The Expecting and Empowered Podcast

We are so excited to have Diane Boden from the Minimalist Moms on the podcast today. After feeling like she wanted to live more intentionally and simply, Diane pursued sharing her experience through Minimalist Moms Podcast, which has become a top rated podcast and resource for women!  Diane doesn’t want the term “minimalist” to scare you - she really just means living your life more simply, with l...

As you already know, here at Expecting and Empowered, we don’t mind covering topics people are scared or shy to talk about. And today is no different! Today’s episode is all about sex during pregnancy. Some women love sex while pregnant and some want nothing to do with it! Either is okay. We are going to dive into this topic through the lens of a physical therapist and mamas of three.  First of al...

The creator behind the Instagram account @babysettler, Hillary Sadler is a labor and delivery nurse, feeding specialist, and mom of 4. She also is the author of the book “Babies Made Simple”, a roadmap to the baby stage! Hillary fills the information gap between your OB’s office and baby’s pediatrician. She gives evidence-based guidance to new moms, as she would to any friend, without the high cos...

Today on the podcast we are happy to host Chelsea Swopes. Chelsea is a baby and toddler speech language expert (SLP) with over 15 years of experience. Chelsea is known on her Instagram page as @playtalklove and is a mama herself! Chelsea’s goal is to help families build strong connections in order for those kiddos to grow into functional communicators.  Reading to your baby isn’t just a sweet thin...

No two births are alike. Just as no two mother’s perception of her birth experience is alike. Trauma related to birth is in the eye of the beholder as Kayleigh Summers, licensed clinical social worker and birth trauma therapist, shares with us today. Kayleigh experienced a traumatic birth which she details in today’s episode. This experience is what led her to helping other moms process and work t...

Social media seems to be flooded with the new fad diet of “counting macros”...or is it a fad? And is it even a diet? Dani Patton, nutritionist, macro coach, and face of Mindin’ My Macros on Instagram, is on the podcast today to discuss this phenomenon. Dani wants all of you to know that macros are a tool, not a restricting fad diet, used to help you achieve your health goals and enjoy a well lived...

Having a baby is one of the most exciting times of our lives. We prepare months in advance for the baby's arrival. We take labor and delivery classes, parenting classes, and read all the books…but do we prepare enough for how we are going to feed our baby? Jessica McKee, a seasoned NICU RN, mom, and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), is on the podcast today to discuss...

Today we are hosting our first mother/daughter duo! Candace Burch is a Hormone Health Educator with over 30 years of experience and her daughter, Jess Suchan, is a board certified Holistic Health Coach. Together, they educate and coach women on how to holistically support their bodies through healthy hormone practices. During our discussion, Candace and Jess share with us the concept of cycle sync...

Elisabeth Emmerich is the mom to three boys, a play therapist, a licensed registered therapist in the state of Minnesota, and hosts her own podcast; Experience Motherhood. Today, Elisabeth is talking with us about the importance of embracing your individuality in motherhood and finding what matters most to you. We both share personal experiences of navigating motherhood and the challenges that com...

We are so excited to have Ashton Whitmoyer-Ober from @enneagramashton on the show today. Ashton is the mom of two and the author of The Enneagram Made Simple: A No-Nonsense Guide to Using the Enneagram for Growth and Awareness. She is passionate about helping people understand their enneagram type and themselves better.  Knowing your enneagram type can be so helpful when it comes to understanding...

What if someone told you they have one thing that can reduce your stress, increase your energy, and enhance your mental clarity? You would do it, right?! Well, what if we told you it’s something you do everyday and don’t even realize - but you might not be doing it correctly.? It’s breath. In today’s episode I, Krystle, walk you through all of the benefits that our breath has. Our bodies have so m...

We get to learn from Dr. Tasha D of @physiodoula today. She has her doctorate in physical therapy and is a birth and postpartum doula. Dr. Tasha is passionate about providing holistic care for women throughout the entire pregnancy, birth, and postpartum periods. Bringing a baby home from the hospital for the first time can be an overwhelming experience. In our conversation with Dr. Tasha, she expl...

Mom rage. Is this something you’ve ever experienced? Today, I (Amy) get behind the mic with Dr. Ashurina Ream, the woman behind the well known Instagram @psychedmommy. We discuss both our personal experiences and clinical expertise with having these feelings. Dr. Ashurina is a licensed clinical psychologist and certified in perinatal mental health. She is an incredible resource over @psychedmommy...

Dr. Emily Jamea is a sex therapist and an expert on love & relationships. She is also the author of the upcoming book - Anatomy of Desire and hosts her own podcast, Love & Libido . Emily is also a mom which was really important to us when we were looking for someone who understands what our bodies go through as we experience pregnancy + postpartum and how that can impact our sex life. Grow...

Shanna from @wellnessforthewin on Instagram is on the show today. She is a dietitian, an Expecting and Empowered ambassador, and a mom to two beautiful boys. Shanna is going through an incredibly tough situation after the birth of her second son, Levi. He had an unexpected stay in the NICU and we hope that by sharing Shanna’s story we are able to help other NICU moms feel seen, understood and less...

Diastasis recti (also known as DR) affects ⅔ of women during pregnancy and continues into postpartum for most women. The separation of your abs as a result of pregnancy and/or postpartum can be really frustrating and cause women to feel self-conscious. In this episode we are talking all about what diastasis recti is, how to know if you have it, and what to do to improve it. I, Krystle, walk you th...

We are excited to have our first OB/GYN on the show today, Dr. Nicole Rankins! She is a board certified practicing OB/GYN, a wife, a mom of two, host of The All About Pregnancy & Birth Podcast, and has been serving pregnant women for over 20 years. Dr. Nicole explains to us the difference between an OB/GYN and a Midwife. She also talks about how we can make sure our OB/GYN is a good fit and st...

Today I’m (Amy) in the studio with Abby Green. You may recognize her voice from episode 21 where she talked all about her experience with prolapse. It was a very vulnerable conversation so if this is something you’re experiencing, you’ll definitely want to go back and listen to that episode. Abby is also one of our Expecting and Empowered running coaches. In addition, she’s a University of Wiscons...

We have Dr. Anjuli Gans from @resilientrascals on the show today. Her goal over there is to serve as a resource for parents to bridge the gap between your instincts and professional medical advice. She’s not only a pediatrician but she’s a mom as well.  Have you ever felt like your kid is sick all the time? Dr. Anjuli goes over how many illnesses are normal for the first year of a child’s life. Sh...

It’s Krystle here and today we are talking about your pelvic floor! I’ve heard it both in the clinic and inside the Expecting and Empowered community that women are told to just do kegels to prepare for labor and delivery. And, oh boy, could that be farther than the truth. Today I am going to help you improve your labor experience by strengthening your ability to work with your body during childbi...

Today we have a special surprise for you. We have Liesel Teen on the show! She is a registered labor and delivery nurse and the face behind the very popular account @mommy.labornurse on Instagram. She has two kids herself and is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to helping people prepare for labor and delivery. Her goal is to empower women and give them resources to help them through this phase...

A common fear that a lot of women have when they are going into labor is tearing. Especially if it’s your first time. We want to address this fear in this episode. We cover what you can do in pregnancy to prepare, how to protect your perineum during labor, and what to do if you do end up tearing. Krystle explains what tearing actually is and what the different degrees of tearing mean. We get into...

Maternal mental health is what our guest Erica Djossa specializes in. She is a registered psychotherapist with over a decade of experience. Erica is the founder of Momwell - a mom centered virtual therapy service for every stage of motherhood. In this episode we discuss why we often have unattainable goals in motherhood and Erica explains how we are living in the era of intensive mothering. Perfec...

Can nutrition really have an impact when you are trying to conceive? Yes, it absolutely can! Today we are talking with Sophia from @ttc.nutritionist about the nuts and bolts of how what we put into our bodies plays a role in getting pregnant. Sophia is a registered dietitian who focuses on optimizing your progesterone levels during pregnancy, helping to support women along their fertility journeys...

Today we have Sarah Rubatt, a women’s health physical therapist at the Empower Movement clinic, on the show. Sarah has been a physical therapist for nine years and she specializes in the rehabilitation of orthopedic conditions of the spine and upper & lower extremities as well as pelvic floor rehabilitation in prenatal and postnatal moms. Sarah is a mom of two and helps us at Expecting and Emp...