Shows
Wild WombRejecting the Gender Binary and White Supremacy in Fertility Awareness| Cera MerrickCera 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.2020-08-171h 12Wild WombDeveloping Trust through Fertility Awareness| Michele Drake, FAEMichele 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.
2020-06-2451 minWild WombEndometriosis & Self Health Advocacy| Naomi WestwaterThis 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...2020-05-301h 21Wild WombSelf Pleasure & Cultivating Sexual Energy| Felicia SokolFelicia Sokol returns to discuss her exploration of sacred self pleasure and how it's been fundamental to her growth and empowerment. Sexual energy is creative energy, it is life force.
Felicia is an astrologer, a witch, a doula, and magic human. She is one of the most embodied and grounded people I've ever encountered. She inspires me to be more honest with myself and to lean into truth. I love her so much and I hope you enjoy this episode.
You can get in touch with Felicia through her website: http://www.feliciasokol.com/
Also, check out the amazing project...2020-04-181h 14Wild WombHannah Maynard & AbortionHannah 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...2020-01-181h 17Wild WombJean Savage & Genital HerpesThis week’s episode is with Jean Savage, a true gem of a human being who agreed to share her experience with genital herpes. We want to get these conversations rolling to try to help clear up some confusion on what exactly genital herpes is as well as reduce all the crazy stigma around having it. 1 in 6 Americans are reported to have it, and we know that number is probably higher, so listen up ya’ll! Genital herpes is a skin disease also known as Herpes Simplex 2. It is a highly contagious virus that can be contracted before, during or afte...2020-01-111h 00Wild WombJustine HazelcornA 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...2019-11-2047 minWild WombFelicia SokolFelicia 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...2019-11-041h 07Wild WombSeason 2 | Episode 4| Amelia BonowThis 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...2019-03-0851 minWild WombSeason 2| Episode 3| DIY Gynecology and Body LiteracyThis 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...2019-02-1648 minWild WombSeason 2| Episode 2| Emilee SaldayaEmilee Saldaya is the host of The Free Birth Podcast and founder of The Free Birth Society. Emilee is a radical birth keeper, free birth educator, and free birther herself! Emilee works tirelessly to help women find their power and to birth freely and intuitively. Her first priority is trusting women and trusting the process of birth.
Listen to The Free Birth Society Podcast here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/free-birth-society/id1231912533?mt=2
Learn more about The Free Birth Society and join this incredible community here: https://www.freebirthsociety.com/2018-12-091h 29Wild WombSeason 2| Episode 1| Nubia JonesWelcome back finally to Season 2 of the Wild Womb Podcast. Kicking off Season 2 with this long and lovely conversation with Nubia Jones. Nubia is a certified doula and lactation counselor as well as a spinning babies educator. Nubia is also the Mom of five! Her personal experiences are what got her interested in birth work. She is a doula extraordinaire and a true ray of sunshine. Nubia provides her clients with evidence based information and is always my go-to for advice and resources. You can find Nubia on instagram @doulaviva_births and at www.doulavivabirths.com2018-11-032h 37Wild Womb13| Aiyana LeongWelcome back to the Wild Womb podcast! I am back from my hiatus and had this lovely conversation with Aiyana Leong, a badass abortion advocate who runs the Brooklyn chapter of Shout Your Abortion. This is a movement that was created through social media by Amelia Bono and Lindy West to encourage people who have had abortions to share their stories. It aims to normalize abortion and create a safe space to share experiences. IT IS SO IMPORTANT! Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures in the US and it is statistically impossible to not know someone who...2018-07-0753 minWild Womb12| Lacey HaynesWelcome back to the Wild Womb podcast! This conversation is with Lacey Haynes, a long time yoga and meditation guide as well as pussy gazer and free birthing woman. Lacey lives in London where she chose to free birth- a story which was picked up by The Guardian and went viral. Lacey chose to free birth out of a place of deep trust for herself and her body. Before and during her pregnancy she did a lot of deep self work on healing her relationship with motherhood. Lacey now helps other women do the same as well as helps reconnect...2018-06-1944 minWild Womb11| Veronique MeriotWelcome back to the Wild Womb podcast! This week I have my lovely friend from high school, Veronique Meriot. Vera is now the mother to two sons- Sebastien and Bodhi. Seb is the most lovely little boy. He is curious and loving and playful and it has been such a pleasure to see the bond that Veronique and him have. She is such an incredible mother, someone I really look up to and feel so inspired by. It was an honor to have her on here. In this episode we talk about navigating other people's judgement, creating intention through pregnancy...2018-06-111h 29Wild Womb10| The Fifth Vital SignEpisode 10!! This week I spoke with Kelsey Knight and Emily Varnam, the co-founders of the Fifth Vital Sign. The Fifth Vital Sign refers to the fifth vital sign of health for women- the menstrual cycle. Kelsey and Emily created this project in response to the incredible lack of body literacy and education on female reproductive health. They created a course out of information they compiled and taught it all around the country. They now facilitate trainings for women to educate women using the original course as a framework. They are empowering women to empower themselves and each other. "Conversations in...2018-06-011h 01Wild Womb9| Leigh Anne O'Connor IBCLCWelcome back to the Wild Womb Podcast! This week we get down and dirty with all things breastfeeding. Leigh Anne O'Connor is an IBCLC and long-time La Leche League leader here in New York. She has helped countless families reach their breastfeeding goals and is a reservoir of resources and knowledge in the perinatal worker community. Breastfeeding is a charged subject and is complicated for so many people. We unpack that quite a bit here. I want everyone to feel supported and to understand that breastfeeding is NOT easy and has so much more nuance to it than anyone tells...2018-05-191h 20Wild WombMother's Day Episode| Colleen TerrillHappy Mother's Day to all you mama queens out there!! This is a very special episode where my mom comes onto the Wild Womb podcast to share her story. My mom is a truly amazing person and it was so cool to bring her into this space and have the opportunity to hear her whole story- really for the first time. This woman is a deeply patient and compassionate person. I am so fortunate to have such a positive relationship with her. Mother's Day is a complicated day for a lot of people, I am immensely grateful that my mom...2018-05-131h 36Wild Womb8| Lara & JasonWelcome back to the Wild Womb podcast, episode 8 featuring Lara and Jason! I got to work with this lovely couple last year as their doula for the birth of their son, Felix. I loved being their doula, they are really fantastic people. Often times as a doula, I find myself managing a relationship dynamic that feels not quite right- these two were not that. They are so in love, so excited about life and parenthood- and do so well at all of it. As their doula, I found their energy to be inspiring and witnessing their journey really made me...2018-05-121h 54Wild Womb7| Naima BecklesWelcome back to the Wild Womb podcast! This week is featuring Naima Beckles, doula and co-founder of For Your Birth. FYB is a partnership-based doula and childbirth education agency serving all the boroughs of New York City. This is the group I work with predominantly and Naima has been a major mentor and guide to me as I have grown as a doula and navigated the NYC birthing jungle. We get to hear all about how Naima came to this work after the homebirths of her two children and how she has started and grown this business into what it...2018-05-051h 23Wild Womb6| Sarah FrankWelcome back to the Wild Womb podcast! Episode 6 features Sarah Frank telling her long and winding birthing tale. Sarah had always planned to have a home birth, then doubled-up on prenatal care with midwives at a birthing center as well as an ob-gyn throughout her pregnancy. She gave birth via c-section due to low fluids and a breech babe! I love her story and loved talking through finding peace and empowerment in the unexpected. Birth is often not at all what we predict or expect and Sarah conquered it all so beautifully. We get to talk a lot about moving...2018-04-281h 55Wild Womb5| Amanda HaydenWelcome back to the Wild Womb podcast! Episode 5! This week's episode is so important and I am so psyched I got to have it. We are talking queer and trans inclusivity in the birth sphere with Amanda Hayden! Amanda is a full spectrum doula as well as social worker at The Center here in New York. There are a lot of links and not much space to write so listen to the episode for my shpeel and click below for resources:
Get in touch with Amanda!: https://amanda-hayden-doula.squarespace.com/ as well as amandahayden.doula@gmail.com and @amandahayden.doula...2018-04-211h 10Wild Womb4| Koyuki SmithWelcome back to the Wild Womb podcast. Episode 4! Yay! One whole month of magic! This week is a truly lovely and informative chat with Koyuki Smith a childbirth educator and doula as well as THE Birthing From Within facilitator for New York. I knew nothing about Birthing From Within before our conversation, and this was such an educational treat. This childbirth education perspective is truly supportive of all experiences and really helps birthing folk (and professionals!!) navigate the winding, and often messy road that is birth. My favorite part of Birthing from Within is that there really is NO judgment...2018-04-131h 04Wild Womb3| Tanya Wills of Manhattan BirthWelcome back to the Wild Womb Podcast. Episode 3!! This week features Tanya Wills, homebirth midwife and founder of Manhattan Birth. Tanya has an alphabet's worth of credentials (CNM, IBCLC, WHNP) as well as being a mother herself! Tanya is a CHAMPION for women's health and is working tirelessly front and center to change the framework and discourse around reproductive health for women. She is a role model of mine and I am thrilled to have had this conversation. We get to hear all about how she got to this work and all the magic she's creating on the daily. Tanya...2018-04-071h 23Wild Womb2| Lauren CriglerWelcome to episode 2! This episode is with Lauren Crigler, one of the first women I got to work with as a doula back in 2015. Lauren gave birth to her daughter Pema Crow in her home in Montague, MA in May 2015. We talk through her birth story and thoughts on parenting and everything that has happened and changed since she became a mom. We talk about taking charge of you and your family's health and choices, respectful parenting, travelling with young ones, mom guilt and so much more. The book regarding vaccines that Lauren mentions is "The Vaccine Book" by Robert...2018-04-022h 13Wild Womb1| Dani KatzWelcome to episode 1 of the wild womb podcast! I am so excited to be kicking this project off with a conversation with Dani Katz, another Brooklyn-based doula/yoga teacher/healer/goddess. Dani is my doula partner. We get into some juicy talking here about what doula work is really like, self care, injustice, and how to start educating yourself on your choices in childbirth. Excuse the muffles and weird noises, I am a tech baby, and Dani's cat was our secret guest. Let me know your feels on this episode and stay tuned for next week!2018-03-241h 07Wild WombHi from me!Welcome to the wild womb podcast!2018-03-2419 min