#96 | From Pushing Through to Feeling It All: A Marine Mom’s Pain-Free Birth Journey

What if birth didn’t have to be something you “push through”… but something you fully surrender to? In this episode of the Pain-Free Birth Podcast, Karen sits down with Zatha Aiken, a former U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence Officer turned stay-at-home mom of three, who shares her incredible journey from control, compliance, and “pushing through” to complete surrender, trust, and experiencing a pain-free birth.After her first birth within the medical system and a second free birth, Zatha entered her third birth with a radically different mindset: instead of bracing against the sensations, she chose to fully feel them. What followed was a deeply spiritual, fully present, and pain-free birth experience that transformed not just how she views birth, but how she experiences life, emotion, and her relationship with God. This episode is an exploration of the fear-tension-pain cycle, the shift from masculine to feminine energy in birth, and what becomes possible when women release fear and trust their bodies as they were designed.Tune in to hear: Zatha’s journey from military conditioning and compliance to full bodily autonomy  Why she initially saw birth as something to “push through” like any other challenge  The moment everything shifted from control to surrender in her third birth  How understanding physiology changed her entire perception of pain  The powerful mantra that transformed her experience: “Feel it, don’t fear it” Why pain in birth is often tied to fear not the sensations themselves  What it actually means to experience a pain-free birth (and why it’s not what you think)  The role of awareness, curiosity, and presence in eliminating fear during labor  How her birth journey mirrored a deeper spiritual healing and emotional transformation  Why she believes pain-free birth is possible for every woman CONNECT WITH KAREN:Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERESubmit your birth story and apply to come on the podcastInstagramFacebookYouTube