The Gossip

Samantha O'Donovan and Mia Briski
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The Gossip is a candid, heart-led podcast created by Mia, a birth coach, and Sam, an occupational therapist, where real conversations meet embodied wisdom. We share honest stories and thoughtful dialogue about fertility, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, motherhood, and the wider experience of being a woman. Rather than treating these seasons as problems to solve, we explore them as lived, relational experiences shaped by nervous systems, stories, seasons, and support. Drawing on our combined lenses of birth work and OT, we unpack what often goes unspoken—creating space for nuance, connection, and grounded understanding. This is the kind of “gossip” worth sharing: the conversations we wish more women had access to.

Episodes

  1. From Puberty to Parenthood: The Weight of Womanhood

    FEB 4

    From Puberty to Parenthood: The Weight of Womanhood

    Content warning: This episode includes discussion of self-harm and mental health challenges. In this deeply honest conversation, Sam (Occupational Therapist) and Mia (Birth Coach) reflect on the trials and tribulations of womanhood — starting from puberty and following the thread all the way into adulthood and motherhood. They speak candidly about: The early experiences of puberty and the confusion, shame, and emotional upheaval that often come with itBeing prescribed the contraceptive pill at a young age, and how hormonal intervention is frequently used as a first (and sometimes only) solutionThe mental health challenges many young women face, including anxiety, depression, and experiences of self-harmHow the medical system can default to “more pills” rather than deeper investigation, listening, or holistic careThe long-term impact this can have in adulthood — on mental health, identity, and trust in healthcareThe added layer of fear and responsibility that comes with raising daughters, and worrying about them navigating the same systems and strugglesThis episode is a reflective, compassionate look at how women’s bodies and emotions are often misunderstood or medicalised — and why listening, education, and better support matter so deeply. Find Sam at https://www.instagram.com/rewoven_matrescence_by_mbm/ Find Mia at https://www.instagram.com/_theempoweredbirthexperience/

    36 min
  2. Pregnancy

    JAN 24

    Pregnancy

    In this episode, Mia (birth coach) and Sam (occupational therapist) share their personal pregnancy journeys and the realities they experienced along the way. They discuss the therapies that supported them through pregnancy, including acupuncture, massage, exercise physiology, chiropractic care, pelvic floor physiotherapist and more. Together, they unpack practical strategies they used to support their bodies, manage both low and high blood pressure, navigate supplementation, and maintain wellbeing throughout pregnancy. This honest conversation blends professional insight with lived experience, offering reassurance and guidance for anyone currently pregnant or supporting someone who is. If you would like further support, please reach out to us at 📧 sam@mbmot.com.au or mia_briski@hotmail.com

    39 min
  3. Early Postpartum - What's Really Happening

    JAN 16

    Early Postpartum - What's Really Happening

    In this episode, we’re talking about early postpartum—a season that is often underestimated, rushed, or misunderstood. Early postpartum isn’t just about physical recovery. It’s a whole-life transition. Your emotions, relationships, body, sleep, and sense of self are all changing at the same time. This is matrescence in motion. We spoke about emotional changes—how it’s normal to feel tender, overwhelmed, tearful, or deeply sensitive. These shifts are influenced by hormones, exhaustion, and the enormity of becoming responsible for a new life. Feeling “all over the place” doesn’t mean something is wrong—it means something big is happening. We explored how sleep deprivation affects everything. When sleep is fragmented, your nervous system stays on high alert. This can make emotions feel louder, coping feel harder, and decision-making more challenging. This isn’t a personal weakness—it’s biology. We also talked about how relationships shift in early postpartum. Dynamics with partners can change, communication can feel harder, and expectations—spoken or unspoken—can create tension. Learning to communicate needs clearly and gently, and revisiting roles and responsibilities, becomes essential during this time. A big focus of the conversation was what mothers actually need in early postpartum. Support from community isn’t optional—it’s foundational. We were never meant to mother alone. Practical help, emotional holding, and being witnessed matter deeply. We spoke about the importance of time to yourself, even in small moments. Space to breathe, shower, rest, or simply be quiet helps regulate the nervous system and reconnect you to yourself. We also named that self-care isn’t selfish. Nourishing your body, resting, eating well, and tending to your emotional needs isn’t indulgent—it’s necessary. Caring for yourself is part of caring for your baby. We discussed nurturing the postpartum body—honouring recovery, slowing down, and releasing pressure to “bounce back.” Your body deserves patience, gentleness, and respect as it heals and adapts. Finally, we highlighted the importance of communication with partners—sharing how you’re really feeling, asking for help, and letting needs be known without guilt or apology. Early postpartum is not the time to push through alone. This episode is an invitation to soften expectations, widen support, and remember: You are not meant to do this perfectly. You are meant to be supported.

    36 min
  4. Emotional Realities of Motherhood

    JAN 9

    Emotional Realities of Motherhood

    In this episode of The Gossip, the hosts open an honest, compassionate conversation about the emotional realities of motherhood that are so often left unspoken. Drawing on questionnaire responses and their combined experience as an OT and birth coach, they explore what it feels like to be unheard in maternity systems, how emotional wounds and trauma can surface long after birth, and the many forms of loss that accompany motherhood — from miscarriage and IVF to invisible losses of identity, sleep, and independence. The episode also unpacks guilt, anger, shame, and resentment, reframing them as valid signals rather than personal failures. Grounded in the concept of matrescence, the discussion closes with gentle, practical pathways toward integration and healing, reminding listeners that being heard, naming loss, and finding support can meaningfully lighten the load.

    58 min
  5. Breastfeeding

    JAN 3

    Breastfeeding

    In this episode, we share our own breastfeeding journeys—honest, personal, and deeply real. Sam reflects on an overall ease with breastfeeding, alongside challenges including tongue ties with both children, engorgement, and a fast let-down. Mia speaks to the hard work of feeding her first child, navigating repeated bouts of mastitis across her breastfeeding experiences, and the persistence it took to keep going. Together, we talk openly about the realities of breastfeeding, the effort often hidden behind it, and the importance of normalising breastfeeding in public. This conversation offers reassurance that there is no single “right” feeding story—only real ones, shaped by bodies, babies, and circumstances.

    46 min
  6. Birth Stories

    12/24/2025

    Birth Stories

    In this episode of The Gossip, we open a heartfelt conversation about birth stories—not as dramatic retellings or lessons to be extracted, but as lived experiences that deserve to be heard, held, and respected. Mia, a birth coach, and Sam, an occupational therapist, explore how birth stories shape women long after the day itself and why telling (and listening to) birth stories can be deeply reparative. This episode is for anyone who has given birth, is preparing to, supports birthing women, or feels the quiet weight of a story that hasn’t yet been spoken. In this episode, we explore: Why birth stories are not “just birth” but embodied experiencesHow the body and nervous system remember birthMaking space for all births: joyful, traumatic, medicalised, quiet, complexA gentle reminder: There is no “good” or “bad” birth—only your birth. Your story matters, even if it doesn’t sound dramatic. Especially if it doesn’t. Content note: This episode includes discussion of birth experiences and may touch on medical intervention or emotional distress. Please listen in a way that feels supportive for you.

    1h 21m
  7. Fertility

    12/18/2025

    Fertility

    In this opening episode, we begin with fertility — not as a clinical concept, but as a lived, human experience. We explore the fertility journey in all its complexity, tenderness, and uncertainty, and why sharing our stories matters. So often fertility is held quietly, wrapped in shame, secrecy, or silence. In this conversation, we speak to the need for people to truly listen — without fixing, minimising, or rushing — and for stories to be shared so fertility is no longer a taboo subject. When experiences are spoken aloud, they become less isolating, and space opens for connection, compassion, and understanding. You’ll be introduced to your hosts: Mia, a birth coach, who brings deep insight into the emotional and embodied layers of fertility, conception, and becoming a parent.Sam, an occupational therapist, who offers a nervous-system-informed, holistic lens on how fertility journeys shape identity, daily life, and wellbeing.Together, we reflect on why fertility deserves more honest conversations, how holding space can be more powerful than advice, and what it means to walk alongside one another through this season. This episode is an invitation — to listen more deeply, to share when it feels safe, and to remember that you are not alone in your fertility journey.

    27 min
  • 7 Episodes

About

The Gossip is a candid, heart-led podcast created by Mia, a birth coach, and Sam, an occupational therapist, where real conversations meet embodied wisdom. We share honest stories and thoughtful dialogue about fertility, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, motherhood, and the wider experience of being a woman. Rather than treating these seasons as problems to solve, we explore them as lived, relational experiences shaped by nervous systems, stories, seasons, and support. Drawing on our combined lenses of birth work and OT, we unpack what often goes unspoken—creating space for nuance, connection, and grounded understanding. This is the kind of “gossip” worth sharing: the conversations we wish more women had access to.

Information

  • Creator
    Samantha O'Donovan and Mia Briski
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Samantha O'Donovan and Mia Briski 2025
  • Show Website
    The Gossip