The Journey Ahead Podcast

What to expect from this ep: Big babies. It's not uncommon for the conversation about your baby's size to open up recommendations around induction, planned sections and other interventions. Today, we’re unpacking exactly what’s behind the “big baby” label - and more importantly, what the evidence says about induction, outcomes, and whether this label should influence your birth decisions at all. W...

In this ep: In a world where the c-section rate is increasing more than ever, I find lots of women are in search of a positive VBAC or sometimes even VBA2C story. Navigating the NHS when seeking this type of birth can be fraught with red tape and so working with Jordan and seeing the commitment she put into stacking the odds in her favour was awe-inspiring.  I'm so grateful to Jordan for shar...

In this ep: Welcome back after a little break! So wonderful to be bringing you doula chats this season - musings and educational solo episodes designed to help you feel powerful and prepared through your pregnancy, birth and parenting journey. For the first episode of series 4 I'm opening with my musings on the current maternity system and the many layers of reasons why so many people plan for an...

What to expect from this ep: Birth panels are a worrying and increasing method of 'caregiving' that are not only being used in my local trusts but all over the UK. From the outside, this 'safety' focused approach seems like a good idea, right - individualised discussions about individuals - to ensure personalised care. However, for many women their experience is one of coercion dressed up as 'we a...

What to expect from this ep: Sleep. Infant sleep. It's a chaotic and stressful time for many parents. We get told horror stories and many people say with a sneer 'goodbye to sleep for the next five years'! But here's the thing - sleep is a complex element of your baby's development and deeply woven into their In this episode I speak to the fabulous Sara from The Lifestage Lab to get into the titty...

In this episode, I sit down with Charlotte - a former client (and now close friend) whose birth unfolded in the most instinctive, powerful way imaginable. After navigating trauma from her first birth, Charlotte spent her second pregnancy rebuilding trust in her body, questioning the system, and reclaiming her voice. What began as a plan for a home birth with midwives became an “accidental” (but no...

What if your body already knows how to grow, carry, and birth your baby - and chiropractic care simply helps you remember that? In this episode, I’m joined by Sally, The Pregnancy Chiropractor, to talk all things alignment, balance, and body connection in pregnancy. We dive into what chiropractic care actually involves (it’s gentler than you think), how it supports your pelvis, ligaments, and nerv...

In this episode, I sit down with Chloe to talk about her intuitive freebirth - a powerful, grounded, and deeply self-led experience. Chloe shares how she prepared for birth by protecting her energy, following her instincts, and embracing her neurodivergence as a source of wisdom rather than a challenge to overcome. Together, we explore what it means to find true safety in birth, how intuition can...

In this powerful episode of The Journey Ahead , I sit down with the legendary Dr Sarah Buckley - GP, researcher, author, and one of the most trusted global voices in the birth world. We dive deep into the hormonal blueprint of labour and birth: what it is, why it matters, and how it’s often disrupted by well-meaning (but poorly evidenced) interventions. Dr Buckley shares the science behind oxytoci...

Katie James... one half of The Midwives' Cauldron Having avidly listened to every episode and completed both Katie's lactation courses, when it came to creating a breastfeeding preparation episode I knew who would be the perfect expert to bring into the room. In this week's episode we chat about the importance of real support and community when embarking on your feeding journey, the basics we can...

Kirsten's story is a story of... Resilience Disappointment Worry Intuition Medicalised birth and everything in between. It's no secret that there's a whole lot of fearmongering in the birth world, abut every person's story deserves a voice. There's a lot of power in people's stories and I'm passionate about keeping things real. Serious medical complications are rare , but when they happen how amaz...

Introducing... Sara from The Lifestage Lab When I say how much of this podcast I had to edit out before we actually got to our chat, I’m not joking when I say I had to cut out half of it. From CBD lube chat, Dubai life, grief pep chats and so much more – there’s nothing that doesn’t come up when I’m chatting to this wonderful human. Sara and I met through Lisa Sykes – a business coach in the birth...

Well this is just a gorgeous positive birth story! When I worked with Cesca and her husband Ed last year, I knew the chances of them having a positive experience were highly likely. After sadly going through a miscarriage prior to this pregnancy, Cesca was more determined than ever to be present, make informed choices and work with her body. Her experience of giving birth in her local hospital was...

Birth advocacy... a topic that can stir up some emotions... Today, we're diving into a topic that is very close to my heart: birth advocacy. We'll explore why birth advocacy is crucial, what it looks like in practice, and I'll share five simple ways you can start your birth advocacy journey. Before we get stuck in I feel the need to make a little disclaimer as I know certain people, often those wh...

Introducing the powerhouse that is Carly founder of The Doula Club! Carly is an experienced doula, yoga teacher and hypnobirthing practitioner. She’s an all round lovely human and is a brilliant voice of reason in the landscape of confusing maternity jargon and scaremongering.  In this episode we chat all about The Doula Club - a brilliant resource for expectant parents, the power of having d...

Buckle up - this episode is a lengthy but emotional one! You're going to want to brew up for this one team! When speaking to past families I have supported, Cara and Sean's story will always stick out as one that has had a profound impact on me and the work I do as a doula. It is always such an honour to work with couples who have been through so much, and who have such a clear idea of what type o...

Look who is back! It's meee Well hello there! It's been a busy ol' time in the world of birth over the past year and this corner of the internet has been much on my mind. The second season of the Journey Ahead podcast is going to be jam packed with all the good stuff - educational solo episodes, amazing interviews and some brilliant birth stories thrown in for good measure - and that's just the st...

I’m really looking forward to sharing today’s podcast session with you. Marianna is the founder of Mpowered Fitness and a brilliant personal trainer for many expectant and new mums. In this podcast she’s incredibly open about her own fitness journey, including navigating pelvic organ prolapse and as such is a huge advocate for supporting women to look after their pelvic health and bodies in the le...

I’m really pleased to bring you today’s episode, with Sarah from My Independent Midwife. Sarah founded this service alongside her long time colleague and friend Jenny. She qualified in 2008 and knew that immediately wanted to work within a case loading model. For the first two years of her career, she worked as a Private Midwife for ‘The Private Birth Centre' in Northwich, Cheshire. Here, she...

I’m SO excited for today’s guest. Shellie Poulter has many talents – from training as an osteopath in 2005, to delivering cranio-sacral therapy, massage, acupuncture and more to expectant parents. Shellie is also a Doula and is well known in the birthworker world for her education and mentorship, and I personally learnt a lot from Shellie about biomechanics and how this can be used in labour.&nbsp...

This week I'm talking you through an analogy that a lot of coaching clients find useful. As mothers we tend to place ourselves at the bottom of the pile - I'm on a mission to help you revaluate how you look after yourself! This mini-pod ends with a short, but very enjoyable relaxation to release stress and set you up for a brilliant sleep or day. You can find more Journey Ahead content here: Websi...

I can’t wait to share this journey with you, so don’t forget to follow the Journey Ahead podcast, and you’ll get updated every time a new episode is released.  You can find more Journey Ahead content here: Website Instagram Facebook Newsletter The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the hosts and guests and do not constitute medical advice. The content provided is...