The Motherlands Podcast
by Keely Semler
The Motherlands Podcast explores the poetics of kinship, the politics of care, and the layered terrain of women's studies and reproductive health. Through intimate conversations, it reimagines caregiving as a personal, collective, and ecological practice. Each episode invites reflection, where storytelling becomes a vessel for presence, connection, and remembering. keelysemler.substack.com
Episodes
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Demystifying the Mental Load with Paige Connell
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. Today’s guest is Paige Connell, a working mother of four whose thoughtful online presence brings much needed honesty and clarity to conversations about contemporary family life. We explore the...
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Art as Medicine with Kristen Lee Gutoskie
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. Today’s guest is actress, singer, and mother Kristen Gutoskie, and we’re having an honest conversation about what motherhood really feels like once you’re in the thick of it. We explore how...
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Practicing Care in an Imperfect System with Dr. Ono Nseyo
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. Today’s guest is board-certified OB/GYN Dr. Ono Nseyo. We cover a wide range of women’s health topics, from birth control to the lack of women’s health research. We also talk about the gaps in...
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Beauty as a Unifying Force with Nadine Artemis
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. Nadine Artemis, founder of Living Libations, reflects on how modern culture places our senses in a hierarchy, often prioritizing the visual while neglecting the richness of the others. She...
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The Sleek Rebrand of the Sex Industry with Dr. Rebecca Whisnant
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. I have spent a great deal of time thinking about and honestly, grappling with, the sex industry and today’s narratives around sexual liberation. It’s often marketed as glamorous and empowering...
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Unlearning to Remember with Klara Hascakova
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. This week’s guest is Klara Hascakova, an Oxford educated systems designer whose work helps women reimagine the structures of their lives so they can live, lead, and create from a place of…
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What Love Feels Like at the End with Sonya Dolan & Ladybird Morgan of Mettle Health
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. In this episode, I’m joined by Ladybird Morgan and Sonya Dolan of Mettle Health, where we explore what it means to accompany others through dying, grief, and the tender work of being human.…
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The Evolutionary Story of Kinship with Sarah Blaffer Hrdy
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. This week, I’m honored to share a conversation I had with Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, an evolutionary anthropologist and primatologist whose work has powerfully shifted the way we understand what it...
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Underneath It All with Kiana Reeves
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. So many of us grew up learning how to take care of everyone but ourselves. We were taught to be helpful, selfless, polite… “good girls”. But no one ever pulled us aside to ask, “What brings…
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Even Here, There is Beauty with Kerrilynn Pamer
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. Today we are joined by Kerrilynn Pamer, Founder of CAP Beauty, a compassionate humanitarian and activist, and evocative writer behind the Substack Coyote Swan. If you’re new, welcome and thank...
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A Primal Wound with Kallie Fell
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. If you're exploring fertility options or know someone who is, this episode is a must listen. This week, we're joined by Kallie Fell, MS, BSN, RN, Executive Director of the Center for Bioethics...
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Empowered Beauty with Taylor McKay Smith
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. This week I’m thrilled to be joined by Taylor Mckay Smith, a mother, model, and doula, for a powerful conversation about beauty, resilience, and reclaiming the narrative of womanhood. In this...
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Sugar-Coated Lies with Brook Urick
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. If you know a girl coming of age right now, this is a critical conversation to listen to. This week’s guest is Brook Urick, a former publicist and sugar baby at the controversial dating…
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Honoring the Hands That Hold Us Together with Kate Granchelli
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. This week’s guest is Kate Granchelli, CEO and Founder of Modern Minders, a creative childcare and staffing agency. We explore the often overlooked value of professional childcare, examining…
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Reimagining Self Nourishment with Kacie Carter
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. In this episode, I sit down with Kacie Carter, owner of Honey Hi, to explore what nourishment really means; beyond food, beyond wellness trends, and deep into the heart of care. Together, we...
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When Nature Meets Nurture with Mary Gonzalez
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. Our guest today is Mary Gonzalez, an herbalist, mother, doula, and the heart behind Sweet Mountaintop, a beautiful outdoor nature preschool nestled on her family’s farm. The entire program…
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The Shocking Truth About Women's Health Research with Katie Schubert
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. I’m thrilled to introduce the next episode of the Motherlands Podcast with Katie Schubert from the Society of Women’s Health Research (SWHR). Katie is a trusted leader and consensus builder...
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Uncovering the Hidden History of the Pelvic Exam with Wendy Kline, Ph.D.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear the full conversation, visit keelysemler.substack.com. I'm excited to introduce our guest today, Wendy Kline, Ph.D, a recognized scholar in the history of medicine and women’s health. Wendy is the Chair in the History of Medicine at Purdue...
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Your Joy is My Joy
In our culture, there’s a tendency to shy away from discussing loss. Conversations about death often feel absent, even though it is something that profoundly shapes who we are. Perhaps we avoid talking about it in the hope that by ignoring it we can somehow escape its reach. But the truth is,...
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Claiming Space with Cassandra Ogier
On the last episode of MOTHERLANDS with Paula Mallis, you may recall us talking about the philosophy of space and how we occupy physical and emotional space. In this episode I am very excited to be sharing the conversation I had with Cassandra Ogier and her enlivening practice with horses called...
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The Power of Silence & Reconnecting with Nature with Paula Mallis
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Paula Mallis at her ranch in Ojai, California where we delve into conversation on the spiritual process of cycles (or circles) and being in communion with nature. As you tune in, you may hear us sipping tea or a bird chirping overhead in the old oak trees....
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What is Private? What is Sacred? with Jackie Shea
There comes a point when every person gets to decide what they want to share about their kids on the internet. I asked my client Jackie Shea if she would be willing to speak about her recent change of heart in how she publicly shares information about her children. I would like to preface by…
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The True Essence of Community Based Midwifery Care with Tema Mercado
While many people move through life with a conscious need to differentiate themselves from their chosen career, Tema Mercado offers a refreshing and sincere perspective… Which is that the work she does as a midwife is inextricably woven into all facets of her life but most importantly, her…
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The Adventurous Unfurling of Motherhood with Elizabeth Carter
A few years ago I met Elizabeth at her cozy chic spa in Topanga called Honest Rituals. I was looking for a practitioner that could help me relieve jaw tension as I suffer from TMJ (anyone else?). I had heard that she offered a facial treatment that incorporates massage which sounded intriguing.…
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Somatic Awareness Within the Pelvis with Kimberly Ann Johnson
We spend most of our waking moments in our minds. Planning, rationalizing, thinking, evaluating. All of these are important processes. But did you know that the pelvis speaks a language of its own? Kimberly Ann Johnson describes how the body carries not only personal stories from our life...
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Earth Womb Embodiment with Marissa Correia
When it comes to being a woman, pleasure is not really something as a culture we are taught to explore or prioritize. For Marissa Correia, it is her passion to share about the importance of pleasure in our lives and how it allows us to be more connected to our bodies and our environment. In our...
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When Advocacy and Spirituality Collide with Kimberly Denitz-Zuleger
Kim is an outspoken, fiery mother of three children. Her husky, confident voice immediately puts you at ease. You can tell within a few moments of speaking to her that she really has a lot of life experience that informs the incredible work she does as a doula. You may also know her online as…
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Resilience & Establishing Safety from Within with Nkem Ndefo, MSN, CNM, RN
It is with great pleasure to share this incredible conversation with Nkem Ndefo about trauma and resilience. We examine how our bodies uniquely adapt to our surroundings. Every person has their own internal system of regulation, or how our bodies filter and respond to our environment. Sometimes…
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When Our Wounds Lead Us to Deeper Connection
Part of the reason why I love being the host of the MOTHERLANDS Podcast is because I get to interview guests about deep and meaningful ideas about what it means to be a woman. But when it comes to myself I find it difficult to open up about my own process. This episode is my attempt to be both...
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The Journey of Listening to Your Intuition with Yvonne Strahovski
A couple of years after the birth of her first son, Yvonne Strahovski became pregnant with her second child and was determined to have a radically different experience. In this episode, we discuss how birth is just as much a mental and emotional experience as it is a physical one. As she begins…
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Paid Leave For All with Dawn Huckelbridge
Dawn Huckelbridge is a mother and the Founding Director of Paid Leave for All. In this conversation we discuss (and lament) how the United States is one of the few countries left in the world that does not have any national Paid Family Leave program. Nearly 1 in 4 employed mothers have to return…
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Birthwork is Nervous System Work with Nicole Morales
It is with great pleasure I introduce the next guest on the MOTHERLANDS Podcast. I first encountered Nicole Morales when I was a new doula, seeking out additional training and education on supporting clients through birth. I attended a Spinning Babies course in San Diego and Nicole was my...
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Pelvic Wellness Through the Lens of Prevention with Allison Oswald
Allison Oswald (PT, DPT, WCS) is a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic wellness. She takes a personalized and holistic approach to women’s wellness, integrating different modalities, such as pelvic mapping, manual techniques, visceral mobilizations, and movement education. She supports...
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Meditation with a Goal with Ashley Mitchell Scott
You may have heard of hypnosis before. It is often portrayed in movies and books as something quite dubious, as if it is some kind of mind control. But did you know that self hypnosis has incredible physiological benefits? This next guest teaches hypnobirthing to support clients through the…
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Life After Birth with Molly Nourmand
Molly Nourmand, LMFT, is a Psychotherapist that specializes in perinatal mental health. She started an incredible company called Life After Birth where she facilitates group sessions with new mothers as they process the complexities of becoming a parent, shifts in identity, changes related to...
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The Magic of the Milky Way with Jennifer Davidson & Kimmy Mills
Jennifer Davidson and Kimmy Mills are a team of lactation consultants best known as the Milky Way Mamas who are on a mission to educate and empower clients on the amazing benefits of breastfeeding. Our conversation covers a variety of common breastfeeding topics such as milk supply, engorgement,...
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Mothering Through the Mundane Moments with Jules Blaine Davis
Jules Blaine Davis is a mother, writer, wayshower and coach. She has been called the "midwife to life", encouraging women to live the life that is right here, right now. We go deep in our conversation where we discuss giving ourselves permission to listen to the body, how we often say "No" to...
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Chinese Medicine & The Baby Palace with Lina Bardovi
Lina Bardovi, L.Ac, found her calling to Chinese medicine in her 20s when she discovered that her boyfriend had brain cancer. The one treatment that seemed to make him feel better was acupuncture. In this episode we discuss how all humans are a delicate balance of yin and yang energy, the...
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Birth Without Fear with Julie Freitas
This episode is very special as I interview my mentor, Julie Freitas. Julie was a childbirth educator and doula for over forty years. She taught in hospitals, clinics and in her home in Los Angeles. Her intimate style of teaching was coveted by the hundreds of families she taught from all…
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The Intersection of Free Will and Destiny
In this episode we exchange ideas on the importance of doula work, and how each birth signifies the brilliance and miracle of new souls choosing their arrival. Rima Thierry has given birth four times, four different ways, in which she says, her children's personalities distinctly shine through…
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The Infinite Colors of Motherhood with Olivia Van Dyke
In this episode Olivia Van Dyke, a wife, a mother, and a CEO, speaks about her experience conceiving her first child at 24, the self-imposed pressure to get pregnant before her ailing father passes away, along with grieving the loss of her father while simultaneously preparing to give birth. This...
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Redefining Ambition After Having a Baby
In this episode, Michelle divulges how how she relates to her career after having a baby, and the stigma around being a mother whilst being a female business owner. We discuss topics that are often perceived as taboo such as sex and intimacy post birth, sleep training, and gender roles. The…
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The Hard Truth About Fertility
Kristina Dahlin is a physician assistant and homebirth midwife assistant. While deeply respecting the physiological process of childbirth, Kristina eloquently bridges the gap between the medical world and the holistic/natural world. Additionally, she offers pregnant clients gentle bodywork rooted...
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Relinquishing Control
Lara Elliott is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist who teaches integrative healing techniques such as reiki and meditation. She works with clients individually and in groups as well as leads trainings worldwide. She resides with her family in Ojai, California. To find out more about Lara...
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How to Consciously Move Your Body
Justine Malick is a certified Pilates instructor, trainer, and owner of Sapphire Pilates. She works with clients from all walks of life to facilitate a sense of ease within the body. Justine specializes in Somatics, Body Mind Centering (BMC), Deep Bodywork Massage, Resistance Flexibility Strength...
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Giving Birth Outside of the Hospital
Nancy Beyda is a homebirth midwife in Los Angeles. Prior to becoming a midwife, she was a birth doula for over 20 years. Nancy believes that the way we birth has a profound impact on how we move through life. She is also the Executive Director of FoodCycle LA, a nonprofit that recovers food to...
About this show
The Motherlands Podcast explores the poetics of kinship, the politics of care, and the layered terrain of women's studies and reproductive health. Through intimate conversations, it reimagines caregiving as a personal, collective, and ecological practice. Each episode invites reflection, where storytelling becomes a vessel for presence, connection, and remembering.
keelysemler.substack.com
Hosted by
Keely Semler
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