Womb Stories Project

Kit Maloney, founder of Kitara has been advocating for reproductive choice and freedom for over 20 years. Yet this conversation is like none she's ever had before.  As womb healers, Juliana and Kit hope to broaden the conversations we're "allowed" to have around reproductive choice and freedoms – and the physical, emotional, and spiritual impact that may have, honoring that everybody's journey is unique and special.  Pregnancy termination is a controversial, taboo, and polarizing subject that can bring up a lot of strong beliefs and big feelings. The commonness of abortion and narrowness of storytelling on the topic leaves many women alone in their decision, without spaces to integrate or heal afterwards, and also ignores the nuance and paradox we as women experience as the guardians of the threshold of life and death.  What does it mean for us to have both life and death move through our bodies? How do we process the loss of life physically, mentally, and spiritually?  Juliana honors the importance of claiming our rites (not just rights) and owning them through ceremony, or spiritual practices and rituals (including yoni steaming). We discuss how to remember and reclaim these rites and wear their inherent truths into our culture as we navigate the cycles, rhythms, responsibilities and decisions of living in a body with a womb.  The silencing of these nuanced conversations that hold paradoxes with love and compassion keeps us isolated. This is our one small step towards creating supportive spaces for women to explore their experiences within a grounded and loving container.  Ultimately, weaving the fragments of our experiences into a story we can claim, make sense of and feel whole within is our hope and wish for women who have ended a pregnancy. Know that you are not alone and there are practices and healing spaces to support you in holding this.  We hope you'll listen with an open heart, in your own timing and for your own healing. Through Kitara, we honor that we each come to this topic with our own beliefs, feelings, and journeys. We're here, doing our best, to hold it all with compassion. Sending love.   About Kitara and Womb Stories Project Womb Stories Project is the in-house podcast of KitaraLove.com, your one stop shop for everything you need for safe and effective Yoni Steaming at home. Kitara is a yoni steaming company made up of devoted womb healers. Our passion for steaming is rooted in the profound healing we've experienced ourselves and witnessed in those we support. We are devoted to supporting your womb health and healing journey. Our founder, Kit Maloney, holds a Masters Degree in Gender and Social Policy from the London School of Economics and has spent the past two decades as a thought leader on victim advocacy, pleasure activism, and holistic womb health and healing. Kitara provides beautifully designed, expertly crafted tools for safe and easy in-home yoni steaming. 🌸www.kitaralove.com🌸

In this episode of Womb Stories Project, Kit Maloney, founder of Kitara, shares her raw birth story on a phone call with two sisters… just 3 weeks after giving birth (in her 40s) to a healthy baby girl. An incorrect ultrasound report shows Kit's baby in transverse position and completely derails her home birth plans. What followed was the very real possibility of an emergency C-section.  Her work with Kitara informed that moment. She recognized the pattern because she had heard it so many times. "Everything was fine, and then suddenly it became an emergency C-section." With an EPIC labor support team ( her husband and midwife ) and years experience in women's health and advocacy, Kit was able to have an unmedicated hospital birth within a highly medicalized system.  But what if she didn't? Her experience speaks to the importance of support in hospital birth, patient advocacy during labor, and how challenging it can be to navigate informed consent and avoid unnecessary birth interventions.  At one point, the situation escalated to threats of the Department of Health and Human Services being called. Kit found herself wondering, "how am I going to get out of here?"  What followed wasn't just about getting through the experience, but what it meant to come out the other side of it with a sense of agency and wholeness. Birth trauma is real.  Kit has come to see that a huge part of trauma prevention is being able to process more quickly. To be witnessed and affirmed almost in the moment of it can set you up for a totally different recovery. This episode reaffirms the "why" behind the Womb Stories Project. Sharing our stories is an invaluable piece of spreading awareness, education, and advocacy within the women's health and wellness world. If this resonates, like, subscribe and share your birth story below in the comments.    Kitara provides beautifully designed, expertly crafted tools for safe and easy in-home yoni steaming.  Shop yoni steam seats  Learn more about the benefits of yoni steaming Follow Kitara on Instagram  

Chaya Leia Aronson of Your Sacred Pelvis shares her powerful journey from chronic bladder infections and interstitial cystitis to living pain-free and deeply connected to her womb. After years of pelvic pain, invasive medical experiences, and being told there was no solution, Chaya turned to natural healing, including herbal medicine, diet and lifestyle changes, Mayan Abdominal Massage, and Yoni Steaming. Through this work, she not only resolved her symptoms but reclaimed pleasure, nervous system regulation, and trust in her body. We discuss how pelvic pain and uterine disorders are often rooted in trauma, and Chaya illuminates how trauma can arise from a much broader range of experiences than we typically consider, including a hard fall to the sacrum.   Through natural healing practices like yoni steaming, which supports deep nervous system regulation and invites gentle emotional release, we are able to move through pain and towards pleasure. Chaya speaks to the fact that activism is best sustained by joy, pleasure, and a regulated nervous system.  This episode is a testament to the possibility of moving beyond chronic pelvic pain and dis-ease in your own womb healing journey. A hopeful and inspiring story offering natural remedies, ancient practices, and wise teachers within the world of holistic women's reproductive health.  About our Guest Chaya Leia Aronson, RN BSN offers both in person and virtual healing experiences that blend hands-on bodywork, somatic practices, and gentle lifestyle and herbal support to help you reconnect with this powerful part of yourself. She utilizes Maya Abdominal Massage, Holistic Pelvic Care™, Yoni Steaming, movement and posture practices, and holistic coaching to help you reclaim pelvic health and wellness.  Connect to Chaya on Instagram. Learn more on her website.   Kitara provides beautifully designed, expertly crafted tools for safe and easy in-home yoni steaming. 🌸www.kitaralove.com🌸 Beautiful Yoni Steam Seats, Organic Herbs, Consultations & More... Connect with Kitara on IG @bykitara   TimeStamps:  5:40 -14:50 How to Heal UTIs Naturally: Yoni Steaming + Mayan Abdominal Massage  14:50-18:03 Trauma as the Root of Womb & Pelvic Pain 18:03- 19:10 Holistic Support for Endometriosis 19:10-2:00 Yoni Steaming for Nervous System Regulation 21- 22:27 Using Herbal Allies in Yoni Steaming 22:27 - 29:41  Healing Generational Trauma in the Body 29:41 - 32:13 Releasing Ancestral Grief & Pleasure Activism 32:13 -35  Yoni Steaming Benefits: The Miracles of Yoni Steaming  

Yoni steaming offers a gentle, effective approach to healing period pain naturally. In this episode of Womb Stories Project, Natalie Elliott shares how yoni steaming helped end years of severe period pain and opened a new relationship with her body and menstrual cycle. Natalie shares her journey from severe cramps, dissociation, and trauma to discovering yoni steaming as the pathway to releasing, healing, and coming to live in deep alignment with her cycle and her womb.  What began as a personal healing practice of resting while bleeding became the foundation of her work as a women's health practitioner, and ultimately helped inspire a deeper, more cyclical way of operating for the entire Kitara team.   About our Guest: Natalie Elliott is a women's health practitioner offering in-person and online coaching for a whole body approach to healing period pain, PMS and hormonal imbalance, naturally.  Explore her many delicious offerings: https://www.moonbabymagic.com/offerings  Connect with Natalie on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalie.marieclaire/    🌸www.kitaralove.com🌸 Kitara provides beautifully designed, expertly crafted tools for safe and easy in-home yoni steaming.    Beautiful Yoni Steam Seats, Organic Herbs, Consultations & More... Connect with Kitara on IG @bykitara   Timestamps  Intro w/ Natalie Elliot of MoonBaby 0:47-3:11: The Creative Energy Of the Womb 3:11- 8:58: Discovering Yoni Steaming for Trauma & Period Pain 8:58- 13:07: Why Soft, Gentle Healing Works 13:07-19:45: Talking About Menstrual Leave at Work 19:45-28:00 What Happens When You Don't Rest on Your Period? 28:00 - 33:31 : Painful Periods Are Common — Not Normal Outro w/ Natalie Elliot of MoonBaby  

In this powerful transmission, Yasmine Minnifield, founder of Womb of Peace, joins Kit Maloney for a profound exploration of the Father Wound and how healing our inner masculine is a path to feminine restoration. Yasmine shares how wounding to our inner masculine affects our sense of safety, openness to intimacy, and feeling worthy of provision and protection - often showing up as overfunctioning, burnout, or a hard, protective shell.  She maps the energetics of the wound onto the body through mineral imbalances, offering a tangible, multidimensional pathway to healing through herbal medicine, remineralization, and inner work.  Yasmine describes how Yoni Steaming supports every level of this process, from the physical release of old blood, tissue, and emotions to remineralization through the herbs in the steam. She invites us to use our steam practice to develop deeper intimacy with self and the ancestral line to create lasting mental and emotional repatterning. Healing the inner masculine allows the mature feminine to rise, the Queen, who knows how to live and lead in a deeply nourishing, empowered way.     Yasmine Minnifield blends functional mineral science and somatic healing to help women decode their body's messages, with hair mineral testing as the doorway into deep restoration. Order a Hair Mineral Test with Yasmine  Connect with Yasmine on Facebook and Instagram   🌸www.kitaralove.com🌸 Kitara provides beautifully designed, expertly crafted tools for safe and easy in-home yoni steaming.    Beautiful Yoni Steam Seats, Organic Herbs, Consultations & More... Connect with Kitara on IG @bykitara   Timestamps  00:00 Healing the Father Wound to Access Feminine Power 00:57 The Father Wound, Minerals, & Cellular Level Healing 05:58 Wounding of the Inner Masculine or Animus, and Yasmine's Experience of Trauma, PTSD, PCOS 10:29 Linking the Effects of the Father Wound to Mineral Imbalances in the Body 13:13 Healing through Yoni Steaming and Herbalism 15:43 Archetypal Medicine, Energetic and Ancestral Healing Reclaiming Power and Sensitivity 18:13 Deep Physical and Ancestral Release and Repatterning through Yoni Steaming 21:12 The Transformative Power of Minerals 22:42 Yoni Steaming: More Than Just Hydrotherapy 26:48 Final Thoughts  

Far too often we hear the same story, a woman gets diagnosed with fibroids and is told her only option is a full hysterectomy. In this interview, Kit Maloney and Rachel Rose talk with Miara Pack, who shares her journey of saying no to the white coat and bravely charting her own course. Miara opens up about her experience with painful cycles and dismissive doctors and her choice to pursue natural healing: yoni steaming, breathwork, and lifestyle changes alongside western medical care. A cornerstone of her healing was her connection with Kit, the founder of Kitara, whose compassionate presence was a consistent source of strength, wisdom, and love. We're honored to share this conversation of healing, self-empowerment, and the sacred bond between women supporting each other to reconnect to their wombs and inner wisdom. Visit www.kitaralove.com for intentionally designed and expertly crafted products for safe and easy yoni steaming at home.  Learn more about yoni steaming and fibroids. Connect with Kitara on IG @bykitara. Timestamps 01:26 – Miara's first steam and meeting Kit 07:00 – Steaming at home without a seat 11:00 – Lifelong painful cycles and dismissive medical care 13:00 – Fibroid diagnosis and pressure to undergo full hysterectomy 17:30 – Daily steaming, tracking progress, and signs of improvement 18:30 – Making the emotional decision to have a myomectomy 26:50 – Post-surgery cycles, red blood, and no more pain meds 30:00 – Slowing down: movement, food, and nervous system support 35:00 – Reframing surgery as a reboot, not a failure 38:30 – Breaking the cycle for the next generation 42:00 – Sisterhood, journaling, and the power of being witnessed

Welcome to another episode of Season 2 of Womb Stories Project, a series of conversations with people involved in the home birth of our son. This is a really important conversation as part of this series because it is with the incredibly wise and amazingly wonderful Tiffany Skillings, who is a midwife and was my midwife through our fertility journey, throughout my pregnancy, and the primary midwife in the delivery of our son at our home.  I can't say enough about Tiffany. She is an incredible gift to the birthing community here in Maine, to me and my family, and we really consider her part of our family now. I imagine that after listening to this conversation, you will understand why.  Visit www.kitaralove.com for intentionally designed and expertly crafted products for safe and easy yoni steaming at home.  Connect with Kit on IG @bykitara. Connect with Tiffany Skillings on IG @tworiverslactation and at www.tworiverslactation.com.    Timestamps 1:38 Tiffany's Journey to Midwifery 13:59 Midwifery as Holistic Well-Bodied Care 25:07 Expertise in Clinical Midwifery Training 31:20 Midwifery Challenges and Misconceptions 45:47 Elevating Midwifery and Public Education 49:32 Healthcare Costs and Transparency 55:49 Collaboration in Emergency Situations 57:22 Home to Hospital Transfers and C-Section Rates 1:17:11 Importance of Trauma-Informed Care and Debriefing 1:22:28 Intentionality in Client Care and Privacy 1:24:49 Special Moments in Mark's Birth  

We live in an era of women over-giving and under-receiving. Data shows it is not working for us. Postpartum depression/anxiety is at unprecedented rates and we currently are offering new parents too few options for support. Listen in to hear an expanded perspective on what it means to receive in the earliest days of motherhood.  Season 2 of Womb Stories Project is a collection of interviews with the people who were involved in my conception, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey. It is for the listener curious about holistic and non-hormonal fertility treatments, the ins and outs of home birth, and how to thrive in postpartum.  Timestamps 3:21 - Connection through Vaginal Steam Certification 6:27 - Integration of Steaming Practices 12:50 - Magical Pregnancy Experience with Midwife 15:12 - Value of Community Support in Birth Care 17:32 - Journey into Postpartum Care 27:15 - Description of Postpartum Care Services 30:56 - Processing Birth Experiences with Doula 46:24 - Embracing Empowerment and Boundary Setting 1:00:32 - Nurturing Connection to the Womb Visit www.kitaralove.com for intentionally designed and expertly crafted products for safe and easy yoni steaming at home.  Connect with Kit on IG @bykitara Connect with Muriel on IG @heldpostpartum or at www.heldpostpartum.com

Season 2 of Womb Stories Project will be a collection of interviews with the people who were involved in my conception, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey. And it all kicks off on the one-year anniversary of the birth of my son. The first episode features an interview with Rachel, an incredible healer who held me in her heart as I navigated a humbling conception journey. Please be advised miscarriage is discussed in this interview, so please take care of your heart and listen only if you feel the discussion will be healing.   Timestamps 5:14 - The desire to have a baby and the beginning of the conception journey 9:22 - Clearing the obstacles to discover the desire for motherhood 13:45 - Intimacy struggles during the conception journey 18:13 - Lessons learned about steaming processes during conception 21:26 - Navigating pregnancy loss 38:13 - Returning to the conception journey after pregnancy loss 1:01:04 - Highlights of the healing process in Mexico 1:08:07 - Stepping into another fertility journey

Today is the first anniversary of the birth of my son, so I am kicking off season 2 of Womb Stories Project with a series of interviews with the people present for my son's birth. This episode is a reflection on the birth experience and the practice of condensing the birth plan into one simple mantra. The next season of Womb Stories Project will feature the sisters who held me during my conception journey, my primary midwife, assistant midwife, and my birth doula. We will also speak with my doctor, my husband, and my parents.

Today's interview is with Sabia Wade. I first connected with Sabia several years ago when I learned of their various initiatives in support of black maternal health several years ago. Sabia's organization, For the Village, does incredible work for marginalized birthing groups. It is beautifully aligned with the mission of The Kitara Fund. If you don't know, I set up The Kitara Fund even before I launched our yoni steam products on kitaralove.com Through the Kitara Fund, we honor Kitara's promise of sharing 1% of our revenue on every single item sold with Black-led community initiatives advancing birthing rights and maternal health in disenfranchised populations. It's a privilege to support Sabia's initiatives, as well as others, through the Kitara Fund.  This conversation was actually recorded about six months ago. It was back during the end of my pregnancy when I secretly thought I'd be back at work within weeks of birthing our son… I hope to have the opportunity to share more of my birthing experience and postpartum journey in future episodes but for now, I'll just say that I am grateful for the space to slow down, trust a different pace, and savor the snuggles.    About Sabia Wade So today we get to hear from Sabia, not just about their work with For the Village but about their mission as a Black, Queer, CEO to build bridges for a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable world through Reproductive Justice, distribution of financial wealth to BIPOC communities, and investing in emergent and innovative businesses. Honestly, there are so many parts of this discussion that blew me away. Sabia's cool, grounded, determination to expand and expand and to create change through system overhauls is profound and inspiring. You'll hear moments where I am speechless at the capacity of their imagination and gumption.    Balancing Pleasure with Productivity  Sabia reflects on how she sets boundaries and nourishes herself in a world where slowing down isn't always an option. She shares how true happiness for her comes from true satisfaction over instant gratification. In today's world, there is a lack of time for integration in a world filled to the brim with content to absorb. Sabia's wisdom and practice help guide her through the world as it is today, and maybe you can pick up some tips from her.    Creating a Value-Led Career  Sabia is a doula who also runs a trucking company. No matter what she does, she embodies her values. She takes her knowledge as a doula to a diverse array of spaces and disciplines, while always being authentic to herself. She never wanted to be pidgeon-holed as a doula, who can only ever work and speak in spaces related to doulas. The way Sabia speaks about her work is inspiring, and maybe you can embody some of it in your own career.      In The Episode 12:30 - The importance of slowing down and investing in pleasure 21:37 - The reality behind social media 38:52 - Being value led so your business and career can adapt to you as you grow 52:53 - Taking a pause at different levels of your career 1:05:46 - History of black and brown midwives and the industrialization of birth

If you are listening to this near the release date, I'm now ever so gently dipping my toes back into the waters of work after a beautiful cocoon of postpartum time. Our baby boy arrived the morning of May 22. He is a gem, we are wildly smitten new parents, and I look forward to sharing the journey of our home birth with you here on Womb Stories Project in a future episode.  Today's interview is with Madam CJ who has a dynamic, bold, and compelling story of womb healing. She also celebrates her use of yoni steaming to support her fibroid release and passing fibroids naturally. In this episode, Madam CJ also shares her journey of connecting to her innate and natural beauty as well as finding freedom through sensuality and dance.  Like many of our episodes on Womb Stories Project, the conversation takes us beyond a particular diagnosis and into a deeply real conversation about the profound ripple effect that womb space health and healing have on one's life and community.    Healing Your Body from Fibroids Madam CJ was diagnosed with fibroids when she was 35 years old. Her grandmother used to suffer from fibroids, so she knew something was wrong when she started experiencing similar symptoms. The surgery and intensive recovery period were inaccessible to her, so she threw herself into natural remedies and emotional healing to heal her own fibroids.   Vaginal Steaming Practices for Fibroids A commitment to extreme self-care inspired Madame CJ to order her own steam seat. She has a home vaginal steaming process where she steams every day so that she isn't bleeding. Vaginal tissues are extremely absorbent, so Madam CJ reflects on how her yoni steaming practice has helped her to recover from multiple illnesses, including her fibroids.   Eliminating Toxic Skincare to Prevent Fibroids Soaps, hair products, nail polish, hair color, and even feminine hygiene products have xenoestrogens that feed fibroids. Eliminating these products and releasing the beauty standards that keep women hooked on these products is essential to fibroid healing and prevention. Madam CJ reflects on her journey of learning how to make her own natural soaps and embracing her natural look.   In This Episode 4:20 - Madam CJ's experience with fibroids and her healing journey 11:31 - Why the surgery isn't the right solution for a lot of women 17:10 - Madam CJ's current fibroid journey and the healing practices she keeps in her daily life 27:30 - Eliminating toxic skincare products that are linked to fibroids - particularly in the black community 36:28 - Madam CJ's home vaginal steaming practice 50:14 - Being able to ask for and receive help when healing from fibroids 1:01:22 - Dance and the womb healing gifts it offers   Links Find Madam CJ on Instagram Shop Madam CJ's soaps Use code madamlove at KitaraLove.com

Steaming for post-partum recovery is often only spoken about for vaginal deliveries, but Blaney booked a steam session to heal from her c-section. She was also seeking support in her recovery from obstetric violence. Today, we will go into what obstetric violence means, and how that term supports women by putting a name to what they may have experienced.  In this episode, we center on Blaney's healing. Part of that involves naming the trauma and telling her story. So as you go into the episode, I encourage you to check in with yourself. Is this the right time for you to go in-depth on the topic of obstetric violence? If you feel a full-body yes, then I hope you find this episode supportive. If this topic isn't right for you at this moment in your journey, then we will have new episodes of womb stories soon.   In This Episode 5:41 - What led Blaney to seek a steaming session after her c-section 14:04 - Blaney's four birth stories and her experience with obstetric violence 25:21 - How to validate yourself and navigate systemic violence as a pregnant person 34:08 - What worked and didn't work for Blanley on her healing journey 56:05 - Being integrated into the community around you while also navigating those who are in different parts of their healing journey 1:00:55 - Additional thoughts and healing messages from Blaney   Resources Mentioned Find Kitara Love on Instagram Download the Free Guide to Yoni Steaming

Your menstrual time is supposed to be a sacred moment of the month, but for so many women, that time comes with pain. This is especially true for women who live with endometriosis. Today's guest comes to bring hope to women who may be struggling with endometriosis. Today's interview is with- Chasca Summerville, an Ayurvedic Diet & Lifestyle Consultant and author of a truly beautiful book called  Ayurvedic Rituals: Wisdom, Recipes and the Ancient Art of Self-Care.  Chasca is as approachable as she is knowledgeable and has an incredible personal story of womb healing. For decades Chasca suffered from the immense pain and disruption caused by symptoms of endometriosis. Even after years of exploration and devotion to Ayurvedic principles and lifestyle, which had reconnected Chasca to her soul's purpose and much healing, Chasca's menstrual cycle remained a source of conflict and struggle.  In this episode, she shares how the practice of yoni steaming was THE game-changing addition to her health and healing routine. For all of you on your endo warrior journies, this episode is absolutely for you and my wish is that it leaves you inspired and with hope.  And for all of us, regardless of any particular diagnosis, this is a rich and juicy and deeply real conversation about how once unimaginable womb health is truly accessible to us all.   In This Episode 2:53 - How yoni steaming helped Chasca cure her endometriosis 16:48 - Auryveda as an ally in endometriosis pain 33:19 - Being aware of your options for endometriosis treatment 43:18 - Steaming as an invitation to open up a dialogue with the womb and maternal ancestry 1:20:07 - Seasonal cleansing and cleansing during the menstrual period   Links Chasca's Book, Ayurvedic Rituals: Wisdom, Recipes and the Ancient Art of Self-Care How to Steam without a Seat Find Kitara Love on Instagram Download the Free Guide to Yoni Steaming

Laurena White is a western trained doctor who grew up in a home where herbs were medicine too. Many times women have sought medical care for their womb space and are presented only the option of surgery or birth control. So today we have a spacious conversation with a gynecologist who alchemizes holistic options with her medical training. We hope this conversation shows you how you can ask doctors for more when it comes to the health of your womb space.   In This Episode 10:08 - How Laurena maintained her sense of self and her values within the western medicine field 27:40 - Finding the balance between western medicine and holistic practices and knowing when to use which remedy 31:30 - Laurena's personal womb story 1:00:30 - Addressing the connection between the emotions and the body as a healthcare practitioner 1:17:35 - Using steaming within a gynecological practice    Resources Mentioned Find Laurena White Online Connect with Laurena on Instagram Women's Health, Wisdom, and Wine Podcast

This is the first episode in a series called "steam stories". I can't get over the powerful feedback I have received on the power of steaming. Pelvic pain has been heavily normalized by modern medicine along with many other abnormalities that can show up during a period. This episode introduces some of the ways that we can support our wombs during bleeding and postpartum.   In This Episode 2:54 - Keli's steam story - how she discovered steaming  17:27 - How steaming helped Keli recover after giving birth to both of her children  34:15 - Racial inequities in womb health care and prevalence of fibroids  47:54 - Defining success at the beginning of a steaming journey  51:50 - Practices outside of steaming that can support womb healing and womb health  1:00:31 - Creating better practices that support your health during your womb bleeding  1:09:48 - How women of color are leading the return to steaming and how to support that mission 

Comic, actor, director, podcast host, and my dear sister-in-law. Tig is acclaimed for her honesty, and ability to bring her insightful humor to reflect on the most difficult moments of her life. It was an honor to have Tig on the show, because of the impact she has had on the entertainment industry, and to have the chance to connect with a beloved family member. This episode is a spacious and vulnerable conversation where we explore the theme of truth-telling.   In This Episode 8:40 - Striving for truth while staying connected to self-love 19:02 - Navigating moments when you have to choose between authenticity and belonging 21:51 - Connecting to how truth feels in the body 30:17 - Creating an all-female writing room and some of the shifts happening in Hollywood that allowed for that 40:28 - Accessing creativity through the womb space 48:29 - Mindfulness exercises and connecting to a higher power 59:15 - Reflections on motherhood

This is episode 1 of Womb Stories, and I wanted to welcome Anita Kopacz as my very first guest because she has helped to unlock my own womb story.  Anita and I first connected on a podcast episode towards the end of 2015, where I was interviewing people about pleasure, and she talked about some of her trauma work. She helped me to understand another dimension of how to understand the victim and survivor story. This changed the course of my life, and it engaged me in my trauma healing in a way I had never experienced before. This episode centers on womb stories and centers the healing aspect of it.    In This Episode 3:02 - reframing the idea of power through Anita's womb story 13:21 - tending to wounds through storytelling  16:38 - when it's time to seek safety and when it's time to allow yourself to be uncomfortable  27:27 - questioning the fear-based imagination while empowering the creative imagination  29:53 - how to connect with your body and use it as a part of your creative process  38:18 - using the divine masculine to share what the divine feminine has created  41:28 - grounding into childhood trauma and seeing it as a blessing  57:45 - coming into the understanding that black women are the divine    Quotes "The beautiful thing about doing trauma work is that we already survived."  "It's almost like trauma is the door we have to go through to get home. And so many of us run from that door, so we are running away from home all the time."    Links Shallow Waters Zero Efs Given  Anita Kopacz's Instagram

Womb Stories shares conversations with renowned activists, creatives, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders as they reveal their journeys back home to the body. This is a show honoring the truth the female body is a gift that brings with it potent power, epic healing potential, and boundless opportunity. What if we asked our leaders and inspirations, "What is your relationship to your womb? How have you journeyed with her into connection and healing? Do you trust her? Does she speak to you? How do you listen? How would you share her story? Womb Stories is hosted by Kit Maloney and these are the questions she believes we must start asking. These are the questions we will ask ourselves and each other in a world full of love, equity, and belonging. A world where the female body and women are revered, celebrated, and deeply honored. If you are like us, you agree, it's time to actively build that world now. Kit Maloney is also the founder of Kitara (kitaralove.com), which offers beautifully designed and expertly crafted products for safe and easy in-home yoni steaming. Within the Womb Stories podcast is a sub-series called "Steam Stories." Here Kit speaks with holistic health practitioners, gynecologists, and members of the Kitara community to share womben's real-world experience of the benefits of vaginal/ yoni steaming. We are deeply grateful to our listeners for supporting our vision of a co-created world full of love and belonging to our bodies, to each other, and to our Earth.   Follow on IG @bykitara and @wombstoriesproject