Becoming Parents - Birth Stories and Birthwork Wisdom

- As a teenager I was taught - as many are - that slip up once in the bed and you are pregnant

- Always figured kids would simply happen but they weren't my one big dream that would make me satisfied in life. I have always been spontaneous and loved adventure and travel and possibility. 

- Decided to get married. Decided to have kids. 3 years later, not pregnant. 

- lucked out to be living in Cambridgeshire England (we're Canadian) at that exact time, as IVF was covered by public health for 3 rounds. 

- felt grateful and lucky

- One fresh round, pregnant. Twins. Early miscarriage. 

- frozen round, 2 put in, one baby created on Canada day, ironically, and brought me my first child. 

- gestational diabetes, frequent monitoring, super healthy, early induction 37 weeks and 4 days. 

- emergency c section, with plenty of trauma, blood loss, full general anesthetic, baby with group b strep, 9 days in the hospital,husband not allowed overnight. 

- baby sick with snotty cold full 2nd month

- then I felt like I was born to be a mother for 3 years. Brought my baby with me on adventures, 

Built a community of other spontaneous folk. 

- Got pregnant with second with no IVF, somewhat without trying

- took control of birth, doula, different hospital, the full deal. 

- 2nd child 3 years apart. Very hard. Couldn't meet everyone's needs. Isolated in England. 

- Moved back to Canada March 2020 in height of pandemic 

- a dark year of feeling no purpose

- then started an applied positive psychology course, then the coaching course, and found my community of people who want to learn similar things to me and found myself again. 

- now, I coach, I learn, I take small courageous steps and I'm building The Courage Club, where women meet, play, laugh, and try new things together to build our courage muscles...so that when we want to go for that big, audacious dream, our bodies and brains remember that we can do scary things. 

Mel Findlater is a passionate Possibility Coach, nature lover, and mother of two, dedicated to helping women embrace their big, audacious dreams with courage and playfulness. As the founder of Permission to Be Human and Courage Club, she empowers women to connect with their purpose, stretch their comfort zones, and take bold steps toward meaningful impact. With certifications in applied positive psychology coaching, forest school education, and laughter yoga, Mel blends her love of play, nature, and connection into all of her work. Known for her warm, authentic nature, Mel creates safe spaces for women to grow, connect, and thrive - together.

FIND HER HERE:

Depression, Anxiety, Parenting, NLP & Hypnotherapy Practice with Craig Meriwether - S7 E58

Starting when I was a teenager I struggled for many years with depression and anxiety. It was with the birth of my son that I found the resolve to heal. My mother struggled with depression as did I and whether it was nurture or nature I want to make sure I would be able to help my son if he fell into the dark hole of depression.  

I found healing by learning to take back control of my subconscious mind and nervous system through hypnotherapy and NLP techniques. After learning so much I trained to become a clinical hypnotherapist myself. 

I am a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Medical Hypnosis Specialist, Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) specialist, and Founder of Arizona Integrative Hypnotherapy helping people eliminate the negative emotions and limiting beliefs that may be keeping them from reaching their full potential. 

For over 12 years I've been helping people heal from early childhood trauma, helping cancer patients with pain control, veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, students with test anxiety, children with nightmares, entrepreneurs with confidence, athletes with peak performance, and anyone who may be dealing with overwhelm, fear and anxiety. 

I have also created Ace Any Test, the most comprehensive course for test anxiety relief so people can eliminate anxiety around exams, auditions, job interviews and public speaking, as well as increase confidence and self-esteem. 

Possible Topics to Discuss: 

•  Overcoming fear and anxiety 

•  Program yourself for confidence 

•  What is hypnosis and how it can help you heal (talk about the research behind it)

•  Eliminate test anxiety (as well as anxiety around auditions, job interviews, public speaking) 

•  Getting "in state" at the start of your day 

•  Using hypnotherapy for confidence, growth and success 

FIND HIM HERE:

Arizona Integrative Hypnotherapy

Father to 24 yr Irish daughter

Father to 10 yr Polish son

Ensuring your child is heart centered

I’m a Podcaster / Podcast coach / partner is VA World providing Virtual Assistants / Partner with brain gym fitness

FIND ROY HERE:

-Mother of two. Both born in a hospital using anesthesia and post care medications.

-I was never taught about how important pre- and post-natal care is during my parenting journey (aside from "walk as much as you can" and "take prenatal pills every day") and thought that physical activity was the most important aspect. 

-I've since learned that nutrition should be a fundamental aspect to everyone's journey whether they're a parent or not and to also be made aware that hospitals and doctors might not properly inform you on vital information that could save some women from a lot of negative side effects both long-term and short-term.

-I also want to give hope to moms with older children that it's never too late to take you and your children's health into your own hands and give simple solutions to very busy people to be able to live healthier, more fulfilled lives.

I've owned my own personal training gym as well as a small spa and now I do marketing for Vital Earth Minerals while still doing fitness consulting on the side. 

FIND HER HERE:

-  I am not a parent, but  I am a DONA International certified Birth Doula working in North Carolina

- I did not learn about what a doula was until the age of 26 years old in graduate school. Once I learned about the field, it instantly clicked for me. I've always been fascinated with birth but never wanted to be a nurse or doctor.

- I had some fears around becoming a labor support doula and not having gone through childbirth but my training reassured me that I was able to do the job

- I learned of the Alliance of Black Doulas for Black Mamas (which was rebranded to LEADDoula) through an email listserv that a friend sent me, because she knew I wanted to be doula

- ABDBM or LEAD was strictly for Black women who wanted to become doulas, and was focused on serving black birthing people and their families

- It was a 6 week program with culturally tailored education, included all required DONA International training to become certified, and afterwards, we were required to serve as doula for at least 3 births to be eligible for DONA certification 

- Between the program and my own clients, I've had 13 births

- Fun fact: My first birth was a cesarean section 

- I love serving as a birth doula because of the relationships I have built with the moms and families I've served. Being with a woman at her most intimate and vulnerable time of childbirth is such a special gift