The LIFTS Podcast

Miranda was placed in the Montana's foster care system at the age of 8 and she is a survivor, through and through. In this episode she shares her story which is, as you might guess, pretty emotional. Now that she has an 8-year-old daughter of her own, life looks very different, and she explains that she's had to face most of her parenting challenges by just thinking of what happened to h...

Welcome to the first episode of Mother Love Season 3! This time, we meet Christina Hostetler, whose journey to motherhood was not an easy one, to say the least. She shares how struggling with infertility was emotionally difficult and, at times, super lonely and how she made it through. Then, when she was just about out of hope, TWINS! We get to talk about her incredible birth story and what those...

In this final episode of season 2, Claire has the chance to connect with Kyriaki Birkeland whose work on behalf of moms is almost too long to list. Kyriaki is a podcaster, blogger, mom, actress and, author. She her passion for helping other moms stems from the many trials she faced and overcame as a new mom. Her book, "Motherhood is Big Enough" is designed and illustrated for babies and...

Single motherhood. Leaving an abusive relationship. Starting over. C-section recovery. Facing fears. Finding hope. And, postpartum mood disorders. All of these led Brooke Campbell to what she now calls her "passion project". As Vice President of the Postpartum Resource Group (PPRG) in Kalispell, Brooke describes the incredible work being done to support new moms in the Flathead Valley an...

Anna Baker is a powerhouse of a person. It's just her nature. So, when the birth of her first went from a home birth plan to a hospital setting to the OR and resulted in a c-section she felt distraught, disconnected, and utterly disempowered.  Anna was, of course, relieved to have a healthy baby but having to spend the first precious hour of motherhood completely isolated in a recovery room w...

In part two this story, Kyla and I talk about life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) (her experience) and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit PICU (my experience). Kyla says that that time felt like "forever and the same day, over and over"  and I can't think of a better way to say it. Her baby boy, Conner, is now 6 months old and greets each new day with the a gummy smile and sh...

In this episode, Kyla opens up about her experiences with pre-term birth, secondary infertility, and the anticipatory grief that happens when starting a family goes drastically different than expected. If you or someone you love walked a similar path and they seem overwhelmed and alone, this episode will feel like medicine. Or, if you're not sure what to say or how to empathize families that...

Priscilla Ellis joins us to talk about a few of the things she's learned during her mothering journey. We talk about mental health challenges and how therapy and medication have helped and the ways in which social media can sometimes hurt and sometimes help, especially when it comes to sharing our parenting triumphs and struggles. We also nerd out about ways we've attempted to address ou...

In this special episode, Dawn Gunderson opens up about her life-long struggle with anxiety. Her symptoms intensified after the birth of her first daughter and, as her 6 wonderful children grew, her mental health challenges did too. Just recently, Dawn sought out the help she knew she needed and deserved by flying across the country to spend time immersed in a faith-based therapeutic retreat. Her f...

There's a reason we chose Brooke to be our Mother Love producer. We knew she would get it. We knew she would listen back to each episode carefully and considerately. We knew she was skilled and enthusiastic about the work. But what I didn't know until I sat down with her to plan and record an episode with her, is that she has been through some really rough times as a mom, especially in t...

On this week's episode of Mother Love, meet Paige Reddan, a Registered Dietitian, Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian Specialist, Licensed Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator and co-founder of the Eating Disorder Center of MT. Paige shares with us what it was like for her to heal and recover from her own severe and long-lasting eating disorder during a time when quality treat...

Want to know what true community-based support looks like? Give this episode a listen and meet three incredible people who spend their days going to bat for families in so many ways at the individual, local and state levels. Chelsea Solberg, RN, CLC, perinatal education leader and mom of three (I could go on) joins Ty LaFountain, Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialist (who's also training...

As you can imagine, being pregnant, giving birth, and mothering/parenting while incarcerated can be extremely challenging. For many women, it is the one of the most shared experiences with their fellow inmates and a huge motivator when it comes to recovery and rehabilitation. Several programs have been developed to equip these women with the tools they need re-claim their lives and heal their fami...

In this episode, Tess Carlson joins us to share her story of becoming a parent. We talk about PMADS, working in the service industry, drastically shifting identity pieces and the ever-unfolding healing journey that is parenting. When it comes to her work and research, Tess harnesses her hard-won wisdom while interviewing moms and birth givers in communities throughout Montana. The hope is that col...

In this special episode Claire's mom, Carrie, sits down to have an honest conversation about learning from the past, cultivating self-compassion for our former selves, and explains her experience of parenting through some really tough times. We talk about Claire's eating disorder and mental health struggles as a teen, intergenerational post partum depression and what support looks like i...

 In this episode, Patrick Duganz shares his own personal experiences of his rough and abrupt entry into fatherhood. He is walking proof that Perinatal Mood Disorders can affect dads too and that, when they do, they're often compounded by layers of misinformation and feelings of helplessness. As Patrick's son grew, so did he and Patrick discovered his passion for helping other dads find t...

In this episode Suzanne Bendick of Roots Family Collaborative in Bozeman, joins us to discuss, among other things, her work as the Executive Director of an organization that has revolutionized family support in Gallatin County. Suzanne has gathered and harvested the wisdom of many women and family experts and is dedicated to helping mothers and families heal and get the support they deserve during...

 In this episode, we welcome our newest Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies team member Amy Stiffarm, cPhD, MPH. As HMHB's Program Manager for Native American Initiatives, Amy brings a unique perspective and shares her knowledge specific to Indigenous Maternal Health. But that's not all. Amy also speaks honestly about her personal experience in having survived and grown from her journey thro...

In this episode, Stephanie Hackman, LCPC, joins us to share her experiences and how they've made her the mom she is today. She is both present and attuned, not only to the needs of her family and those she works with, but also to her own needs. Stephanie's stories describe what it was like for her to suffer in silence during the time she and her family belonged to an oppressive religious...

In this episode, Greg Daly takes the mic to share the wisdom he's acquired over his many years as the Home Visiting Coordinator for Lewis and Clark Public Health. Greg is a trusted and well-known advocate who supports and educates families in the community. In typical Greg fashion, we cover a wide range of topics like Circle of Security, attachment theory, addiction and substance use disorder...

Megan had dreamed of being a mother her whole life. Her pregnancy was wonderful and she "loved every minute." But, following the birth of her daughter, things did not go as planned. She faced physical trauma, undiagnosed postpartum depression, and total disillusionment. Years later, she was unable to conceive, and she and her family decided to adopt. Which was both really hard and really...

In this episode, Vanessa and Claire get real about stress, substance use, and parenting in an ever accelerating world. The imbalances many of us experience as mothers can lead to some to unhealthy (and unhelpful) ways of coping and Vanessa came to understand that as her dependence on alcohol became both very serious and very destructive. It takes a lot of courage to be honest about our hardest str...

Savanah grew up in Los Angeles where her family modeled the "fast life". Secrecy, addiction, money and power were constants in her upbringing. When she came to Montana, she brought it all with her. But, becoming a mom changed everything and healing became her full-time job. Now, she works with other women struggling with addiction and substance use disorder as a Peer Support Specialist a...

When Kate Sexton agreed to foster little Will, she thought the arrangement would be temporary. But soon, it became clear that this Will's biological mom was battling severe addiction and was unable to provide for him and offer him safety. So, just like that, Kate began her journey to motherhood. Immediately, she had to learn everything from clipping tiny toenails and bottle feeding to helping...

Carson Rose is a mom of two and works to support mothers on their breast feeding journey. She also provides support to moms experiencing postpartum depression, anxiety and loss by offering resources within the local community. After her own experiences of intense isolation, chronic illness, loss and depression, she hopes to help other moms know they are not alone in their struggles. In a letter wr...