The Natural Womanhood Podcast

Grace Emily Stark
  • 5.0 (31)
  • SEXUALITY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

The Natural Womanhood Podcast brings together experts in the field of fertility awareness for candid, informative, and friendly conversations about authentic women's health. From pelvic floor physical therapy, to surgical interventions, to relationships and mental health, no topic is off limits as we seek to bring the empowering truth about women, their bodies, and their cycles to our listeners: that is, that women's cycles are essential, powerful, beautiful, and do not need to be "controlled." The Natural Womanhood podcast is hosted by Grace Emily Stark, Natural Womanhood's Editor-in-Chief. Grace is an award-winning journalist, a certified instructor of the Sympto-Thermal Method of fertility awareness, and she holds a M.A. in Bioethics and Health Policy. The Natural Womanhood Podcast is a production of Natural Womanhood, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving women's health literacy through the promotion of evidence-based fertility awareness methods (FAMs) of natural family planning. Natural Womanhood exists because all women can learn to claim their natural fertility as beautiful, powerful, and healthy. 

  1. What NFP does to intimacy, w/ Mike & Alicia Hernon

    1D AGO

    What NFP does to intimacy, w/ Mike & Alicia Hernon

    Anyone who's practiced natural family planning (NFP) in their marriage for even a few months knows that it comes with its challenges—and that sometimes, the rose-colored lenses many of us start out with can get taken off pretty quickly.  In fact, for those in the early years of marriage navigating TTC (that's "trying to conceive," for the uninitiated), TTA (trying to avoid pregnancy), and—everyone's favorite—postpartum NFP, using NFP for years on end (and dealing with the abstinence it periodically demands) can seem like a daunting prospect. And yet... couples who practice NFP statistically enjoy lower rates of divorce than those who use contraception, and we know from our own research at Natural Womanhood that couples who use NFP seem to enjoy a unique level of understanding, trust, empathy, and respect for one another. Why is that? What's the real story behind what NFP does to sex and intimacy?  In this episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, Grace interviews Mike and Alicia Hernon of The Messy Family Project. Married for over thirty years, still very much in love, and with the practice of NFP now in their rearview mirror, Mike and Alicia share their candid, beautiful, and sometimes hilarious insights on NFP, sex, and true intimacy.  For more on NFP and Fertility Awareness Methods (FAMs), and their impact on relationships, sex, and intimacy, click here.  Are you interested in Natural Womanhood’s full report on the lived experience of couples who use NFP? Visit this page for more details.   Click here for more information about the Messy Family Project.  Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode.  Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

    1h 1m
  2. The connection between sleep & your fertility

    APR 27

    The connection between sleep & your fertility

    In our previous episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, we learned about the promise of photobiomodulation (aka "PBM," aka "red light therapy") for health and fertility from expert Tracy Donegan. It only made sense to follow an episode about how we should be utilizing our waking hours (i.e., sunlight) to promote good circadian rhythm, mitochondrial health, hormone synthesis, and more, with an episode about how to make the best of our nighttime hours to do the very same.  In this episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, Grace interviews Dr. Lynn Keenan, MD, a physician board-certified in both Sleep Medicine and Internal Medicine, whose life's work has been to "bridge rest and reproductive health." A longtime pioneer in both sleep medicine and restorative reproductive medicine, Dr. Keenan (who currently serves as the President of the Institute of Restorative Reproductive Medicine of America—IRRMA) shares with Grace the science behind why sleep is the critical foundation for reproductive health.  Together with our red light therapy episode, you'll come away from this one more convicted than ever before of the importance of good sleep for healthy cycles, fertility, and every other aspect of your reproductive health—and even more importantly, how to get it.  Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode.  Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

    1h 10m
  3. Red light therapy & Photobiomodulation, w/ Tracy Donegan

    MAR 30

    Red light therapy & Photobiomodulation, w/ Tracy Donegan

    By now, many of us have seen the Instagram reel of the woman absolutely terrifying her kids by coming around the corner with a red light therapy mask on her face. If your reaction was also to jump and think something along the lines of "What the heck could that possibly be for?!", then this episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast is for you.  As it turns out—and as we learned from interviewing midwife, doula, and red light therapy expert Tracy Donegan in this episode—red light therapy is about so much more than gimmicky face masks, and it has a surprising amount of data to back it up, especially for women's health and fertility.   Better known as "photobiomodulation" (PBM for short) in the scientific literature, the science of light therapy has everything to do with how much our mitochondria love sunlight—and how little of it they get nowadays. And don't worry, if all you remember about mitochondria is that they're "the powerhouse of the cell!" Tracy explains the science of PBM in a way that's clear, convincing, and—best of all—actionable (and, spoiler alert, you don't need a fancy laser to take advantage of many of the benefits of red light—just more time outside, and less time under artificial lights staring at screens).  You don't want to miss this timely, fascinating episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast. (P.s.: Do yourself a favor, and listen to this one outside!) Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode.  Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

    47 min
  4. Treating incontinence with pelvic floor therapy, w/ Dr. Kayla Borchers

    FEB 23

    Treating incontinence with pelvic floor therapy, w/ Dr. Kayla Borchers

    We've all been there before: You laugh a little too hard, and you pee yourself. A hard run leaves you damp in more areas than your armpits. The lingering cough from the cold you had last week has you dribbling. Or maybe you went to a trampoline park with your kids, only to find yourself peeing a little with every jump. That's all normal, right? Wrong. While all the above scenarios are incredibly common, they're not normal—and they're certainly not optimal! So what's the solution for women who want to live their lives without fear of constantly peeing themselves? Is the best way to treat incontinence—as a recent article from The Guardian suggested—really to get an injection of a plastic-based goo into your urethra every few months for the rest of your life?  Pelvic health expert Dr. Kayla Borchers doesn't think so, and she's back on The Natural Womanhood Podcast to talk with Grace about the healthy, holistic ways women can truly treat incontinence, stop peeing themselves, and get their lives back (and no, it's not about doing your kegels).  Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode.  Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

    57 min
  5. Exercising before, during, and after pregnancy, w/ Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist, Dr. Kayla Borchers

    JAN 26

    Exercising before, during, and after pregnancy, w/ Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist, Dr. Kayla Borchers

    Some pregnant women run marathons, and some barely have the energy to get off the couch.  Some women can hardly wait to return to their normal physical activities after having a baby, and others like to take their time getting back into the swing of things. Who's got it right? How much should we be exercising while pregnant? Are there any kinds of exercise pregnant women absolutely shouldn't be doing? And just how important is postpartum exercise, and how much should women be aiming to get in the year after having a baby? In this episode, Natural Womanhood's Editor in Chief, Grace Emily Stark, interviews pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Kayla Borchers on all these questions and more. In this episode, you'll learn about:  Trimester-specific exercises and focusWhat kinds of exercises to do when you just don't want to do / don't have the energy to do anything while pregnantWhat to do /where to go when dealing with pregnancy aches and painsAny exercises you should absolutely avoid while pregnantThe importance of exercise postpartum: How to do it safely!When and how to begin exercising again postpartum (and how to fit it in!), and how much is too much?What problems can postpartum exercise help mitigate (back pain? PPD? Diastasis recti?)When to know you need more help healing postpartum, and where to goHow to play "catch up" if you didn't have / weren't able to have a very physically active pregnancyPreparing better for your next pregnancyWant to watch this episode on YouTube? Click here! Want to work with Dr. Kayla? Click here. Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode.  Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

    59 min
  6. What your gut is trying to tell you, w/ nutritionist Ginny Noce, RN

    12/29/2025

    What your gut is trying to tell you, w/ nutritionist Ginny Noce, RN

    The "hot girls have stomach problems" social media trope is grimly funny, probably because so many of us can relate to the phenomenon of "oh, I can't eat that, or I'll be in the bathroom the rest of the night," (and even if you're lucky enough to not be personally familiar with that feeling, you've undoubtedly heard similar sentiments from your sisters or girlfriends).   But Ginny Noce, AKA The Women's Health RN, is here to tell us that your "tummy troubles" are actually your gut trying to tell you something about your health, your hormones—even (and perhaps especially) your menstrual cycle. And the most interesting part of it? It's a two-way street. That is, your cycle may actually be able to tell you a thing or two about your gut. In today's episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, Grace and Ginny take a deep dive into all things gut health, and the way it impacts our overall health—including our cycles and fertility.      Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode.  Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

    1h 33m
  7. A paradigm shift in women's health: What this award-winning clinic is doing differently

    11/24/2025

    A paradigm shift in women's health: What this award-winning clinic is doing differently

    How on earth does a clinic surrounded by universities—and with a large student patient population—win the "best women's health clinic" award from the Seattle Times ... without ever prescribing birth control? Helen Nguyen, CEO of 3W Medical for Women, thought it sounded too good to be true when she was told 3W had won the "Best Women's Clinic in the Pacific Northwest" award in 2023, and she almost couldn't believe it when they won again in 2024. But it's a testament to the fact that 3W is shifting the paradigm when it comes to women's health—and that birth control doesn't have to be part of the definition of women's health (as we've been made to believe for decades).  In today's episode, Grace interviews Helen about 3W's origins, what they do differently from your "standard" university campus- or women's health clinic, and—the best part—the incredible patient testimonials indicating that this is what truly empowering women's healthcare is supposed to look like.  Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode.  Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

    1h 14m
  8. Can Protestants use NFP? w/ Emma Waters

    10/27/2025

    Can Protestants use NFP? w/ Emma Waters

    Back in Season 2, we asked the question "Can Catholics use NFP?" to tackle some of the perceived controversies that surround the use of fertility awareness methods (FAMs) when used for family planning (often referred to in this context as "natural family planning" — hence, "NFP"). Because Natural Womanhood is dedicated to the belief that fertility awareness is for everyone, we decided that it was high-time to revisit that question, but with a twist.  In today's episode, Grace sits down with Emma Waters to answer the question, "Can Protestants use NFP?" As the wife of a man currently studying for the Anglican priesthood, Emma's a great person to make the case for why Protestants of all stripes should reconsider how they plan their families—and what they use to do it.  NB: Although we're focusing on the Protestant perspective(s) surrounding NFP in this episode of the NW podcast, we encourage all our listeners to check it out for a concrete understanding of what sets FAMs apart from the Pill or any other form of contraceptive.  Do you want to make the case for why people of your faith background should use FAM/NFP (or why faith isn't required for using FAM/NFP), I'd love to hear from you! Please shoot me a message at grace@naturalwomanhood.org.  Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts! Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode.  Follow us on X @naturwomanhood Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.

    52 min
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5
out of 5
31 Ratings

About

The Natural Womanhood Podcast brings together experts in the field of fertility awareness for candid, informative, and friendly conversations about authentic women's health. From pelvic floor physical therapy, to surgical interventions, to relationships and mental health, no topic is off limits as we seek to bring the empowering truth about women, their bodies, and their cycles to our listeners: that is, that women's cycles are essential, powerful, beautiful, and do not need to be "controlled." The Natural Womanhood podcast is hosted by Grace Emily Stark, Natural Womanhood's Editor-in-Chief. Grace is an award-winning journalist, a certified instructor of the Sympto-Thermal Method of fertility awareness, and she holds a M.A. in Bioethics and Health Policy. The Natural Womanhood Podcast is a production of Natural Womanhood, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving women's health literacy through the promotion of evidence-based fertility awareness methods (FAMs) of natural family planning. Natural Womanhood exists because all women can learn to claim their natural fertility as beautiful, powerful, and healthy. 

Information

  • Creator
    Grace Emily Stark
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Natural Womanhood Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Natural Womanhood Podcast

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