079: A Journey Through Hypnobirthing and Parenthood: Angel and Joe's Homebirth Story
Birth Education Center
In today’s episode, I welcome Angel and Joe, first time parents who are sharing their homebirth story. They took all the notes from Hypnobirthing and adapted those tools for their birth. For those of you who haven’t considered a homebirth, notice how this process was all about supporting the couple - whatever they needed, their team was on it. The preparation for a homebirth is just as important as it is for a hospital birth but has a personal birth team who is just as invested that it stays low risk and healthy. Natural birth takes planning and extra backup plans so safety and feeling...
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078: Dr. Mac's Birth Story
Birth Education Center
Today we have one of my Hypnobirthing students, Dr. Mac Toohey, sharing her birth story and so much more! Dr. Mac is a naturopath, an integrative functional medicine provider, and a preconception expert. Her birth story started over a year before she became pregnant. It even includes, what I will always consider a huge miracle and a nutrient rich placenta as a major character in her birth story. Our conversation has so much rich information you are going to want to take notes! Dr. Toohey opens up about her unique approach to preparing for conception and birth, blending medical expertise...
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077: The Road to Surrogacy, - Part 3
Birth Education Center
We’re back with Jamilah for the final chapter of her surrogacy journey! In this episode, Jamilah shares the emotional and physical experience of delivering her surrogate baby. From the anticipation and pressure of reaching 40 weeks for herself and the Intended Parents, to advocating for herself in the hospital, to the powerful moment of birth. And there’s an unexpected plot twist here that wasn’t planned but pulled things in full circle. She also shares about the unique postpartum experience of going home without a baby—Jamilah’s story is full of insight for anyone curious...
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076: The Road to Surrogacy, - Part 2
Birth Education Center
Hey everyone! Welcome back to the second episode of our chat with Jamilah. Last week, we heard both of her birth stories and now we're moving into her incredible journey towards surrogacy. Her own births led Jamilah birth photography, putting her want for being a doula on the backburner for a whole other profession. It was at a networking event that the surrogacy opportunity presented itself and the pieces began to line up. Jamilah’s story gives a lot of information for people wondering about the surrogacy process in helping people become parents. Her journey to this baby had its ups and...
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075: The Road to Surrogacy, Part 1
Birth Education Center
We are excited to introduce you to Jamilah in today’s show. Ashley and I just had our headshots taken by Jamilah and her story is just too good not to share! Jamilah is almost due with her surrogate baby and we are discussing the backstory as to why she moved towards surrogacy. In this show, Jamilah shares the inspiring stories of her two birth experiences and how her mindset of fearlessness, instilled by her mother, helped her embrace labor without fear. She shares the birth of her daughter Hazel, navigating through labor with a strong sense of determination and trust in her body. Some...
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074: Kasondra and Zach’s Natural Birth Story
Birth Education Center
The video for YouTube and Spotify will be up shortly! For now, please enjoy our audio version. In this episode, we have a birth story featuring Zach and Kasondra, a couple who recently welcomed their newborn into the world. In Hypnobirthing class we learned about their love of surfing and always being in the water. Kasondra is also an opera singer so she came into class with expectations on how her breathing techniques would go during labor – and they worked with an added surprise. Throughout the podcast, Kasondra discusses her decisions along the way to support the natural birth she wanted....
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073: Doulas - The Art of Holding Space and Allowing
Birth Education Center
In this episode, Ashley and I are talking about the sacred aspects of being a doula and how the ultimate role is to 'hold space' for birthing families.What IS holding space? Since it’s different for everyone - we want you to define it for yourself and how it works for each family you serve. We have found over the years that it’s incredibly hard to hold space if we find ourselves needing or wanting to control birth outcomes, come into birth work with a savior complex, or if we can’t embrace the discomfort that comes with witnessing labor and birth. We share personal experiences and...
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072: Embracing the Intensity of Labor
Birth Education Center
This episode is a workshop-style conversation designed to help you tackle your fears and equip yourself with the tools and mindset needed for a positive birth experience. I’m not gonna lie - this conversation got juicy with ideas and information to reshape your thoughts about pain and gathering the courage to use your abilities to become what you have not. Ashley was on fire in this conversation! In our Hypnobirthing series we challenge the common narrative of avoiding pain, asking why we steer clear of the lessons pain brings. What if you were to accept the pain or discomfort...
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071: Surrendering: Hannah and Cooper's Hypnobirthing Story
Birth Education Center
In today’s show, I interview with Hannah and Cooper, former Hypnobirthing students, to talk about their incredible birth story. From navigating fears of low pain tolerance and the unknowns of labor, Hannah shares her powerful experience of surrendering to the birth process. Low pain tolerance comes up A LOT when women talk about wanting to have a natural birth. In fact, tune in next week because we decided to do a full episode on it. Hannah had some awesome insights in hindsight as to how her birth played out. We also talked about her early pelvic floor therapy, the importance of having a...
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070: Processing Fears: Nikki's Fertility Journey
Birth Education Center
I begin with a mini disclaimer about the audio and video quality due to the last day of Mercury retrograde. Despite the production challenges, we have an important and heartfelt conversation for you today. I want you to meet Nikki, who is joining my Hypnobirthing series, and this is our first face-to-face talk. Nikki shares her deeply personal and emotional fertility journey, which includes unexpected pregnancies, miscarriages, and the associated medical experiences. Nikki is still early in her pregnancy and so she came today to get some early help in reducing the fears she has around...
info_outlineToday we have one of my Hypnobirthing students, Dr. Mac Toohey, sharing her birth story and so much more! Dr. Mac is a naturopath, an integrative functional medicine provider, and a preconception expert. Her birth story started over a year before she became pregnant. It even includes, what I will always consider a huge miracle and a nutrient rich placenta as a major character in her birth story. Our conversation has so much rich information you are going to want to take notes!
Dr. Toohey opens up about her unique approach to preparing for conception and birth, blending medical expertise with holistic practices and a lot of humor. From confronting a surprising tarot card reading to navigating fertility challenges, detox protocols, and the realities of modern healthcare, Mac’s story is packed with practical advice and her deep journey into motherhood.
Wait until you hear about the importance of preconception health for both parents, the impact of environmental toxins, and why personalized care matters. We also talk about the emotional side of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum—noting the value of support systems, self-advocacy, and trusting your intuition. Dr. Mac’s birth story is a testament to preparation, resilience, and the little miracles that can happen when you listen to your body and surround yourself with the right team.
This is definitely an episode you will want to share with anyone thinking about getting pregnant WAY before they want the baby to come out!
You can find Dr. Mac Toohey at https://www.drmactoohey.com/ or @DrToohey on Tiktok!
Let’s connect: Have questions or comments for this episode?
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