Return to Wisdom

Doula, researcher and quantum biology educator Nikko Kennedy returns to Return to Wisdom for a wide-ranging conversation with Keshia Tognazzini about freebirth: why women choose it, what the data can and can’t tell us, and why the conversation needs far more nuance than it’s getting. Nikko has been a doula since 2011 and has had five babies across nearly every setting: a midwife-booked home birth...

In episode 12 of The Birth Series, Keshia Tognazzini sits down with birth photographer, doula and filmmaker Jacinta Lagos to talk about her debut feature documentary, Allowed to Birth: The Journey of a Global Midwife. Jacinta shares what pushed her to pick up a camera: years of witnessing obstetric violence, unnecessary interventions and small, everyday disrespect in hospital birth rooms, set agai...

After The Guardian’s investigation into the Free Birth Society, much of the freebirth world went quiet. Keshia didn’t. In this episode she sits down with Tahnee Taylor, mother of three, herbalist, birth educator, co-founder of SuperFeast, and a woman who has had two freebirths, to talk about what the investigation revealed and what it means for women considering birth outside the system. Tahnee do...

Who should be allowed to support a woman in labour? In late 2025, RANZCOG and the Australian College of Midwives called for South Australia's "restricted birth practices" legislation to be adopted nationally. The laws aim to prohibit anyone without the appropriate clinical qualifications from attending or "managing" birth. In this episode, Keshia Tognazzini talks with maternity rights advocate Sal...

In this episode, host Keshia Tognazzini sits down with Molly Isabel, a mother of eight, to walk through every one of her birth stories — from her first birth at nineteen in a small country hospital, through smooth hospital births, an unexpected caesarean, and two free births at home. It's a rare chance to hear one woman's full arc across nearly two decades of birthing: what worked, what didn't, ho...

In this episode, host Keshia Tognazzini sits down with Dr Sarah Buckley — GP, researcher, and one of the world's leading voices on the hormonal physiology of birth — to unpack what actually happens in the body during physiological labour, and what gets lost when birth is interrupted, induced, or moved into an operating theatre. They cover the "private, safe and unobserved" foundation every labouri...

Part of a series examining free birth and home birth culture in light of a recent media exposé (The Guardian's investigation), this conversation features veteran obstetrician Dr. Stu Fischbein giving his unfiltered take on why free birth exists, why he believes it's here to stay, and where he thinks the modern maternity system has gone wrong. Drawing on nearly 40 years in practice — including 25 y...

"Helping a baby breathe at birth, is a parenting skill" - Reclaiming Common Birth Knowledge with Billie Harrigan In this instalment of the Birth Series, Keshia sits down with Integrative Perinatal Health Consultant and Educator Billie Harrigan to talk about "becoming a more useful human" — the idea that ordinary, common-sense birth skills have been co-opted, medicalised, and locked behind licensin...

In this instalment of the Birth Series, Keshia sits down with her longtime podcasting partner and friend Chloe Pacey for a wide-ranging, unfiltered reunion conversation. Sparked by the recent Guardian investigation into Free Birth Society and figures like Emily Saldaya and Yolanda Norris-Clark, the pair dig into the messy middle ground between free birth advocacy and mainstream maternity care — wh...

Two very different birth experiences — one that unfolded within the medical system, and one that took place at home with a private midwife quietly holding space in the background. Recorded in the wake of recent media scrutiny of free birth and home birth communities, this conversation moves past the headlines and into the lived, textured reality of making birth choices under pressure and hope. Aya...

In this episode, Keshia sits down with Laura Shanley — author of the foundational book Unassisted Childbirth, first published decades before "free birth" became a widely used term. Laura free birthed all of her children between 1978 and 1987 and has spent over 30 years researching and writing about the connection between fear, thought, and the physiology of labor. The conversation comes at a pivot...

Keshia sits down with Melanie Jackson to work through the confusion left in the wake of The Guardian's exposé on Free Birth Society — what it got right, what it missed, and why neither of them was surprised by it. Drawing on her PhD research and nearly two decades attending home births, Melanie makes a clear distinction between free birth as a personal choice and the newer, more troubling trend of...

Keshia sits down with midwife Mary Lou Singleton to untangle the current confusion around free birth — where it comes from, how it's being shaped by social media and influencer culture, and what's been lost as the "Free Birth Society" brand has drifted from storytelling into ideology. Mary Lou draws on 15+ years as a home birth midwife, her own free birth, and a family history shaped by a traumati...

In this deeply reflective conversation, Keshia is joined by Michelle Chatham and Molly to explore what the “village” truly means in modern life, and why so many women feel unsupported despite being surrounded by community. Together, they unpack the degradation of intergenerational wisdom, the limitations of peer-only communities, and the dangers of outsourcing our knowing to professionals, systems...

In this episode, Keshia sits down with Cyndi O’Meara — leading nutritionist, filmmaker, best-selling author, TEDx speaker, and founder of Changing Habits, The Nutrition Academy, The Changing Habits Farm, and co-founder of The Packing Company. With more than 45 years of experience in nutrition and health education, Cyndi has dedicated her life to helping people make informed, empowered choices abou...

In this episode of Return to Wisdom, Keshia sits down with her friend Angela to talk through her journey into motherhood — from being told she was unlikely to conceive, through four very different births, miscarriage, and the process of finding trust in her own body and choices. If you’re pregnant, exploring birth options, processing a past birth, or simply interested in real, unfiltered women’s s...

In this soulful and deeply insightful episode (part 2), Keshia sits down once again with parenting educator, speaker, author, and emotional awareness advocate Lael Stone. With her signature calm wisdom, Lael explores how we, as parents, can navigate our children's emotional worlds without falling into perfectionism or panic about “getting it all right.” Together, they unravel complex layers around...

In this soulful and deeply insightful episode, Keshia sits down once again with parenting educator, speaker, author, and emotional awareness advocate Lael Stone. With her signature calm wisdom, Lael explores how we, as parents, can navigate our children's emotional worlds without falling into perfectionism or panic about “getting it all right.” Together, they unravel complex layers around trauma,...

In this deeply nourishing episode of Return to Wisdom, Keshia sits down with Jane Hardwicke Collings: midwife, teacher, author, and founder of the School of Shamanic Womancraft, to explore the sacred transitions that define womanhood. Jane shares insights from her decades of experience guiding women through rites of passage, from menarche to menopause, and how reclaiming these cycles reconnects us...

In this powerful and eye-opening conversation, Keshia sits down with Blair Beattie, Director of Farmers Footprint Australia, to uncover the hidden reality of glyphosate: the world’s most widely used chemical, and its impact on our food, health, and environment. From the origins of Roundup to the ripple effects it has on our soil, water, and bodies, this episode explores how chemical farming has di...

In episode 14 of Return to Wisdom Podcast, Meghan Murphy discusses her experiences with cancel culture, the evolution of feminism, and the complexities surrounding gender identity and women's rights. The dialogue explores the impact of the Me Too movement, the realities of sex work, and the importance of free speech in modern society. Meghan emphasizes the need for critical thinking and respectful...

journey of questioning vaccine safety, and the impact of social media on public health discourse. Lauren shares her personal health experiences that led her to question vaccines and delve into natural health practices. The conversation also touches on the complexities of indigenous wisdom and the role of propaganda in shaping public perceptions. Ultimately, they emphasise the need for informed dec...

In episode 12 of Return to Wisdom, Keshia welcomes Kiera Lea back to unpack how light, environment, stress and mindset influence women’s health and fertility. Together they explore circadian/quantum biology, melatonin’s role in pregnancy and labor, red vs blue light in IVF settings, the social drivers behind falling birth rates, and how chronic stress and insulin resistance feed conditions like PC...

In episode 11 of Return to Wisdom, Keshia and Kallie Fell dive into the ethical complexities of modern reproductive technologies. They unpack the realities of donor conception, examining the ethical questions around egg and sperm donation, as well as the potential risks tied to these practices. The conversation also explores how AI is shaping reproductive medicine, the societal consequences of com...

In Episode 10 of Return to Wisdom, Keshia sits down with Kimberly Ann Johnson; author, somatic guide, and women’s health advocate, to unpack aging, perimenopause, motherhood, and the cultural scripts that shape how women see their bodies. Kimberly challenges the youth-obsessed narrative and the pathologizing of every hormonal fluctuation, arguing for a season-based, community-rooted approach to wo...