Maternal Wealth Podcast - Own Your Birth

Karen Chipman never planned to become a maternal health advocate. With a background in veterinary science, fate redirected her path after the birth of her first son, leading her to discover an unexpected passion for supporting women through labor and delivery. Her journey through three dramatically different births—a cesarean, a hard-won VBAC, and a vaginal breech delivery—became the foundation for what would eventually become Stor...

Midwife Audrey returns to unpack the complex evolution of maternal healthcare in America, revealing how historical class divisions, capitalism, and systemic racism have shaped how women experience pregnancy and birth today.

From the early days when aristocrats sought "painless" birth to elevate themselves above "peasant women," to the current system where scheduled inductions accommodate limited materni...

What if giving birth was considered your greatest achievement rather than your greatest fear? This question sits at the heart of my conversation with Jutta Wohlrab, a German midwife whose 40-year journey across three continents offers us a rare glimpse into how birth can be both gentler and more empowering.

Jutta's path to midwifery began unexpectedly in the 1970s when a book about natural childbirth ignited her passi...

What does motherhood truly look like before we even conceive? How can we prepare emotionally and spiritually for one of life's most profound transformations?

Midwife Audrey returns for the second installment of our powerful four-part series, diving deep into the conscious preparation for bringing new life into the world. Beyond nursery decor and baby registries lies the crucial inner work that shapes our journey as mo...

Dr. Katrina Roundfield's journey from academic psychologist to maternal mental health entrepreneur begins with a startling revelation: despite her extensive training, nothing prepared her for the overwhelming anxiety that gripped her after giving birth to her son.

The stark contrast between prenatal and postpartum care represents a healthcare crisis hiding in plain sight. Women receive approximately 700 minutes of pre...

Grief and joy are two sides of the same coin in motherhood, as Shawnee Baker powerfully demonstrates in this emotional conversation about her maternal journey. A former NICU nurse who became a mother to three children before she was 23, Shawnee's path was immediately complicated when her first husband abandoned their family when her daughter Baylie was just six days old. With courage and determination, she rebuilt her life as ...

What happens when a woman gives birth in a foreign country without family support, speaks minimal Korean, and navigates an unfamiliar healthcare system? Heather Magill's unexpected journey into motherhood began precisely this way in South Korea, setting her on a path that would ultimately transform not just her life but the lives of countless new mothers.

Through three distinctly different birth experiences—from a cur...

Stephanie Dunne's birth story challenges everything we think we know about being prepared for childbirth. With 17 years of managing an OBGYN office and constant access to doctors, midwives, and specialists, Stephanie confidently approached her first pregnancy. Her pregnancy was textbook perfect—what could possibly go wrong?

When labor began, it looked nothing like she expected. The dramatic movie-style contractions ne...

Dr. Lauren Davis takes us on an extraordinary journey from medical resident to holistic maternal health advocate in this captivating conversation about birth choices, postpartum healing, and the powerful integration of conventional and functional medicine.

Originally trained as an osteopathic physician & family medicine, Dr. Davis's perspective on birth and maternal health transformed dramatically after experienci...

What happens when healthcare providers don't believe your experience? For licensed marriage and family therapist Reesa Morala, it meant months of unnecessary dietary restrictions, postpartum pain, and a desperate struggle to feed her firstborn son.

Reesa's journey through motherhood began with a doctor who insisted she had gestational diabetes despite normal test results, simply based on her appearance and family...

Creativity isn't just something we do—it's fundamentally who we are as mothers and birthing people. This profound insight emerges throughout my conversation with Carla, a visual artist who uses her gifts to help mothers reconnect with their innate power after birth.

Carla's personal journey through two dramatically different birth experiences—from a disconnected hospital birth to an empowered home birth duri...

"Can you feel the shift? Women, mothers, and birthing people everywhere are eager for change, ready to take their power back, walk in their sovereignty, and become the wise women they were called to be," says Midwife Audrey. This powerful conversation with Midwife Audrey launches a four-part series that aims to return discussions about pregnancy, birth, and motherhood to our mainstream cultural conversations.

Bor...

Meet Vanessa Gyan, a media professional who founded Modern Day Mom Ghana and is the CEO of The Sincerely Vee Foundation. Her life took an unexpected turn when a brief holiday visit to Ghana in 2012 became a permanent relocation. Now, eleven years later, Vanessa shares the powerful birth stories that shaped her journey as a mother of three and launched her mission as a maternal health advocate.

Vanessa's maternal journ...

Parenthood's invisible work begins long before birth. In this eye-opening conversation with Paige Connell (SheIsAPaigeTurner), we explore how the mental load of motherhood silently shapes women's experiences from conception through pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

Paige reveals how women carry unseen responsibilities even before pregnancy—tracking ovulation, researching prenatal care, planning for conception—while t...

Courtney Boylan never imagined that her frustration with constantly losing clear nipple shields during late-night feedings would spark a business revolution in maternal products. But that's exactly how Le Lolo was born – from one mother's determination to bring beauty and dignity to the postpartum experience.

When Courtney transitioned from Target executive to a new mother, she found herself struggling with the r...

Agatha, a remarkable new mom and our special guest joins us in sharing her journey of juggling aspirations in nursing and midwifery while embarking on motherhood. She recounts the joyous moment of learning she was pregnant and her husband's supportive role throughout her pregnancy. Agatha also opens up about her experiences with mild morning sickness and the importance she placed on nutrition, offering insights into the divers...

What does it truly mean to feel empowered during childbirth? Katy Featherstone Coombs takes us on a remarkable journey through her two vastly different birth experiences, offering wisdom that extends far beyond the delivery room.

After meeting her husband through Ultimate Frisbee, Katy approached her first pregnancy with careful preparation, choosing hypnobirthing and planning a home delivery. Her labor story unfolds with ...

Join us for an inspiring and heartfelt conversation on the Maternal Wealth Podcast as Ashlee shares her unique journey into motherhood. From her unexpected pregnancy announcement to the chaotic moments during labor and delivery, Ashley's story is a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences that many mothers can relate to.

In this episode, host Stephanie engages with Ashlee of The Homesteading Hunny as she recalls her...

Join us as we embark on an enlightening chat with Oriana Teeple, giving us a window into her motherhood experiences that spanned across the UK and Germany. Oriana’s journey begins with a captivating love story in Poland, where she met her husband under extraordinary circumstances. From her maternity care experiences in London, where she celebrated the support of midwives and birthing centers, to the hurdles she faced during pregnan...