Magamama With Kimberly Ann Johnson: Sex, Birth And Motherhood

Jennifer Lang recently published an open letter as an OB-GYN who supports women who seek alternative, holistic, and awakened care. She has authored two books, “Consent: The New Rules for Sex Education” and “The Whole 9 Months: A Week-by-week Pregnancy Nutrition Guide.” Jennifer Today she speaks on her journey from ‘surgical cowboy’ to an advocate for bodily autonomy, discovering embodiment through birth, empowering low income communities to screen for and treat cervical cancer, and supporting women in building personal agency within a medical system. Bio:  Jennifer Lang is a gynecological oncologist, the author of two books, the mother of three children, and a passionate force for women’s health and wellbeing. She has served women in a hospital setting, founded a non-profit to reduce cervical cancer rates, and is creating a tech start-up to assist young people in recognizing when they are too incapacitated to consent. “We don’t have to turn over our bodily autonomy every time we walk into a doctor’s office an

Keli Garza, Steamy Chick, and Kimberly Johnson, Magamama discuss the results of The Fourth Trimester Vaginal Steam Study results.  We are defining what postpartum recovery looks like. In this podcast we will walk you through the study design- what we did, how we did it, what the results are and what we think the groundbreaking implications of those results mean for future postpartum health and future studies.   

Cece joins us fresh out of her 6 th grade Sex Education curriculum and offers insight and feedback on ways to make the process more comfortable, effective, and accurate. We also talk about the challenges of body image and learning to embrace both our flaws and strengths. Cece opens up about her experience as a bi-racial individual navigating school, life, and the current political climate. What She Shares: The good, the bad, and the lovely of having a sex educator for a mom What Sex Ed is like in a modern 6 th grade classroom What it’s like being the student with accurate information Her journey with body image Growing up bi-racially with a white mother What You’ll Hear: Making sex education more comfortable through authentic connection Calling for curriculum updates that meet kids at their level Learning about puberty from a 1980’s film Untangling the bits of truth from the ball of misinformation in sex ed curriculum Sex ed still does not cover the days in a woman’s cycle when she’s actually fertile The

Steve Hoskinson was one of my Somatic Experiencing teachers and has since gone on to found Organic Intelligence. He hosts The End of Trauma podcast and has made democratizing nervous system information his mission. What Steve Shares:      Seeing our humanness through the map of complexity science      The importance of joy and pleasure in growth      Information on his End of Trauma course      The difference between Somatic Experiencing and Organic Intelligence  What You’ll Hear:      Discerning between ‘natural’ and ‘moral’ in our decision making      Being empowered in your choices through knowledge      Understanding that your physical body may perceive experiences differently than your thinking brain      Respecting your intensity thresholds at any given time      Using Complexity Science to understand the three phases of complex systems, such as our nervous system      The nature of our biology requires us to build resiliency through pleasure and safety      Orienting to your surroundings catalyzes s

Katie Silcox is a yoga instructor and Ayurveda instructor who studied with world renowned teachers and became disillusioned by some of what she experienced in the yoga world.  Her experiences allowed her to become more discerning and offer her students safety and freedom in their own practice. What Katie Shares: When the yoga she was doing wasn’t working anymore [9:25] She wanted to break up with yoga the same month she was featured on the cover of Yoga Journal [11:08] How she learned balance the horizontal vs. vertical relationships of teacher to student by holding space and owning leadership [18:25] Yoga as having your worldview superimposed through a yoga practice [22:00] Shakti needs a structure for which to flow [24:00] How to trust your body to naturally go where it wants to be [33:38] Her current form of practice [34:20] What happens when women abdicate power to a male authority [39:06] What You'll Hear: First level of Polyvagal theory: belonging and safety vs. herd mentality The Me Too movement in

Summary:.  Levina and Caleb have been journaling together about their sex life for nearly a year. They quickly discovered that creating this intimate and authentic space allowed them to learn more about themselves and each other, both within and outside of sex. They’ve been able to unearth and heal old dynamics, foster curiosity and communication, and continue building an electric sex life.  Resources: https://asexjournal.com  @asexjournal What They Share:      Their dating history and how they created their sex journal      How journaling allowed them to uncover new knowledge about themselves      How journaling has impacted other couples What You’ll Hear:      Journaling and documenting in times of joy and connection      Building a space to curious and communicative with both yourself and your partner      Creating space in your partnership for ongoing conversations and evolution      Recognizing that shared experiences can be different for each person      Building a foundation of understanding and com

Sabia Wade began her birth work with incarcerated people. A full spectrum doula, she is an educator, doula trainer and activist. She says there's no separating activism and birthwork and wants all people to have access to care. She is the founder of For the Village, a non-profit setting out to address disparities in birth and provide community for birthworkers. 

What Gia Shares:      How her positive experience receiving sex education from her parents informed her path      Differences between sensuality and sexuality      What's essential for parents to know       Her favorite part of her book  What You’ll Hear:      Defining your reality through language      Approaching sex through sense-based experiences      Building relationships on the foundation of friendship      Teaching youth about the pleasures of sex so that they are able to be more at home and embodied in their sexual relationships      Doing self work around sexuality and shame to raise healthier kids      The importance of prioritizing your own erotic life      Modeling pleasure for your kids      Giving kids tools, information, and practice around consent and touch      The difference between be taught how to say ‘no’ and learning to negotiate preferences      The importance of entering sexual encounters with goal as the primary intention      Supporting your children by maintaining familial and c

Five very different women share their experiences in MotherCircle: a monthlong dive into the physical, emotional, psychological, relational, sexual and spiritual shifts of becoming a mother. 

What Azita Shares:      Her own experience with trauma and how it shaped her personal and professional path      How she received support to leave her abuser and begin treatment for her trauma      How motherhood uprooted her sense of control      Her fertility and birth journey What You’ll Hear:      Understanding that relational abuse and trauma can take many different forms   Finding the permission to be kind and compassionate to yourself   Listening to the body’s experience to finally find healing   Becoming an active participant in your healing   Giving grief time and space, without allowing it to take over forever   Navigating recovery while mothering   Softening into self compassion for mothering   The importance of pausing and allowing inner wisdom to speak   Navigating sexual trauma while trying to become pregnant      The difference between processing trauma somatically and intellectually      Finding time and space to process while caring for a child      Allowing your spiritual practice to evol

What Kendra Shares:      Her realization that there is no mythical ‘daddy’ figure that she missed out on      The parts of single parenting that work really well for her      The parts of her pregnancies that brought forward wisdom What You’ll Hear:      Allowing the relationships in your life to be what they are, without searching for perfection      When we relate to others as whole human being with histories, bodies, and experiences, we can approach relationships more fully      Allowing the people in our lives to shine in their strengths      Honoring what you’re really good at, while also expanding into new areas and roles      Examining how to embody our power as women      Holding the role of teacher while also continuing to empower others on their own inner authority      Sometimes opening ourselves to our own inner wisdom takes removing the obligation to follow it      The authentic power that can come from following your inner wisdom rather than social conditioning      Taking your own wellbeing

What She Shares:      The history of women and psychiatry      How some medical research data is currently being safely collected on pregnant women      Her intention for her new book to be a preventative guidebook to reduce postpartum depression      How her new podcast is intended for maternal health and support What You’ll Hear:      How the scare around Thalidomide affected research into women’s mental health for decades to come.      Opening research to include women’s health finally showed that men and women’s health needs often differ      The laws that aimed to reduce gender and racial discrimination in medical research      A brief discussion on the FDA approved medication for postpartum depression      Embarking on research into the causes of and prevention of postpartum depression      Making preparations and front loading investments to avoid PPMADs      Addressing diseases through the a bio-psycho-social model and a preventative lens      Being aware of a biological predisposition towards depr

Rachelle Garcia Seliga, founder of Innate Traditions,  http://www.innatetraditions.com/ancestral-grief/, shares: What is ancestral grief and how is it showing up postpartum Defining and finding community support as if your life depends on it, because it does How she found her life partner New forms, new paradigms, and new models in partnership and business Her personal story of financial health and transformation, how financial need and breadwinning has not allowed her to hide, and insisted she give her gifts.  

Five women share their stories about what changed for them after taking the Forging a Feminine Path course.    All of the women mention that understanding women's arousal was groundbreaking for them.   Molly Coeling (pronounced Cooling) was able to claim her sexuality for herself, and claim the essence of who she is, through the course. She also found that the course helped her with communication all over the board -- with her mother, with people across party lines.   Amy Daniels talks about how the course helped her land back in her body, and helped her work through shame instead of repressing it. Her capacity for pleasure increased, she was able to slow down and create ritual to create more pleasure in her life and honor her body.   Maggie Gelineau was able to honor her stories, and be able to share herself more fully with her husband. The course strengthened her relationship. She had an amazing OBGYN appt after the women's arousal class -- she was able to have a healing, present and compassionate experienc

It's possible to heal prolapse and not just "manage the symptoms." Prolapse is an increasingly common outcome of birth and postpartum practices. To work with prolapse, you need to understand the contributing factors. In this episode, Kimberly breaks down how to figure out what's contributing to your prolapse and how to deal with it. 

Jenna Furnari works as an Ayurvedic Postpartum Doula in the greater Los Angeles area. She offers phone consultations for families living elsewhere.  Jenna hosts an online course to train other doulas, and also offers in-person trainings on Abhyanga, a grounding and gentle bodywork. “The first six weeks after birth really are the foundation behind the way she’s going to show up as a human being, as a mother, as a woman.” “Birth is going to take everything and beyond that out of her. I know that you want to provide this child with every opportunity in the world; and, in order to do that, you and your partner really need to be on the same page at being strong and healthy. In order to get to that really strong and healthy place, she needs to have the care and support to get her there. She’s on going to be able to do it on her own.” Resources: www.jennafurnari.com What She Shares: ·      How she became a postpartum-specific Ayurvedic practitioner ·      How her care services are structured ·      How mothers’ exp

What She Shares:      How the birth of her son was a psycho-spiritual death experience      The rich depth of her postpartum experiences      Practicing as a Zen Monk AND parenting      About her new course “Write to the Heart of Motherhood” What You’ll Hear:      Recognizing when you need to surrender, and when you need to stand in your strength      Expanding your boundaries to build resiliency      Feeling the pain of childbirth as power      Pushing yourself out of love, not punishment      Birth and postpartum as a rite of passage, and incorporating afterward      Re-integrating with society at a new level after a rite of passage      Sharing your learning with your community      Viewing the interruptions of life as life itself      Committing to what resources you      Allowing space for creativity and inspiration to come organically      Finding ways to interrupt your habits and inner critic      Harvesting what is already happening in your mothering Brooke McNamara is a professor at Naropa Univer

What Dr. Claudia Shares:      Why the title of her book is actually backwards      Her “aha!” moment when she was studying hormones      The difference between sex hormones and stress hormones      How our spiritual and emotional choices reverberate through our physical bodies What You’ll Hear:      Understanding that your hormones don’t become imbalanced in a vacuum      How Western and Eastern medicines support each other to better understand our hormones      Viewing hormonal functions through the lens of duality      Hormones govern extremes in the body      Understanding why imbalances between sex and stress hormones occur      Learning how to decrease stress hormones through lifestyle changes      Striving for the sweet spot of balance between yin and yang      Learning your own body to understand when it needs more rest versus stimulation      Why women in their late 30’s and beyond require more rest      Becoming hormonally rearranged in menopause      Learning to balance external stressors to supp

What Christine Shares:      Her activism centered around the bodylessness present in our culture      Translating your physical experience to your social interactions      How embracing inquiry and challenges can support your well being      How her understanding of the immune system impacted how she runs her psychotherapy practice What You’ll Hear:      Incorporating somatic work in your daily life for nervous system health      Coming to a practice from pressure, pleasure, or inquiry, and how those may affect your practice      How a practice changes when you come with some form of self-regulation      Integrating mental and physical processes      Respecting the 12 different systems in the body as inherently important in their own right      Learning to listen to all systems in the body so that you get a fuller picture of your self and your health      Approaching the body from a community organizing standpoint with a non-hierarchical approach      Creating space for range and nuance rather than a stark

What Lisa Shares:      Her journey to understanding female fertility more fully after receiving incorrect information in school      How to determine when you’re actually fertile      The biology of the menstrual cycle and how different birth controls alter this      The importance of male fertility in conception and how to boost male fertility What You’ll Hear:      The recent expansion of scientific literature to more fully include the female body      Learning about the biology and physiology of the female body and basing health decisions on science      The hormonal cycle is intertwined with the rest of your biology      Embracing your body through the lens of pleasure rather than fear      Developing personal agency around your fertility decisions      The difference between the rhythm method and fertility awareness      The importance of familiarizing yourself with cervical mucus, basal body temperature, and cervical positioning      The difference between pre-ovulatory and post-ovulatory mucus