Return to Wisdom

Keshia sits down with Melanie Jackson to work through the confusion left in the wake of The Guardian's exposé on Free Birth Society — what it got right, what it missed, and why neither of them was surprised by it. Drawing on her PhD research and nearly two decades attending home births, Melanie makes a clear distinction between free birth as a personal choice and the newer, more troubling trend of unregulated birth workers stepping into a clinical role they were never trained for. The conversation moves from there into what genuinely informed decision-making looks like, what responsibility actually means once you step outside the maternity care system, and where the middle ground sits between hospital birth and free birth for women chasing a physiological delivery.
In This Episode
Why neither Keshia nor Melanie was surprised by what came out in The Guardian's reporting, and the "cultish" dynamics both had noticed in the free birth community for years
How free birth has shifted from something women arrived at through their own research to something now marketed to them through social media and courses
The difference between free birth (a personal choice) and unregulated birth workers overstepping their scope — and why Melanie sees the latter as the real issue
Why there's no actual research on free birth outcomes, and why that matters for anyone claiming it's either safe or dangerous
What taking on the "red flag waiver" role really requires — full clinical knowledge, an emergency plan, and honest capacity to make decisions mid-labour
The unspoken burden placed on partners who may not be prepared to become the emergency responder if something goes wrong
Doulas vs. unregulated birth workers vs. midwives — where the boundaries should sit, and why crossing them creates the grey area fuelling most bad outcomes
Melanie's own PhD research and why she pushes back on "you can't talk about free birth if you haven't done it"
A spectrum of options for a physiological birth short of free birth: private home birth midwives, publicly funded home birth programs, midwifery group practice, birth centres, and doula support
Rapid-fire listener questions: are C-sections really "safer" than vaginal birth, is VBAC possible after multiple caesareans, and is going past 41–42 weeks gestation an actual risk
Melanie's longest supported pregnancy — 43 weeks and 1 day — and what that birth taught her client
 
Where to Find Melanie
melaniethemidwife.com
The Great Birth Rebellion podcast
Annual "Convergence of Rebellious Midwives" conference (Melbourne this year)
Upcoming book: Guide to a Great Pregnancy (with a follow-up on birth to come)
 
This Episode is Brought to you by INBLUEM
Enjoy 10% off your order with the code RETURNTOWISDOMPODCAST at
www.inbluem.com
 
Fire up your life with Kim Anami courses: Use https://kimanami.ontraport.com/t?orid=511555&opid=36 to register for courses
 
This Episode is brought to you by Superfeast
Enjoy 10% off your order with the code RETURNTOWISDOM
https://www.superfeast.com.au
 
Music Licence: MB01FCNMYPSU3WD

Keshia sits down with midwife Mary Lou Singleton to untangle the current confusion around free birth — where it comes from, how it's being shaped by social media and influencer culture, and what's been lost as the "Free Birth Society" brand has drifted from storytelling into ideology. Mary Lou draws on 15+ years as a home birth midwife, her own free birth, and a family history shaped by a traumatic hospital birth to offer a grounded, non-dogmatic take on risk, autonomy, and what actually makes a birth safe(r) — whether it happens at home, unassisted, or in hospital.
 
In This Episode
Mary Lou's path into midwifery, inspired by Ina May Gaskin and 15+ years practicing in New Mexico
How her son's childhood cancer diagnosis reshaped her understanding of the "midwifery model" of care
The story of her mother's traumatic 1969 hospital birth, and how it set Mary Lou on a path toward home birth
Mary Lou's own two births — a midwife-assisted home birth and a free birth — and wha each taught her about trusting her own instincts
How free birth went from lived experience and storytelling to a commodified, sometimes dogmatic online movement
The Guardian podcast investigation into Free Birth Society and the difficulty of getting real statistics on outcomes
Mary Lou's "guardrails" for a lower-risk free birth: term, head-down, single baby, labor under 48 hours, clear fluid
Higher-risk scenarios — breech and twin births — and the real mortality data behind them
Good storytelling vs. fear-mongering: the difference between an empowering birth story and manufactured certainty
The "Maggie" story — why needing someone else's permission to free birth is itself a sign you're not ready to
What to actually look for in a doula or birthkeeper (Mary Lou's rule of thumb: 50+ births minimum)
Why "never" is a dangerous word to bring into a birth
Holding risk-awareness and bodily trust at the same time, instead of picking a side
The trade-offs baked into every birth choice — hospital, home, midwife-attended, or free
Reflections on isolation, influencer culture, and why so many women are drawn to birth communities online
 
 
Where to Find Mary Lou:
Website: enchantedfamilymedicine.com
Red earth herbal women’s gathering
Instagram: @marylousingleton
X: ML_Singleton
 
This Episode is Brought to you by INBLUEM
Enjoy 10% off your order with the code RETURNTOWISDOMPODCAST at
www.inbluem.com
 
This Episode is brought to you by Superfeast
Enjoy 10% off your order with the code RETURNTOWISDOM
https://www.superfeast.com.au/
 
Music Licence: MB01FCNMYPSU3WD

In this deeply reflective conversation, Keshia is joined by Michelle Chatham and Molly to explore what the “village” truly means in modern life, and why so many women feel unsupported despite being surrounded by community.
Together, they unpack the degradation of intergenerational wisdom, the limitations of peer-only communities, and the dangers of outsourcing our knowing to professionals, systems, and now AI. This episode invites listeners to return to embodiment, lived experience, and relational wisdom — and to understand growth, challenge, and maturation as essential parts of becoming a grounded woman, mother, and leader.
This is a conversation about becoming, not performing and about creating the village from the inside out.
 
Music Licence:MB01MVKGTUZTF8Z
 
Michale Bio
 
From our first breath to our last, we are creating, utilizing, and maintaining space. This principle has guided michale during her 30 years of experience in integrative health. As a nurse who practices from a holistic and global perspective, she helped create one of the country’s first integrative tongue tie clinics over 10 years ago. Her passion for education led her to lecture and teach nationally and internationally on craniofacial growth and development and anticipatory growth guidance. As an educator, she has created training programs for health care practitioners as well as parents and teaches the energetics of healing. Michale mentors those who desire to do their own work, and are interested in healing the healer. She believes the future of healing is up to those practitioners who are re-creating wisdom systems that are essential to our survival and thriving as humans.
 
www.michalechatham.com
www.thevessel.life
www.korimeloy.com/rootedfamilies
youtube — https://youtube.com/@michalechatham990?si=2SL-QJAXnA7qwg6n
 
@michalechatham
@theclinicalmystic
@truenorthcouples
 
 
Molly Bio 
 
Dr. Molly Peralta is a mediator in unleashing the healing power of the body, philanthropic and community building enthusiast and encourager of living a radically heart centered life. a chiropractor by trade, birth keeper and mother amongst many other titles. living in her dream in hawaii raising wild babies with her husband. You can find her sharing family memories on instagram @molstie, educational information regarding pregnancy, birth & mothering @livingadjusted or follow along with the birth of her clothing line @hapalabel. She is the cofounder of the vessel, @thevesselvillage on instagram, and cohost of @villagesessionspodcast.
 
 
 
The Vessel 
Find our course offerings and information about the Vessel Village at www.thevessel.life
 
 
Additionally,  if you would like to add our freebie PDF to the bio beneath our podcast for your community -- "The Well Resourced Vessel Guide"
Here is the link https://thevessel.myflodesk.com/wellresourcedguide
 
Return Show Notes Script
 
 
This episode is sponsored by Great Spirit
 
Great Spirit creates powerful organic health products rooted in nature, with a greater vision to help curb the mental health epidemic through nature-based programs and retreats.
Use code KESHIA20 for 20% off your first order.
👉 www.greatspirit.com.au
 
 
This Episode is Sponsored by Pod Byron
 
Pod Byron, Byron Bay’s premium video podcast studio, crafted for creators, coaches, and personal brands ready to elevate their presence. 
👉 www.podbyron.com
 
 
Thank you for joining me in this little corner of the podcasting world. If you would like to support the show, please head to the show page and subscribe, rate and leave a review. This is a little way you can give back to the show and help me to secure bigger and better guests for the conversations you crave. Have a wonderful day!

In this episode, Keshia sits down with Cyndi O’Meara — leading nutritionist, filmmaker, best-selling author, TEDx speaker, and founder of Changing Habits, The Nutrition Academy, The Changing Habits Farm, and co-founder of The Packing Company. With more than 45 years of experience in nutrition and health education, Cyndi has dedicated her life to helping people make informed, empowered choices about their wellbeing.
A passionate educator at heart, Cyndi is known for her direct, down-to-earth approach and her commitment to confronting misinformation in the health and food industries. Her work challenges people to question long-held habits, rethink conventional narratives, and make deeply intentional decisions about what they put into their bodies. As she enters 2025, Cyndi’s renewed focus on global education continues through internationally accredited nutrition courses and public events like The Health and Nutrition Summit.
In this long-form conversation, Keshia and Cyndi explore some of the most important and often misunderstood topics in modern health:
The philosophy of vitalism and the body’s innate intelligence
Vaccine safety, immune system development, and chronic illness in children
Cyndi’s personal journey raising unvaccinated children
How modern health has become increasingly mechanistic, and why that matters
What it means for parents to make informed, compassionate decisions in today’s climate
This episode is not about telling anyone what to think or do. It is an invitation to ask better questions, understand the historical and scientific context, and look more critically at the information we’re given. Above all, it’s a conversation about trusting the body, reclaiming sovereignty, and empowering parents with tools, knowledge, and confidence as they navigate complex health decisions.
 
Music Licence: MB01SA6UABCOTZY
 
Important Disclaimer
This conversation is not medical advice.
 
Resources & Mentions
Australian Vaccination Network (AVN)
📄 Reports & Research Papers
McCullough Foundation Report on Autism ⁠https://zenodo.org/records/17451259⁠
Impact of Childhood Vaccination on Short- and Long-Term Chronic Health Outcomes (Senate Hearing Record) ⁠https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Entered-into-hearing-record-Impact-of-Childhood-Vaccination-on-Short-and-Long-Term-Chronic-Health-Outcomes-in-Children-A-Birth-Cohort-Study.pdf⁠
Henry Ford Study on Vaccinated vs Unvaccinated Health Outcomes⁠https://www.henryford.com/news/2025/09/vaccine-study-henry-ford-health⁠
 
🎥 Documentaries
VAXXED — by Del Bigtree & Dr Andrew Wakefield
An Inconvenient Study (Free to Watch) ⁠https://www.aninconvenientstudy.com/⁠
 
📺 TV & Weekly Health Shows
The HighWire with Del Bigtree — Over 400+ Episodes & Interviews
 
📚 Books & Publications
Vaccines: Amen — Aaron Siri
The Vaccine Friendly Plan — Dr Paul Thomas, Paediatrician
Dissolving Illusions — Dr Suzanne Humphries
VAX – UNVAX: What Does The Science Say? — Brian Hooker & Robert F. Kennedy
Vaccines: Mythology, Ideology & Reality — John Leake & Dr Peter McCullough
Immunity: Why Not Keep It? — Dr Lisa Lovett
 
This episode is sponsored by Great Spirit
 
Great Spirit creates powerful organic health products rooted in nature, with a greater vision to help curb the mental health epidemic through nature-based programs and retreats.
Use code KESHIA20 for 20% off your first order.
👉 www.greatspirit.com.au
 
 
This Episode is Sponsored by Pod Byron
 
Pod Byron, Byron Bay’s premium video podcast studio, crafted for creators, coaches, and personal brands ready to elevate their presence. 
👉 www.podbyron.com
 
 
Thank you for joining me in this little corner of the podcasting world. If you would like to support the show, please head to the show page and subscribe, rate and leave a review. This is a little way you can give back to the show and help me to secure bigger and better guests for the conversations you crave. Have a wonderful day!

In this episode of Return to Wisdom, Keshia sits down with her friend Angela to talk through her journey into motherhood — from being told she was unlikely to conceive, through four very different births, miscarriage, and the process of finding trust in her own body and choices.
If you’re pregnant, exploring birth options, processing a past birth, or simply interested in real, unfiltered women’s stories, this conversation offers a lot to reflect on.
Note: Angela’s baby Mimi is in the studio with us, so you may hear a few soft baby sounds throughout the episode.
 
Key Themes in This Episode
How the medical system shapes birth through fear and policyThe tension between hospital protocols and physiological birth, and how that shows up for mothers.
Autonomy and informed decision-makingFrom induction conversations to postpartum checks, Angela speaks about learning to say no, ask questions and understand her options.
Energetic boundaries in pregnancy and birthWhy the attitudes and nervous systems of people in the room matter — and how this can affect the birth space.
Different kinds of birth supportRegistered midwives, doulas, lay midwives and birthkeepers — and why having the right to choose who is present is so important.
Grieving and healing miscarriageThe difference between a hospital-managed D&C and a more spacious, supported miscarriage at home.
Free birth as a considered choiceFor Angela and Nick, free birth was not about rejecting care, but about being prepared, educated, and responsible for their own decisions.
 
About Angela
Angela is a kinesiologist who works primarily with women — especially in pregnancy, birth preparation and birth trauma integration. 
Coming soon:
Energetic Boundaries for Pregnancy & Birth — an online workshop
A Self-Clearing Course for women and children
1:1 kinesiology sessions resuming from February 2026
You can find Ange at https://www.angelajessup.com and IG @angelajessup_kinesiology
Music Licence:MB01AADDYHXW0FR
 
This episode is sponsored by Great Spirit
 
Great Spirit creates powerful organic health products rooted in nature, with a greater vision to help curb the mental health epidemic through nature-based programs and retreats.
Use code KESHIA20 for 20% off your first order.
👉 www.greatspirit.com.au
 
 
This Episode is Sponsored by Pod Byron
 
Pod Byron, Byron Bay’s premium video podcast studio, crafted for creators, coaches, and personal brands ready to elevate their presence. 
👉 www.podbyron.com
 
 
Thank you for joining me in this little corner of the podcasting world. If you would like to support the show, please head to the show page and subscribe, rate and leave a review. This is a little way you can give back to the show and help me to secure bigger and better guests for the conversations you crave. Have a wonderful day!

In this soulful and deeply insightful episode (part 2), Keshia sits down once again with parenting educator, speaker, author, and emotional awareness advocate Lael Stone. With her signature calm wisdom, Lael explores how we, as parents, can navigate our children's emotional worlds without falling into perfectionism or panic about “getting it all right.”
Together, they unravel complex layers around trauma, resilience, sibling rivalry, boundaries, attachment styles, and emotional literacy, equipping parents with genuinely usable insight for family life.
About Lael
Lael is a renowned parenting educator, emotional-awareness expert, childbirth doula, and author of two books, including her latest Own Your Story. She is also the co-creator of Woodland Primary, a play-based and emotionally intelligent school on a Victorian farm. As a mother of three adult children, Lael’s work spans education, parenting, trauma-informed connection, and adult self-healing.
You can find Lael at ⁠https://laelstone.com.au/⁠, on IG @laelstone
Laels Offerings
The Journey - 8 month Mentorship with Lael Stone. This is all about going deeper within to explore your imprints, stories, and blocks, so you can step towards living your best life. It is for professional and personal development. Starts Feb 2026 https://laelstone.com.au/mentorship/
Thriving as Parents and Partners Webinar. This live webinar is happening on 26th November but will be available to purchase after. In it we will guide you from overwhelm to understanding, from conflict to connection, and from going it alone to building your family team. Perfect for couples who are in the thick of parenting and are needing some guidance and support and tools to explore. https://laelstone.com.au/event/thriving-as-parents-and-partners-online-november-2025/
Own Your Story - my new book. Understanding your past to create your future. Looks at our Imprints and beliefs and patterns to help us live a more authentic life. Available all major book stores and on Audible.
 
Music License: MB01CAF4HLQCLBZ
This episode is sponsored by Great Spirit
Great Spirit creates powerful organic health products rooted in nature, with a greater vision to help curb the mental health epidemic through nature-based programs and retreats. Use code KESHIA20 for 20% off your first order.
👉 www.greatspirit.com.au
This Episode is Sponsored by Pod Byron
Pod Byron, Byron Bay’s premium video podcast studio, crafted for creators, coaches, and personal brands ready to elevate their presence.
👉 www.podbyron.com
Thank you for joining me in this little corner of the podcasting world. If you would like to support the show, please head to the show page and subscribe, rate and leave a review. This is a little way you can give back to the show and help me to secure bigger and better guests for the conversations you crave. Have a wonderful day!

In this soulful and deeply insightful episode, Keshia sits down once again with parenting educator, speaker, author, and emotional awareness advocate Lael Stone. With her signature calm wisdom, Lael explores how we, as parents, can navigate our children's emotional worlds without falling into perfectionism or panic about “getting it all right.”
Together, they unravel complex layers around trauma, resilience, sibling rivalry, boundaries, attachment styles, and emotional literacy, equipping parents with genuinely usable insight for family life.
 
About Lael
Lael is a renowned parenting educator, emotional-awareness expert, childbirth doula, and author of two books, including her latest Own Your Story. She is also the co-creator of Woodland Primary, a play-based and emotionally intelligent school on a Victorian farm.
As a mother of three adult children, Lael’s work spans education, parenting, trauma-informed connection, and adult self-healing.
You can find Lael at ⁠https://laelstone.com.au/⁠, on IG @laelstone
 
Laels Offerings
 
The Journey - 8 month Mentorship with Lael Stone. 
This is all about going deeper within to explore your imprints, stories, and blocks, so you can step towards living your best life. It is for professional and personal development. Starts Feb 2026 
https://laelstone.com.au/mentorship/
 
Thriving as Parents and Partners Webinar. 
This live webinar is happening on 26th November but will be available to purchase after. In it we will guide you from overwhelm to understanding, from conflict to connection, and from going it alone to building your family team. Perfect for couples who are in the thick of parenting and are needing some guidance and support and tools to explore. 
https://laelstone.com.au/event/thriving-as-parents-and-partners-online-november-2025/
 
Own Your Story - my new book. 
Understanding your past to create your future. Looks at our Imprints and beliefs and patterns to help us live a more authentic life. 
Available all major book stores and on Audible. 
 
Music License: MB01CAF4HLQCLBZ
 
This episode is sponsored by Great Spirit
 
Great Spirit creates powerful organic health products rooted in nature, with a greater vision to help curb the mental health epidemic through nature-based programs and retreats.
Use code KESHIA20 for 20% off your first order.
👉 www.greatspirit.com.au
 
 
This Episode is Sponsored by Pod Byron
 
Pod Byron, Byron Bay’s premium video podcast studio, crafted for creators, coaches, and personal brands ready to elevate their presence. 
👉 www.podbyron.com
 
 
Thank you for joining me in this little corner of the podcasting world. If you would like to support the show, please head to the show page and subscribe, rate and leave a review. This is a little way you can give back to the show and help me to secure bigger and better guests for the conversations you crave. Have a wonderful day!

In this deeply nourishing episode of Return to Wisdom, Keshia sits down with Jane Hardwicke Collings: midwife, teacher, author, and founder of the School of Shamanic Womancraft, to explore the sacred transitions that define womanhood.
Jane shares insights from her decades of experience guiding women through rites of passage, from menarche to menopause, and how reclaiming these cycles reconnects us to nature, our bodies, and each other.
Together, they reframe menopause not as a decline, but as a “Sage Essence” a powerful transformation into wisdom and leadership. Jane and Keshia discuss how our birth experiences prepare us for menopause, why the medicalization of the feminine has stripped away power, and how to heal the wounded sisterhood by dismantling the patriarchy within ourselves.
The conversation also touches on:
The Four Seasons Journey, Jane’s year-long program and her final offering in this form.
The parallels between puberty, motherhood, and menopause as transformative rites of passage.
The Grandmother Hypothesis: why women live beyond fertility and the vital role of post-menopausal leadership.
The spiritual and physiological gifts of menopause, from clarity of mind to stronger immunity and renewed sexual vitality.
How aging is a privilege and why it’s time to reject the obsession with youth.
This episode is a masterclass in feminine wisdom: grounding ancient truths in a modern world that has forgotten them.
Jane Hardwicke Collings🌐 janehardwickecollings.com📚 SchoolofShamanicWomancraft.com
 
Programs & Courses
The Four Seasons Journey – Jane’s year-long women’s mystery immersion (final in-person round begins February 2026, applications close November 20).
Earth Woman – An online version of The Four Seasons Journey (self-paced or guided).
One-Day Workshops (Mullumbimby)
Moonsong – Remembering the wisdom of the cycles
Shamanic Dimensions of Pregnancy – Exploring birth as a rite of passage
Autumn Woman, Harvest Queen – Understanding menopause in context
Winter Woman, Bone Wisdom – Embracing the Crone years
Snake Medicine: Shedding Menstrual Shame – An online course.
Additional online courses on pregnancy, menopause, and the women’s mysteries are available on her website.
Books
Her Story 
Sage Essence – Jane’s forthcoming book on menopause.
Ten Moons
App📱 Spinning Wheels App – A holistic menstrual and menopause cycle tracking app (available via app stores).
 
Great Spirit creates powerful organic health products rooted in nature, with a greater vision to help curb the mental health epidemic through nature-based programs and retreats.
 
Use code KESHIA20 for 20% off your first order.
👉 www.greatspirit.com.au
 
 
This Episode is Sponsored by Pod Byron
 
Pod Byron, Byron Bay’s premium video podcast studio, crafted for creators, coaches, and personal brands ready to elevate their presence. 
👉 www.podbyron.com
 
 
Thank you for joining me in this little corner of the podcasting world. If you would like to support the show, please head to the show page and subscribe, rate and leave a review. This is a little way you can give back to the show and help me to secure bigger and better guests for the conversations you crave. Have a wonderful day!

In this powerful and eye-opening conversation, Keshia sits down with Blair Beattie, Director of Farmers Footprint Australia, to uncover the hidden reality of glyphosate: the world’s most widely used chemical, and its impact on our food, health, and environment.
From the origins of Roundup to the ripple effects it has on our soil, water, and bodies, this episode explores how chemical farming has disconnected us from nature and how regenerative agriculture and conscious food choices can bring us back into harmony with the planet.
A bit about The Invisible Ingredient:
The Invisible Ingredient is a richly human conversation that examines the world’s most widely used pesticide and traces how glyphosate became woven through modern food and land care. From science to storytelling, from activism to alternatives, this is where truth meets transformation. Guided by host Blair Beattie of Farmer’s Footprint, the series brings together widely respected voices including farmers, scientists, lawyers, journalists, doctors, and youth, whose work is trusted by communities and grounded in evidence.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, with sources and further learning at
theinvisibleingredient.org.
 
This episode is sponsored by Great Spirit
 
Great Spirit creates powerful organic health products rooted in nature, with a greater vision to help curb the mental health epidemic through nature-based programs and retreats.
Use code KESHIA20 for 20% off your first order.
👉 www.greatspirit.com.au
 
 
This Episode is Sponsored by Pod Byron
 
Pod Byron, Byron Bay’s premium video podcast studio, crafted for creators, coaches, and personal brands ready to elevate their presence. 
👉 www.podbyron.com
 
 
Thank you for joining me in this little corner of the podcasting world. If you would like to support the show, please head to the show page and subscribe, rate and leave a review. This is a little way you can give back to the show and help me to secure bigger and better guests for the conversations you crave. Have a wonderful day!

In episode 14 of Return to Wisdom Podcast, Meghan Murphy discusses her experiences with cancel culture, the evolution of feminism, and the complexities surrounding gender identity and women's rights. The dialogue explores the impact of the Me Too movement, the realities of sex work, and the importance of free speech in modern society. Meghan emphasizes the need for critical thinking and respectful discourse in addressing contentious issues, while reflecting on her journey as a controversial figure in feminist discussions.
 
You can find Meghan at:
https://www.meghanmurphy.ca/
https://open.spotify.com/show/10eu7VIEAHcSAslhmtdsmQ
https://www.youtube.com/@meghanemilymurphy
https://x.com/MeghanEMurphy
https://www.instagram.com/meghanemilymurphy/
 
This episode is sponsored by Great Spirit
 
Great Spirit creates powerful organic health products rooted in nature, with a greater vision to help curb the mental health epidemic through nature-based programs and retreats.
Use code KESHIA20 for 20% off your first order.
👉 www.greatspirit.com.au
 
 
This Episode is Sponsored by Pod Byron
 
Pod Byron, Byron Bay’s premium video podcast studio, crafted for creators, coaches, and personal brands ready to elevate their presence. 
👉 www.podbyron.com
 
 
Thank you for joining me in this little corner of the podcasting world. If you would like to support the show, please head to the show page and subscribe, rate and leave a review. This is a little way you can give back to the show and help me to secure bigger and better guests for the conversations you crave. Have a wonderful day!