Midwifery for the People – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode I sit down with a friend to talk through her birth story and the years it took to really make sense of it. We talk about the powerful influence of Free Birth Society teachings, the pressure and dogma that can exist in birth spaces, and what it was like for her to navigate a breech baby, a c-section under general anesthesia, and the long process of untangling what she had internalized about birth, autonomy, and motherhood.

In this episode, I coach Trisha, a birth worker navigating how to best use a recent financial windfall. We dive into balancing big decisions—like investing in a marketing program—against other priorities like organic strategies, childcare, self-care, and creating business momentum.

We explore actionable tips tailored for doulas and birth workers, including leveraging local Facebook groups, improving online presence with a Google business listing, and refreshing a website to attract the right clients. I also share insights into balancing family demands with business growth and making thoughtful financial choices that align with long-term goals.

Whether you’re in birth work or another small business, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you grow sustainably while staying true to your values. If you’re considering a big investment or just need ideas for smarter marketing, tune in for inspiration and support!

In this episode of Midwifery for the People I have a quick chat with doula Elisha Anderson about her experience trying to accept state medical care funds for her doula services in Oregon. She had reached out to me about midwifery school and shared a little about her experience, and I invited to come on and share more fully on the podcast because I think this topic is SO IMPORTANT. I am not professing to have the answers, but I do know that inviting the government into birth (through licensing or insurance) is not going to ultimately help women reclaim their power and sovereignty in birth.

Find Elisha at https://medicinalmom.company.site/

On this episode I wanted to share a reading from our book Indie Birth: A Story of Radical Birth Love, and in keeping with the recent theme, I’m sharing the complete story of my first miscarriage. This is one of the most “popular” pieces of content I’ve ever created. I wrote it in 2013 when there were almost zero stories like this available. Even now, there aren’t many, especially from the perspective of a midwife. For that reason, and to honor my own experience (I was so longing to own my own birth story) I wrote this. I have never read it out loud, and it was more emotional for me than I anticipated, so pardon my sniffles.

In this episode of ‘Midwifery for the People,’ host Margo Blackstone shares deeply personal experiences exploring her evolving relationship with death, both in her personal life and professional work as a midwife. She reflects on the profound impact of attending a birth where a baby unexpectedly died, which contributed to her first panic attack and a journey into understanding her fears related to death and leaving her children behind. Margo discusses the importance of confronting and understanding one’s relationship with death for birth workers and society at large. She emphasizes the need for a regulated nervous system in the birth work environment, acknowledging the inherent risks of childbirth.

Join Margo on this exploratory first part of a series on death and navigating our relationship to it as birth workers. If we want to shift the cultural narrative so that we honor birth as a right of passage, we will also need to reimagine death as a right of passage. The Western medical perspective is that death is the ultimate defeat. That often means there is someone or something to blame. On our quest to eliminate death from the pregnancy and birth continuum (which is ultimately the aim of “evidence based midwifery” and medicine) what do we lose? Is this the right goal? Or do we need to ask different questions to come up with different solutions for living and birthing in a sacred way?

In this candid episode, Margo discusses her spiritual journey and how it intersects with her work at Indie Birth. She discusses her shift away from conventional religion towards a more earth-based spirituality that embraces elements from different practices such as earth prayers, shamanic journeying, and tarot. These approaches provide a crucial context for understanding the spiritual dimensions of birth and womanhood, challenging the mainstream, evidence-based, and black-and-white paradigms dominating midwifery. Margo also talks about how incorporating these spiritual practices into her everyday life enhances her personal and professional growth. She encourages aspiring midwives and doulas to explore their spiritual dimensions and integrate them into their practices to provide holistic and deeply connected care.

I’m sharing a lesson from my new project Mindful Money Magic because we are also offering a new program called Midwifery Magic, a comprehensive mentorship, up-leveling, magic infusing experience for midwives (or advanced midwifery students).

A lot of what I offer in Midwifery Magic crosses over with my work as a financial wellness coach, and I wanted to give a little taste of the kind of content you can expect to receive as part of this program. I want all midwives to “get right with money”, meaning they feel abundantly supported in their work, instead of feeling undervalued and like they are working their asses off just to make ends meet.

Listen in and let me know how this resonates with you at margo@indiebirth.org!

Enroll in Midwifery Magic here.

Find my new Mindful Money Magic course here.

Thousands of women have contacted us over the years expressing their bone deep desire to be a midwife. BUT BUT BUT…they are afraid they will go to jail, be criminalized, or be put on trial. We have addressed their fear of persecution in lots of ways, but in this episode, I talk to Angee Hock, a midwife we have known for a long time now. She shares her story of…..you guessed it! Being criminalized, spending nights in jail, and being put on trial. Hear what she wants to share about her experience and what she would tell aspiring midwives today. She also talks about how she believes her PMA probably protected her (another question we get asked about all the time!). I’m so excited to share this with you, especially if you are one of these women who want to become a midwife “BUT”. The world doesn’t have time for more buts, and I hope you come away from this episode with a fresh and inspired perspective.

If you would like to support Angee by donating to help with legal fees, you can do that here.

Listen in on a recent conversation I had with midwives Jessica and Bethel! We talked about the difficulties of educating midwives, why we should focus on educating more awesome birth assistants then, how mandatory MEAC education is crippling Alaskan midwifery, and how Alaskan regulation is restricting women’s access to midwifery care. These two midwives are really lovely, passionate women and I had so much fun chatting with them. I think you’ll enjoy listening in on the conversation – tell me what you think! Maybe I’ll create more midwife shop talk episodes

LINKS AND TRANSCRIPT

Indie Birth Midwifery School

Pacific Birth Institute