Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. We are talking about postpartum recovery for working moms, particularly those in the Air Force. Our guest today is Technical Sergeant Caleb Pearson, who has served in the United States Air Force for 16 years. In 2017 he created a program for postpartum active duty mothers to get back into war fighting shape. The program is called: Postpartum Rehabilitation and Reintegration Exercise Program or PRREP for short. The program is designed to educate...
Nov 14, 2021•38 min•Season 3Ep. 78
Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. We are talking about baby sleep on this Daylight Savings Time morning! Our guest today is Erin Junker, she is a mom, sleep consultant and host of the Sleep Cues podcast. Erin is passionate about children’s sleep. She firmly believes that a well-rested family is a happier, healthier family. She is committed to working with tired parents to help them help their little ones get the healthy rest they need – that means getting amazing, uninterrupted...
Nov 07, 2021•34 min•Season 3Ep. 77
Today’s episode is special for me because I had the chance to interview my chiropractor, Dr. Pam Stone. In the episode, Dr. Pam talks about the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy and I share a little bit about my experience receiving this care during my second pregnancy. Pamela Stone, DC, DACCP owns a family wellness salutogenic-based chiropractic practice in Kennesaw, GA and has been certified in the Webster Technique since 1999 ( a specific chiropractic sacral analysis and diversif...
Oct 31, 2021•25 min
In today’s episode, I had the honor of interviewing a fellow podcaster and new friend, Lisa Anderson Shaffer. Lisa is an artist, psychotherapist and mental health advocate and educator. She is author of the book, These Three Things - a daily writing meditation journal, and host of the psychologically minded podcast, Joy is Now. Outside of her work in the wellness and mental health realm, Lisa is the Founder and CEO of the jewelry brand, Zelma Rose, creating sustainably handcrafted, exquisitely r...
Oct 24, 2021•53 min•Season 3Ep. 75
In today’s episode, I am speaking with Jon Gustin, who is a part time stay at home Dad, Personal trainer, and he makes parenting comedy skits on Tik Tok @the.tired.dad. In this episode, Jon and I talk about stereotypical gender roles for parents that are still very much in existence today, but how parenting during the pandemic is helping to make a paradigm shift in this area. I hope you enjoy the episode! In this episode we discuss: A trend going around TikTok this week is: Why is it that moms w...
Oct 17, 2021•31 min•Season 3Ep. 74
In today’s episode, we are discussing how to create a mental wellness plan. Our guest today is Stefanie Poole, who is a Mental Health Doula,™ counsellor, educator and mental wellness advocate who supports families to create and maintain a healthy heart and mind. She is the founder of Mumma Bees ™, (Peer Support and Training for Birthing Families), Birth Education For A Healthy Heart & Mind, ™ and Kindred Clubhouse. Stefanie is going to share with us what a mental wellness plan is, the import...
Oct 10, 2021•43 min•Season 3Ep. 73
Thank you so much for listening to the show today. In this podcast swap episode, Ali Wolf and I will discuss the challenges and triumphs that go along with running a business while raising babies and toddlers. Ali is a wife and mom to an adorable and energetic 11 month old girl. After spending nearly a decade as a TV news reporter and anchor in California and NYC, she became a mom during the pandemic. While navigating the postpartum stage, she created a successful Etsy shop, launched a website a...
Oct 03, 2021•24 min•Season 3Ep. 72
Thank you so much for listening to the show today. In this episode, we are talking about teaching children emotional health through the use of music. Our guest is Rachel Davis, she is the Founder of LaLa Tigers, a TEDx Speaker, NLP Practitioner, Hypnotherapist, Songwriter and mama of 2 boys, who she has raised single handedly for the last 7 years. Through her online intentional parenting programme Raise a Tiger, Rachel combines her experiences of personal growth, mental & emotional health, p...
Sep 26, 2021•34 min•Season 3Ep. 71
Thank you so much for listening to the show today. In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Ataahua Tukaramaene, who goes by Tah for short. Tah is a new parent, cycle breaker, and mental health advocate on a mission to encourage and support mothers in their journey. In this episode, Tah shares her personal journey with both becoming a mother and breaking the stigma of mental health issues. I hope you enjoy the episode! In this episode we discuss: Tah’s story of battling mental health iss...
Sep 19, 2021•31 min•Season 3Ep. 70
Thanks for listening to today’s episode where we will be talking about prenatal yoga. Taking a prenatal yoga class can be so beneficial if you are pregnant. It is a good form of exercise for both your body and mind. It encourages you to practice mindfulness on the mat and you can use what you learn on the mat during labor, birth and postpartum. Our guest today is Kate Baran. She started the Nimble Yogini, where she teaches virtual prenatal yoga classes. In the episode today, Kate talks about her...
Sep 12, 2021•21 min
This weeks episode is a replay of one of my earliest episodes! In today’s episode I will be comparing what its like to give birth with an epidural vs. without any pain medication. My goal is to give you insight into what you can expect in both scenarios. Takeaway: Both births were great, epidurals are great, birthing naturally is great, there are pros and cons with both. I have my own personal reasons why I chose to try giving birth without pain medication with my daughter and I have reasons why...
Sep 05, 2021•34 min•Season 3Ep. 68
In today’s episode I am trying out something new: I am doing a short RAVE solo episode where I rave about something or someone that is great. Today I am raving about Postpartum Support International! Total disclaimer: I am the new Treasurer of the PSI Georgia chapter Board of Directors. So, I am totally biased, but one of the reasons why I volunteer with this organization is because of the wonderful work that they do in the world. I love PSI because of their mission and vision and because of the...
Aug 29, 2021•11 min
Announcement: Registration is open for the September Finding Your Village Birth Class. The classes are on Wednesday nights starting on September 8th at 7pm EST. You can register or find out more info at www.findingyourvillage.com/classes In today’s episode we are discussing the topic of Mamas in training. Our guest today is Jessica Lorion. Jessica has spent the past 10 years as a professional actor and voice over artist in New York City. Now, as the Host and Producer of the Mamas in Training Pod...
Aug 22, 2021•27 min•Season 3Ep. 66
Announcement: Registration is open for the September Finding Your Village Birth Class. The classes are on Wednesday nights starting on September 8th at 7pm EST. You can register or find out more info at www.findingyourvillage.com/classes In today’s episode we are discussing setting boundaries during pregnancy and postpartum. Our guest is Trisha Goodall, she is a Mom Strategist, postpartum doula, life coach, and speaker. Trisha helps busy moms move from overwhelmed to joyful through customized st...
Aug 15, 2021•28 min•Season 3Ep. 65
This weeks episode is a replay of one of my most downloaded episodes. I also recently uploaded a video of the ab approximation exercise discussed in this episode on my TikTok page. Click here to follow me on TikTok and to watch that video: https://www.tiktok.com/@findingyourvillage In this episode we discuss: Shelley’s background as a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist Shelley is a PT at Sports Rehab at Brookhaven She also teaches entry level Physical Therapists at a medical school in Atlanta What ...
Aug 08, 2021•53 min•Season 3Ep. 64
In today’s solo show I discuss how breath awareness helps during labor, and really during any uncomfortable or painful experience. In the episode I go over: The difference between pain and suffering A quote from Pam England’s book Ancient Map for Modern Birth What the “monkey mind” is What breath awareness is (hint: it does not teach you how to breath) The foundation for breath awareness An exercise to practice breath awareness An exercise to deepen the breath awareness practice with an “ice con...
Aug 01, 2021•24 min•Season 3Ep. 63
Announcements First: Big shoutout and congratulations to Christi Matusiak, she was a guest on the show in episode 44 and she just published her first book! It is called Coordinating the Chaos, and it's a holistic take on balancing hormones postpartum and cultivating the energy to show up as the exceptional, nurturing mother you want to be. This book is available for pre-order right now on her website and I have linked to it in the show notes for this episode: https://www.christymatusiakdc.com/sh...
Jul 25, 2021•33 min•Season 3Ep. 62
Welcome to Season 3 of the Finding Your Village podcast. I am so excited to be kicking off a new season with one of my favorite parenting experts, Kim West! Before I introduce Kim and the topic for our show today I wanted to let you know what I have been working on in the past few weeks while the show has been on summer break! I have been able to spend some quality time with my family and have fun one on one time with my kids.I have opened up my virtual 4 week online childbirth classes and if yo...
Jul 18, 2021•53 min•Season 3Ep. 61
Today’s episode will wrap up the end of season 2 of the Finding Your Village podcast. I am taking a vacation from the show as I prepare to launch by birth classes on July 7th! Season 3 of the podcast starts on July 18th! In today’s episode we are talking all about cloth diapers! I had the pleasure of talking to Gigi Vera Vincent, who is a postpartum doula, mother to three toddlers, including twins, and a wife to her high school sweetheart. As a former teacher, her love languages are planning and...
Jun 20, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 60
In today’s episode we are discussing Postpartum Hormone imbalances. This is a very cool episode for me because I had the chance to opportunity to interview a friend and the wife of my husband’s cousin, Erica Hull! Erica is a board certified Physician Assistant, mother of 2 and lives with her husband and sons in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is so knowledgeable about conventional and integrative medicine, how the body responds to stress and what we can do to get back in balance. In this episode we discus...
Jun 13, 2021•42 min•Season 2Ep. 59
In this week’s episode we round out our series on birth preparation classes and discuss Hypnobabies. I was honored to interview the Founder and Director of Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis, Kerry Tuschhoff last week. Kerry is a nationally renowned speaker and writer on a wide range of women's pregnancy and childbirth concerns. Her subjects include prenatal and childbirth choices, informed consent issues, health and low-risk status concerns, comfort in childbirth, the power of birth language and m...
May 30, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 57
In today’s episode I had the pleasure of speaking with a husband and wife childbirth instructor team! I had the chance to interview Brent Caldwell and Michelle Gabrielle-Caldwell about their experience teaching the Bradley Method childbirth class. Michelle and Brent have been married since 1997, they always knew they wanted children. Blessed with two great kids, they didn't realize how impactful the birthing experiences were until sharing theirs with friends and family. Michelle's first pregnanc...
May 23, 2021•50 min•Season 2Ep. 56
In today’s episode, I am focusing on a newer childbirth preparation program from Evidence Based Birth. I had a chance to sit down with Cat LaPlante, who is the Director of the Instructor Program at Evidence Based Birth®. She is a certified childbirth educator, certified doula, and an Evidence Based Birth Instructor. Cat's passion is empowering birthing people and their partners through evidence based education and supporting their informed choices. In this episode we discuss: The history of Evid...
May 16, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 55
In today’s episode, I continue this month’s podcast series on childbirth preparation programs. I had the opportunity to interview Sara Rossi, who is a Hynobirthing Instructor. Sara started as a prenatal yoga instructor and In 2007 she got certified in Hypnobirthing, the Marie Mongan Method and as an Infant Massage Instructor by the International Association of Infant massage. Drawing on her experience as a mother, a prenatal yoga teacher, childbirth and infant massage educator, Sara looks to est...
May 09, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 54
In today’s episode I am kicking off the series about childbirth preparation classes. I am featuring a different type of birth education program each week in the month of May. I had the privilege of interviewing Nikki Shaheed and she is a certified Trainer, Mentor, and Doula for Birthing from Within, as well as the author of Heart Centered Pregnancy Journal. Nikki is passionate about bringing balance and self-compassion to the childbearing year. She lives in San Antonio, TX with her husband and t...
May 02, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 53
Thank you so much for listening to the Finding Your Village podcast, before I get into the details about today’s episode. I wanted to let you all know that in the month of May, I will be publishing a series of podcast episodes all about childbirth preparation classes. As I finish the last steps of getting certified to become a childbirth educator myself, I wanted to feature different preparation philosophies and some popular classes. My opinion about birth preparation is that it is important, bu...
Apr 25, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 52
In today’s episode, I am doing another Podcast swap! That means that this episode is also airing in the near future on my guest’s show, which is called Inside Out Podcast Today Eden Hyder and I are discussing attachment theory and EMDR. Eden Hyder is a licensed therapist, psychology teacher and mother of two who is passionate about helping others understand themselves, their relationships and their kids from the inside out. She does this through her counseling practice Inside Out Collaborative, ...
Apr 18, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 51
This is episode 50 of the Finding Your Village podcast!!! I am so excited to have released 50 episodes and I would like to thank everyone who has listened to an episode and to all of the wonderful guests who have shared their time and expertise on the show. In today’s episode, I talk to Kaitlin McGreyes who is a mom, Doula and the Founder of Be Her Village , which is an online Baby Registry for parent services and support, rather than physical baby products. It is like the “Honeyfund” for birth....
Apr 11, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 50
In today’s episode we are discussing what to consider when choosing a preschool for your child. Joining me today for the conversation is Zahra Kazem. She is a certified Montessori teacher and ran a Montessori school pre-Covid. She then became a certified parenting coach through the International Coaching Federation and began helping working moms navigate the challenges of balancing a full time job with motherhood. Because Zahra’s background includes both Montessori and parent coaching, we are go...
Apr 04, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 49
In today’s episode we are talking about Lactation Consultants! I had the honor of interviewing Courtney Miller who is an IBCLC. Courtney’s passion for breastfeeding began after giving birth to her son in March 2019, when she quickly realized there wasn’t enough breastfeeding education and support readily-available. Now she says she has found her calling of helping moms and their families along their breastfeeding journey! Courtney regularly uses her personal breastfeeding experience, along with ...
Mar 28, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 48
