a huge difference every day and they deserve to be HONORED!!

If you are interested in getting involved in abortion advocacy work, get in touch. Planned Parenthood has so many volunteer opportunities. Look into your local clinic and if you are in NYC consider becoming an abortion doula and volunteering with the Doula Project.

This week is a talk on body literacy, female anatomy, and using herbs to support womb and hormonal wellness! This is a solo episode based off of a couple classes I have been teaching lately. We discuss anatomy of bodies with internal organs, cervical self exam, the menstrual cycle, seed cycling, cycle syncing, and my favorite herbs to support reproductive health.

Excuse the mic feedback here and there- I re-recorded a few times and had tech friends take a stab at it... but, I felt it was more important to get this episode out than get it perfect. 

Reach out with any feedback, or to be on the podcast at [email protected]

xoxo