215 || How to become a non-toxic pregnancy product mega researcher with Sasha Mama Wellness
Sasha Niz Konrad is the founder and CEO of Sashamama Wellness, a brand dedicated to non-toxic, holistic wellness solutions for pregnant and postpartum women. With a background as a prenatal and postpartum yoga instructor and a deep passion and interest in holistic maternal and hormone health. Sasha has combined her expertise and personal journey to create thoughtfully curated, safe, and effective products safe for anyone but especially mamas! Based in Charlotte, NC, Sasha is an advocate for self-care and empowerment for moms during every stage of their motherhood journey. We'll explore the inception of Sashamama Wellness, a brand dedicated to providing non-toxic, pampering wellness products for prenatal and postpartum mothers. I was inspired by the Andean fertility goddess Pachamama, symbolizing Mother Earth, and my personal journey through hormonal imbalances and pelvic floor issues + teaching prenatal/postpartum yoga classes. I had a light bulb moment, which led to my conscious effort to curate products that prioritize women's health. A focus on reducing the top 3 common complaints for new/expecting moms and overall self-care habits/rituals during motherhood. Clinical Importance of Non-Toxic Products and Detoxifying Safely: Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to environmental toxins, which can adversely affect both maternal and fetal health. Studies indicate that exposure to certain chemicals during pregnancy can lead to complications such as preterm birth and developmental issues. Utilizing non-toxic skincare products minimizes these risks, promoting a healthier pregnancy, higher chance of getting pregnant, breastfeeding safety/brain development . Talk about my personal experience with hormonal imbalances, walk through journey and story of hormone issues, pelvic floor muscle spasm, and years of listening to new symptoms that pregnant and postpartum women faced weekly as I saw them week after week. Talk about detoxifying from phthalates and endocrine disruptors, define what that means and the sperm count rates declining. Talk about EWG, dry brush, exercise, gua sha, as a form of toxin release. Please link your contact information for me to share in the episode. Website: sashamamawellness.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sashamama_wellness Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SashamamaWellness?ref=shop_sugg_market TikTok: Tiktok.com/ Sashamama_wellness Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095452157752 XOXO -Heids ___________________________________________________________________ We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course Resources: Birth Story Academy Online Course Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand parents in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy person on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery. Connect with Me! Instagram YouTube Birth Story Boutique Doula + Pregnancy Concierge Services in Charlotte, NC Birth Story Media™ Website Pinterest
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214 || Birth Order and the role it plays in our lives and parenting with Dr. Robert Hurst
How does Birth Order impact you and your parenting? Dr. Robert V.V. Hurst was born in Hammond Indiana and has been practicing orthodontics in Covington Louisiana for over 35 years. During this time he has used his office and patients as his living laboratory to study his patient’s personality traits and birth orders. Out of this has come a unique and workable theory that accurately finds a person's real birth order and explains their behaviors. Educated at Indiana University and Harvard, he has taught at both Tufts University and Louisiana State University. He has published numerous articles on birth order and patient behavior. He has also lectured on this same subject applying it to not only patient management but also to office dynamics and employee relationships. In Life's Fingerprint, Dr. Robert V. V. Hurst offers an illustrative and funny look at how birth order is directly related to behavior, how people work, how people live, and how people love. A revealing questionnaire helps you navigate the variety of information Dr. Hurst offers to help you pinpoint your real birth order. Unique to this book is the discussion of double birth order and families within families. This concept is the Rosetta stone of understanding birth order theory, and it is why just your ordinal birth order, or number order of birth, is sometimes not your real birth order. Life's Fingerprint: How Birth Order Affects Your Path Throughout Life will help you understand yourself and show you how to better interact with your family, friends, and coworkers. Learn more at www.lifesfingerprint.com and buy the book at www.mybirthorder.com 3 Key takeaways from the podcast that listeners will learn today: Point 1 Birth order influences all parts of your life Point 2 All children are different don’t treat them all the same Point 3 Finding your real birth order is the key ie. Double Birth Orders XOXO -Heids ___________________________________________________________________ We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course Resources: Birth Story Academy Online Course Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand parents in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy person on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery. Connect with Me! Instagram YouTube Birth Story Boutique Doula + Pregnancy Concierge Services in Charlotte, NC Birth Story Media™ Website Pinterest
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213 || Doula Diaries: A week of Home Birth, Birth Center, and Hospital Births with MyDoulaHeidi
Drumroll....I am proud of myself for pumping out the ever popular Doula Diaries! I had a crazy week of births around the full Blood Moon of March 14, 2025. I went to a homebirth, a birth center birth, and 2 hospital births in the same week. Let's see how they all played out. This week was reminding me that birth is unpredictable. It can be long, it can be short, it can be uncomplicated, it can be complicated. Prepare for it....that's why I wrote Birth Story Academy. You can enroll in my online course and be ready for whatever labor throws at you. Enroll at BirthStory.com and use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF. XOXO- Heidi
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212 || World Down Syndrome Day with Abby Rose Green of the HERSELF Podcast
Today is World Downsyndrome Day! Celebrating all of our homies with an extra chromy. Thank you for being here and sharing this podcast episode with someone that you know that is parenting and/or pregnant and Down's Syndrome is part of their story. Heidi sits down with Abby Rose Green of the HERself Podcast to chat about fertility, an unexpected anatomy scan, an amniocentesis, chromosomal uniqueness, Down's Syndrome, and birth. Abby was originally planning an unmedicated homebirth. She shares how she changed plans and was still able to achieve the beautiful vaginal birth she so desired with her son Owen. This episode brought Abby and Heidi to tears as they bonded over parenting children with a "diagnosis" they were not anticipating. Follow along on Instagram: Abby: Instagram.com/abbyrosegreen Heidi: Instagram.com/birth.story.academy We would love for you to write a review for both the Birth Story Podcast and the HERself podcast if you have time today. XOXO PS. There is always room for you in Birth Story Academy. Join Heidi for all of your childbirth education needs at BirthStory.com. Use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF the course and a FREE copy of the Birth Story Pregnancy guidebook and journal.
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1:41:14
211 || 8 Minute Birth Meditation Affirmations for labor preparation
Thank you Michelle Smith for recording these beautiful birth affirmations to help get through birth and to practice before birth! If you have 8 minutes, come back to this episode every day! XOXO Heidi You can find Michelle's Birth Ease Method for Hypnobirthing at https://www.birtheaseservices.com/
Hi! I'm Heidi, experienced Birth Doula and host of the Birth Story podcast brought to you by Birth Story Media™. I support moms through their fertility and pregnancy journeys and help have trauma free birth stories and labor stories. When moms embrace their pregnant bellies and their pregnancy and await the arrival of their baby or babies they are going to feel many emotions and have many visions about what will happen during child birth. "Is this normal?" "What does a contraction feel like?" "What does the day of labor look like?" "What is a Doula?" I want every mom's birth story to be peaceful, happy and a memory that they will love to share. Birth Story podcast is my way to provide childbirth education through story telling in the comfort of your home and to prepare a mom for motherhood with any birth story that unfolds for their pregnancy, labor and delivery. If a pregnant mom uses an OBGYN, a midwife, a doula, a birth doula, or has a home birth, water birth, natural birth, C-section, cesarean birth, hospital birth, medicated birth, epidural birth, pitocin birth, an induction or induced labor, are having multiple babies or a single baby, a birth plan or no birth plan; I started this podcast to help moms learn and prepare for their labor and delivery and birth though birth story telling.
BIRTH STORY PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/birthstorypodcast
BIRTH STORY PODCAST FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/birthstorypodcast
LOOKING FOR A DOULA IN CHARLOTTE, NC?
HIRE MyDoulaHeidi: https://www.mydoulaheidi.com
BIRTH STORY PODCAST SHOWNOTES: https://www.birthstory.com