Poised & Powerful Parenting

When you have a huge, life-changing experience, don’t you just need a friend who’s been there before to hold your hand and tell you’ll be ok? Today’s guest Eugenia Viti channeled the experiences of pregnancy and new motherhood into her new book Be Pregnant: An Illustrated Companion for Moms-To-Be - and it feels just like a friend giving you the inside scoop. Whether you’re currently Googling your...

CW: There are some swears, so please use headphones if you need to.  Have you ever felt overwhelmed about or ashamed of being “behind” or “failing” at life basics like cooking, cleaning, household management, or hygiene? Why doesn’t “just try harder” ever seem to work to get us organized and “together”? What if, instead of trying to fix ourselves, we could treat ourselves with more compassion and...

Allegra Marino Shmulevsky is helping us reflect on Jewish traditions and rituals across the world, and how leaning into your faith during this time of transition through birth and postpartum can enrich your own birth story and post-birth experience. Episode 27 of Poised & Powerful Podcast is sharing the importance of a strong postpartum plan, especially with other children at home!  Book your...

I get asked a lot of questions about “mom posture”, also known as the mom hunch. Today, I wanted to address these questions for those looking to carry your body differently. Nothing could have prepared me for the physical intensity of the newborn phase, but this posture can happen for anyone caring for smaller children or those who work at the computer a lot. Episode 26 of Poised & Powerful Po...

Have you ever found yourself holding your breath? It’s easy to get caught up in what’s happening in the now and forget to give your body what it needs. This week, Episode 25 of Poised & Powerful Podcast is sharing some breathing tips to help with anxiety and stress!  Holding your breath doesn’t help you deal with whatever unknowns you face. Instead, take a long and slow exhale and just allow t...

I remember as a preteen, there was this book in our house called “What’s Happening To My Body,” and when I was pregnant, I remembered this feeling. Today's episode provides background and useful tips for dealing with these changes.  Episode 23 of Poised & Powerful Podcast is sharing changes your body goes through during pregnancy!  When getting ready for a baby, it’s so easy for YOU to ge...

The first birthday for your baby (or babies!) is a milestone and we want you to own it! Rhonda was on our podcast quite a few episodes ago explaining her pandemic pregnancy with twins, and she’s back for an update on life with twin toddlers. Episode 23 of Poised & Powerful Podcast is sharing: how to survive the first year as a twin mom!   When getting ready for a baby, it’s so easy for YOU to...

Becoming a mom can feel like magic - and a marathon without a finish line. Let’s show some gratitude to the incredible things our bodies can do. This episode of Poised & Powerful Parenting is sharing Rhonda's roller-coaster pandemic pregnancy with TWINS!  Book your FREE 15-minute virtual consult to learn more about working with Sarah! She offers virtual sessions for expecting and new pare...

With so many different parenting strategies out there, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. This week, we’re cutting the overwhelm so you can focus on what you value. Yes, even you: the Type A, the perfectionists, the overthinkers, and over-planners! This week, episode 22 of Poised & Powerful Podcast is sharing the questions you should ask yourself (and your partner) to be emotionally prepared f...

Content note: we are not meant to just handle it on our own when it comes to the stresses of the postpartum period. Many parents struggle. You are not alone. Please see support resources at Postpartum Support International .  Why is the postpartum period under-studied for women and people who give birth? This week’s guest tackled this issue of the neglected postpartum period. We’ll hear about new...

Content Warning: pregnancy loss and miscarriage are mentioned throughout this episode. Find mental health support for pregnancy loss at Postpartum Support International . Pregnancy loss isn’t talked about enough, but it’s just as important to hear those stories as it is to hear birth stories. Many women struggle with their pregnancy loss alone and in secret. If we can all have a better understandi...

It’s been a mental health week over here, and so in light of that, I wanted to offer a replay of a very important conversation with a father we had on the podcast a few months ago. I learn something new every time I listen to this episode and I hope you do too!  If we can open ourselves up to curiosity and creativity, it can help us navigate the complexities and difficult emotions that come with p...

This week’s minisode is a guided imagery audio that can be used during a constructive rest practice. Katerina and I both had babies who were, let's say inconsistent nappers. So we dealt with both a lot of regular fatigue, but also decision fatigue when our kiddos actually did nap, especially because we weren't sure how much free time we were going to have and what to do with that free ti...

Kateri Gormley is back at just five months postpartum to share her journey into motherhood and the changes that have happened for her as a new mom. This week, episode 18 of Poised & Powerful Podcast is sharing part two of Kateri’s pregnancy to the postpartum journey!  Book your FREE 15-minute virtual consult to learn more about working with Sarah! She offers virtual sessions for expecting and...

Pregnancy can be a time full of to-do lists, birth classes, and advice from all around. It’s important that you determine who you are going to let into your space for information. There's too much of a temptation to compare yourself to others and not focus on what works for you. Episode 17 of Poised & Powerful Podcast is sharing the importance of listening to your body during your pregnan...

This is a simple grounding body meditation that you can do while standing. If you are someone who likes to walk or exercise, this would be a great reset to implement beforehand. Remember - stand like a person! Book your FREE 15-minute virtual consult to learn more about working with Sarah! She offers virtual sessions for expecting and new parents. Expecting parents will have a framework for consid...

Listener Warning: This episode discusses how Obstetric Violence and Sexual Assault are interconnected through language and physical touch. When a doctor repeatedly told artist Michelle Hartney, “lie on your back” during the birth of her second child– not in Michelle’s birth plan, and not medically indicated – this got her thinking, and took her work in a new direction. What happens when care viola...

CW: premature birth, pregnancy loss  At what point does a medical term go from useful and clarifying, to a detrimental word that can lead to guilt, shame, and “what ifs” in the minds of parents? Today we chat with Madeleine Michalik who expresses how being told her baby was born prematurely due to an “incompetent cervix” changed her life - and how she plans on changing the lives of others through...

This is a guided audio practice you can put into your day whenever you'd like a little break, or a chance to come back to yourself. Episode 14 of Poised & Powerful Podcast is a guided breathing exercise to supplement the last episode with Pelvic Organ Party. These two episodes are intended to answer some commonly asked questions about the core and breathing.  Book your FREE 15-minute virt...

The transition to becoming a parent can involve many mixed and complicated emotions, and naming those emotions can help us navigate and understand them. Kathryn wrote this poem about becoming a mother - new motherhood is already an isolating and demanding experience for so many of us, and this was compounded by the isolation and losses of the pandemic period. Kathryn shares her poem with us today,...

When it comes to our own bodies, and how they work, knowledge is power!  There are a lot of myths that have circulated about our pelvic floors, core muscles, and changing bodies. This week, Episode 13 of Poised & Powerful Podcast with Denise Gittins of the Pelvic Organ Party is sharing some of the *core misconceptions* around the pelvic floor and accompanying organs!  Book your FREE 15-minute...

TW: Pregnancy Loss From conception to birth plans to postpartum - the parenthood journey can throw a lot of curveballs. It’s important to understand what’s important to you, and make choices step by step.  In episode 12 of Poised & Powerful Podcast, Heather Stegmaier shares her process of making the next right decision for her at each moment, relying on her sense of agency through infertility...

If we can open ourselves up to curiosity and creativity, it can help us navigate the complexities and difficult emotions that come with parenthood. In episode 10 of Poised & Powerful Podcast, clinical psychologist Fabrice Lubin shares his story of fatherhood and self-discovery!  Book your FREE 15-minute virtual consult to learn more about working with Sarah! She offers virtual sessions for exp...

I’m getting vulnerable today and telling some of my story, and why I believe you are the expert of your own body. Minisode #4 of Poised & Powerful Podcast is sharing my journey from “stressed out floating head” to comfortable in my own skin, with some help from the Alexander Technique!  Book your FREE 15-minute virtual consult to learn more about working with Sarah! She offers virtual sessions...

30% of people giving birth this year in the U.S. will birth via Cesarean section. This week, Episode 10 of Poised & Powerful Podcast is about Hannah Villhauer is sharing her transformative cesarean birth story!  CW: Baby experiencing respiratory distress at birth, and being separated from newborn after birth. Everyone ends up healthy.  Book your FREE 15-minute virtual consult to learn more abo...