Being a Parent Without Losing Your Erotic Self with Darshana Avila

Being a Parent Without Losing Your Erotic Self with Darshana Avila

In this episode of Transformed by Birth, I'm joined by trauma-informed somatic educator, practitioner, and speaker Darshana Avila for a conversation about eroticism, intimacy, desire, and reconnecting with ourselves during the perinatal period and beyond. Together, we explore the difference between sex and erotic energy, the impact of pregnancy and parenthood on our relationship with pleasure, body image, intimacy, and desire, and why becoming a parent often invites us into a profound reckoning with our erotic selves. Darshana shares practical ways to approach intimacy during postpartum, the importance of consent within long-term relationships, and how reconnecting with our own bodies can become a pathway toward healing, self-compassion, and deeper connection. This conversation is an invitation to move beyond performance, pressure, and expectations and toward a more expansive understanding of eroticism as vitality, creativity, pleasure, and life force. LEARN MORE [https://brittabushnell.com/darshana-avila]

Fatherhood, Healing, and the Power of Showing Up

In this episode of Transformed by Birth, I'm joined by fatherhood advocates Bobby Brown and Brandon Rennels for a conversation about the often-overlooked transformation men experience when they become fathers. Together, we explore identity shifts, healing childhood wounds, father-son relationships, mental health, birth preparation, advocacy, and the profound responsibility that can emerge when a new life enters the world. Bobby and Brandon share personal stories about their journeys into fatherhood, reflecting on how becoming a dad invited them into deeper self-awareness, emotional growth, and a renewed sense of purpose. This conversation is an invitation to recognize fatherhood not simply as a new role, but as a rite of passage that deserves support, community, and care. LEARN MORE [https://brittabushnell.com/fatherhood/]

Birth as an Altered State of Consciousness with Whapio

In this episode of Transformed by Birth, I'm joined by elder, midwife, educator, and visionary Whapio Diane Bartlett for a conversation about birth as a journey of consciousness and transformation. Together, we explore what it means to move beyond a purely medical understanding of birth and into a multidimensional experience that includes emotional, relational, and spiritual layers. Whapio shares her decades of experience supporting families, offering a powerful perspective on why every birth has the potential to be transformative, what it means to have your own birth, and how partners, caregivers, and advocates can support rather than interrupt this process. This conversation invites a deeper way of seeing birth, not as something to be managed, but as a rite of passage to be experienced. LEARN MORE [https://brittabushnell.com/whapio/]

Why Birth Opens Us to Mystery with the Baby Whisperer

In this episode of Transformed by Birth, I'm joined by full-spectrum doula, assistant midwife, and "baby whisperer" Sufi Ertur for a conversation about the inner emotional and spiritual world of pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood. Together, we explore intuition, labor trance, conscious conception, nervous system sensitivity, symbolism during pregnancy, and the ways birth can open us to experiences that move beyond the purely physical or rational. Sufi shares stories from more than two decades attending births, reflecting on what she has witnessed at the "gates" of transformation and how pregnancy and birth can reconnect people to mystery, nature, intuition, and the deeper inner world often overlooked in modern maternity culture. This conversation is an invitation to approach birth with more curiosity, flexibility, openness, and reverence for both the seen and unseen aspects of becoming a parent. LEARN MORE [https://brittabushnell.com/baby-whisperer/]

The Power Dynamics Inside Maternity Care with Cristen Pascucci

In this episode of Transformed by Birth, I'm joined by human rights in childbirth advocate and Birth Monopoly founder Cristen Pascucci for a conversation about bodily autonomy, respectful maternity care, and what it means to navigate birth inside increasingly corporate healthcare systems. Together, we explore the growing monopolization of maternity care, why concepts like informed consent and trauma-informed care often struggle inside institutional systems, and how understanding your rights can fundamentally change the way you move through pregnancy and birth. This conversation moves beyond policy and into something much deeper: the experience of learning to trust yourself, recognizing what respect actually feels like in your body, and discovering your own authority in a system that often asks people to surrender it. LEARN MORE [https://brittabushnell.com/power-dynamics-inside-maternity-care/]