The Birth Geeks' Podcast

The Birth Geeks: Dr. Robin Elise Weiss & Dr. Hillary Melchiors
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The Birth Geeks is an evidence-based conversation for birth professionals who are in it for the long game. Dr. Robin Elise Weiss and Dr. Hillary Melchiors tackle the topics other podcasts avoid — boundaries, burnout, business realities, and what sustainable birth work actually looks like. For doulas, midwives, childbirth educators, and nurses. Find us at thebirthgeeks.com.

  1. 5d ago

    Bereavement Skills for Every Doula & Birthworker

    In this episode, Dr. Robin Elise Weiss and Dr. Hillary Melchiors sit down with Dr. Abby Jorgensen, sociologist, bereavement doula, and director of Haven Bereavement Doulas. They discuss the realities of perinatal loss, the need for grief-informed care, and why every birth professional should build bereavement support skills into their practice. The conversation covers how language, culture, and personal experience shape our approach to loss, what it means to truly support clients through devastating situations, and the practical tools doulas need to show up prepared. Whether you've faced loss in your own work or are just starting to think deeply about it, this episode offers honest, thoughtful guidance for sustainable, compassionate care.

    43 min
  2. What Happens After Five Years as a Doula

    May 19

    What Happens After Five Years as a Doula

    In today's episode, Robin Elise Weiss and Hillary Melchiors reflect on what it means to be a doula for five years and beyond. They dig into why so many birth doulas have short careers, what helps professionals stay in the work, and how both personal and professional priorities change over time. You'll hear honest stories about real challenges: from finding backup and setting boundaries, to handling compassion fatigue, burnout, and the shifting landscape of client needs. Whether you've just finished your training or have decades in the field, this conversation offers candid insights and practical wisdom about staying in birth work for the long haul. If you've ever wondered how your own practice might change over the years, or what it takes to keep showing up for families, you're in the right place.

    43 min
  3. The Not-So-Magic Doula Bag

    May 12

    The Not-So-Magic Doula Bag

    In this episode, Hillary Melchiors and Robin Elise Weiss unpack the real contents of a doula's birth bag. From the practical to the quirky, you'll hear how the items doulas carry have shifted over the course of their careers, what actually gets used during long hours at births, and why less is often more. They share favorite finds, ways to keep things clean and organized, and surprising tools that have stood the test of time, or failed spectacularly. Whether you're a birth or postpartum doula, or just curious about what actually helps in those high-pressure hours, this is an honest, experience-driven look inside the infamous doula bag.

    41 min
  4. The Truth About Doula Confidence: Fear of Making Mistakes

    May 5

    The Truth About Doula Confidence: Fear of Making Mistakes

    The pressure to perform is so very real as a doula, and sometimes the fear is holding us back from being even better for our clients. In this episode we're getting real about why it feels so scary and how you can get over this hurdle as a doula.

    32 min
  5. Why Doula Burnout Happens and What Actually Keeps You Going

    Apr 28

    Why Doula Burnout Happens and What Actually Keeps You Going

    Setting yourself up for a sustainable doula career is essential if you want to keep doing this work over the long term. Whether you are a birth or postpartum doula, planning ahead  for more than just self-care bubble baths, can help you keep serving more clients. Listen in as we discuss what's help us stay in this work for the long haul.

    44 min
  6. Doula and Nurse Relationships and the Reality of Labor Support

    Apr 21

    Doula and Nurse Relationships and the Reality of Labor Support

    Dr. Kathryn Konrad on doula and nurse relationships, what nursing textbooks miss about labor support, and how to plug doulas into the maternity workforce.

    58 min
  7. Navigating Sleep Disruption and Recovery for On-Call Doulas

    Apr 14

    Navigating Sleep Disruption and Recovery for On-Call Doulas

    This one's for the birth doulas who are excited to get the wake up call and haven't yet realized the physiological toll that this will take (as we see in the scientific literature) on your body. We're talking about all the ways we deal with being on call and making sure we're getting our Zzzzzzzs on this week's episode.  Birth doula work gets described as thrilling—the middle-of-the-night call, the quick scramble, the arrival at a birth. But what's left out of that story is the reality of sleep deprivation, the impact of disrupted schedules, and the ongoing challenge of protecting your health while being on call. In this episode, Dr. Robin Elise Weiss and Dr. Hillary Melchiors get honest about what it really feels like to be awakened at 2 AM and share what has helped, and what hasn't, over their years of practice. We'll hear about their personal sleep routines, the science behind chronic sleep loss, and practical tools that have been effective (from blackout blinds to bright light therapy boxes to bedtime routines and planned breaks). They don't shy away from the tug-of-war between loving the work and needing rest or the strain on relationships with partners, kids, and friends. If you've ever wondered how to make birth work sustainable or questioned if a change to postpartum work is the answer, this episode is for you. Get ready for an honest look at sleep, burnout, and the boundaries that make a long-term birth career possible.

    28 min
  8. The Scarcity Mindset: How Doulas Treat Each Other (And How to Do It Better)

    Apr 7

    The Scarcity Mindset: How Doulas Treat Each Other (And How to Do It Better)

    The doula community talks about abundance mindset constantly, but the actual behavior in many local communities tells a different story. In this episode, Dr. Robin Elise Weiss and Dr. Hillary Melchiors dig into the professional dynamics that shape how doulas treat each other across the experience spectrum. They name what a scarcity mindset actually looks like in practice, why it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and why newer doulas often misread what established doulas can and should offer them. This is a direct, honest conversation about the professional culture that determines whether doulas stay in this work long-term or burn out trying to fight for a piece of a pie that was never shrinking.   The episode moves through mentorship as a practical structure, the difference between what newer doulas think they need and what actually builds their practice, pricing psychology as a confidence signal, and the underexamined role that race, class, and geography play in who gets included in local doula communities. Robin and Hillary make the case that the doula community serves everyone better when established practitioners function as connectors rather than gatekeepers, and that reciprocity, not charity, is the right frame for inter-doula relationships. If you have navigated a competitive local market, been on either end of a mentor-mentee relationship that went sideways, or wrestled with your own scarcity thinking, this episode is the conversation you have probably needed for a while.

    36 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

The Birth Geeks is an evidence-based conversation for birth professionals who are in it for the long game. Dr. Robin Elise Weiss and Dr. Hillary Melchiors tackle the topics other podcasts avoid — boundaries, burnout, business realities, and what sustainable birth work actually looks like. For doulas, midwives, childbirth educators, and nurses. Find us at thebirthgeeks.com.

Information

  • Creator
    The Birth Geeks: Dr. Robin Elise Weiss & Dr. Hillary Melchiors
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    85
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    The Birth Geeks' Podcast

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