The Motherlands Podcast

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . Today’s guest is Paige Connell, a working mother of four whose thoughtful online presence brings much needed honesty and clarity to conversations about contemporary family life. We explore the mental load, the unseen work of keeping a family running, and how it shapes our wellbeing, our relati...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . Today’s guest is actress, singer, and mother Kristen Gutoskie, and we’re having an honest conversation about what motherhood really feels like once you’re in the thick of it. We explore how she’s learned to trust herself, stay creative and find her footing in parenthood. Kristen opens up about...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . Today’s guest is board-certified OB/GYN Dr. Ono Nseyo. We cover a wide range of women’s health topics, from birth control to the lack of women’s health research. We also talk about the gaps in prenatal nutrition education in medical training and the missed opportunities this creates for clinic...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . Nadine Artemis, founder of Living Libations, reflects on how modern culture places our senses in a hierarchy, often prioritizing the visual while neglecting the richness of the others. She invites us to consider beauty not just as appearance, but as a full body experience; a harmony of scent,...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . I have spent a great deal of time thinking about and honestly, grappling with, the sex industry and today’s narratives around sexual liberation. It’s often marketed as glamorous and empowering for women, but I’ve found myself questioning who it actually serves, and at what cost. In today’s epi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . This week’s guest is Klara Hascakova , an Oxford educated systems designer whose work helps women reimagine the structures of their lives so they can live, lead, and create from a place of inner truth. I first encountered Klara through her appearance on the podcast In My Non-Expert Opinion wit...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . In this episode, I’m joined by Ladybird Morgan and Sonya Dolan of Mettle Health , where we explore what it means to accompany others through dying, grief, and the tender work of being human. You might be wondering why I recorded an episode on death and grief, and how that fits into Motherlands...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . This week, I’m honored to share a conversation I had with Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, an evolutionary anthropologist and primatologist whose work has powerfully shifted the way we understand what it means to be human. Sarah invites us to look at the myths surrounding maternal instinct and what society...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . So many of us grew up learning how to take care of everyone but ourselves. We were taught to be helpful, selfless, polite… “good girls”. But no one ever pulled us aside to ask, “What brings you joy? What makes you feel good in your body and in your spirit?” This episode with Kiana Reeves is an...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . Today we are joined by Kerrilynn Pamer, Founder of CAP Beauty, a compassionate humanitarian and activist, and evocative writer behind the Substack Coyote Swan . If you’re new, welcome and thank you for being here. Motherlands is a space for women navigating life’s many thresholds. It’s a place...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . If you're exploring fertility options or know someone who is, this episode is a must listen. This week, we're joined by Kallie Fell, MS, BSN, RN, Executive Director of the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network to unpack Big Fertility. Kallie brings a wealth of experience as a perinatal nurs...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . This week I’m thrilled to be joined by Taylor Mckay Smith, a mother, model, and doula, for a powerful conversation about beauty, resilience, and reclaiming the narrative of womanhood. In this extended conversation, Taylor reflects on how her experiences in modeling and motherhood have reshaped...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . If you know a girl coming of age right now, this is a critical conversation to listen to. This week’s guest is Brook Urick, a former publicist and sugar baby at the controversial dating website Seeking Arrangement (now Seeking) and author of the memoir Wink, wink, nudge, nudge: sexual exploits...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . This week’s guest is Kate Granchelli, CEO and Founder of Modern Minders , a creative childcare and staffing agency. We explore the often overlooked value of professional childcare, examining how caregiving sits at the intersection of emotional labor, gender roles, and social inequity. It highl...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . In this episode, I sit down with Kacie Carter, owner of Honey Hi , to explore what nourishment really means; beyond food, beyond wellness trends, and deep into the heart of care. Together, we dive into how connection, community, and self-compassion shape true health, especially in the tender s...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . Our guest today is Mary Gonzalez, an herbalist, mother, doula, and the heart behind Sweet Mountaintop , a beautiful outdoor nature preschool nestled on her family’s farm. The entire program takes place outside, deeply rooted in the rhythms of the land and the changing seasons. Mary lives in su...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . I’m thrilled to introduce the next episode of the Motherlands Podcast with Katie Schubert from the Society of Women’s Health Research (SWHR). Katie is a trusted leader and consensus builder among women’s health stakeholders, and previously served as chief advocacy officer at the Society for Ma...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com . I'm excited to introduce our guest today, Wendy Kline, Ph. D, a recognized scholar in the history of medicine and women’s health. Wendy is the Chair in the History of Medicine at Purdue University and has earned international recognition for her groundbreaking work. She is the author of severa...

In our culture, there’s a tendency to shy away from discussing loss. Conversations about death often feel absent, even though it is something that profoundly shapes who we are. Perhaps we avoid talking about it in the hope that by ignoring it we can somehow escape its reach. But the truth is, avoiding it doesn’t make it any less inevitable. We can honor death in much the same way we appreciate the...

On the last episode of MOTHERLANDS with Paula Mallis, you may recall us talking about the philosophy of space and how we occupy physical and emotional space. In this episode I am very excited to be sharing the conversation I had with Cassandra Ogier and her enlivening practice with horses called The Reflective Horse. Cassandra supports people by providing opportunities to encounter horses in a str...

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Paula Mallis at her ranch in Ojai, California where we delve into conversation on the spiritual process of cycles (or circles) and being in communion with nature. As you tune in, you may hear us sipping tea or a bird chirping overhead in the old oak trees. This episode feels special as were fully immersed in the natural soundscape of her property. Paula expl...

There comes a point when every person gets to decide what they want to share about their kids on the internet. I asked my client Jackie Shea if she would be willing to speak about her recent change of heart in how she publicly shares information about her children. I would like to preface by saying that this is a conversation that provides a perspective of a parent who is simply learning how to na...

While many people move through life with a conscious need to differentiate themselves from their chosen career, Tema Mercado offers a refreshing and sincere perspective… Which is that the work she does as a midwife is inextricably woven into all facets of her life but most importantly, her family. She talks about how supportive her husband is to her and their children, how he draws her a bath afte...

A few years ago I met Elizabeth at her cozy chic spa in Topanga called Honest Rituals. I was looking for a practitioner that could help me relieve jaw tension as I suffer from TMJ (anyone else?). I had heard that she offered a facial treatment that incorporates massage which sounded intriguing. My experience was nothing short of calming and restorative. Not only were her hands gentle, but also her...

We spend most of our waking moments in our minds. Planning, rationalizing, thinking, evaluating. All of these are important processes. But did you know that the pelvis speaks a language of its own? Kimberly Ann Johnson describes how the body carries not only personal stories from our life experience, but also ancestral stories. These stories are lodged within the body and can be expressed in an in...