Keeping Your Power® with Traci Doula

EPISODE 23: From Doula to Midwife: Advocacy, Burnout, and Staying in the Fight — with Victoria

In this episode, I sat down with Victoria, a birth doula of more than ten years who’s now pursuing her path to becoming a certified nurse midwife. Our conversation was honest, reflective, and full of the real experiences that come with working in the birth world.

We covered:

• The emotional highs and lows of supporting families throug...

EPISODE 22: Adoption from Both Sides — with My Fiancé Kevin

This episode felt especially close to my heart because I sat down with my fiancé, Kevin, to talk about adoption from both sides—his perspective as an adoptive father of two, and mine as an adoptee. We kept it honest, real, and grounded in what adoption actually looks like over time, not just the version people like to post online.

We talked about:

• The “adoption is sa...

EPISODE 21: Being Teachable, Building Trust, and Keeping Birth Human — with Jen Hamilton

In this episode, I sat down with Jen Hamilton, labor and delivery nurse, advocate, and one of the brightest lights in the birth world. This conversation was honest, practical, and full of those “yep…that’s real” moments that remind you why agency and voice matter so much in birth.

We talked about:

• Self-reflection, blind spots, and how bia...

EPISODE 20: Black Maternal Health, Action Over Awareness with Frances

In this episode, I sat down with Frances for a real, necessary conversation about Black maternal health and the broken systems surrounding it. We didn’t soften this one. We talked openly about racism, colorism, privilege, and the very real consequences Black mothers continue to face in healthcare.

Frances shared her own story, growing up in foster care, navigatin...

EPISODE 19: High-Risk Birth, Misinformation, and Grief — with Sarah (L&D Nurse)

In this episode, I sat down with Sarah, a labor and delivery nurse who’s spent years in high-risk birth settings and has seen the full range of what families walk through. We started with a story that hit home, Sarah shared how her little sister got dangerous misinformation from TikTok about baby movement during labor, and how that led to a traumati...

EPISODE 18: Midwives, Myths, and the Gray Areas of Birth — with Miri & Kimberly Taylor

In this episode, I sat down with two of my favorite midwives, Miri and Kimberly Taylor, to talk through some of the harder, often uncomfortable conversations happening in the birth world right now. We started with the term “lay midwife”, why it’s confusing, often misused, and how it’s frequently used to dismiss the education, skill, and exper...

EPISODE 17: Birth Trauma, Loss, and Honoring Everly’s Story — with Ashley Nerison

This episode comes with a heartfelt trigger warning, as it includes discussion of traumatic birth and infant loss. I sat down with Ashley—a strong, honest mom who shared her story of losing her daughter, Everly, after a planned home birth that took a devastating turn.

We talked about:

• The planning and intention behind choosing home birth

• The m...

EPISODE 16 : Faith, Abuse, and Finding Freedom — with Detra Part II

In this episode, I sat down with my friend Detra for part two of our conversation about moving through and out of emotionally abusive marriages, especially within church settings. Both of us spent decades in marriages that looked “godly” on the outside, mine was 31 years, Detra’s was 34. What we uncovered were the hidden patterns that kept us small, confused, and c...

EPISODE 15: My Adoption Story — The Truth, The Layers, and The Healing 

In this episode, I’m sharing something deeply personal, my own story as an adoptee. This is where I unpack what adoption has meant in my life, the complicated emotions that come with it, and the truths I wish more people understood.

I talked about:

• Challenging the idea that love alone “fixes” adoption trauma

• My story of finding out I was adopted and how...

EPISODE 14: Birth, Teamwork, and Trusting the Process — with Lauren & Drew

In this episode, I sat down with Lauren and Drew, a couple whose story really shows what it means to grow, adapt, and keep your power through the unpredictability of birth and life. Lauren’s a labor and delivery nurse, and Drew’s a farmer who’s seen plenty of animal births, but human birth had a few surprises of its own.

We talked about:

• How Lauren...

EPISODE 13: Anyssa Zancanella: When Birth Goes Wrong — A Mother’s Fight for Accountability

In this episode, I sat down with Anyssa Zancanella, whose birth story exposes what can happen when hospitals stop listening and systems fail families. Her induction took a devastating turn, mishandled IVs, poor monitoring, and an absent doctor led to an emergency C-section and lifelong challenges for her daughter, Azaylee.

We covered:

• ...

EPISODE 12: Growing Up with a Congenital Heart Defect — with Christopher

In this episode, I sat down with my oldest son, Christopher, to share his story of growing up with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect that meant open-heart surgery at just two months old. We wanted to give hope and perspective to parents navigating a diagnosis, and to anyone walking a path they didn’t expect.

We talked about:

• Early hospital s...

EPISODE 11: Miscarriage, Resilience, and Finding Community — with Kurin

In this episode, I sat down with Kurin, mom of three, influencer, content creator, and fellow doula, to talk about her journey through multiple miscarriages and what it looks like to turn pain into purpose.

We talked about:

• The loneliness of her first miscarriage and how silence made it harder

• Losing breastfeeding with her son and navigating complex emo...

EPISODE 10: Healing After Adoption — with Tyler Baltierra

In this episode, I sat down with Tyler Baltierra, who you might remember as MTV’s original Teen Mom birth dad, to talk about what it’s really like to heal after placing a child for adoption. Tyler opened up about the pain, guilt, and the long road of making sense of it all, especially while doing it in the public eye.

We talked about:

• The raw realities of being a birth...

EPISODE 9: Real Talk with Mama Nurse Tina — Birth, Humor, and Honest Education

In this episode, I sat down with Mama Nurse Tina—a labor and delivery nurse, educator, and mama of four—to talk about what it’s really like behind the scenes in birth work. Tina brings her wisdom, heart, and humor to the table, and we laughed plenty while also getting real about the challenges and rewards of this work.

We talked about:

• Why she move...

EPISODE 8: Leaving Abuse, Rebuilding Life — with Detra

In this episode, I sat down with my friend Detra to talk about her journey out of an abusive marriage after decades as a pastor’s wife in a conservative church culture. We got real about the pressures faith communities can put on women to stay silent, small, and “obedient,” even when it’s breaking them.

Detra shared how she finally found the courage to leave, literally jumping ...

EPISODE 7: Fighting for Birth Options in Alabama — with Kimberly Taylor

In this episode, I sat down with my friend Kimberly Taylor—certified nurse midwife, certified professional midwife, licensed midwife, and mama of four, to talk about what it’s really like to fight for respectful, safe birth options in Alabama.

Kim shared:

• How it felt to go from a supportive midwifery culture in Washington to swimming upstream in Alabama

• ...

EPISODE 6: Birth, Belief, and Breaking Old Patterns — with Care Messer

In this episode, I sat down with my friend and fellow birth worker, Care Messer, to talk about the deep stuff, where our beliefs come from, how early trauma shapes us, and why self-awareness matters in healing.

We opened up about:

• Our personal birth stories and how they laid patterns we didn’t even realize

• My journey as an adoptee and what early separati...

EPISODE 5: Midwifery, Boundaries, and Speaking Up with Miri

In this episode, I sat down with Miri, a midwife with deep wisdom and lived experience to back it up. We talked about what it really takes to find your voice, in the birth room, in birth work, and in life.

Miri shared how her roots in the UK’s midwifery model shaped her early perspective, and what it felt like to land in the U.S. and enter a system that didn’t always value...