TRANSFORMED with Britta Bushnell

Dr. Britta Bushnell
TRANSFORMED with Britta Bushnell

We all experience life-changing events, but rarely do we talk about the places that profoundly change us and help us become who we are today. On this podcast, childbirth and relationship specialist and newly published author Dr. Britta Bushnell pulls back the curtain shrouding life-altering events to take a deep look into the growing and expanding experiences of life that often open us up to who we must become. Subscribe to listen to the conversations Britta and her guests share about these profound threshold moments.

  1. 06/30/2020

    10. The Vaginapractor & Me with Kimberly Ann Johnson

    “The body just keeps talking louder and louder because it’s trying to get us to listen to a more fundamental message.” - Kimberly Ann Johnson We're wrapping up the first season of TRANSFORMED with Kimberly Ann Johnson aka MAGAMAMA. Her book, The Fourth Trimester, should be required reading for most birthing women. Her courses guide participants to an embodied understanding of the nervous system and how this body wisdom matters for those of us pursuing a well-lived life. In this episode, Kimberly shares personal stories as well as deep wisdom, starting with her experience and knowledge of the postpartum period and taking us through parenting teenagers, big life changes, and fundamental nervous system know-how. In this episode, Kimberly  and I discuss: Kimberly’s personal postpartum journey Depression after birth Understanding the nervous system as Life 101 Moving away from your parents as an adult Jaguar parenting Parenting as an unequal relationship Writing her new book Read more about Kimberly and her work: About MAGAMAMA Some of Kimberly’s offerings: The Fourth Trimester https://www.amazon.com/Fourth-Trimester-Postpartum-Balancing-Restoring/dp/1611804000/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=the+fourth+trimester&qid=1593449665&sr=8-2 The Fourth Trimester Cards https://www.amazon.com/Fourth-Trimester-Cards-Support-Inspiration/dp/1611807646/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-p13n1_0?cv_ct_cx=the+fourth+trimester+cards&dchild=1&keywords=the+fourth+trimester+cards&pd_rd_i=1611807646&pd_rd_r=10ba9be6-e375-49ad-8163-807723ec89af&pd_rd_w=AIQsm&pd_rd_wg=ipKox&pf_rd_p=1da5beeb-8f71-435c-b5c5-3279a6171294&pf_rd_r=Z3VTKMKMS6XC7BR888S8&psc=1&qid=1593449697&sr=1-1-70f7c15d-07d8-466a-b325-4be35d7258cc Activate Your Inner Jaguar (online course) https://www.magamama.com/jaguar Tending the Collective Nervous System https://www.magamama.com/collective

    1h 15m
  2. 06/23/2020

    9. Two Black Midwives Build a Birth Center with Allegra Hill & Kimberly Durdin

    “Systemic racism is attached to every aspect of our society.” - Kimberly Durdin Allegra Hill & Kimberly Durdin are two black midwives who have embarked on the journey of starting their own birth center. In this episode, they share what called each of them to midwifery as well as what inspired them to the arduous task of starting a birth center. They help us understand the need for Black owned and operated birthing centers and the racial inequities faced by BIPOC birthing people, especially Black birthing parents and babies. Systemic racism impacts every industry. We have an open discussion about how it affects the birth world. Today's wisdom comes from: Kimberly Durdin IBCLC, Doula & Senior Student Midwife Allegra Hill LM, CPM, Doula/Monitrice & IBCLC Read all about my guests on their website. Topics we discuss on this episode: Their personal journeys to becoming midwives The difference between midwifery care and working with an OB Starting a birth center in South LA The transformative process of opening a birth center Roadblocks and racism as a birth professional Episode Resources: Kindred Space LA www.kindredspacela.com Follow Kindred Space on Instagram @kindredspacela Support Kindred Space LA through Venmo: @ProjectMotherPath (note: Kindred Space LA) Donate to Kindred Space LA through GoFundMe.com Episode Mentions: Heather Schwarz https://www.montereybirthcenter.com/our-story Shafia Monroe https://shafiamonroe.com/ Sara Howard https://www.horizonmidwifery.com/ Tioma Allison https://tiomamidwife.wordpress.com/about/ Juliana Fehr, CNM, PhD, FACNM https://www.su.edu/faculty-staff/faculty/juliana-fehr-phd-cnm-rn/ Aleks Evanguelidi LM http://www.aleksevanguelidi.com/ Nikki Helms San Diego Birth Center GoFundMe Episode Credits: Produced by Aleksa Mara Edited by Veronica Gruba Hosted & Created by Britta Bushnell, PHD

    1h 1m
  3. 06/16/2020

    8. Menopause through the Lens of Mythology with Dr. Christine Downing

    Today I share a conversation about the soul journey of menopause with the remarkable Dr. Christine Downing. Christine is a powerhouse in the academic fields of mythology and religion, but also she’s a powerhouse in life! She was a beloved professor of mine during grad school and served as the chair of my dissertation committee. Dr. Downing is 88-years-old and full of vitality, wisdom, and perspective about all phases women traverse in a lifetime. In this episode, Christine and I discuss: Mythology & the menopausal transition Why it’s important for men to understand menopause The value of taking trips at the brink of life changes When to acknowledge the finality of things Recognizing your limits The importance of mourning Female friendships as medicine How there’s always a way in which we’re not quite ready for change “It’s scary to let go of who you’ve been. To feel like you didn’t choose to be where you are. ” - Christine Downing More about Christine: Christine is a core faculty member in the Mythological Studies Department at Pacifica University. She has made extensive scholarly contributions to the fields of Religious Studies, Mythology, and Gender Studies. She is Professor Emeritus in Religious Studies from San Diego State University where she taught for almost twenty years. In 1974, Dr. Downing became the president of the American Academy of Religion, making her the first woman to do so. She has also taught concurrently at the San Diego campus of the California School of Professional Psychology, and at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich. She lectures frequently to Jungian groups both here and abroad. Christine Downing has forged a career in the academy and in the evolution of feminist thought through the unique blending of rigorous scholarly work with the personal voice of biographical writing and self reflection. Dr. Downing is the author of numerous scholarly essays and important books in the field such as: The Goddess: Mythological Images of the Feminine Gods in Our Midst: Mythological Images of the Masculine – A Woman’s View Long Journey Home: Re-visioning the Myth of Demeter and Persephone for Our Time Myths & Mysteries of Same-Sex Love Psyche’s Sisters Women’s Mysteries

    1h 1m
  4. 06/09/2020 · BONUS

    7. A White Woman's Mess: My Ongoing Process with Unpacking Racism - Special Episode

    This episode is different. I don’t have a guest to talk with, it’s just me sharing my thoughts about racism. This episode is mostly for white folks or at least non-black people. Anyone is welcome to listen, but in this episode, I am a white woman speaking to other white people about racism. There are experts on the lived experience of being Black in the U.S. (pretty much all Black people living in the U.S.) and there are white people who specialize in talking to other white people about racism. I’m not either of these. I’m an imperfect white woman learning and growing along the messy path of becoming anti-racist and that’s exactly what I want to share with you in this episode. “What we need to do is understand that internalized racism exists in each of us, it’s been cooked into the tissue of my being from the reality of living in a country BUILT on racism—and as a white woman, it’s my job to unpack what’s been put there while I may have been sleeping.” Topics we cover include: The killing of Black people What my mom has to say about unpacking racism My own racism Being imperfect and messing up What I did at a midwifery conference Shame and fear around racism Public commitments to doing more unlearning and relearning Episode Resources: Favorite Chart of Resources for Anti-Racism Work. Want to buy your books from Black owned bookstores? Here’s a list. Books mentioned: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad Movie:  13th Streaming on Netflix Course on race and the nervous system with Sabia Wade and Kimberly Johnson A Lifetime in Quarantine  Episode Credits: Produced by Aleksa Mara Edited by Veronica Gruba Hosted & Created by Britta Bushnell, PHD

    32 min
  5. 05/26/2020

    6. Changing Your Life through Story with Lewis Mehl-Madrona

    In this episode I speak with author and physician Dr. Lewis Mehl-Madrona about how he brings storytelling and narrative into his healing processes. A teacher in many respects, Lewis believes that telling a story (or “sharing a case-study” in doctor talk), is the most effective way to teach.  This conversation is helpful in shifting the way you look at your life and the stories you tell yourself that not only affect your neurological and mental health, but your physical health as well. What are the biological consequences of the stories that we tell ourselves? Can we rewrite our stories to better our lives?  “We are the swarm of stories that surround our physical body.” - Lewis Mehl-Madrona  Topics we cover include: Indiginous knowledge Narrative medicine The Power of Talking Circles Imagery & Narrative in Healing Issues of Psychology during Birthing Epigenetics vs. genetics in disease About our guest: Lewis Mehl-Madrona, MD, graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine and trained in family medicine, psychiatry, and clinical psychology. He has been on the faculties of several medical schools, most recently as associate professor of family medicine at the University of New England. He is the author of Coyote Medicine, Coyote Healing, and Coyote Wisdom, a trilogy of books on what Native culture has to offer the modern world. He has also written Narrative Medicine, Healing the Mind through the Power of Story: the Promise of Narrative Psychiatry, and, his most recent book with Barbara Mainguy, Remapping Your Mind: the Neuroscience of Self-Transformation through Story.  Lewis currently teaches with the family medicine residency at Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC) in Bangor, where he does inpatient medicine, outpatient precepting, and obstetrics. He works in consultation-liaison psychiatry at EMMC and also at Acadia Hospital. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Coyote Institute for Studies of Change and Transformation. Lewis has been studying traditional healing and healers since his early days and has written about their work and the process of healing. His goal is to bring the wisdom of indigenous peoples about healing back into mainstream medicine and to transform medicine and psychology through this wisdom coupled with more European derived narrative traditions.  Read more about Lewis Mehl-Madrona on his website.  Episode Resources: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coyotehealing/ The Coyote Trilogy: Coyote Wisdom, Coyote Healing, Coyote Medicine by Lewis Mehl-Madrona Healing the Mind Through the Power of Story by Lewis Mehl-Madrona Narrative Medicine: The Use of History & Story in the Healing Process by Lewis Mehl-Madrona Episode Credits: Produced by Aleksa Mara Edited by Veronica Gruba Hosted & Created by Britta Bushnell, PHD

    1h 5m
  6. 05/19/2020

    5. Holding Space for our Broken Parts: A Childhood with Type 1 Diabetes

    In this episode, you get to enjoy an intimate conversation between mother and son about living with type one diabetes. Kaden was diagnosed at the young age of 2-years-old and thanks his early diagnosis for being his greatest teacher through his 18 years of navigating life with a chronic disease. This episode breeds empathy for all children living with disease, can be helpful for parents navigating a child with disease, and inspire anyone to hold space for their broken parts, no matter what they may be. Kaden and I discuss: Navigating feelings of being broken Not feeling the way the outer world expects Building empathy through acknowledging personal Holding space for big feelings Being there for yourself while helping others The role of fear in transformation “What if I don’t wake up…” Lessons from living with a chronic disease Growing through adversity “Some peoples vulnerabilities and insecurities are more out in the world than mine, and some are buried and hidden. Having diabetes taught me how to be open and vulnerable about my broken parts at a really early stage in life, and have compassion for others knowing for a fact that their insecurities exist, too.” - Kaden Kessel, 20 years old More about our featured guest:  Kaden Kessel was diagnosed with type one diabetes just before his third birthday. As long as he can remember, diabetes has been a part of his life. Kaden made a pledge to himself early in his journey that he would not let diabetes prevent him from doing anything that really mattered to him. He has followed his passions relentlessly and with purpose. He has served as a JDRF Children’s Congress Delegate speaking to congressional members about the needs of the type one community at the age of seven, spoke to diabetes medical equipment maker Medtronic, and served as Walk Youth Ambassador to the One Walk in Los Angeles. Now, at age twenty, Kaden recently finished his sophomore year at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and continues to follow his dreams while living with type one diabetes. Kaden is passionate about foreign policy, specifically in the Middle East and is eager to work in public service with the goal to help others. To become involved with the fight to end Type One Diabetes, or for more support while living with diabetes, visit www.jdrf.org Episode Credits: Produced by Aleksa Mara Edited by Veronica Gruba Hosted & Created by Britta Bushnell, PHD

    1h 5m
  7. 05/12/2020

    4. Transformation as a Revolution with Seane Corn

    “I can’t know the light unless I know the shadow. And, I certainly can’t know patience and compassion without also understanding resistance or even judgment. And the more that I can normalize the human experience. That’s when I can develop empathy and empathy is what will change this world.” - Seane Corn Seane Corn is an internationally acclaimed yoga teacher and public speaker known for her social activism, impassioned style of teaching, and raw, honest, and inspired self-expression. Her first book Revolution of the Soul was published in Fall 2019. In this episode, Seane and I have a raw conversation about: Vulnerability in the creative process and its role in great change The discovery of ritual & prayer as a conduit for transformation The accountability that comes with privilege Spirituality as an art Soul contracts and becoming a grandparent. At the end of the episode, Seane leads us through a powerful prayer. We’ve come a long way from when I hired her at YogaWorks 26 years ago! More about Seane: Over her 25-year teaching career, Seane has created many instructional DVDs, including her groundbreaking series The Yoga of Awakening with Sounds True. Featured on over 40 magazine covers and countless media outlets, Seane has chosen to use her platform to bring awareness to global issues including social justice, sex trafficking, HIV/AIDS awareness, generational poverty, and animal rights. In 2005, she was named “National Yoga Ambassador” for YouthAIDS, and in 2013 received both the Global Green International Environmental Leadership Award and the Humanitarian Award by the Smithsonian Institute. Since 2007, she has been training leaders of activism through her co-founded organization Off the Mat, Into the World®. Seane also co-founded the Global Seva Challenge, which has raised over $3.5 million by activating communities of yoga and wellness in fund and awareness-raising efforts. Episode Resources: Off the Mat Into the World Download a free yoga practice with Seane. Purchase Seane Corn’s book, Revolution of the Soul. Join Seane’s Instagram Live class: Sundays at 9:00 AM @seanecorn Episode Credits: Produced by Aleksa Mara Edited by Veronica Gruba Hosted & Created by Britta Bushnell, PHD

    1h 20m
5
out of 5
20 Ratings

About

We all experience life-changing events, but rarely do we talk about the places that profoundly change us and help us become who we are today. On this podcast, childbirth and relationship specialist and newly published author Dr. Britta Bushnell pulls back the curtain shrouding life-altering events to take a deep look into the growing and expanding experiences of life that often open us up to who we must become. Subscribe to listen to the conversations Britta and her guests share about these profound threshold moments.

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