Podcast appearances and mentions of ali levine

We are so excited to be joined today by our friend, Ali Levine. You will instantly feel her bright energy as she shares her awesome VBAC story with us.A celebrity stylist and TV personality, Ali is no stranger to being in the limelight. With her first pregnancy, she had glamorous photoshoots, went to flashy events, and made a dreamy birth plan. When the natural water birth of her dreams quickly turned into a traumatic and invasive C-section, Ali was left confused, disappointed, and depressed. Ali drastically changed her approach to birth with her second pregnancy. Once she began researching VBAC, Ali was determined, intentional, and never looked back.Ali's VBAC journey is one of a life-changing, spiritual awakening that we absolutely love and know you will love too. You can also listen to Ali's HBAC story on Episode 264!Additional linksAli's Podcast: Everything with Ali Levine How to VBAC: The Ultimate Preparation Course for ParentsFull Transcript under Episode Details Julie: You are listening to The VBAC Link podcast and we are so excited. We have been chitchatting with Ali today and she has a really amazing birth story to tell. We cannot wait for you to hear it. I am sitting here in my dentist's parking lot. I literally just got done getting a filling. I had to rush out so that I could be on the call to listen to Ali's story today. And so before we do that, Meagan is going to go ahead and give us a Review of the Week.Meagan: Yes, I am. Oh my gosh, you guys are in for a treat. Ali is so fun. We have just been talking to her for like, five minutes and I am just already giddy to hear her story. She has got such a fun, live personality to her. It's going to be awesome. This review is from jovannaf1 and in parentheses, it says “Germany.” So, I am wondering if she is either in Germany or her name is German.Julie: Ooh, that would be fun.Meagan: I know, right? Her title is “Love it.” This is from Apple Podcasts. It says, “Thank you so much for spreading such an important message, ladies. I am currently pregnant with my third child and your podcast has given me so much help and resources to know that VBA2C is possible. I find women's stories so inspiring. Thank you.”And we want to thank you for leaving that awesome review and thank all of you who are listening and support us along this journey. This podcast has been absolutely so much fun. We are so excited to be able to continue offering all of the stories and continue to get submissions. We get submissions all the time and it is always just so awesome to read them even if they are not all shared. We read every single one. They are all incredible. So, thank you, thank you, thank you and if you haven't already, please drop us a review. It means the world to us and we will read it on a podcast one day.Julie: Do you know what is so funny? My mom, I don't even think she knows what a podcast is still. It is so funny because sometimes when we are chatting, I will say, “You know, Mom? Look. Look at these reviews. See? I am actually helping people with what I do. I am really making a difference.” She looks at me and she smiles and she is like, “I know you are.” I am like, “No but really, Mom. Look at all my reviews!”It's just so fun. We really do love them and thank you guys for helping my mom know that I am actually helping people.Meagan: Okay, so we are going to jump into this episode because like I said, you guys are in for a treat. You're going to notice right off the bat, Ali is just such a fun person to listen to. She has had a VBAC and we just need to give her a little introduction if you would not mind, Ali. First of all, can I just tell you? Maybe you've heard this before. This is not VBAC-related. This is in regards to your Instagram page. I don't know why. So, it is Ali Levine and I always read it like “Avril Lavigne” every single time. When you started to contact us, I was like, “Avril Lavigne is contacting us?!”Julie: “He was a skater boy. She said, ‘See you later boy.'”Meagan: I was like, “Oh my gosh.” So, it is not Avril Lavigne. It is Ali Levine and, is it LaVINE or LaVEEN?Ali: No, it's LaVEEN. It is so funny because I have had this said to me several times. People will be like, “So, do you know her?” I am like, “I think she is a distant cousin.” Same with Adam. You know what I mean? It's so funny. I have actually styled Adam back in the day when I was styling different celebrities. It is just so funny when people say that to me because I crack up. So, yes, no. I am not Avril Lavigne, but I bring the same kind of flavor, I think, as she does.Meagan: You are so awesome. Yeah, it is just so funny. It is just how it reads. It just automatically goes to Avril Lavigne in my mind, but you are so awesome. We think you are awesome. And, yeah. As you were saying, you are a celebrity stylist, which, how cool is that? Motherhood, fashion, lifestyle expert, and TV personality. I mean, you are going to hear it coming out right here. You are going to see it on her Instagram page. If you haven't, go right now. It is @alilevinedesign. So, it is @alilevinedesign. Go check her out. It is super fun. I think you actually have a couple, like Everything with Ali Levine, right? Like, you have a couple of pages.Ali: Yes, that's my podcast.Meagan: That's your podcast.Ali: Everything with Ali Levine is my podcast, yes.Meagan: Yes. Ali Levine. So, go listen to her. It is just so fun. So, okay. I am just going to read your bio. Is that okay?Ali: Whatever you want.Meagan: Whatever I want, all right. So it says, “Ali Levine believes that no matter where you roam, from the laundry room to the red carpet, authenticity is your superpower and confidence is your best accessory.”I love that. The week your podcast goes on, we need to make a little word blurb and put that and put your name in that. It's amazing.Julie: I can make a shirt. I want to make a shirt.Meagan: Do it. Let's do it. “The New York-hotshot-turned-Hollywood style maven delivers a real, raw look at her own motherhood journey amid the treasures she's uncovered in the universal search for authenticity, spiritual wholeness, and happiness.”Seriously, so excited to have you. I know that you have two beautiful daughters. We are excited to hear about both of their births. So, before I take up all the time ranting and raving about how awesome you are, let's let everyone hear about how awesome you are from you and your awesome story.Ali: Aw. Well, thank you so much for having me. I was telling you before we started recording-- truly, I am so honored to be here tonight. I listen to you guys literally every day still, now. I was listening my entire pregnancy. My doula, Stacey, has given your podcast to so many different clients when she is like, “Hey, this client is struggling. What should I have them listen to?” And I am like, “Have them listen to The VBAC Link.” You guys have been such a godsend, truly. Especially during the pandemic, and everything that was going on with my birth, and plans changing every day, the only solid piece I had was with you guys. I literally had you in my ear as much as humanly possible to keep putting the intention that I was going to get my VBAC and I did with my second daughter. It was so freaking magical and healing. It makes me cry still.Meagan: Well, I love it because one of the things that I feel sometimes weird about even though it's my own podcast is, I still go back and listen to all the stories. I am not having babies anymore. I am not preparing for a VBAC, but all of these stories are just so inspiring. And honestly, they help me because I can send these to my clients. So many of these are powerful and educational for my own clients, so I am excited to hear that both you and your doula are still with us. You're still hanging out with us even though you rocked your VBAC and, yeah. We are just so excited that you are with us.Ali: Well, thank you. I agree with you completely and if there is anything I have learned from my social media and my own podcast, it is that beautiful authenticity, that sharing of that real and rawness, and being able to be vulnerable and share all of that. Not only is it so healing and beautiful for the individual, but it is so empowering for the other women listening and for the moms that are going through it. It is like, we are all there for each other and in that sense, we are all really going for our VBAC and when you get to hear these other stories-- like, during my pregnancy, I remember finding you guys randomly when I was searching for VBAC support and I was listening. I just started falling in love with the stories and I was like, “Oh my gosh. I could picture myself in that position. Oh my gosh.” And to feel like I could do it, it was such an empowering feeling. So, kudos to you guys, truly, for this show.Meagan: Oh, thank you so much. Thank you. It has been so rewarding. It truly has.Ali: That's amazing.Julie: Yeah, thank you. It is fun to come full circle, where we have people who were listening to the podcast and are on the podcast. I just feel like it is really cool when you were listening to the stories, and you were getting inspired by the stories, and then you get to share your story now and inspire other people. Then, we have this domino effect where people are listening to the podcast, and then sharing their stories, and then others are listening to their stories and then sharing their stories. It is just this really cool community and platform that we have built. It just makes me really happy.Ali: No, I love it. And you can hear that with you guys. Like, truly. Every time you listen, you hear that happiness and how much you guys celebrate everyone who is on and their stories and it is like-- something that I have learned with my second daughter is, birth is truly beautiful. It is something that I honestly with my first, especially after having quite a traumatic C-section, I really was in a fear-based place. I am so grateful that I switched from that fear to that love, and that transformation, and all that because it really is. As intense as it can be, the more you can be intentional, the more you can empower yourself, no matter what the circumstance, it is transformational and it is life-changing and so many ways. Not just in, of course, the fact that you give birth, but in my opinion, you are reborn. There is a spiritual awakening, at least for myself. It has just been so magical for me to get to really, really dive into it. And so, I am excited to share it with you guys.Meagan: Well, we are excited to hear it.Ali: All right, so going back to Amelia. When I got pregnant-- we talked about the fact that I am a celebrity stylist and I do a lot with television and Hollywood and all of that. And so, when I got pregnant, I had just come off of being on a show on Bravo, so people nationally knew my pregnancy. A lot more eyeballs were watching my pregnancy than I expected them to be and watching my journey, which was really amazing and cool, but also a lot of pressure at the same time.I really didn't realize how much it played into my actual pregnancy and birth. When I was in the midst of thinking about what I wanted to have for a birth plan, I was of course very much in the mindset of like, “I really want to have a natural birth, and I want to have a tub birth, and I want it to be beautiful, and I want flowers, and I want this, and I want that.” I am a more natural person in general in how I like to do things. I like to seek out natural options before I go to something else. And so for me, it felt like it really aligned and it was what I wanted to do.I honestly didn't really do my research or homework into what that looked like. I got a midwife. I got a doula, but I didn't do research beyond that. I didn't really look into what it potentially could be. It was more just like I made sure I had my team and I made sure I had a backup doctor with that team in case things didn't go that way just to make sure I was safe, and that was it. I didn't really do much research I guess I would say.And so, once it came time for me when I went into labor-- First off, I will share that I was getting really fed up with everybody asking me when I was going to pop when I was going to have the baby. My parents were sitting and looking at me like this balloon that was going to pop and I am like, “Oh my gosh. It is okay. I am fine. They checked. The baby is fine. I am fine.” But every two seconds it was like, “Why haven't you gone into labor? How come she hasn't come yet?” I was like, “I don't know.” It was a lot of pressure, honestly. I got so fed up at around-- I think it was at 40 weeks and I said to my husband, “I can't deal anymore. If one more person asks me, I am going to lose it.” So, I took castor oil, which I don't advise.Meagan: I did that with my first birth too.Ali: Did you? Okay.Meagan: Yes, and everyone was asking me the same questions. I had one coworker who was like, “Do I need to get you a wheelbarrow to wheel you around the office?” I am like, “Shut up.”Ali: Right. Nobody wants to hear that. It is funny for a minute and then you are like, “Please, just let me be because clearly, I am uncomfortable, and I am trying to be at peace with this, and I am trying to allow my baby to come when they are supposed to come,” which, you know. It is easier said than done. And then you're sitting there and they are like, “Well, you haven't popped yet.” My mom was like, “Well, I had you and they had to induce me. Well, what if that is what you need? What is going on?” And I was like, “Oh my gosh. Let's just leave all of the pressures off of me please and let my body do its thing.” I couldn't deal.So, I took castor oil. It did definitely jumpstart something because all of a sudden, five hours later, my water broke and I was going into labor. But I went into pre-labor and pre-contractions because of the castor oil. And so, we think that now, obviously in hindsight, that it probably pushed her too fast and she wasn't ready. Because first off, it made me feel really uncomfortable. I went into my birth center to my midwife and I wasn't really dilated past even a 3, and so she sent me home and was like, “You know, go home and go to sleep. Try to do this and try to do that.” Of course, I couldn't do any of those things. I was losing it at home trying to stay calm and wait for her to come. We went back to my birth center and then I was finally progressing a little bit more. I still wasn't active, but she took me because I think she felt bad that I was struggling.And so, we go to my midwife's birth center and we are there. Hours of really hardcore, manual, full-blown natural labor, really doing the work. Squatting, on the toilet, on the ball, in the shower, in the bed, on all fours, just constant, constant, and it was a good day of full-blown movement trying to get my body to do what I needed to do, and progress, and make things happen.I finally started getting too active and she was like, “All right. Let's transition you to the tub so that we can get you ready and get you comfortable if that's where you want to be. I got in the tub and I immediately felt super sick, and super overwhelmed, and dehydrated, and also nauseous. I threw up. She was like, “All right. Let's get you out.” So, I got back on the ball. I got back on the toilet and I felt awful.So then, they lowered the water in the tub and everything. My doula was putting a washcloth on me, and essential oils, and trying to calm me. I could feel that I just felt off. We went back into the tub because I told her that I really wanted to give birth there and so she was like, “All right. Let's breathe, and take our time, and see where we are.” At that point, I was in the tub and I was almost at 30 hours of being in labor. She was like, “You know, you are only at the beginning of active labor. I think I was technically at 6-6.5, something like that. I wasn't fully progressing. She was getting concerned that things weren't really fully progressing and I was really losing my stamina and my strength because I had been pushing and moving for so long.She was like, “Let's talk about interventions.” Of course, being someone who did want natural and had a “birth plan” and all that, I wanted nothing to do with that. I was like, “No, no, no. I want to just stay here. Let me just progress. Leave it alone.” She stepped out of the room, my midwife, and made a phone call to the backup doctor at the hospital to let him know what she was thinking. I guess, of course, they advised each other that I should go in. And so, they got me out of the tub. That was a whole scene in itself. That could have been on a freaking reality show. It was like, getting me out, my parents are in the waiting room. We asked them not to be there, and they're pacing, and they're flipping, and everything is a mess. Everyone is flipping out. “Am I okay? What is happening?” It was just so much pressure.I get into my husband's truck. I am fine. I am in active labor, but I am totally fine. Baby is safe and I am fine. We drive over to the hospital. I get there and they check me in and I get to my room. They checked me and they were like, “All right. You progressed a little bit more, but she is stuck in the birth canal at this point. So we are going to give you some Pitocin to ramp things up and try to move her.” They put me on-- I think it was 15, I think, is the highest you can be? I didn't go from a small amount. It was like literally, they cranked me up and I went from full-blown natural-- it was awful. I went from full-blown natural at the birth center in the dark with my music, with my oils, all of that to bright lights, fluorescent, hospital, screaming, panic, everybody in your shit if you will. It was just crazy and then it was like oh, and then this Pitocin that was cranked to no end. I couldn't handle it. I immediately was like, “Oh my gosh. I can't breathe. I feel uncomfortable.” I'm like, crying. I was really struggling. So then they were like, “All right. Well, let's give her an epidural.” They cranked that all the way up. I went from feeling like I couldn't handle it to I couldn't feel anything and then I felt super sick.I threw up again. I just felt awful. I just remember in that moment feeling so down and feeling like I failed at what I was trying to do. I remember even now, that heavy moment of, “What just happened? Why am I here? What is all of this? This is nothing of what I wanted. I was so overwhelmed.” And so fast forward, I got to 40 hours. We spent 10 more hours at the hospital. We got to 40 hours. My doctor came in and was like, “All right. Well, at least you have progressed now to basically complete. We are going to give this a go and have you really push and make this happen.” I am like, “Okay.” And so I am pushing, but I really couldn't feel it to be honest. The epidural, they said, was supposed to wear off, but it was like I really could not-- I just could not feel it.They were like, “Push. Push. Push.” I am pushing. I am pushing. They are like, “Push harder.” I am pushing as much as I could. She comes down. I obviously, really couldn't see her, but everybody else could and they were like, “But then she shot back up in the back birth canal,” which I obviously didn't even know was a thing. And so, she shot down, and then she shot back up. Then they were like, “All right. We are going to go again.” She shot down again. He went to grab her and she shot back up. I just remember my doctor looking at me and being like, “Okay. We are going to take a break and then I will be back.”He went and actually said to me, “I am going to go get dinner and then come back.” At first, I was like, “Oh, that is so rude,” but my doula and midwife advised me because they were still there with me. They advised me that the reason he did that was to buy me more time because if he wasn't present technically there shouldn't have had me had a baby without him unless it was an emergency.So they were like, “He is buying you time.” So I was like, “Okay.” I didn't realize at that time that there were a lot of decisions that needed to be made. What are we going to do? What are we going to keep trying? Are we going to do something else? C-section hadn't even been in my mind because I hadn't even been talked to about a C-section, prepped around a C-section, like nothing. So I was not thinking that at all. I was just thinking, “We are just going to wait longer. I am going to rest and we are going to go again.” Everybody leaves the room. My husband sits with me and he turns to me. We were at almost 42 hours at this point. He looks at me and he goes, “Don't you want to meet her now?” I started bawling. I am like, “Are you kidding me? Like, are you kidding me? Of course, I want to meet her now, but I have done so much work. I want things to go the way I want them to go. They weren't already going the way I wanted them to go when we were at the birth center.”He's like, “I know, but you are so tired. You have been such a warrior. Don't you just want to meet her and let yourself rest? We will have her.” Of course, I burst into tears and I was just like, “Fine, I guess.” I just let go. I remember being so upset and feeling so defeated in that moment because I got to those 42 hours and I had gotten to basically complete. So much had played out and I was convinced that “Okay. At least I was going to have her vaginally in a hospital.” And then it was just like, “Nope.” I get rolled Into the OR and have my C-section. Thank God, it was so fast. It was probably not even 10 minutes. They were really, really quick and she was right there. I have to say that they did an amazing job and I was so grateful. But it was just so not obviously what I envisioned or imagined. I just remember after getting back in the room and the initial shock and then putting me with her and everything, I just remember feeling like, “Oh my god, I am so happy to have her in my arms,” but I just felt like I had failed and my body had failed.It was such a debilitating feeling. I felt so numb in me, even though I was so blissfully happy about her. It was like a wild rollercoaster of emotions, you know? Because I was so happy to have her and so excited to finally hold my baby, but at the same time, I was almost dead inside. Like, what happened? Why did things play out like that? What is that? Do you know?For those that have followed my story, you know shortly after having my first daughter, I had pretty heavy postpartum depression. I do believe a lot of my birth played into that. When I got pregnant again with Arley, I really made the intention of, “I really don't want to go through that again if I don't have to. I really want to be smart about doing my research this time around my birth. What can I do to prepare my body? How can I be more intentional internally and not externally?” Because I felt like with Amelia-- again, I was a new mom. I had no idea what I was getting into, so to me, it was like, “Oh, you just give birth. No big deal. Everybody does it.” I didn't prep my body. I didn't do anything. The only thing I did was take maternity photoshoots that were glamorous. I just did all of the checkboxes of the things in the external world and all the glam. With Arley, I was like, “No.” I am going to be so intentional about what I am going to do, what I need to do, and do my research and talk to my birth communities around me now that I know them from sharing my experience and everything with Amelia.Luckily, I had so many incredible people around me who advised me to get a chiropractor right when I got pregnant to get my body aligned. So I found a chiropractor who specialized in VBACs and aligned with her right at three weeks when I was pregnant. I stayed with her my entire pregnancy. I found people who could do labor stimulation massage for later in the game and a doula that had also been a part of VBACs. Just all of these different entities that I didn't realize were so important. And then most importantly, when I got pregnant with Arley, I went to my regular prenatal doctor, and the first thing she says to me after “Congratulations” is, “Okay, now let's schedule your C-section.” I looked at her and I said, “Whoa. First off, I am just swallowing the fact that I am pregnant again. Secondly, I don't want to do a C-section.” She was like, “Well since you already had one, I am advising you to have one.”I was like, “Well, with all due respect, I know that I can have a VBAC.” She was like, “Well, I really don't advise it. I really think you should have a C-section.”Julie: Wow.Ali: Isn't that wild? That was my reaction. Julie: Like, right off the bat, even. Not even discussing anything.Ali: Nope. No discussion. It was like, “I know better. Here is this information.” Gave me a folder, the whole nine yards of my risks, the whole thing, the whole fear-mongering. Thank God I had so many people around me in the birth community from Amelia that they had all told me that just wasn't true and that the success rate was way higher than people realize and discuss. It was funny because I actually learned about VBACs when I was on Berlin's podcast. I'm spacing on his name. Dr. Berlin.Meagan: Elliot? Elliot Berlin?Ali: Yes, thank you. Yes. And so, I was on his podcast and he wanted to share my birth story with Amelia. After I was on it, he turned to me and he goes, “You know, you could still have another baby vaginally.” I was like, “No, I can't.” He was like, “Yeah, you can.” I was like, “What do you mean?” He was like, “It's called a VBAC. They happen all the time.” He was like, “It has nothing to do with the way--” and this and that. It was like this reality of what had been told to me and preached to me all of a sudden just burst in front of me. It was like, “Wait. Unlearn everything you were just told and pay attention. Zoom in to what you're being told now and learn.” And so, I did. Once I got pregnant with Arley, I knew I wanted to at least attempt a VBAC and get myself aligned body-wise, intentionally, mind-wise, soul, everything to do that. Once that doctor said that to me, I was like, “Well, I am sorry but I am not going to stay with you because you are not for me if you are not going to at least try to let me have a VBAC.” And so, I parted ways with her. I was so grateful she showed me her true colors right from the beginning because I know some doctors can bait and switch from what I have heard. She let me know right from the beginning and so then I started reaching out to different doulas and people to give me references. I landed on Dr. Brock who is in Los Angeles who is literally known as “The VBAC King”. You guys will appreciate that.That's literally what people call him. “The VBAC King”.Julie: I want to know more about The VBAC King, but it's okay.Ali: Totally fine. It's all good. So actually, it is funny that you guys bring up Elliot because Elliot and he have actually worked together in several births. Because a lot of people in LA go to him, if a baby is breech, they go to Dr. Brock because he is the only doctor known in Los Angeles to turn a breech baby. He is amazing. And so, I went to him. I asked for a referral to go see him because he is really hard to get into. I sit with him and I am twiddling my thumbs when he comes in. I am pregnant and he is like, “What is going on with you? Why are you so nervous?” I remember looking at him and I said quietly to him, “I want to discuss a VBAC.” He is like, “What?” “I want to discuss having a VBAC.” And he is like, “What is there to discuss?” He was like, “I did three this morning. What is the problem?”Meagan: Oh my gosh! Yeah.Julie: Best feeling ever.Ali: It was the best feeling ever. I looked at him and I was like, “Oh my gosh, that's it?” Because I felt so shamed and wronged with that other doctor. And so, when he was so open to me and he was just like, “Yeah.” The nurse was so funny that was in there. She was taking my stats and she was like, “He does them literally every day and sometimes three times. It is not a big deal.” I was like, “Oh my gosh.”He was like, “Yeah. We will just monitor you. We are going to check your scar and make sure everything is together. As long as everything looks good, we will plan to do it, and if things down the road change, we will have a conversation.” He was like, “But I don't see why not. You look like a great VBAC candidate.” He was all for it day one. I was so grateful that he was so supportive and his team and everything. And so fast forward, he checked my scars several times and everything looked good, thank God. Baby was growing great and everything was happening. We get to when the pandemic hits. The world changes. I went from, “Okay, you can't have your doula” to “Now, you can't have your husband at the hospital.” It was becoming really intense for me because here I am, I really want to go for my VBAC and I want to have my support system, and now I'm not going to even have anybody. How is this going to work? Am I going to be able to have my VBAC? I am not going to lie, I was in a lot of fight-or-flight mode. I started researching home birth and HBACs at home. I started really doing research and talking to midwives and other people who were home doctors in case my husband couldn't be with me. Because to me, it was one thing not to have Stacey, my doula, but it was another not to have my husband. I just felt like he had been through so much with me through Amelia that I couldn't imagine not having him with Arley. Thank God, I think Arley knew. She held on because she literally came right at 42 weeks and they had just opened the hospitals back up a week before. And so, my husband was allowed to come and be with me. I really felt like she held out for him. But it was funny the week before, actually a week and a half probably before, Dr. Brock, as great as he was, he is still a doctor. Near the end, especially with the pandemic and everything, he was just like, “Well, you know, you're getting close and you still haven't gone into labor. Maybe we should just induce.”I was like, “No. I don't want to. I really want to give my body a shot.” He kept pushing me. He was like, “Well, let's do a sweep. Let's do this. Let's do that.” I finally got a sweep a week before. Nothing happened. It was just painful for me. He was like, “All right.” We did another sweep a few days later and nothing was happening. He was like, “Let me just induce you. Let me just--” and I was like, “Dr. Brock. With all due respect, you have been so supportive of me through this whole experience. Please, just let me get to the final mark, and if things don't happen then, then fine. We will do it.” I think it was maybe four or five days before and he kind of, not went back on his word, but I think he had moments because all of this was going on with the pandemic. He was just like, “Look.” He was like, “I am going to schedule the induction. It is going to be tomorrow,” and this and that. I remember leaving there and I felt really powerless. I was really upset and I came home. It was my eight-year anniversary with my husband. I turned to him and I was like, “I don't want to do it. I don't want to go in tomorrow.” He was like, “All right. Let's talk through it.”He is very logical and he was like, “Let's talk through it. What's going on? Why don't you want to?” I just told him, I was like, “It just doesn't feel right. I have worked so hard to be so intentional around this birth from my chiropractor to finding a supportive doctor, to the right doula, to even different workouts, meditation, The VBAC Link podcast, just all kinds of things that I really surrounded myself with material-wise and tool-wise.” So I was like, “It just doesn't feel right. It doesn't align.”He was like, “All right. Well, if you feel that way, then don't go.” I called my doula and she was like, “Look. At the end of the day, you would be your own advocate. Everything is good with you and the baby. They run tests. Everything is cool. So at this point, it is really just a waiting game. So if you really don't want to, then you voice that. You call and you cancel and you cancel the induction.” I remember calling Cedars-Sinai and canceling. I called and they were like, “Oh, we don't even have your name on the list.” I was like, “Oh.” They were like, “But we will let Dr. Brock know.” It was funny because it was such a build-up to call. I felt like I was being a bad kid in school. So I was so nervous to call and cancel. I was dancing in my room for hours to call. I finally called and they were like, “Oh, you're not even on the schedule.” I was like, “Oh, okay. Well, just let them know I am not coming.”The next day, I got a call from my doctor and Dr. Brock is like, “Come in. I want to do a nonstress test on you.” So I go in, everything is cool. He was like, “All right, so you pushed against me.” He was like, “Message received. You're not doing it.” I am like, “No. I am not.” And he is like, “All right.” He is like, “It is fine.” He is like, “Everything is good. Tests are good. I just thought you'd want to have her birthday. Don't you want to have her already?” I am like, “I do want her here, but I want her here on her terms. If there is anything I learned from my first birth, it's not about me. I don't want to do it on my terms.” He was like, “Okay, fine. It is fair.” So then he was like, “If you don't go--” because now, I was at the end of 41 weeks and 8 days or whatever. You know, when you get close to 42. He was like, “This weekend if you don't go, on Monday, we are going to schedule the induction.” I was like, “Fine. That is fair.”So that weekend came and it was Friday. I wasn't getting any kinds of signs of going into labor. I was getting a lot of that prodromal labor that you guys always talk about which is the start-and-go, and you actually contract, and you think you're in labor, but then it stalls out. That was happening for weeks to me. I was like, “What is this?” It kept happening and happening. That happened again on Friday and it just like-- nothing. My doula sent me to get acupuncture. I did that to stimulate things. That actually, I think, really helped. I did that Friday and I did that on Saturday. I went back-to-back and it really stimulated things and moved things around, I think, from what I could feel. My husband was also doing acupressure with my points at home that she had shown me.At this point, my doula had said to me, “Okay. In my opinion, I feel like there is something more to this than your body.” It reminded me of one episode, well, many episodes I listened to with you guys, but there was one specifically where you guys really hone in on fear releasing. She was like, “I really feel like there's something going on with you and we need to work through it.” So we did a recording of my birth story of Amelia‘s birth with her, just her and I recording everything, getting it out. She was like, “Okay. Now it is out. Let's process it. Let's release it. Wrap it up in a pretty bow and that's it. We are going to move past it.” I was like, “Okay.” We did that on Friday. And then, we did some more rebozo and this and that. We met up outside at a park and everything and talked things through. Saturday came and she was like, “All right. I know you are getting close and you are getting concerned.” She was like, “What else can we do to help you release this?” I was like, “I don't know. I am just so afraid of a C-section. I am so afraid of this. I am so afraid of that.” She was like, “All right.” She goes, “When you get home, you are going to write down--” And I remember learning this from you guys. She said, “You are going to write down what you told me you listened to on The VBAC Link, which was to write down your fears and release them.” She was like, “I want you to do that because I feel like there is more to this.” And so, I went back and listened to a bunch of your guys' episodes and I wrote down on pieces of paper all of the different things I was afraid of. Getting an induction, stalling out, getting a C-section, getting stuck in the birth canal, all of the things. Being on Pitocin, getting an epidural, all of the things I was truly afraid of and I burned each and every one of them. There was such a relief when I burned them. I felt it in my energy and in my body. I started crying. I just felt so good.So then, my husband and I took a walk with our toddler, Amelia. We went around the block and we were just talking and he started talking me through stuff. He was like, “What do you think it is?” I was like, “I don't know. I think I'm just afraid to wind up in another crazy, traumatic birth.” He was like, “Okay. And if God forbid, that happened, what is the worst thing? We come home. You heal. We have our second daughter. It is the four of us as a family. The overall things are fine and we have our girl.” This and that, you know, putting things into perspective for me. I was like, “Yeah, no. You are right.” He is a golfer, a really good golfer. And so, he was walking me through all the strategies for a big tournament and comparing it to getting ready for a birth of the mentality and this and that, but actually, it was really helpful for me. So we come home and we have dinner and he was like, “Let's hang out, and just stay up late, and have a good time.” So we have a little dance party with Amelia. We are playing music videos and just having a good time, dancing and laughing. And then, I go to lay down in bed. I turned on my essential oils and I do a little more acupressure. I say a little prayer. I got in bed and I put meditation in my ears and get the room really dark. I am meditating. I am like, “I am going to go into labor. Things are going to happen. Things are going to happen.” I wake up a couple of times in the middle of the night, nothing is happening. I am getting a little crushed. But I am like, “No. I am going to let it go. Let it go.”I started getting hungry and I was like, “I'm going to go downstairs for a snack.” It was probably around 1:30, maybe 2:00. I start walking down my stairs and I feel this cramp and I am like, “Ooh,” and then I feel it again. I am like, “Ooh.” I get down and I am like, “Ooh, ooh, ooh,” and I can't. I get down on my knees and I can't get up.Julie: I love that.Ali: I am like, “Oh, maybe I'm not going to have a snack.” And so, I crawled up my stairs and I'm like, “Oh, okay. Could this be?” I honestly didn't believe it because I had had so much prodromal labor. I had had so much start-and-go that it was like, “Oh, here we go again.” So I am just like, “Okay. I am just going to go lay back down.” I am crawling, but as I am crawling, it is getting more and more intense. More tightening and I am barely able to crawl. And so, I get up my stairs. I get in my room. My husband is sleeping and snoring. I am like, “Okay. I'm not going to wake him because I have told him so many times that this could be it and nothing is happening.” So I am like, “I am just going to chill.”So I call my doula. I could barely get the words out because I am in quite a bit of squeezing pain, feeling the surges, and she was like, “All right. Do me a favor. Draw your bathtub. Get in the tub. Put in a little bit of your oils and call me back. Let me just hear your breathing.” So I turned the tub on and I had this overwhelming feeling while I was sitting there in my room, just talking to myself of going into Amelia‘s room. I didn't know why. So I crawled into her room and I opened the door and crawl in. She is asleep. I crawl into her chair. I'm sitting there and I start bursting into tears. I am hysterical out of nowhere and I just start babbling and I am like, “I love you. I hope I can be a good mom when I am a mom of two. I have made such an amazing relationship between the two of us so far. I don't want to fail you.” I am just pouring my heart out. She is passed out. I am just crying and crying, just sharing my heart with her and my fear of being a mom of two. I don't want to let her down.And then I remember I said to her, “Okay. I think your baby sister is coming. So the next time I see you, she is going to be here.” I was hysterical. Then I crawl back out, crawled into my tub. I think this was maybe 2:30 or 3:00 at this point. I get in my tub and I call my doula. I start breathing and she was like, “All right. Let's do some meditation.” I had also done some HypnoBirthing between learning for Amelia's birth and then for Arley's birth. So I am doing HypnoBirthing in the tub. She is guiding me. My contractions were 11 minutes apart, so they weren't that close. So she was like, “Okay. We are just going to let you stay in the tub. Meditate. Stay in your zone. Let's see what happens.”Shortly after, not even an hour, she was like, “Okay. You are eight minutes. You're seven. Oh, okay.” She was like, “Okay, Ali. You need to wake Justin up. You are getting to be close to six minutes apart. You have got to get ready to go.” I was like, “Wait, what?” You know, because I was so in the zone at that point. I wasn't even listening to her count. I was so in my zone in the tub, in the darkness, meditating, really bringing the affirmations of having my VBAC and talking to Arley. I was just so in it, more so than I think I even realized I was. And so she was like, “You need to get out. You need to get up. You need to get to the hospital.” Justin, of course, doesn't know. My husband doesn't hear me. He is sleeping and snoring. I am screaming from the bathtub and he doesn't hear me. I'm like, “Babe. Babe! I am in labor. We have to go to the hospital.” He doesn't hear me, so my doula calls him and wakes him up. He is like, “What is going on?” She is like, “Ali is in labor. You have got to get ready to go.” He goes into the bathroom and of course, he is making fun of me as he usually does and his sarcasm. He is like, “Oh, I hear a ghost or something.” I am like, “Oh my god.” He literally is like, “Oooh. Ooooh. What is that noise? Ooooh.” I am like, “Ha, ha. That is so you.” I am like, “Come over here and squeeze my hands. I am losing my shit.” That is his personality, by the way. He gets me out. We are getting everything ready to go and getting everything in the truck to leave. My doula ended up coming down to make sure I was okay, but also because my friend was supposed to be here for Amelia had I gone into labor in the middle of the night, but wasn't picking up her phone because they probably just thought, “Oh, I am going to hear my phone go off.” And so, my doula came rushing out so that we could leave so that somebody could watch her since we couldn't bring her, especially with COVID and everything.She comes and she sees me off. I get in the truck and I am in full-blown active labor. I am transitioning. I am shaking. I'm convulsing. I am screaming. I'm trying to stay zen. I am screaming while I am meditating. This whole thing in his truck. We arrive there. I am screaming when we get out of his truck. They pull up. They bring the wheelchair. I won't forget. They put me in a wheelchair and they were shoving this mask in my face. I am screaming through the mask. I am trying to rip the mask off because I'm screaming. It was a whole thing.I get into the room. They get me in and my doula was immediately on my FaceTime. Stacey was like, “Okay.” Thank God for her. She was like, “Turn the lights down. Let's get it to be zen for her again. Get her out of the bright lights. Let's calm things down. Justin put out her crystals. Let's get her intention cards up. Get the little lights up.” Stacey is orchestrating everything from FaceTime. Justin is getting everything together and I am sitting there and breathing through. I am still natural at this point. I am just breathing through my contractions as much as I can and screaming at all of that. They checked me and I am 6.5. They're like, “All right. Well, you're definitely active and ready to go. You are progressing, so we are going to let you progress.” I think I got to almost a 7, or out of 7, and I really was having a hard time. I was really having a hard time breathing. It was getting really intense. Stacey was like, “Look. If you want to get an epidural, just get the epidural.”But, I had so much fear around getting an epidural because of Amelia‘s birth. I was like, “I don't want to. I am too afraid. I don't want to get stuck. Let me just keep going.” But I wasn't fully progressing because I was struggling. I was like, “Okay. I'm going to get an epidural.” Luckily at Cedars-- I know some hospitals don't have this, but Cedars does. I had been advised by a couple of other doulas to get a walking epidural if I could, even though I wouldn't be walking anywhere, obviously, because of the world, but I could walk in my room. And so, I got a walking epidural and for me, that was just enough to take the edge off, but not enough to numb where I could walk around and I could be on the ball. I could do hip exercises on the side of the bed. I could get on all fours. I could keep switching positions. Even when I was in the bed, I had a peanut ball being switched between my legs. I was moving constantly. I was never still. I think that was a really big game changer and helpful for me when it came to progressing because shortly after, I was at complete.We arrived at the hospital around 6:00 a.m. and by noon, I was complete. It was pretty fast for me compared to Amelia. It was like, “Oh, wow. This is happening. I have got to complete.” The doctor comes in. Dr. Brock is like, “All right. You are complete, but you are not--” I forget the stations when you are at the last station, but you're not fully there where the baby can come out. What is that called?Julie: Yeah, like +2 or +3 station.Meagan: Yeah, or even +4.Ali: Yes. Yeah, whatever it was, like the lowest one. I was almost there, but I wasn't there yet. He had said that. I was like, “Oh, okay.” He was like, “But don't worry. We are going to figure out getting her down. Let's get you to move more. Let's do some more pushing. Let's do this.” You know, I didn't realize that because of Amelia‘s birth, even though the labor was so intense with her, my body remembered that, which is wild. The muscle memory of that.I hadn't really fully pushed with Amelia, so it was pushing like a new mom, which I didn't expect to go through. I pushed for 2.5 hours after we had been told I was ready to go and was complete. I was really working, working. I had the squat bar. I was pushing. I was on the ground. I was on all fours. I was doing everything possible to move her, and keep going, and move her down and everything.She was just right there, but just wasn't happening and then I spiked a fever. Dr. Brock came in and he was like, “Okay. I was all for everything you were doing, but now you spiked a fever. I am concerned for you and the baby. I am sure everything is fine, but I don't want to take any chances, so these are the last pushes and then we are going to have to figure something out because I am not going to let you go longer because of the fever.” Of course, they had given me medication at this point to bring the fever down.And so, he had turned to me and he was like, “All right. We are going to do a vacuum to try and help you get her out. Once I get the vacuum, you are going to have to push with all your might. It is just going to be to assist and then you're going to have to push her out.” He was like, “When I tell you to push, I mean you'd better push with every single thing in you and push until you can't breathe.” I was like “Oh, okay.” I remember being in the bed, and looking at Justin, and even reflecting on it myself, and being like, “Oh my gosh. I cannot believe I got this far and here we are again. I am freaking going to have a C-section.” I was really starting to go into fight-or-flight. I was getting really, really upset. My doula was trying to calm me over FaceTime. She was like, “It's okay. We are still in control. It's okay. Breathe. Just allow things to play,” and I am in total panic at this point. I looked at Justin and I said, “Can I have my earbuds please?” I put them in my ear. I turned on one of my fear-releasing meditations. I shut my eyes. I remember praying really, really hard and just being really intentional. Like, “I can make this happen. This is going to happen. I can do this. Come on, Ali. You can do this.”Before I knew it, it was like, “Push.” I pushed so hard and the next thing I knew, there she was on my chest, screaming. I was hysterically crying. I couldn't even believe that she was there. I honestly didn't even feel her fully come out because everything was happening. It was so wild. I remember them putting her on my chest and I was bawling because I was like, “Oh my god, I did it. Oh my god. Oh my god. She's here. Oh my god.” It was the most surreal experience and so healing in that moment for me of just being like, “Holy crap. I did it. My body did it.” Even now, I get choked up because I still can't believe it happened.Meagan: I'm sure in that whole moment there was just such that rush.Julie: Yeah, wild.Meagan: Yeah, okay. I have to do this right now. And then, boom. You did it.Julie: Yeah. It sounds like she came so fast when it was time.Ali: Yeah, well once he put the vacuum on and was like, “Okay, push.” He gave me that bar--Meagan: The assistance, yes.Ali: Yeah, the assistance and gave me that bar and was like, “Push down.” I just remember I pushed with everything in me. I pushed and holy crap. She was here. She was 9 pounds, 3 ounces, by the way.Meagan: Yeah, girl!Ali: Amelia was 8 pounds, 7 ounces and I thought that was big. Arley was 23.5 inches long so it was like, oh my gosh. I couldn't believe that I got her out. It was truly amazing to me. It was so empowering. It was like, “Holy crap. My body did it.” It was so amazing. After having her on my chest and holding her, I was just bawling. I just couldn't even believe it happened.Meagan: Yeah. I'm sure it was just such an amazing moment. It sounds like she just needed to come into that pubic bone and then she was there. Oh, well congratulations.Ali: Thank you.Meagan: So awesome.Ali: It was so magical. It really was. I just felt so much support around me through my whole pregnancy. It's funny you say the pubic bone too because my chiropractor-- she kept adjusting me. Even the day before I went into labor, she adjusted me. She kept adjusting me and adjusting my hips and doing this, and my sciatica and everything to make sure I was as aligned as possible. But I think in a way it was kind of like me being tested, like how bad do you want this thing? Because when you guys were saying “the rush”, I felt like I could have either gone into fight-or-flight and I could have been like, “Oh my gosh,” in panic and allowed myself to not have that release that you guys talk about all the time, but I think because I did release, and I did allow her to come, and I got really intentional and listened to the fear releasing in my ears, I think it was all divine. And there she was.Julie: Yeah. It's incredible what can happen when you have that release of emotions. Fear in the birth space is real and it can really hold you up if you let it.Ali: Mhmm, yeah. You're right.Meagan: So awesome. Now, she is just crawling around and being such a big girl.Julie: Oh, such a fun age.Ali: It is wild how fast. I feel like I just had her and I am like, “Oh my gosh, she is already crawling everywhere.” I literally turn around and she is down the hallway and I am like, “Oh, hey girlfriend.” It is crazy.Julie: Wow.Ali: You know, but in a wild way, this whole thing with the pandemic and 2020, for me, is such a blessing because it has been such a healing time for me between my VBAC, and having the family time, and having my husband home to be there with me with my girls, and truly not experience postpartum depression. I am just so grateful for it.Julie: That's awesome. That is really cool. We are living in a really crazy world right now and whenever we hear incredible birth stories coming out of this pandemic, it warms my heart. I don't know. I could go off on five or six different tangents right now, but Meagan, what should we talk about? What should we talk about for an educational piece?Meagan: Well, I love that she talked about fear releasing and self-advocacy. One of the things that I love that your doula did-- so birth workers, listen up if you are listening. They sat and they recorded. I love that she was like, “We are going to wrap it up, and seal it with a bow, and send it off.” That is so cool. It is such a powerful way, just talking about it, and getting it out there, and hearing yourself say it, and then maybe even watching it, and then saying, “Okay. That is how I felt and this is how I feel. This is why I am moving on from this fear because of this.” And then of course moving on and doing the other activities. It is so powerful.I know I probably have talked about this until I'm blue in the face, but it really came down for me-- like, I had worked through so much and there was still stuff that I found in the very moment of labor that I didn't realize that I had worked through. It's just so, I don't know. It is just so crazy how you think you have worked through it, and then it comes up, and you are like, “Oh, wait. That didn't come up during my pregnancy,” and you have to work through it again. But if you have practiced and worked really, really hard processing during your pregnancy, then it won't be so foreign. That's the word that is coming to my mind and maybe that's the wrong word.Julie: Unfamiliar, maybe?Meagan: Yeah. It just won't be so unfamiliar and foreign in the moment to process. I know it would make processing during that time easier.Julie: Yeah. I agree, 100%. Gosh, I mean, Meagan and I have both seen the same thing with our individual doula clients and working with parents through our VBAC preparation course. I actually just had a one-on-one consult with somebody preparing for VBAC a couple of weeks ago. Most of the time when we get hung up, and when there are things holding us back, and we feel like something's not quite right, it is stemming from fear. When you can take out that fear, and write it out, and tear it up, and break it apart, and figure out where it is coming from, that is when you can really move past it in order to create a really, really clear birth space that is conducive to a nice, peaceful birth that is just happy and that you can look back on with really fond memories.Ali: Yeah. I love that. I think it is so well beautifully said and so true. You know, it is so crazy because again, when we were talking at the beginning of this podcast, with Amelia, it was obviously a normal world. I was at events and doing all of this glamorous stuff. I was doing maternity photoshoots and all of these things. And you know, fast forward to Arley and it was like, stuck at home and especially in California, very much locked down. You know, everything. It was so wild how different in that sense the world was, but yet, even in such a chaotic world, it really was such a peaceful birth. And then in such a normal world, Amelia was such a chaotic birth. So I just find that, like you were just saying, so telling when it comes to that fear and that processing of all of that and the actual intention around it. It really does, in my opinion, make such a difference. I have seen it in my own birth.Julie: Yeah. It absolutely does. Well, Ali, not Avril. It was so great to talk to you. Oh my gosh, I feel like we could just sit here and chat about everything for hours. I feel like we are friends. I just love at the end of the episode, all these podcast episodes that we do where sometimes, it's really hard to say goodbye. It's like, “No, you hang up.” “No, you hang up.” “No, you hang up.”Meagan: I know. It is so true. So true. We are like, “Wait. Can we hang out, like, tomorrow?”Ali: Right?Julie: Let's go to lunch. Where do you live again?Meagan: California.Ali: Yes, please. When we are open and normal, please do. I mean, I am so honored to be here. I truly love everything you guys are doing with your show and everything at The VBAC Link. I truly, like I said, still listen. I tell everyone to listen. I just think it is such an amazing space for women who need that kind of support. Especially women who really do want to have a VBAC and don't have those kinds of resources. I think that too many times we are told so much in birth, but especially with VBAC, “No,” and they put the fear around it from the beginning.I was so grateful that when that woman tried to really instill the fear in me that I knew better and that I was able to work past it because I feel for so many who just don't have that. That's why I was so grateful when I landed on The VBAC Link podcast because I was like, “Oh my gosh. Look at all of these amazing stories. I could be one of them too.” And like, holy crap. Here I am.Meagan: You are one of them.Julie: Full circle. I love it.Ali: Yes. Yes.ClosingWould you like to be a guest on the podcast? Head over to thevbaclink.com/share and submit your story. For all things VBAC, including online and in-person VBAC classes, The VBAC Link blog, and Julie and Meagan's bios, head over to thevbaclink.com. Congratulations on starting your journey of learning and discovery with The VBAC Link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vbac-link/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Happy New Year, Women of Strength! Meagan and Julie share an exciting announcement about the podcast that you don't want to miss. While they chat about topics to look forward to this year, they also jump right in and share stats about cervical checks and duration between pregnancies. We can't wait to help you prepare for your VBAC this year!Needed WebsiteHow to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for ParentsFull Transcript under Episode Details Julie: Ready? Meagan: Happy New– Julie: Oh, are we supposed to say it together? Oh, sorry. Okay, I'm ready. Let's go again. Meagan: No, you were just saying okay, but let's do it together. Okay, ready? Remember I did this last time? Julie: Okay, 1, 2, 3– Meagan and Julie: Happy New Year!Julie: No, it was not right. Meagan: Well, we're going to leave it. You guys, we've been trying to say Happy New Year at the same time. There is a delay, I'm sure, on both sides, but Happy New Year, you guys. Welcome to The VBAC Link. It is 2025, and we are excited for this year. Oh my goodness. Obviously, you have probably caught on that there is another voice with me today. Julie: Hello. Meagan: I have Julie. You guys, I brought Julie on today because we have a special announcement. I didn't let her get away for too long. I didn't want her to go. I couldn't. If you haven't noticed, I've been bringing her on. I'm like, “Can you do this episode with me? Do you want to do this episode with me? Do you want to do this episode with me?”And now, at least for the next little bit, she's going to be doing her own episodes. She is helping me out. Julie: Yeah. Meagan: We have been doing two episodes a week for almost a year now, and it's a lot. It's a lot. Julie: You have been such a champ. Meagan: Oh my goodness. So that's what we've been up to. I decided that Julie needed to help me. She was so gracious to say, “Yeah, I'll do it.” Get this, you guys. She was nervous the first time. Julie: I was like, “I don't know what I'm doing.”Meagan: But she totally does know what she's doing. But yeah, so you will be hearing every so often Julie's voice solo. She is going to be hosting the show solo, so you will be hearing a little bit of a new intro with her and I where we are both talking so you don't get confused, but I don't think it is very confusing. Julie has been with us since the very beginning because her and I created the company. It's been so fun to have her here, so thank you, Julie, for helping me out. Julie: You are always welcome. It's always a pleasure. Meagan: I'm trying to think. I want to talk about 2025 and some things that we have coming up as far as stories go. As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to the show, please do so. As you subscribe, it will send you the episodes weekly. Right now, like I said, we are doing two a week, so soak it all up. We have so many great stories. We have stories from OB/GYNs. They are doing Q&As. We have polyhydramnios. Julie: Polyhydramnios. Meagan: Yes. I always want to say dramnios. We are going to be talking about that because we have a lot of people who have been asking about more unique things. Poly is not necessarily unique, but it's not talked about, so we are going to talk about the high fluid, low fluid, unsupportive providers, and if you have been with us for a while, the biggest thing that we talk about is supportive providers. Julie: Mhmm.Meagan: Maybe it's not the biggest, but it's one of the biggest. We talk about finding a supportive provider all of the time. It is so important. Then we've got vaginal birth after multiple Cesarean, twin births, gestational diabetes, PROM– if you're new to that one, that is premature rupture of membranes meaning that the waters break, but labor doesn't quite kick in. Whave else do we have? We actually are going to do some re-airing. We are going to rebroadcast some of our older episodes that we just think are gems and wonderful or have connections with people like Ali Levine. She came back on recently and we want to bring back her episode. Dr. Stu– just some really great episodes from the past and thinking about how long ago that was, Julie– Julie: Oh my gosh. Meagan: As I've been going through these podcasts, holy cow. Some of these are in our 70's or there was actually one that was out 17th episode or something like that. Julie: We need to re-air the dad's episode. Do you remember that one time when we had all of those dads on? Meagan: Yes. Julie: That was so good. Meagan: That was so good. It was a lot of fun. Julie: You need to put that in a spot. It was so good. I remember, I can just be taken back to us in the studio recording and calling each of these dads. It was so cool. Meagan: It was. It was really fun to hear their take on it and their opinion of doulas, their opinion of VBAC, their opinion of birth and how they were feeling going into birth, and how they felt when their wives were like, “Hey, I want to do this.” Yeah. Do you know what? That's for sure. We will make sure that is re-aired as well because I do know that we get people saying, “Are there any episodes that can help my partner or my husband?” because they want to really learn how to get the support for them or help them understand why. Or Lynn. Guys, there are so many of these past episodes that we will be bringing back. Julie: Lynn's episode was so great. Meagan: That was so great. We're going to be having home births. Forceps– VBAC after forceps or failure to progress or failure to descend or big baby. We've got so many great things coming this year, so I'm really, really excited. I also wanted to share more about what we've going on the blog. We have had weekly blogs, so if you haven't already subscribed to our email list, go over to thevbaclink.com and subscribe. We send out weekly emails filled with tips or recent episodes. We have a lot of questions in The VBAC Link Community on Facebook. We see some repetitive questions in there, so we respond to those via email. Those are really good. We've got cervical checks. When is it good to do a cervical check? When is it not good? Julie: Umm, never? Meagan: When is it not good to do a cervical check? When are they really necessary? What do they tell us? We're going to be diving into that. We have a blog about that. Do you want to talk about that for a second, Julie? Let's talk about that. Julie: Okay. I understand that there is nuance. That's the thing about birth. There is nuance with everything. There is context with everything. It just reminds me of the recent election and things like that while we are recording. There are all of these one-liners are being thrown around on both sides. One sentence can be taken out of context in big ways when you don't have the context surrounding the sentence. For both sides, I'm not pointing fingers at anybody. I'm sorry if that's triggering for anybody. I know there are a lot of people upset right now. But the same thing with cervical checks. Isn't that true with all of life? All of life, all of birth, and all of VBAC, there is nuance and context that's important. I would say that most of the time, most of the time, cervical checks are not necessary. They only tell us where you've been. They don't tell us where you're going. They are not a predictor of anything. I've had clients get to 8 centimeters and not have a baby for 14 hours. No kidding. I've had clients push for 10 hours. I've had people hang out at 5 centimeters for weeks, then go into labor and have the baby super fast and also super slow. It doesn't tell us anything. However, there are times when it might be helpful. I use that really, really carefully because it can only give us so much information. I feel like sometimes the cervix can swell if you've been in labor for a really long time, or if the baby is in a bad position, so if labor has slowed or hasn't been progressing as much as expected– and I use that term very loosely as well. There might be a suspicion for cervical swelling. Having a cervical check can confirm that, and having a swollen cervix will change the direction of your care. I would say that maybe an important question to ask– and this is a good question for any part of your care– is, “How will this procedure, exam, intervention, etc. influence my care moving forward?” Because if it's not going to influence your care moving forward at all, then is it necessary? Meagan: Why do it?Julie: Right? So, a swollen cervix, maybe checking baby's position. You can tell if baby's low enough. You can see if their head is coming asynclitic or with a different type of presentation. Again, with a suspicion that it might be affecting labor's progress.Meagan: You can check if they are asynclitic. Julie: But, how would your care change if you find out that baby is asynclitic? What would you do if that is the result of the cervical check? If the answer is nothing, then I don't know. But also knowing that baby's position or knowing that you have a swollen cervix, there are things that you can do to help labor progress in the case of a malpositioned baby or for a swollen cervix. First of all, back off on Pitocin or take some Benadryl or things like that that can help with those things. But honestly, I think most of the time, cervical checks are another way for the system to chart and keep records, that they are doing their job, that things are happening normally (in air quotes, “normally”) so they can have their backs covered. It's really funny. There are other ways to tell baby's position. There are other ways to notice. Midwives, especially out-of-hospital midwives know all of these things. They can gather all of this data without cervical checks, without continous monitoring, and all of that stuff. But in the hospital setting, they can literally sit at a desk and watch you on the strip. That's the only way they know how to get information. They don't know how to palpate the belly. They aren't as familar with– I mean, probably nurses more so than OBs. Meagan: Patterns. Julie: Right? Labor patterns, the sounds, how mom is moving her body and things like that. Those are all things that you can use to tell where a laboring person is at in their labor without having to do cervical checks. But anyway, that was a long little tangent. Meagan: No, that's good. I love that you are pointing that out. Is it going to change your care? If you are being induced, a lot of times, they are going to want to do a cervical exam. You may want a cervical exam as well so you can determine what induction method is going to best fit your induction. Julie: Yeah, that's true. Meagan: Like starting that, but even before labor, I want to point out that when it comes to cervical exams, I see it time and time again within the community, within Instagram, within Utah here– we have birth forums here in Utah– I see it all of the time. “I am 38 weeks. I got checked to day. I am not dilated. It's not going to happen. My provider is telling me that my body probably doesn't know how to go into labor and that I should be induced or that my chances of going into labor by 40 weeks (that's a whole other conversation) is low because I'm not dilated yet at 38 weeks,” or they are the opposite and they are like, “I feel like I can't do anything because I'm walking around at 6 centimeters.”Then they don't go into labor. Julie: Baby will come right away as soon as labor starts. Meagan: Yeah, or the person who has been walking around at 38 weeks, 39 weeks, 40 weeks, 40.5 weeks at 0 centimeters has their baby before the person who has been walking around at 6 centimeters. It really doesn't tell you a whole lot other than where you are in that very minute and second that you are checked. Now, if it is something that is going to impact your care, that is something to consider. Also, if it's something that's going to impact your mental health, usually it's going to be negatively. Sometimes, it's positive, but I feel like we get these numbers in our head, and then we get them checked and– Julie: You get stuck on it, yeah. Meagan: You get stuck on it which is normal because of the way that we have been taught out in the birth world. Think about it also mentally. Is a cervical exam in this very moment to tell you where you are right now worth messing up your mental space? Maybe. Maybe not. That's a very personal opinion. But really, it's so important to know that cervical exams really just tell you where you are right now. Not where you're going to be, not where you're going to get– Julie: And not how fast you're going to get there either. I do not trust babies. I always say that. I do not trust babies. Meagan: You don't trust babies? Julie: They have a mind of their own. They are so unpredictable. Yeah, I don't trust them. I'll trust them after they are born, for sure. But before, no way dude. They trick me all of the time. I really appreciate how you brought up the induction thing because I feel like a cervical check at the beginning of an induction and after a certain amount of time that the induction is started is helpful information because it tells you where you started from. It tells you if the induction methods that they are using are working. I feel like that's helpful to know because you don't want to sit there with an induction method forever if it's not working. I feel like also, why the induction is being recommended is important too. If baby needs to come out fast because something is seriously wrong, then more frequent cervical checks or a more aggressive induction may be needed. But if it's something that you can wait a few days for, then is the induction really necessary. But that's really the context there too. Context and nuance, man. Meagan: Yep. I also think really quickly before we get off of cervical exams that if you are being induced, a cervical exam to assess if you are even in a good spot to induce, assuming that it is not an emergent situation where we have to have this baby out right now. You are like, “I want to get induced,” then you are maybe half a centimeter. Julie: The BISHOP score, yeah. You are low and closed and hard. Meagan: You're maybe 40% effaced. You're really posterior. You guys, that might be a really good indicator that it's not time to have a baby.Julie: Right. Meagan: There we go. Okay, so other things on the blog– preparing for your VBAC. We talk about that a lot. We also talk about that in our course, on the podcast, in the community, on Instagram, and on Facebook. That's a daily chat. We have blogs on that. Our favorite prenatal– you guys have heard us talk about Needed now for over a year. We love them. We truly, truly believe in their product, so we do have blogs on prenatal nutrition and prenatal care. What food, what drinks, and what prenatal you should take. Then recovering from a C-section– I think a lot of people don't realize that our community also has a whole C-section umbrella where we understand that there are a lot of different scenarios. Some may not choose a VBAC which is also a blog on how to choose between a VBAC and a Cesarean. They might not choose a VBAC or they might go for a VBAC and it ends in a repeat Cesarean, or they opt for an elective Cesarean. These are situations that lead to recovering from a Cesarean. We have blogs and a section in our course, and then we even have a VBAC– not a VBAC. Oh my gosh. I can't get Facebook and VBAC together. We have a CBAC Facebook group as well called The CBAC Link Community, so if you are somebody who is not sure or you maybe had a Cesarean or you are opting for a Cesarean, that might be a really great community for you. I believe that it's an incredible community. Let's see, the length between pregnancies is one. Do you want to talk about that?Julie: Oh my gosh. I see this so much. Meagan: Daily. Julie: People are asking, “How long should I wait? I want to have the best chances of a VBAC. How long should I wait before getting pregnant?” Or, “My doctor said I have to have 18 months between births and I will only be 17 months between births so it excludes me from VBAC.” Meagan: Well, and it gets confusing. Julie: Yes. It does get confusing. Meagan: Because is it between or is it conception? What is it? Julie: Right. Is it between births? Is it between conception? Is it from birth to conception? Birth to birth? Conception to conception? I don't think it's conception to conception, but thing is that everybody will have their thing. I hear it really commonly 18 months birth to birth. I hear 2 months birth to birth quite a bit. Meagan: 2 months? Julie: Sorry, 12 months. Meagan: I was like 2? I've never heard that one. Julie: 12 months birth to birth. Oh man. Meagan: 24 months. Julie: I need some caffeine. 2 years, not 2 months. 2 years between births. Meagan: 24 months. Julie: There are a whole bunch of recommendations. Here are the facts about it. The jury is still out about what is the most optimal time. There is one study. There are three credible studies that we link in our blog. There are three credible studies. One says that after 6 months, there's no increased risk of uterine rupture. So 6 months between– I'm sorry. 6 months from birth to conception. Meagan: Birth to conception. Julie: So that would be 15 months from birth to birth. There's another study that says 18 months from birth to birth, and there's another study that says 2 years from birth to birth. These are all credible studies. So, who knows? Somewhere between 15 months to 2 years. I know that the general recommendation for pregnancies just for your body– this is not talking about uterine rupture– to return to its– I wouldn't say pre-pregnancy state because you just don't really get back there, but for your body to be fully healed from pregnancy is a year after birth. From a year from birth to conception is the general recommendation. But we know that there is such a wide variety of stories. There is a lot of context involved. There are providers who are going to support you no matter your length. This is circling back to provider choice and why it's so important. If one provider says, “No,” and they want 2 years from birth to birth, then bye Felicia. Go find another provider because there is someone who is going to support you. There is someone who is going to do it rather than be like, “Oh, well, we will just let you try.” They are going to support you and be like, “Yeah. Here are the risks. Here is what I'm willing to do, and let's go for it.” I think that's really important as well. Meagan: Yeah, this is probably one of the most common questions. Sorry, guys. I was muted and chatting. It's one of the most common questions, and like she said, there are multiple studies out there. It's kind of a complicated answer because it could vary. Overall, the general studies out there are anywhere between 18 to 24 months. 24 months being what they are showing is probably the most ideal between birth to birth. A lot of people out there still think that it's birth to conception, so they have to wait 2 years before even trying to get pregnant. Then I mean, I got a message the other day from someone. They were like, “Hey, our hospital policy,” which I thought was interesting– not that she was saying this, but that it was a policy. “Our hospital policy is that if I conceive sooner than 9 months after a Cesarean, they will not accept me.” Julie: Boom. Go find another hospital. Meagan: I was like, okay. That's weird. Julie: I know. Meagan: And that's 9 months, so that would be 18 months from birth to birth. Julie: Right. Meagan: Then you can go to another provider, and they're different. This is my biggest takeaway with this. Look at the studies. We have them in our blog. They're there. Look at them. Tune into your intuition. What do you need for your family? What do you want for your family? What feels right for you? Julie: Yeah. Meagan: I mean, we have many people who have had VBACs before the 18th-month mark. Aren't you 15 months? Julie: No, mine was 23 months birth to birth. Meagan: Oh, birth to birth. Okay. I thought you were a little sooner. Julie: I conceived, what was that? Meagan: Mine was 22 and 23. I was a 22 and then my other one was 23, I think. It was something like that. It was right around 2 years. Tune into what it is. Yes, we say this, and someone has said, “Well, yeah. People have done it, but that's not what's recommended.” Okay, that's true. Julie: Yeah, recommended by who? Recommended by who? Because like I said, three different studies have three different recommendations. What does ACOG say? I don't think ACOG even has an official recommendation do they? Meagan: My mind says 24 months. Julie: I think they say something like a pregnancy window doesn't automatically exclude somebody from having a VBAC. Meagan: Yeah. You guys, we have that. We also have stories coming up with shorter durations. We have epidural blogs, and how to choose if you want an epidural or not, and then what happens when an epidural comes into play. Maybe I need caffeine too. I can't even speak. But when they come into play, and so many facts, stats, and stories on the blog and on the podcast. You guys, it's going to be a great year. It's 2025. I'm excited. I'm excited to have you on, Julie. It's going to be so great. I'm excited to bring some of our really old, dusty episodes back to life. Julie: Polish them up. Meagan: Yeah. I'm really excited about that. And then some of the weeks, we've been doing this since October, I think, we've got some specialty weeks where it's VBAC after multiple Cesarean week, and you'll have two back to back. We might have some weeks like that in there that have similar stories so you can binge a couple in a row that are something you are specifically looking for. Okay, as a reminder, we are always looking for a review. Before I let you go, you can go to Google at “The VBAC Link”. You can go to Apple Podcasts and Spotify. I don't know about Google Play. I actually don't know that because I don't have it. Julie: I don't think Google Play has podcasts anymore. But also, you can't rate it on Spotify. Meagan: You can rate it, but you can't review it. Julie: Oh, yeah. You can rate it, so you can give it 5 stars. That's right. Meagan: If you guys wouldn't mind, give us a review. If you can do a written review, that's great. Honestly, you can do stars then go somewhere else and do a written review. We love your reviews. They truly help. I know I've said this time and time again, but they help other Women of Strength find this podcast, find these inspiring stories, and find the faith and the empowerment and the education that they need and deserve. Thank you guys for sticking with us. Happy New Year again, and we will see you soon. Julie: Bye!ClosingWould you like to be a guest on the podcast? Tell us about your experience at thevbaclink.com/share. For more information on all things VBAC including online and in-person VBAC classes, The VBAC Link blog, and Meagan's bio, head over to thevbaclink.com. Congratulations on starting your journey of learning and discovery with The VBAC Link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vbac-link/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

“I had to start asking myself how could I get more intentional about where I show up, where I give my energy? And now, let me restructure how this is going to go, moving forward in my life.”Today's episode was ripped directly from one of our 10,000 NOs Insiders Acting Community monthly VIP zooms with industry insider, Ali Levine. Ali brings her experience as a certified breath coach and celebrity stylist to our group to discuss the importance of slowing down, breathing and realigning with our highest self.10,000 NOs is here to inspire you and help you realize you are not alone if you're battling to overcome rejection in your career or life.So, if you're an actor, writer or filmmaker and you like what you hear in the snippets from our Insiders Acting Community zooms enough to want to be a part of it, CLICK HERE.Remember, “failure” is just opportunity in disguise, and you can flip the script to make your setbacks serve you.SHOW LINKS:10,000 NOs: THE BOOKSUBSCRIBE TO OUR (WEEKLY) NEWSLETTERFOLLOW MATT ON SOCIALFIND OUT HOW YOU CAN BE A 10,000 NOs INSIDER

"Breathe and B – it's about breathing and just being in our true essence." - Ali Levine   Allison 'Ali' Levine is a certified breathwork coach specializing in soul expansion and is globally recognized as a celebrity and intuitive frequency stylist. She is known for her work as an angel intuitive and media personality, guiding clients to higher states of consciousness through breathwork, meditation, and energetic rewiring. Ali is the founder of the "Breathe and B" app, designed to help users discover and embrace their true selves.   Episode Summary: In this episode, Jana Short engages in a fascinating conversation with Ali Levine about the power of breathwork and its transformative effects on mental health and well-being. Ali shares her personal journey of overcoming postpartum depression and anxiety through breathwork, highlighting a pivotal moment during the birth of her second daughter where she experienced a profound spiritual connection. The discussion delves into the science behind breathwork, its benefits for anxiety, stress management, and overall health, and the simplicity of incorporating breathwork into daily life for profound results. Key themes explored in the episode include the importance of conscious breathing for regulating the nervous system, shifting from survival mode to thriving, and the innate power of breath as a tool for healing and self-discovery.   Key Takeaways: The power of conscious breathing in regulating the nervous system and promoting mental well-being. Transformative effects of breathwork in overcoming anxiety, stress, and trauma. Connecting with the divine through breath to access inner peace and resilience. Incorporating breathwork into daily practice for personal growth and self-care. Embracing breath as a tool for shifting from survival mode to thriving in all aspects of life.   Get in touch with Alison www.alilevine.com @‌Alilevinedesign facebook.com/alilevinedesign https://www.linkedin.com/in/alilevinedesign/ twitter.com/alilevinedesign   Get in touch with Jana and listen to more Podcasts: https://www.janashort.com/   Show Music ‘Hold On' by Amy Gerhartz: https://www.amygerhartz.com/music.   Get the Best Holistic Life Magazine Subscription! One of the fastest-growing independent magazines centered around holistic living. https://bestholisticlife.info/Subscription   Grab your gift today: https://www.janashort.com/becoming-the-next-influencers-download-offer/   Connect with Jana Short: https://www.janashort.com/contact/

In this first ever "Momcast," I chat with the beautiful Ali Levine, Soul Expansion and Breathwork Coach, and Mom of three littles about the power of gratitude in birthing a new version of ourselves. Ali's moving story about the trauma she experienced while birthing her first child, and how pivotal her gratitude journal practice was in her healing, reminds us how essential it is to look for things we are grateful for – even when we are struggling through major life challenges. If you need inspiration to start or restart your gratitude journal practice, this is it!   Show Giveaway Enjoy free access to Ali's Breathwork Activation   Learn the Vitamin G Practice Gratitude is the antidote to stress. With a regular practice, you can improve your health, relationships, career and more. Gratitude helps you through rough times, allows you grieve with grace, and enhances peace, joy and happiness. It eases worry, stress and fear, and cultivates joy, love and calm. Remember to check out Episode 1: Make Gratitude Work For You, where I teach you how to create a very powerful gratitude practice I call Vitamin G and how to get the most out of it, along with must-have tips for sticking with it.   Get the journal: Get started today practicing Vitamin G with From Gratitude To Bliss: A Journey in Health and Happiness now available for buy one, get one free: Use code B1G1Love and receive two journals for the price of one. Limited time only.   Share your story! Has gratitude helped you overcome a challenge in your life? Was gratitude part of your healing from illness, injury, trauma or grief? Send us your story to be considered as a featured guest on the show so you can inspire others by sharing how gratitude helped you overcome your challenge.Please subscribe! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a positive review and subscribe to the show. It helps more than you know. Remember, I love you, take your Vitamin G. Love, Lorraine   Lorraine Miller (host) The Grateful Health Coachgratitudetobliss.com Instagram: @gratitudetobliss Facebook: The Grateful Health Coach Youtube: @gratitudetobliss   Alison Levine (guest)alilevine.com Instagram: @alilevinedesignFacebook: @alilevinedesign Creator of the Breath and B app        

About Guest: Ali Levine helps take her clients from their breakdowns to their breakthroughs. She is a certified breathwork Practitioner, Intuitive stylist and Transformation Expert.Connect with Guest: Facebook: Facebook.com/alilevinedesignInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/alilevinedesignLinked In: LinkedIn/AlilevinedesignWebsite: Https://www.alilevine.comFree Resource: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/breathe-and-b/id6446133046Connect with Host Brenda Staat-Tomlinson: Website: https://brendastaattomlinson.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brenda.staattomlinsonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendastaattomlinson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB5u3NThCmFNoKa474DTDnwInsight Timer

Some music and sounds in this podcast by @itslucakoala In this weeks BRAND NEW podcast special — your host, Brittany Baldi chats it up with Ali Levine in part 2 of a multiple part podcast special featuring this evolved soul. Ali has appeared on a reality TV show and she was a former Hollywood stylist. Ali spends most of her days now continuing to help herself and others ‘quiet the mind' through personal coaching, breath work, and much more! Ali is a mom and a wife as well! Lots will be discussed in these upcoming episodes.  Please enjoy episode 2 :: Part 1 is currently released and 3 will be dropping soon as well. Discussed in this episode — Design school — Becoming a top Hollywood Stylist — An appearance on the Bravo series STRIPPED — An ego and identity shift —  Mental health struggles — How Ali met her husband & an intro to motherhood Please enjoy this podcast episode and be sure to subscribe to ‘On Air with Brittany Baldi' for FREE on my Youtube channel. Full interviews & vlogs are posted there! Cheers xo Use my direct AG1 link here to get a FREE year supply of vitamin k2 & D3 with your subscription to a healthier YOU :: drinkag1.com/bosbabes  Get 20% Off your entire order Honeylove shapewear order with my exclusive link - honeylove.com/brittany Please be sure to visit meditresse.com today if you or someone you know is experiencing extreme or mild hair loss— the hair specialists may be of assistance.  Use my code bosbabes for 10% off your purchases online. With my sponsor BetterHelp, you get the same professionalism and quality you expect from in-office therapy, but with a therapist who is custom-picked for you, more scheduling flexibility, and at a more affordable price. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/bosbabes For all of your furniture needs please be sure to check out Highpoint Furniture Sales. They are fully family owned and operated with 1 great location in the state of North Carolina— visit their showroom In High Point or shop their website highpointfurnituresales.com — they offer white glove delivery and set up services nationwide! Nolan magic sofa covers help elevate your couch style! With a variety of colors, patterns, and sizing options to choose from —  Protect your couch from stains, spills, pet hair and more! — its a simple setup, simply place the fitted covers on your sofa or couch. To purchase— and get 10% OFF your full purchase today using my personal link—  visit nolaninterior.com/brittany38231 For your triad area realty needs please get in touch with Amy Cromer of ‘Cromer Property Group'. Visit her website today for more information www.cromerpropertygroup.com Aura APP: 14 day FREE trial to protect your private information * help prevent spam calls and spam emails * use my direct link today aura.com/brittany Luca Koala FREE music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5kepJgtnHDGsvYiLlKXQ03?si=wZKjnpjvTXSXz-qnBOkX7w

** All 3 of these episodes were recorded early 2024 Some music and sounds in this podcast by @itslucakoala In this weeks BRAND NEW podcast special — your host, Brittany Baldi chats it up with Ali Levine in part 2 of a multiple part podcast special featuring this evolved soul. Ali has appeared on a reality TV show and she was a former Hollywood stylist. Ali spends most of her days now continuing to help herself and others ‘quiet the mind' through personal coaching, breath work, and much more! Ali is a mom and a wife as well! Lots will be discussed in these upcoming episodes.  Please enjoy episode 3 —Parts 1 and 2 are currently released. Discussed in this episode — Ali's daughter (Amelia) birth experience — Wanting a home birth and getting a C section —  Postpartum depression & Anxiety — The risks of labor and delivery —  Mental health struggles — Breath work and regulating the nervous system Please enjoy this podcast episode and be sure to subscribe to ‘On Air with Brittany Baldi' for FREE on my Youtube channel. Full interviews & vlogs are posted there! Cheers xo Use my direct AG1 link here to get a FREE year supply of vitamin k2 & D3 with your subscription to a healthier YOU :: drinkag1.com/bosbabes  Get 20% Off your entire order Honeylove shapewear order with my exclusive link - honeylove.com/brittany Please be sure to visit meditresse.com today if you or someone you know is experiencing extreme or mild hair loss— the hair specialists may be of assistance.  Use my code bosbabes for 10% off your purchases online. With my sponsor BetterHelp, you get the same professionalism and quality you expect from in-office therapy, but with a therapist who is custom-picked for you, more scheduling flexibility, and at a more affordable price. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/bosbabes For all of your furniture needs please be sure to check out Highpoint Furniture Sales. They are fully family owned and operated with 1 great location in the state of North Carolina— visit their showroom In High Point or shop their website highpointfurnituresales.com — they offer white glove delivery and set up services nationwide! Nolan magic sofa covers help elevate your couch style! With a variety of colors, patterns, and sizing options to choose from —  Protect your couch from stains, spills, pet hair and more! — its a simple setup, simply place the fitted covers on your sofa or couch. To purchase— and get 10% OFF your full purchase today using my personal link—  visit nolaninterior.com/brittany38231 For your triad area realty needs please get in touch with Amy Cromer of ‘Cromer Property Group'. Visit her website today for more information www.cromerpropertygroup.com Aura APP: 14 day FREE trial to protect your private information * help prevent spam calls and spam emails * use my direct link today aura.com/brittany Luca Koala FREE music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5kepJgtnHDGsvYiLlKXQ03?si=wZKjnpjvTXSXz-qnBOkX7w

Some music and sounds in this podcast by @itslucakoala In this weeks BRAND NEW podcast special — your host, Brittany Baldi chats it up with Ali Levine in part 1 of a multiple part podcast special featuring this evolved soul. Ali has appeared on a reality TV show and she was a former Hollywood stylist. Ali spends most of her days now continuing to help herself and others ‘quiet the mind' through personal coaching, breath work, and much more! Ali is a mom and a wife as well! Lots will be discussed in these upcoming episodes.  Please enjoy episode 1. Parts 2 and 3 dropping soon. Discussed in this episode — How our bodies hold trauma — A light intro to breath work — Ali's early years: growing up in New York — Ali's love for her grandmother —  Mental health struggles — Postpartum fitness Please enjoy this podcast episode and be sure to subscribe to ‘On Air with Brittany Baldi' for FREE on my Youtube channel. Full interviews & vlogs are posted there! Cheers xo Use my direct AG1 link here to get a FREE year supply of vitamin k2 & D3 with your subscription to a healthier YOU :: drinkag1.com/bosbabes  Get 20% Off your entire order Honeylove shapewear order with my exclusive link - honeylove.com/brittany Please be sure to visit meditresse.com today if you or someone you know is experiencing extreme or mild hair loss— the hair specialists may be of assistance.  Use my code bosbabes for 10% off your purchases online. With my sponsor BetterHelp, you get the same professionalism and quality you expect from in-office therapy, but with a therapist who is custom-picked for you, more scheduling flexibility, and at a more affordable price. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/bosbabes For all of your furniture needs please be sure to check out Highpoint Furniture Sales. They are fully family owned and operated with 1 great location in the state of North Carolina— visit their showroom In High Point or shop their website highpointfurnituresales.com — they offer white glove delivery and set up services nationwide! Nolan magic sofa covers help elevate your couch style! With a variety of colors, patterns, and sizing options to choose from —  Protect your couch from stains, spills, pet hair and more! — its a simple setup, simply place the fitted covers on your sofa or couch. To purchase— and get 10% OFF your full purchase today using my personal link—  visit nolaninterior.com/brittany38231 For your triad area realty needs please get in touch with Amy Cromer of ‘Cromer Property Group'. Visit her website today for more information www.cromerpropertygroup.com Aura APP: 14 day FREE trial to protect your private information * help prevent spam calls and spam emails * use my direct link today aura.com/brittany Luca Koala FREE music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5kepJgtnHDGsvYiLlKXQ03?si=wZKjnpjvTXSXz-qnBOkX7w  

This week on the podcast I am joined by Ali Levine. Ali is known for being a world-renowned Intuitive Stylist and sought after TV and media personality. From dressing the most famous people in Hollywood and public figures around the world, in 2020 Ali started her own personal inner journey and became a Certified Breathwork Facilitator & Soul Expansion Coach.  Ali has now added Author, Healer to her accolades and is known for the deep work of Embodiment and Transformation. Using her signature methodology of the ALI method, Ali help's you to shift from your lower vibrations to higher states of consciousness. Through the breath and certain exercises, meditations, and divine coaching, she facilitates your shifting, your awareness and even your own healing. Ali is also the creator of the app Breathe & B - all about consciously breathing and being in your being. You can download it for free on the app store & google play.   On this episode we walk about her own personal wellness journey, how to design the life of your dreams, as well as how to use style as a form of a self-care ritual. We also discuss her experience with burnout and postpartum depression, and how she healed holistically, the immediate and long-term holistic healing modalities she implemented into her life, and so much more!   Use the discount code MEGHAN15 for 15% off Ali's App, Breathe and B   DISCLAIMER: Please keep in mind this episode is not mean to act as medical advice. You are always encouraged to be your own advocate and to do your own research. ------------------------------------- Connect with Meghan: Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | YouTube | Website To Email the Show: info@balancebymeghan.com Connect with Ali:  Instagram | Links -----------------------------------------  Shop my Amazon Store Front where I link all my favourite wellness, lifestyle, pregnancy, and beauty products and brands.   ------------------------------------------  Join me by practicing yoga and fitness in the comfort of your home! Click here for my YouTube channel.   ---------------------------------------- Shop my nontoxic pregnancy and post baby skincare line here.

Takeaways from this episode: Healing trauma and regulating nervous system through breathwork and meditation. Consequences of ignoring body signals and the impact on mental and physical health.  Integrating breathwork into daily routine to regulate nervous system and decrease cortisol.  Managing chronic illness through breathwork and mindset work.  10 benefits of Breathwork for mental and physical well-being.  Dr. Lj Johnson, a beacon of hope in the landscape of women's health. Not just an expert in hormonal balance and gut health, but a warrior who has prevailed in the face of her own chronic illness battles. Her 16-year arduous journey to an endometriosis diagnosis has sculpted her into the dedicated, wholistic functional medicine practitioner she is today. Dr. Johnson's mission is to empower, motivate, and educate women in advocating for their health, ensuring no one experiences the delays and dismissals she endured. Dr. Lj's experience teaches more than survival—it inspires a revolution in healthcare, prioritizing understanding, comprehensive care, and a life unfettered by the chains of chronic illness. If you're seeking a partnership on your hormonal health journey that's built on empathy, expertise, and empowerment, look no further. Embark on a transformational path towards wellness and reclaim the quality of life you deserve. Complimentary Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/saynotoendo/discoverycall Ali Levine, is a Certified Breathwork Practitioner/ Facilitator, Soul Expansion Coach,  World Renowned Celebrity & Intuitive stylist, Angel Intuitive, Sought after Media Personality, Speaker & Transformation Expert.  Ali helps take her clients from their breakdowns to their breakthroughs. Moving them from survival mode to thriving. Embodying all that they are through their soul's purpose. Using her signature methodology of the ALI method, (Awaken Light IN YOU) she helps you shift from your lower vibrations to higher states of consciousness. Through the divine breath & certain nervous system regulation exercises, meditations, rapid energetic rewiring, and divine coaching, Ali's holds space and facilitates your shifting, your awareness and even your own healing.  Ali will help you and activate you into surrender allowing you to awaken to your B.E.S.T. Self. Use code DRLJ25 at https://alilevine.myflodesk.com/ for "BREATHE INTO YOUR BEST" breathe challenge. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wholisticendoexpert/support

She was a successful "stylist to the stars" in Hollywood, at the top of the professional game, when Ali Levine had to acknowledge that, internally, she was hitting rock bottom. A journey to find answers and understanding, to find inner healing, peace and joy again, led her away from her profession and into a relationship with God that has profoundly changed her life (and relationships) for the better. And how did she find it? Through breathwork. Having been raised Catholic and born Jewish, Ali called herself a "Cashew" but acknowledges she didn't personally know God. In any case, she never expected to find Him through a practice that was neither Christian or Jewish but was truly a desperate attempt to break free of the anxiety, depression, and dis-ease she felt internally. But find Him she did, along with the peace and joy and wisdom she was searching for. And today she is helping others find what she was searching for as well through her meditative breathwork exercises. Listen in as Ali shares her unique story and how something "so hokey" turned out to be so healing, and how we can find that, too.

In this episode my guest is Ali Levine, a certified Breathwork Facilitator, (Trauma informed) World Renowned Celebrity & Intuitive Stylist, Soul Expansion Coach, Embodiment teacher & Transformation Expert. Ali helps take clients from their breakdowns to their breakthroughs. Embodying all that they are through their soul's purpose. Breathwork sessions with Ali not only activate a shift from your lower vibrations to higher states of consciousness, they lead you from surviving to thriving. True breakthrough in your life. Eldin and Ali shared their personal experiences as working parents and the challenges they faced. Ali discussed her struggles with postpartum depression and anxiety, and how she overcame them through various healing practices such as meditation, gratitude journaling, affirmations, and sound therapy. She also shared her transformative experience with breathwork, which helped her overcome fear and trauma, leading to a more grounded and peaceful state of mind. Eldin empathized with Ali's experience and acknowledged her professional achievements and workaholic tendencies prior to her journey of deep healing. Both emphasized the importance of self-awareness and seeking help when needed. Ali and Eldin discussed the importance of a holistic approach to well-being, focusing on the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit. They emphasized the role of mindfulness, breathwork, and somatic therapy in achieving optimal health and well-being, while also addressing the obstacles and strategies involved in personal change. They highlighted the impact of parental modeling on shaping a child's worldview and the potential of their approach in catalyzing positive change, especially in the next generation. Lastly, they shared their insights on mind-body-spirit homeostasis, the concept of default settings, and the ongoing journey of self-discovery and improvement. • Ali will continue to share her story and teachings on breathwork and mindfulness to inspire others to transform their lives. • Ali will host her next breathwork challenge, a 22-day live program, https://alilevine.myflodesk.com/ to guide participants through an energetic rewiring and deep breathing process for full transformation. • Ali will offer one-on-one coaching sessions to support individuals in their personal journeys.

Here we go again!Ali Levine @alilevinedesign is a world renowned intuitive & celebrity stylist as well as a sought after TV & media personality. From dressing the most famous people in Hollywood & public figures around the world, in 2020 Ali started her own personal inner journey and became a certified Breathwork Facilitator & Spiritual Coach. She is now an Intuitive & Celebrity Conscious Stylist, Sought After Media Personality, Author, Healer, & known for the deep work of Embodiment and Transformation. More importantly, Ali is about helping you shift from lower states of consciousness to higher states all through the breath!Creator & Founder of Breathe & B : Download her app : https://apps.apple.com/us/app/breathe-and-b/id6446133046 -Use code “IDM" for 10% off for the first month.Connect with her : https://pensight.com/x/alilevinedesign or visit www.alilevine.comShow sponsors RogersHood.com and DandeNatural.comSupport the Show.For more Informed Dissent visit our website at Informed Dissent Media Follow us on Social media @InformedDissentMedia

Here we go again!Ali Levine @alilevinedesign is a world renowned intuitive & celebrity stylist as well as a sought after TV & media personality. From dressing the most famous people in Hollywood & public figures around the world, in 2020 Ali started her own personal inner journey and became a certified Breathwork Facilitator & Spiritual Coach. She is now an Intuitive & Celebrity Conscious Stylist, Sought After Media Personality, Author, Healer, & known for the deep work of Embodiment and Transformation. More importantly, Ali is about helping you shift from lower states of consciousness to higher states all through the breath!Creator & Founder of Breathe & B : Download her app : https://apps.apple.com/us/app/breathe-and-b/id6446133046 -Use code “IDM" for 10% off for the first month.Connect with her : https://pensight.com/x/alilevinedesign or visit www.alilevine.comShow sponsors RogersHood.com and DandeNatural.comSupport the showFor more Informed Dissent visit our website at Informed Dissent Media Follow us on Social media @InformedDissentMedia

In this week, we have the incredible Ali Levine joining us, an activator and breathwork guide who empowers individuals to harness the power of their breath for self-discovery and healing. Tune in as Ali shares her fascinating journey, revealing how her childhood passion for fashion and experiences in childbirth propelled her into the transformative realm of breathwork.Delve into Ali's story as she opens up about how her own stored traumas became a catalyst for personal growth, leading her to emerge as a resilient business woman and devoted wife and mother. Discover how Ali was able to navigate her own healing but also inspire others to come home to themselves.Ali of Ali Levine Design Details: Creator & Founder of Breathe & B : Download my app : https://apps.apple.com/us/app/breathe-and-b/id6446133046 Connect with Me & Work with Me : https://pensight.com/x/alilevinedesignwww.alilevine.comInstagram.com/AliLevineDesignFacebook.com/AliLevineDesignTwitter.com/AliLevineDesignLinkedin.com/AliLevineDesignPinterest.com/AliLevineDesignhttps://www.tiktok.com/@alilevinedesignSign up for my FREE Newsletter : https://alilevine.myflodesk.com/c5r0wy1zleFREE resources to further support you on your self-development journey: 'Your Internal Glow-Up Guide 'FREEBIE ! Access HERE Access the Confident Formula Masterclass HERE Enroll in 'Confident Mindset Accelerator' HERE IG: breanneburke www.breanneburke.com

In this episode of The Ultimate Journey of Self-Care, I spoke with Ali Levine, an intuitive stylist and breathwork expert. We explored the power of breathwork in connecting with our bodies and prioritizing self-love.Ali shared her personal journey, emphasizing the transformative effects of breathwork. We discussed practical aspects of breathwork, debunked misconceptions, and highlighted the importance of self-trust and setting intentions. Ali also shared resources for further support. HIGHLIGHTS:09:12 Importance of Being Aware of Facilitation and Trauma Release10:30 Understanding the Basics and Science Behind Breathwork13:56 Shifting from Sympathetic to Parasympathetic State through Breathwork25:57 Embracing Every Moment and Taking ActionALISON'S LINKS:Check out the ULTIMATE PODCASTSGet your copy of Alison's Retreat ChecklistEMAIL MEVISIT MY WebsiteFIND ME on FacebookFOLLOW ME on TwitterFOLLOW ME on InstagramEXPLORE OUR RETREATS HERE!JOIN OUR GROUP HERE If you are a health/fitness/wellness entrepreneur, or a coachINNOVATION AVENUE: Fitness & Self-Care Revolution on FacebookANDROID USERS leave a REVIEW on PODCHASERAPPLE USERS leave a REVIEW on APPLE PODCASTS

LIVE on “I HAVE TODAY with Diane Forster” we will be discussing the POWER OF BREATH WORK. My guest is Ali Levine, a Certified Breathwork Facilitator and Soul Expansion Expert. If you've ever wanted to truly connect to your soul's purpose and calling, and you've struggled feeling “disconnected” in your life, you're going to love this episode! Ali walked away from all the glitz and glam in Hollywood as a former celebrity stylist for big name Hollywood celebrities, and she went on a deep, dark journey to finally discover what her soul was trying to lead her home to in her purpose, which is to help others by understanding the Power of Our Breath…the Life Force in all of us! Tune in LIVE TODAY! Get Levine's Breath & B App here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/breathe-and-b/id6446133046 Use the code: TODAY to get a 10% discount. ************************************************************************************

In this episode, get ready to embark on a transformative journey with Ali Levine, certified breathwork facilitator and intuitive stylist, as she guides you from breakdowns to breakthroughs, awakening the light within and transforming your life.

Embark on a transformative journey with Ali Levine, certified breathwork facilitator and intuitive stylist. Then, listen in on our discussion with novelist Mark Scott as we explore the depths of human interaction, self-discovery, and the intriguing tales of Cincinnati.

“Feel it to heal it.” Ali Levine is back with us today sharing her HBAC story! Ali was first with us on Episode 166 where she shared the details of her transformational VBAC. Ali and Meagan reflect on the growth they both have experienced since they last chatted. Ali is now a certified breathwork practitioner and intuitive stylist. She talks about how through regulating the breath, we can better surrender and allow our true selves to shine through. Ali experienced this firsthand as focused breath helped her stay calm through her baby's shoulder dystocia and allowed her to surrender to the guidance of her midwife. She was able to achieve the home birth she knew she could have! Ali shares how important breathwork is in allowing us to release fear, anxiety, trauma, stress, or any other negativity that our bodies hold. And it's a process! By giving our bodies lots of opportunities to breathe, relax, and release, we allow beautiful healing to take place. Additional LinksThe VBAC Link Podcast Episode 166Ali's Website Awakening with Ali PodcastAli's Breathwork AppThe Lactation NetworkHow to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for ParentsFull Transcript under Episode Details Meagan: Hello, hello everybody. You guys, it's December. How are we at the end of 2023? I cannot believe it, but I am so excited to be kicking the month off with our friend, Ali. She has been with us before, so welcome, Ali. Ali: Thank you. Meagan: Yes, I'm so excited to have you on the show again. She shared her C-section and VBAC journey a while ago because she is Episode 166 and we are now at 264 so almost 100 episodes ago. Ali: Wow. Meagan: So crazy. She's back today to share her HBAC story, but not just that amazing part, she's also going to talk to us about breathwork and her journey to become certified as a breathwork practitioner. She is a breathwork practitioner, intuitive stylist, and transformation expert. What exactly is a breathwork practitioner and transformation expert? Can you tell us a little bit more about that? Ali: Yeah. Well, I'm just so excited to be back here with you. Can I just say when you said about 100 episodes, I had such a reflective moment as we were sitting here? I'm like, “Wow. 100 episodes.” Thinking about how much both of us have evolved and grown and shifted, I feel like that's so important to start with because as mothers, I feel like we don't necessarily get that time to reflect and look at our growth and look at our evolution. So much of doing that allows us to continue to move forward. I've learned so much in my journey. It's not only the healing work around it but the true reflection and celebration of, “Wow. Look how far I've come.” Yeah. I first came to you guys. I was listening to the VBAC podcast. I was pregnant with Amelia almost five and a half years, almost six years ago. She's five and a half. It's crazy. I was listening to your podcast and I had my C-section with her. I started listening to The VBAC Podcast to start to understand what was possible and what I could do, then 2020 came and I had Arlee, my second daughter. I had my VBAC in the hospital and then as you said, moving forward into 2022 and having my son and my first HBAC which is a home birth. It's so cool. You said about 100 episodes and it's so cool. It's like, “Wow.” Think about that and the time and evolution even with your podcast and what you guys were doing what you are doing now and when I met you guys and when we first connected, getting to share my story then and then coming here. So I just think it's really cool to start with that first, right? The journey before we talk about what are these “titles” that we all have. I feel like it's so much more important and so much juicer. You just feel it so much more when you hear, “Hey, yeah. Okay. This is what people call me, but really at the end of the day, what's the journey? What's the story?” That's how we are going to support each other, help each other, and be of service. So hi, everyone. I'm Ali Levine. If you don't know me, go back and listen to, of course, my other stories. I'm so excited to be here. A certified breathwork practitioner is someone who, of course, is certified in the work of breathwork. Breathwork is regulating your nervous system through different types of exercises. When people hear regulating their nervous system, some people don't even know what that means. To break it down really simply, basically think about visually that you have almost this computer in the bottom of your body that is sitting like this hard drive. Think of your whole body as a computer and the hard drive is sitting basically at the bottom, kind of near your womb space and kind of near your stomach in the lower area, okay? It's sitting there. It gets filled up consistently with files and junk and stories and limiting beliefs and people around us, family, friends, all of the things and our own things. It all fills up. Meagan: As it does every day. Ali: Every single day, every single moment. It's just the way that life is. What happens is that system basically moves into a disregulated system. Speaking of birth, when we talk about having a baby and when our baby is first born, of course, they take their first breath when they actually enter this world earthside. If you look at your baby and you watch how they breathe, they breathe from their stomach to their chest deeply and out. That is a sign of a parasympathetic nervous system which is the true homeostasis of how we enter into this world. It is a rest and digest place. Most of us are not in that state anymore. We are in a sympathetic nervous system. So when we speak to breathwork, we are moving ourselves back from that reactionary state of that fight, flight, or freeze, that triggered state that happens continuously and moves us back into the flow of how we came into this world which is so perfect of course speaking to birth and what you talk about on the podcast. When you think about that and you think about that flow and how that feels in the body, and you start to come back to that rest, that's what breathwork does at a very basic level. That's what is means to regulate your nervous system. The basic benefits of breathwork are just allowing the nervousness to fall off– anxiety, depression, sadness, and stress. It gives you better sleep. It builds up your immune system. It builds up your gut health and all of these things because you are bringing more oxygen into the body and then you do it on a normal basis. We are all breathing, of course, because we have to breathe to be here on the planet, but we are not actually consciously breathing so what breathwork does and what it means is that not only regulating your nervous system, but you are allowing different types of breathwork exercises which is what I guide you in being certified in this work and trauma-informed. I take you through different exercises through your nose and through your mouth. Maybe if we have time, we will do a quick one so that people can experience it. Meagan: Yay!There are different ways of doing it and there are all different types of breaths that will lead you. It can be anywhere from literally two minutes to an hour getting into a full meditation. When you do this practice over and over again, you start to notice that not only do you start to release everything that you are holding consciously or unconsciously, but you do start to notice the benefits that I spoke to. What I like to say is that I help people, especially mothers and women, shift from lower states of consciousness to higher states of consciousness. You go from that triggered state, that reactionary state into actual authenticity of who you are as a soul, more peace, more love, and more calm and you are able to show up better as a mother, as a partner, and all of the things that you do in your job or whatever it may be. That is where my heart is. When we say “practitioner”, some say “facilitator”. Some say “practitioner”. Practitioner for me speaks more to my soul because it is more about the practice, the art, and the modality, versus facilitating the space. Of course, I do both, but I feel like I allow and open that up. It's where I shine and help my clients. The intuitive peace of styling as you know, when we first met, I had been a celebrity wardrobe stylist for many years and I rebranded after my motherhood journey and postpartum depression and all of the things I went through. The intuitive is more tapping into what I learned from my own journey of what really feels good on you versus the trends. What really feels good on the body because it's all connected– mind, body, and soul. Even when we start the day, even if we are in our sweats as a busy mother, it's being conscious of, “Maybe I don't want to wear that gray t-shirt because I'm going to notice that my mood actually shifts.” Helping people get conscious in their closet and understand that there is a frequency to everything. Everything is energy so what you put on in and out is so important. Hence, intuitive stylist. And then of course, that brings us to transformation. The more you do this and embody this work and allow that surrender, you can move into actual transformation which is what I love to help people with because I've gone through my own transformations over and over again. Meagan: Yes. I love that so, so, so much. You had written in your bio, “You help your clients breathe through their closet to tap into the design of their soul and come home to themselves through the wardrobe of their dreams”. That's so cool. Ali: Thank you. Meagan: I just love it. I just love it. I love it so much. Thank you so much for breaking it down and explaining because it's like, “Okay, breathwork practitioner. What is that?” You know? Just  hearing you, I can hear your energy and I can just feel it. Oh, I could just feel it from you. I can see it. I mean, they can't see you but I can see you. I can just see it and feel it. Oh, I'm so excited to dive into this episode. Review of the WeekMeagan: But of course, we have a Review of the Week, so I'm going to hurry and do that before we jump right in. Okay, it's not a super long one, but it is by kchidster. It says, “Amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This podcast was my saving grace. Could not have had my VBAC without these ladies and their stories of encouragement and wisdom. A must-listen to anyone wanting to TOLAC.” If you are new to this podcast, that is a trial of labor after a Cesarean. It says, “Keep up the great work. I thoroughly enjoy listening. Ladies, we can do hard things.” I could not agree more. Women of Strength, you can do hard things. There are sometimes things that sound impossible or feel impossible and like Ali was saying, maybe our compartment is on overdrive. We've got too much going on and we need to get things going and start working through our breathwork and finding ourselves again, but it is possible. It is 100% possible. Ali's stories Meagan: Okay, darling. Oh my gosh, I mean, you just spoke for three minutes maybe and I'm like, “Ahh, let's just keep hearing from you,” so I'm going to turn the time over. Ali: All right, cool. Well, thank you. I'm so excited to get to share this journey. So where do we want to begin? Should we start going back? Meagan: Your HBAC, yeah.Ali: Okay, my HBAC. Yeah, okay. Meagan: Well, and if you want to re-highlight a little bit, if you want to hear the full story, episode 166 is the full episode, but why don't you talk about like we were saying at the beginning, the journey through 100 episodes, but there was a journey before that too, so touch on all of the journey. Ali: Okay, cool. All right, well thank you. Yeah. I mean like you said, I love that review that came in of how you can do hard things. I think so much, especially as mothers or mothers-to-be, we can get so in our minds. We can get so in the limiting beliefs and like, “Oh, I can't do that or I won't be able to,” or we are told by someone that it won't happen. It can't happen. But guess what the most amazing thing is? We are divinely created this way so when we can get out of those limiting beliefs, when we can get out of the mind which is why breathwork is so, so powerful, we get into the wisdom of the body and we can actually listen and receive our body.Then we recognize, “Oh, actually, I can do this and more,” which is why obviously, people who are listening to The VBAC Podcast are having these amazing VBACs. Same with my story, it was like, hey. I had a C-section five and a half years ago back in 2018 with my first daughter. It was quite a traumatic birth. 42 hours led to a C-section. I wanted to have a natural birth with a midwife at a birth center. It didn't work out that way. She didn't progress. You can go back and hear the whole story, but I didn't progress. Didn't happen. Fast forward and I had the C-section. Then after that happened, I went through a pretty heavy postpartum depression journey. After finding myself all over again, or a new version of Ali, and reinventing myself and finding that empowerment and that freedom and all of the work I had to do, meditation, affirmations, prayer, and all of that led me to breathwork. That was where my next journey began. Breathwork really started to change my life in how I showed up, how I viewed my body, how I viewed my story, my baby, and my motherhood journey. It went from being a very dark place to a very bright place and seeing that there was healing within that. There were lessons within that first birth. There were all of these things to learn. I think that's important to say, Meagan, because I feel like I personally, and I'm sure many other mothers can agree, shamed myself and they guilt themselves through what I could have done, what I should have done. They play the victim mode.I was blaming everybody around me– my parent, my friends, this person, that person. We can blame all we want and we can have all of this shame and this guilt, but it doesn't actually do anything for us. It actually debilitates us from moving forward. So the more we heal that space and then also see it as, “I had lessons to learn here. There was growth here. There was evolution,” which is what I had to do in my own healing work and really move myself out of the victim to the victor in my life. Move myself out of the victim mode in saying, “I'm going to blame you. I'm going to blame you,” and take full responsibility because, at the end of the day, we have to be responsible for ourselves and say, “Okay. I chose to listen to stories. I chose to take on the noise that came to me,” instead of creating sacred boundaries and understanding that I do have the wisdom. I do have the knowing. So that's what led me to you guys and listening to your podcast and then finding a chiropractor for my second pregnancy with my daughter to finding a doula who helped me advocate for myself and understand that I could ask those hard questions to help me fire my doctor who told me I couldn't have my VBAC. I'm putting quotes because they love to tell you that you can't do this. And then, of course, this is not medical advice, but advocate for yourself. Ask the question, “Why can't I? What is it?” For me, it was literally just someone who saw me as “You had the C-section, you're always going to be a C-section.” I wasn't willing to say yes to that. I wanted a VBAC. I wanted to advocate for myself and luckily, in having those sacred boundaries and having the empowerment and healing I had done, I was then able to move into 2020 and have my second daughter and have a VBAC. During that time, obviously, we all know what went on in the world during 2020. It was a crazy, crazy, traumatic time to say the least. I was also living in California at the time so it was extra crazy. I now live in Tennessee, but I was living in California at the time. The fear, the limiting beliefs, and everything started coming back up for me. I thought all of the healing work I had done was handled. It wasn't. It all bubbled back up when 2020 came. I say that because I think the healing journey also is an evolution of the continuous peeling back of the onion. We have to understand. We have to be willing to peel back the layers to continue to heal and feel and move through. So long story short, it was crazy at that time and everything was coming up. That's where breathwork really, profoundly showed up in my life. I was struggling with meditation, my affirmations, and my mindfulness work because there was so much going on. I couldn't get out of my head no matter what I did. It was really frustrating to me. I was like, “Oh my gosh. I've done so much work. Why is this not working?” I surrendered to breathwork and I allowed myself to start to let my body show me what it needs to release. So when we speak to that, again, regulating the nervous system, I always tell my clients and anyone I come in contact with that I believe the nervous system doesn't lie. The mind, the ego, and our personality love to tell us stories and give us different junk and the monkey mind will go on and on, but the body doesn't lie. The body will tell you if you have a pain that comes up. The body will tell you if there is a sensation that is coming up. Something is going on. It's speaking to you. The same thing with breathwork. When we regulate the nervous system, things come up whether it be emotions, breakdowns, feeling more intensity in the body, or whatever it is, it's meant to be released. We're not meant to hold it. Everything like you said before, gets junked up and it is meant to come up. The more I recognized when I was doing the breathwork when I was pregnant in 2020 and I would do it, I would have a breakdown, but I would move into another breakthrough. It kept happening and happening. Fast forward to having Arlee in the hospital and basically, she got stuck at the end during my VBAC after labor had gone well. All the things had gone well. She got stuck. I looked at my husband and I said, “I need my earbuds.” I put them in my ears and I basically started doing a whole fear release, breathwork, and meditation, and there she came. There is a lot more to it but of course, you guys can go back and listen. I bring that up because that was the beginning of the journey for me in understanding how much the body has that wisdom and that we can get so stuck in a moment and get triggered or freeze or fight and flight instead of just allowing and surrendering to what's actually happening. That's what then led to having my son at home in 2022. After having my daughter in such a crazy time and a world being told that a VBAC wouldn't happen and it did, and then moving into more of my healing journey and becoming certified in breathwork because that moment solidified it for me to decide to get certified and learn the work and why it was so powerful and transformational. So then I continued on that journey. I started helping people breathe and then I got pregnant with my son. In 2022, I went to my husband and said, “I really want to have a home birth.” He was a little like, “Are you sure? Are you sure?” I was like, “Yes. I am sure. I had my VBAC. I know I can do it. I really want to.” It was something I always envisioned myself having, but again, I had many people come up in my life who did not want to see that going on or different things happening. I honestly had to make really sacred boundaries to the point where I didn't share most of my birth and what I was doing with many people, even those very close to me. I had to decide this time was sacred for my immediate family– my daughters, my husband, and I– to go through this journey together whether someone respected it or understood it or not because it is our journey. I think it's really important to understand that whether you're newly pregnant or going to be pregnant or are in this journey of a VBAC, it really is your sacred space. Just like the sacred womb has your babe or babies, you need to also protect what's coming in and out. Breathwork helped me to do that over and over again. Every time something would come up that would maybe trigger me or upset me, I'd allow myself to feel it so I could heal it and move through it, but then I'd also recognize, “Okay, but I can also create sacred boundaries around this and make sure that it doesn't come up again because I've healed this and maybe it's something else that someone else isn't willing to heal or see the way I see.” We all have different journeys and of course, it's out of love. It's out of protection, but sometimes, again, the ego and that protection want to tell us you can't do these things and then you don't do the hard things. You don't push through. You don't move over to the next level and the next evolution which, for me, was allowing myself to go for this home birth at home. It was pretty wild because when I did go into labor with my son, I had two false starts at home. It was that prodromal labor that came in. I had that with Arlee, but not as intense as I had it with Abel here at home. It was so much so that my team came over both times because we were really, really sure and then it didn't happen. I felt like even that, Meagan, was a true surrender for me. I started getting in my mind and in my head of, “Oh, am I really going to be able to do this? Why is this happening?” I really had to go back to the breath and go back to my practices and say, “Release that. Release what you think. Release what's coming up from the other births. Release what you're scared of. Release the fear. Trust in that you can do this. There is a reason that you have felt you wanted to do this from the beginning. Go back to your knowing. Go back to your intuition.” I had to really work on that space when he wasn't actually coming and it was these false starts. And then I, of course, had my acupuncturist come the next day because I was like, “Okay. I need help to be relaxed.” Something I've learned so much in my journey too is that we are meant to have support, especially as mothers and especially when we're pregnant. We're meant to have a village around us who can see our vision and who can support our vision as safe and as best as possible. You find the people around you who can help you in these modalities and support you in healing and in relaxation, so I had my massage therapist come and really relax my body. I had my acupuncturist come to work on me and give me the needles not only to help stimulate natural labor, but just to relax the body so I could get deeper in my breath and deeper in my visualization and allow myself to be at peace versus in the monkey mind that was coming up because it was. I tell my clients all the time that just because I'm certified in this work, I'm still human. Meagan: Absolutely. Yeah. Really. I mean, I was a doula with my VBAC after two C-sections, but I didn't think, “Oh. I'm having all of this back labor. I bet my baby is posterior.” It literally just went over my head. I was in my space and that's why you have a team. Ali: Yeah. That's why you have a team. That's why you find the extra support and you invest in yourself and you say, “This is important” to be able to help me be able to go through what I'm going through because you're not meant to do it alone. You're really not. I know as mothers, we know we can do it all and we absolutely can, but it's usually to our detriment. I say that over and over again. I can, but why should I if I can actually have support and I can actually lean into that and allow that to have more space for myself and to be able to show up better for my husband and for my kids, for my work, for my clients, and for all of the things that I do versus exhausting myself and then having nothing left and not being able to show up at all? Because then I'm not serving anyone nor serving myself. Right? Meagan: Right. Ali: I say that because I needed to reach out and say that I needed to help my acupuncturist come and help me relax. I need to get the massage to let my body just chill. I need to go back to my chiropractor again during the week and let her work on my hips again. She was so funny. She was feeling me. She was like, “Oh my god.” We didn't know what I was having this time. It was a surprise gender. She said, “The baby is so low. I just don't know how the baby is not here.” I was like, “I don't know.” She was like, “Seriously. Let go. Whatever you are holding, let go.” I didn't know what that was until I had the different people that I worked with help me move through and my doula sit with me and be like, “Okay, what is it?” A lot of it was birth processing. It was going back to Arlee's birth and understanding that there was a journey there and that last moment where she did get stuck and what that felt like and what that looked like and that out-of-body experience that happened. Processing that and, “Okay, if this happens again in a different way, will you be able to move through this?” All of these things came up that needed to be seen. I think it's important where we understand the difference between getting locked into the fear of what could happen versus the reality of the different things that can happen and seeing them so we can see them and release that fear. There is a big difference between creating the story and making it your own. It's actually seeing something and allowing it to go because I think a lot of times between the motherhood community and then also, I see in the spiritual community from being in breathwork, there is a lot of bypassing that happens. It's like, “Okay, now I see it but I'm just going to shift it.” It's like, “No, no, no,  no, no.” We still have to experience a piece of it. We still have to heal it and realize what's coming up. We don't have to get stuck in it. It's like I tell everybody. You are not your feelings. Feelings come up. They are meant to move through. They are meant to be felt and they are meant to be released. We are not meant to become them. When we become them and embody them, then it's, “I have this issue. I have this diagnosis. I have this.” Meagan: Versus, “I feel.”Ali: Exactly. It's, “I feel this. I feel that. This is how I'm going to work to move through that or fix that or whatever it may be.” Of course, there are different extremes in that, but I think so many times where we get stuck whether it's a basic issue or an extreme issue, we do add on to that because we are such good storytellers and we create these stories over and over again and then we start to believe them. I know in my postpartum depression journey, I kept telling myself so many things about my body that were wrong with it, and the next thing I knew, I had massive cystic acne. My body was inflaming and everybody was like, “It's been months since you had your baby. What is going on?” Nobody could figure it out on the medical side. Then on the holistic side, it was like, “Let's get to the root of the trauma that's happening. What's going on?” When we started doing that, my face started to heal. My body stopped inflaming and it was like, “Holy crap. I did this. I told myself all of these stories.” Your body and your cells are always listening and it literally manifested it which is why again, breathwork is so powerful because it is in the body and you release it out. You release the trauma. You release the emotions, the feelings, and everything that is stuck so you can move through. It's a real understanding that it's not about bypassing, but it's also not about becoming it and embodying it. You want to embody what you actually want to have in versus what you're afraid of. Meagan: Yeah. So many people in our community are afraid. We are afraid. I was afraid. Ali: So was I. Meagan: Right? Especially when I did have people saying. I had some big naysayers. Then to what you were saying when your doula was like, “Well, what's going on? What do you need? What's going on in there?” and your chiropractor. All I could think when I was in labor is what my provider had said to me years ago in the OR but I wasn't saying that. Ali: Sure. Meagan: I was holding it down. Yeah. Ali: Yeah, exactly. Sometimes we can't communicate what we're holding. We just feel that we are holding which is why again, breathwork has been so transformational in my life and so many clients that I have worked with. They'll say that to me. They're like, “But I'm not holding anything.” We'll do a breathwork session and they're hysterical. They're like, “I don't even know why I'm crying.” Meagan: You released it. Ali: Right. You don't have to put a story to it. You released it. Guess what? Later on, the mind is going to catch up and you will know why you are crying. But right now, it's about the fact that you just allowed the release. You let it go so now you can flow and you can receive more. This is in every area of our lives, not just motherhood. It's so obviously important when it comes to birth and the work and everything that we do because we do hold so much. Fear is something that does come up through all of this. I experienced it with my VBAC through my daughter, Arlee. Obviously, she got stuck. Now we're going to go into the story of Abel. I said that I had the two false starts that were happening. I did a lot of work around that and then finally, I went into labor the next morning. This was something funny. I went into labor on September 11th and– this sounds terrible but it is just so true. I woke up in the morning and I looked at my husband and I said, “There's no way I'm having a baby on September 11th. I'm not in labor.” Right? I mean. Meagan: Yeah. You're like, “I don't want to have a baby on September 11th. That's not a great day that people remember.” Ali: Right, so I was like, “No way. It's got to be false.” He was like, “What?” I was like, “I'm going back to sleep.” I put my heating pad literally up to a 10 and went back to sleep. I jumped up not even 20 minutes later bouncing like I was on a trampoline, but I wasn't. I was like, “Oh, this is not a false start. This is not false.” I was really, really, feeling it. I was really in my mind. I was really in the adrenaline. Immediately, I had to take deep breaths and calm myself down. I got in the tub. I started doing my deep breathing. I started regulating myself and I started noticing, “Okay, yeah. No. This is the real deal. This is my third rodeo in this.” I knew my body. This was definitely it. My husband called. He was like, “Do you want me to call the midwife? Do you want me to call your doula?” I, of course, was hesitant because I was fearful that it wasn't real even though I knew it was. I was still fearful because they had come twice already. I was like, “I don't know. I don't know.” Then when I was really feeling it, I was like, “No, no, no. You need to call. Yeah, no, no. You need to call.” I was clenching and doing the breaths like, “Okay. It's getting intense.” She came over and she checked me. She was like, “This is the real deal. Baby is coming.” I was like, “Okay.” It was funny. She was so smart because she knew me and how I got in my head. I was like, “How far along am I?” She was like, “I'm not going to tell you. I'm going to Dustin and I'm going to tell the team,” but because I had the false starts before and I hadn't gotten very far, she recognized. I was very grateful for that because that was a fear and a lock that kept happening. She was like, “I'm not going to tell you. I just want you to know that baby is on its way. You're doing great and we're going to just keep going.” Now, it's funny because she told me, of course, weeks later when we processed our birth, “By the way, you were at a 10 right from the beginning.” Meagan: What?!Ali: So I had apparently, from going back to sleep and the whole thing and everything, I had progressed so quickly but because I had psyched myself out and I say this because this is how powerful our minds are, ladies. We can psych ourselves out of something happening good or bad or indifferent and don't know it until it's actually happening. When she told me that weeks later, I was like, “Wait, what do you mean, Kelsey?” She was like, “No, you were at a full-blown at a 10, but you weren't ready mind-wise. You were still up there and you hadn't fully surrendered to your body yet. I wasn't going to tell you because I didn't want you to get stuck again.” I was like, “Wow.”That was a whole other mind-blowing emoji. It was like, “Wait. This mind/body/soul connection. I already knew this was real, but this was a whole other level of connection like, “Wow. This is happening.” So then it honestly was several hours that I still had to go through deep labor to allow him to come down and come through even though I was fully progressed. He still had to make his way through. I was in my tub for quite some time. I moved into the birth tub after doing a lot of walking and birth ball work and a lot of holding myself in the hallway just stretching and trying to let myself let baby come down. We did some walks around the backyard and just more and more movement. We did a little bit on my bed of the side-lying because it was really about just letting him move down and move through. Then when he was getting closer, she was like, “All right. I think it's time that we get into the birthtub. We can start getting ready to push when you're ready.” You feel it naturally which also was a mind thing for me. I had to keep deep breathing and getting into my breath exercises because I started getting into the mind of, “Oh, do I feel the push? Do I push? Do I not push?” I feel like that's all just something with the VBAC is that you've had a C-section so you don't really know how to push and that was the thing I learned with Arlee, but then I still had to learn with Abel. It was like, “Oh. Okay. There's more pushing here but it's natural.” It's when you feel it, not just push to push. That was also something that when I got more and more of the deep breathing and more and more of the surrender in the tub, I started feeling it. I was like, “Okay. I feel him.” She was like, “Okay. Whenever you feel him, go and push.” Or actually feel the baby because I didn't know what I was having. She was like, “Push.” I kept pushing.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  She was like, “Push.” So I kept pushing and pushing. Then I guess at that point, she had the mirror in the tub and she could see he was coming, but she said that she knew something was going on because there was a little bit of turtling that was happening which is when the head starts to go back. Something was going on, so she said very calmly, “All right. We're going to get you out of the tub. I know you want to be in the tub, but we're going to get out of the tub.” They put me on the couch in my living room that was there in the room because that's where I was giving birth. She was like, “Okay. I'm going to put you on all fours and move you around. I need you to just let me move your body.” That was a whole other surrender for me of not being in control of what I should do and literally just allowing myself to be loose and let myself be moved and maneuvered how they needed to to help me bring the baby forward. Fast forward, we did that for a little bit and then he crowned. That was at 7:30 that night. I had gone into labor at 10:00 AM that morning. It was a long time. It was a long progression. When he crowned, she saw more of the turtling, so I guess she then let my husband and my doula and everyone know, “Hey, if things become a little bit more intense, we may have to transfer. We're not there yet, but I just want to make everybody aware of what's happening.” Of course, without letting me know and keeping me calm which I very much appreciated. She said, “Okay. We're going to move you more and we're going to readjust your legs.” They had put my left leg up on the couch to one side and my right leg down a little bit more kind of in a funky position. But I mean to spread me. She said that she needed to use her fingers almost like finger forceps to push down to let him push down further. So she was like, “Okay, we're going to spread you so I can push down and put pressure.” You tell me, of course, if you're comfortable, but I need to push down to give you more space to push through. I just remembered in that moment, I started feeling the fear like you spoke to coming back up. It was like, “Oh my gosh. What's going on? Why is he not here? His head is here. Holy crap. What's happening?” I had to immediately let that go and say, “Okay.” I started praying. I started surrendering and I just started breathing so deeply and so loudly into my body and just saying, “Allow me to further surrender. Whatever this is, allow me to release it.” As I did, then she said, “Okay. One more push.” I pushed and there he came. She said when I was doing that, and I couldn't see because my head was down, she said that my other midwife was actually unlocking his shoulder that had gotten stuck with a dystocia. She moved and unlocked on the left side and then he came right through. Meagan: Wow. Ali: Yeah. It was quite surreal when all that had played out and then there he was. She brought him over to me and even in that moment, I noticed how powerful the breath was then too because of course, for anyone who has had a home birth, knows that it's all about them naturally taking their first breath. Of course, they have everything they need to help them, but they want them to do it naturally. That was another trusting moment for me too. He was lying there and he was like, “Just start talking to him. Just start letting him know you are here. By the way, it was a boy. It was like, “Oh my god. It's a boy.” I had two girls, you know. I was like, “Hi, baby. I'm your mama. I'm here. Come to me earthside,” and just speaking to him. He took his first breath, but even in that moment, it was remaining in that surrender and that trust of, “He's here. He's fine. He's well and he's going to naturally take his first breath and be here with you.” So all of it was such a transformational experience. I recognize too, Meagan, when after having the reflection and meeting back up with my midwife, Kelsey, that wow. There was work, obviously, that I still needed to heal from, and the fact that he got stuck again. It wasn't the same way that Arlee did, but still, there was that moment of getting stuck. Thank God I had a great team which is why you obviously check who your team is, who was able to recognize everything that was going on, make sure everything was safe, and there wasn't an emergency, but I even think about that now and reflect telling you this story. I'm like, “Wow.” It makes me wonder what I was holding because I still am processing that. Meagan: Yeah. That's what is so crazy. You were talking about how you released, but then there is still stuff you hold onto, but you released. Sometimes you don't know or you don't recognize that you're holding onto anything until you're in the moment. Ali: Oh yes. Oh yes. Meagan: Right? Ali: That's where it all comes up. That's the final test, am I really going to trust and go through it? The only way through is in and through. It's like, am I really going to go in to allow this or am I going to come back to that comfort of like, “Oh, but I was fine here.” It's like, no, you've got to take that next step. It's really having faith and not seeing it but believing it. Meagan: Absolutely. I feel like having faith and taking those steps is what brought your baby there. Ali: Absolutely. Meagan: At home, in the manner that he came. It's hard. It's really hard. We're so vulnerable. Ali: We're so vulnerable. Meagan: It's really hard. What tips could you maybe give someone who tends to pull back maybe and not take the dive in? Ali: Definitely. Absolutely. I think first off just really becoming clear with yourself. Knowing your own why of why you want something and what that looks like to you and understanding that of course, things can change, but overall, what is the why, and how are you going to allow yourself to move into that? You don't have to figure out the how because really, once you figure out your why and your true heart-set like, “This is what I want to do,” and you trust it and you let the body receive that, the how figures itself out. Everything else will show up. I really believe that. But you have to first understand why it is so important for me to do this. And then also, the trust. The trust is such an important piece moving from what you want because everything is based around that trust. If you don't have that trust and that faith, then you are going to get stuck in the fear. You are going to get stuck in the stories and the limited beliefs and the people and the things that are said to you is going to combine onto you. If you are someone who does that naturally, then create sacred boundaries from the get-go. Immediately, as soon as you are pregnant, and even me, I didn't tell people my due date because I'm like, "It's a due date.” I'm so sick of people asking me, “When are you due?” I'll let you know when the baby is here. Stop asking. People don't realize that makes you so crazy because you are already like, “Why isn't the baby here? What's going on?” Then you go back and start tightening in your body. If you need to create sacred boundaries and not give your due date to people that you know are going to continuously ask, then give them, “Okay. It's around this month and it's around this time.” Make sure they honor that and understand that. If you need to put certain people on mute, if you need to block certain people, you really need to think about your sacred space of how you're going to set this up that you feel good going into it, and then as things come up, you see them. You see what triggers come up and you allow yourself to heal them, but you don't white-knuckle your way through and get tense. You allow yourself to surrender more. You allow yourself to have more faith and more trust. There's a reason why this vision is on your heart. You, of course, understand that things can change and you need to be open to that as best as possible, but I just think that it's such an important piece. That's how we embody this. That's what I speak to in breathwork is embodying the work. Understanding that it's not just saying it, but it's truly feeling it in your body and then doing everything from how the body feels. Like I said before, your body always knows. We feel everything, so if your body feels that something is off because somebody tells you something and it doesn't feel true to you that you're projecting a limiting belief on you or a fear, but your body is saying, “No, that doesn't feel good to me,” then listen to your body and trust yourself. Don't listen to what somebody else is saying. Ask your body. Ask your soul. Is this still a yes from me? Is this still what I want or is this someone else's projection? Listen to your body. Your body knows. It's a divine channel. It is the messenger. Meagan: Yes. I feel like so many times, okay. VBAC. Your heart—actually, I'm going to give you an example of a client of mine. She just called me the other day. She was like, “I had a baby.” She had a traumatic Cesarean. She was like, “From the get-go. I knew I wanted an out-of-hospital birth. That's what I wanted.” She was like, “But now, all of a sudden, everything is making me question. I don't know if I can commit to an out-of-hospital. Should I? Is it too dangerous?” She was spiraling and getting the monkey brain. Ali: We do. We spiral. Meagan: We go from branch to branch to branch. We just hop all over. That's really, really difficult. I love that you said that. Something that you said earlier and you just said it again. I don't know why, but it made me think of Frozen, the movie. “Conceal, don't feel.” When we're concealing things, we're not feeling things. You said, “Feel so you can heal.” I just love that so much. Don't conceal and not feel. Feel so that you can heal. Ali: Feel it to heal it. That's how you can shift it. I tell people when my clients will say to me, “Oh, this trigger came up so I guess I'm not healed.” I'm like, “No, no, no, no, no. This healing is an ever-evolving journey. This trigger came up to see what isn't healed still, so now let's work through that and move through that. Don't shame yourself because that came up. We're all human. We're going to have things come up that are going to do that, but let's feel it so we can heal it. Let's not get stuck in it. Let's not conceal it. Let's not hide it. Let's not pretend it's there.” We've been doing it for centuries and it's not working by the way. Actually feel it so that we can heal it and trust our body. This is where then when we regulate our nervous system and we allow ourselves to actually feel to heal, then we actually recognize, “Oh, the body is telling me something. Oh, the body is saying, ‘I do want to do this at home.' Oh, the body is saying, ‘I don't believe what you are telling me. That's your limiting belief. I know what I believe. I know what I feel.'” I had tons of that. So many people say, “Oh, do you think you could do a VBAC? You had that crazy C-section. Oh, do you think you could do a home birth because you had a vacuum assist at the hospital?” All of the things, but it's like, yes. You can. If you feel the wisdom in your body and you know, listen to your body. I ask my body everything now. Literally, when someone reaches out to do a podcast, I ask myself, “What does that feel like in the body? Do I want to do this? Do I not?” These are the sacred boundaries I speak to of you understanding your own wisdom. We all have it divinely within us, especially as mothers and mothers-to-be. We are divinely created not only to create but we are designed to feel in order to create. So understand that it is something within you and no one can take it from you unless you give it away, so don't give away your power. Meagan: Don't give away your power. I love that. Yes. It's so weird how this sometimes on the podcast where they all connect, but the story last week where it was like, everybody was saying no. No, no, no, but she was like, “No. I feel this. I know I can do this.” Ali: I know. I know. Meagan: I know. Even in a very similar way, I felt it when I went to all of these providers. “No, but I deeply feel this. I do.” Ali: That's your inner wisdom. You know your intuition is saying, “Yes, yes, yes,” and you have to trust that over when someone tells you, “No,” because they don't know what you're feeling. Only you know what you're feeling in your body and this is when we have to get out of the mind because the mind will tell us tricks all day long. The mind will tell us to conceal. It will try to protect us. It will give us all of these stories. Like you said, the monkey mind of moving around. We have to get into the body and understand that is where we find the wisdom. So anyone, whether you do breathwork or not, find what works for you in your body that's going to allow you to move into that space of being in the spiral and in the constant dysregulated system into a regulated system where I can receive the divine wisdom that is within me and I can have the faith and the trust to surrender to this process because guess what? If I can do it, you can do it. Meagan: Right. Something else that you had said earlier and again, just touched on now that stands out to me is that it's okay to serve ourselves with the people that we feel safe with and sometimes I feel like in our community, we put restrictions on ourselves like, “I don't need to have a chiropractor. I don't need to do that or I can't do that.” I've heard people say, “I don't want to be too selfish. I don't want to have all of the people because I don't want to be selfish,” especially because it's financially daunting. Ali: Sure. Of course. Meagan: This is okay for you to do. Women of Strength, it's okay for you to bring your village in. Ali: Yes, and also too, that's another limiting belief. “I can't do this. I can't afford this. I can't.” That was such a shift for me even in the entrepreneur workspace of getting out of the “I can't” and being like, “No, I can. I am worthy of this. I am abundant. I am creative.” When you move into that, you start to feel it and then your body starts to receive it. What's really cool too is that everything is energy so if we think about our emotions as energy that's always flowing, then your mind doesn't actually know the difference between if something is actually happening or it's happened because this is how our mind gets so crazy which is why limiting beliefs come into play. I say this because if you keep saying things like, “I am worthy. I am going to have this VBAC,” and you keep telling yourself it, your mind will start to believe it and then you already know it in the body, and guess what? Mind, body, and soul all start to sync up, and then now, things have shifted. It's like, again, going back to the beginning of what we said, Meagan, don't embody what you're feeling. Embody what you want and what you already have that you know you are walking into. Make the shift. Trust in it and everything else will show up behind it, but you have to take the leap of faith. Meagan: You have to. You have to. Oh my gosh. I feel like we could talk for hours. We probably just need to do another whole episode. But oh my gosh, okay. So a couple of exciting things. One, obviously you have some social media that everyone needs to check out, and then two, you have an app. Ali: I do. I have my own app. Meagan: You have an app! Ali: I do. Thank you. Yes, I wanted everyone, especially mothers and women and even kids—I have a whole kids section. I wanted everyone to be able to use breathwork whether they go on a deep journey or they use it just for the basics in their lives to help them destress and get back to regulation. It's called Breathe and Be. B-R-E-A-T-H-E and then you can either type in and or the & and the letter B because it's all about breathing and being in your being because I really believe that when we allow ourselves to get into our being and our knowing, we come home to ourselves through the breath and that is what I want for everyone, especially mothers. So yeah. Download it on Google Play or the App Store. You'll find it and you'll see it right there. Meagan: It has a beautiful logo. It's white and blue with a B. Ali: It's very calm. Meagan: Yep. Yep. Ali: It's got everything. When you download it, there are a few free exercises that you can do just when you get into it and then I highly recommend subscribing for all access. I drop in all new intentions, all of my events I do online as well as in person if you are in Tennessee, affirmations, and all of the tools that I have used that have helped me on this wellness and this spiritual journey I've been on. I'm always dropping in new content to different breathwork exercises so like, the power of you, gratitude, helping you sleep, releasing anxiety, just all of the different ways of breathing that are going to help you regulate and shift out of these different states that we get into. So please join me. I have a community. There are two where I can talk to you. We can connect and message. Meagan: That's what I was going to say. There's a community. That's something I love. You go on and it says, “Begin, breathe, community.” It's like, sometimes we need that community. We need to have those people because sometimes, we may not have people in our circle who are our safe place. Ali: Right. Right, and that is supportive and the safe place and the sacred place is so needed. If you need that and this episode gave you a tug on your heart and you want to check it out or you want to get deeper in the journey, please subscribe and join me. I would love to have you and help you. And of course, you can work with me one-on-one. I do online sessions as well as virtual events, but I tell everyone that if you want to have Ali in your pocket, then download my app and check it out. Meagan: Absolutely. We will make sure to have the links for social media, your app, and all of that in the show notes. If you guys want to make it really easy on yourselves, just scroll to the show notes. Click the link and you will have Ali in your pocket in a snap. Ali: Awesome.ClosingWould you like to be a guest on the podcast? Tell us about your experience at thevbaclink.com/share. For more information on all things VBAC including online and in-person VBAC classes, The VBAC Link blog, and Meagan's bio, head over to thevbaclink.com. Congratulations on starting your journey of learning and discovery with The VBAC Link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vbac-link/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This week, on The Conscious Consultant Hour, Sam is pleased to welcome Certified Breathwork Facilitator, Celebrity & Intuitive Stylist, Speaker, and Transformation Expert, Ali Levine.Ali helps take her clients from their breakdowns to their breakthroughs. Embodying all that they are through their soul's purpose. Using her signature methodology of the ALI method, (awaken the light in you) Ali helps people shift to higher states of consciousness. Through the breath, exercises, meditations, and coaching, Ali's holds space and facilitates shifting your awareness and your own healing.   Ali is also the founder of the app Breathe & B - which takes you to awakening and allowing yourself to come home to yourself at a soul level. Also, as an intuitive stylist Ali helps her clients breathe through their closet, tap into the ‘design' of their soul. Ali recently walked away from Hollywood at the height of her career to support conscious women and those on their spiritual journey that she feels connected with most. Ali believes that styling has less to do with pretty clothes and more to do with embodying our soul's purpose! The tools that Ali uses include: breathwork, color education, visualization, mood boarding, and more.Tune in and join the conversation as Sam and Ali discuss all about how our breathe is the key to everything!Please comment on our YouTube channel, Facebook Page, LinkedIn Page, and even our Twitter feed. Join in and ask your questions live!www.alilevine.com www.Instagram.com/AliLevineDesign www.Facebook.com/AliLevineDesign www.Linkedin.com/AliLevineDesign www.Pinterest.com/AliLevineDesign www.tiktok.com/@alilevinedesignTune in for this enlightening conversation at TalkRadio.nycSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-conscious-consultant-hour8505/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Join us in this conversation with Ali Levine and explore breathwork, intuitive styling, and transformation.

In this episode I chat with Ali Levine (@alilevinedesign). Ali is your breathwork bestie that helps you wake up and embody through breathwork. In this episode we break down: Breathwork and regulating your nervous system Embodiment Postpartum depression   Ali is hosting a breathwork challenge! Sign up here   Interested in attending the upcoming Goddess Yoga Instructor Training weekend? Click here

“We breathe shallow because we're just surviving, but we want to thrive in our lives. So we need to take those deep conscious breaths and anchor in” - Ali LevineWe breathe every single second of the day.  Our breath is not only here to give oxygen to our body, it is also a very powerful vessel of healing and transformation. Join Alara Sage and Ali Levine as they explore the simple yet profound tool of the breath.In this episode you will learn:Breathwork is a powerful tool for healing and transformation.Conscious breathing allows us to access higher states of consciousness and receive divine guidance.Breathwork can be practiced in both intense sessions and as a daily tool for stress relief.Using affirmations while breathing can enhance the healing process.Breathwork empowers individuals to connect with their own bodies and access their own wisdom.Breathwork can be beneficial for children as well, promoting emotional regulation and connection.The activation for this episode was:Activating the creator being within youConnect with Ali:Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/AlilevinedesignBreathe And B App:Use coupon code is ALARA for 10% off https://buy.stripe.com/00g4gE6HG8qM5Z6aEL Join Ali's Breathwork Challenge:https://buy.stripe.com/5kA4gEgiggXicnu6ouWebsitewww.alilevine.comSupport the showReceive a FREE Free 22-page e-book Higher Mind Activating & Accessing Your Higher Mind Gain consistent and regular clarity in life. Connect to all aspects of Self = Wholeness. Connect into the "key of the Universe". Cultivate a relationship like no other. Activate Unity Consciousness. Videos and practices included https://www.alarasage.com/higher-mind-ebook Connect with Alara Sage Alara on Instagramhttps://www.instagram/alarasage Alara's websitehttps://www.alarasage.comDesire to work with Alara Sage? Sign Up Here!https://alarasage.as.me/connectioncall

In this captivating episode of "Upleveling Your Closet," we dive into the fascinating world of intuitive styling with Ali Levine. Join us as Ali shares her journey and the pivotal moment that led her to become an intuitive stylist. Discover the signs that indicate your clothes may not align with your true self and gain insights on how to transform your closet into a reflection of your authentic identity. Finally, Ali reveals her unique approach to organizing her day for optimal productivity and balance. Connect with Ali Levine: Website: www.alilevine.com Instagram.com: AliLevineDesign Facebook.com: AliLevineDesign Twitter.com: AliLevineDesign Linkedin.com: AliLevineDesign Pinterest.com: AliLevineDesign App: @awakeningwithali   Summer Organizing Challenge. Register today!  https://janetmtaylor.com/summer-organizing-challenge/ e-Course-Clear Your Desk, Clear Your Mind: https://www.udemy.com/course/clear-your-desk-clear-your-mind/?referralCode=0DD419607B4412066F49 Organizing Resources: Janet's Amazon Organizing Products Picks : https://www.amazon.com/shop/organizerjanet Affiliate Partners:  Audible: Get a FREE eBook and FREE 30-day trial from Audible www.audibletrial.com/doDBNy Ways You Can Support Our Podcast: Individuals: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/GCGOwithJanet    Businesses: https://www.shoutparty.com/shop/p/got-clutter-get-organized-with-janet       Connect with Janet: Schedule a FREE 15 Minute consultation: https://janetmtaylor.trafft.com/services/15-minute-session-with-janet      Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/livinglifetotallyorganized    Social Media Platforms: YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/janetmtaylor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janettheorganizer/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/janetmtaylor/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@janettheorganizer?lang=en                           --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/janetmtaylor/message

Self described as a Certified Breathwork Practitioner and Transformation Expert, Ali Levine sits down with Amy and Emily to discuss all things conscious breathing and exercises that will regulate both you (and even your children's) nervous systems. Ali teaches us the importance of bringing oxygen into your body, simply slowing down, and how these practices have changed every aspect of her life from her children to her birthing experiences. Ali escaped toxic industries, and now teaches other women the importance of not only breath work, but being true to who you are and to use your voice in everything you do. WATCH THE EPISODE: https://youtu.be/R8zg8CTaJ2k CONNECT WITH ALI LEVINE: On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alilevinedesign/  Breathwork App: https://www.instagram.com/breatheandbalilevine/ SUPPORT THE SHOW: Buy us a Cup of Coffee or Glass of Veuve: https://notyouraveragegungirls.com/shop/ Leave us a review, rate, and subscribe on your preferred listening platform FOLLOW YOUR HOSTS: Amy Robbins | Alexo Athletica @theamyrobbins | www.alexoathletica.com Emily Valentine | Style Me Tactical @stylemetactical | www.stylemetactical.com CONNECT WITH THE SHOW: Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook Subscribe on YouTube We would love it if you took a few minutes to leave us an iTunes review to help spread the word about Not Your Average Gun Girls. This will help us bring more women into our conversation and community.

Tune in as I talk about the importance of breathwork with Celebrity Stylist turned breathwork practitioner Ali Levine. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tina-marx/support

Join me for such a wonderful and informative chat with Ali Levine! Ali Levine is a certified breathwork Practitioner, Intuitive stylist, and Transformation Expert. Ali helps take her clients from their breakdowns to their breakthroughs. Embodying all that they are through their soul's purpose. Using her signature methodology of the ALI method, I help you shift from your lower vibrations to higher states of consciousness. Through the breath & certain exercises, meditations, divine coaching, Ali's holds space and facilitates your shifting, your awareness and even your own healing.  Ali will help you step into, surrender and awaken to your B.E.S.T. Self. (Breathe embody surrender transform)  Ali is also the founder of the app Breathe & B - which takes you from being plugged into the matrix to awakening and allowing you to be you fully and come home to yourself at a soul level.   Also, as an intuitive stylist Ali helps her clients breathe through their closet, tap into the ‘design' of their soul, and come home to themselves through the wardrobe of their dreams.  Throughout her career, Ali has styled countless well-known celebrities some of which include: Jesse McCartney, Joey King, Candace Bure, Scheana Shay, Lisa Vanderpump, Kearran Giovanni, Gretchen Rossi, supported networks like Nickelodeon, Bravo, E! been featured as a lifestyle expert on local & world wide new stations, red carpet events, and even starred in a Bravo show called, Stripped that aired in 2017-2018. Ali recently walked away from Hollywood at the height of her career to support conscious women & those on their spiritual journey that she has connected with most.   Find Ali here:  Creator & Founder of Breathe & B Download my app : https://apps.apple.com/us/app/breathe-and-b/id6446133046  ( also on google play)    www.alilevine.com Instagram.com/AliLevineDesign Facebook.com/AliLevineDesign Twitter.com/AliLevineDesign Linkedin.com/AliLevineDesign Pinterest.com/AliLevineDesign https://www.tiktok.com/@alilevinedesign

In this episode I chat with Ali Levine (@alilevinedesign). Ali Levine @alilevinedesign is a world renowned celebrity stylist & sought after TV & media personality. From dressing the most famous people in Hollywood & public figures around the world, in 2020 Ali started her own personal inner journey and became a certified Breathwork Facilitator & Coach. She is now a Celebrity Conscious Stylist, Sought After Media Personality, Author, Healer, & known for the deep work of Embodiment and Transformation. In this episode we chat about: Her journey to healing Trauma and how breathwork can help Consciousness and self awareness How to use breathwork in your life   I loved this episode! I hope you do too! If you enjoyed would love if you could rate and review!  Follow Ali - Click here Download her breathwork app - Click here

The post 283: Ali Levine – Awaken to your B.E.S.T. Self appeared first on Your Sacred Purpose.

Ali Levine @alilevinedesign is a world renowned celebrity stylist & sought after TV & media personality. From dressing the most famous people in Hollywood & public figures around the world, in 2020 Ali started her own personal inner journey and became a certified Breathwork Facilitator & Coach. She is now a Celebrity Conscious Stylist, Sought After Media Personality, Author, Healer, & known for the deep work of Embodiment and Transformation. To Watch this Episode- https://youtu.be/owUtahc6XdQ #whoknewinthemoment #Clothing #vanderpumprules #Alilevine

https://www.lucybyrdhope.com/ https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Daily-Alignment/Lucy-Byrd-Hope/9781637586594 https://www.canva.com/design/DAFYz8O1DRk/awfkSr3knA3ZQDe-UvmaMw/view?utm_content=DAFYz8O1DRk&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink She has a new book out in pre-sales now called Daily Alignment. (hits stores March 28: Target. Barnes & Noble, Walmart, BooksaMillion, and so much more). The book teaches people how to move from surviving to thriving with these eighty-five coping skills geared to help you build a foundation of healthy physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual habits. She speaks at Al-Anon, cancer centers, & many Mind Body Spirit Expos. This book is also fantastic for therapists to have on hand to teach clients more skills. The foreward was written by Celebrity TV Personality, healer, and breathwork facilitator Ali Levine. This book is fantastic for those coping with stress. anxiety, depression, and life dramas. March has World Bipolar Day, Self-Harm Awareness Day, National Reading Month. April has World Health Day, and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, all of which would flow with the timing of the book release on March 28.

Have you experienced a spiritual Awakening or Awakenings? My guest this week is Ali Levine, host of the podcast Awakening with Ali. She is an intuitive stylist, a breathwork practitioner, and a transformation expert who helps conscious women breathe, embody, surrender, and transform.Join us for a conversation about awakening, how to understand that it's happening, and the tools that can help you get through the experience. We also talk about the relationship between ourselves and colors, how to make a conscious choice to question things and change, and how breathwork yoga can be an incredible tool.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/163 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi loves! I am Ali Levine, a Conscious Stylist, Breathwork Practitioner, and Transformation Expert. I help my clients breathe through their closet, tap into the ‘design' of their soul, and come home to themselves through the wardrobe of their dreams. Whether you are in a full breathwork session with me, or getting conscious with your closet and wardrobe, I am bringing you to your B.E.S.T. self ( Breathe Embody Surrender Transform) Throughout my career, I have styled countless well-known celebrities supported networks like Nickelodeon, E!, Bravo, local new stations, and red carpet events, and even starred in a Bravo show called, Stripped that aired in 2017-2018. I recently walked away from Hollywood at the height of my career to support conscious women & mothers that I connected with most. I believe that styling has less to do with pretty clothes and more to do with embodying our soul's purpose! My signature process takes my clients through a self-discovery journey and transforms their closets into a place that is finally aligned with their authenticity, inside and out. Tools that I use include: breathwork, color education, visualization, mood boarding, and more. After working with me, my clients experience new energetic space to manifest their desires, joy, confidence, fulfillment, a badass wardrobe, and a sense of healing, that was disguised as my closet audit, which is always my secret weapon! My own inward journey led me to a very awakening and spiritual path and that's when I got the nudge from God to create Awakening with Ali as well as become certified in the Breath. Breathwork has changed my life and I have had my own soul transformation! Thanks for being here on this journey with me!

Ali Levine is a world renowned celebrity stylist and TV star personality from BRAVO TV. From dressing the most famous people in Hollywood & public figures around the world, in 2020 Ali started her own personal inner journey and became a certified Breathwork Facilitator & Coach. She is now a Celebrity Conscious Stylist, Sought After Media Personality , Healer, & known as a Transformation Expert. She is a mama of 3 and influencer of all things related to motherhood, wellness, spirituality and conscious living. Ali will help you not only transform from the inside & out but consciously design the life of your dreams. In this episode, we discuss: Ali's experience with getting to a dark place and not being able to find the light. Xanax and postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter. How she released trauma and allowed grief. The power of surrender and breath work in your practice. The importance of being conscious of what you're wearing. How to start embodying your future self. Connect with Ali: https://www.alilevine.com/ or @alilevinedesign ------------------------------------------------------------------- Connect with Robyn McKay! Ready to work with Robyn 1:1? Book a free consult at https://drrobynmckay.com/call Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robyn.mckay LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynmckay1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/dr.robynmckay Website: https://www.drrobynmckay.com/ Email: robyn@drrobynmckay.com Business Forecasting in the Akashic Records $1,997.00 90-min business intensive to uncover your business' next $100K. We'll look at what programs and services are best to offer in 2023; pricing and promotions, messaging and marketing. Also receive new money codes to expand your wealth consciousness. Enroll and pay right here: https://book.stripe.com/5kAaIpbAW2ukdDa7st

Ali Levine is a world renowned celebrity stylist & sought after TV & media personality. From dressing the most famous people in Hollywood & public figures around the world, in 2020 Ali started her own personal inner journey and became a certified Breathwork Facilitator & Coach. She is now a Celebrity Conscious Stylist, Sought After Media Personality, Author, Healer, & known for the deep work of Embodiment and Transformation. She is a mama of 3 and influencer of all things related to motherhood, wellness, spirituality and conscious living. Ali will help you not only transform from the inside & out but consciously design the life of your dreams!! In this episode, we discuss: ✨ What led Ali into the entertainment industry. ✨ Her journey with realizing that Hollywood was no longer in alignment for her. ✨ Ali as a 6/2 Generator and how she brings transformation into her work. ✨ Ali's "dark night of the soul"—how this showed up for her and how she navigated it. ✨ Ali's postpartum experience with both of her children. ✨ Breathwork and postpartum euphoria after a traumatic birth. ✨ Working through the trauma of her childhood. ✨ Waking up to your true potential and your soul purpose. Connect with Ali at https://www.alilevine.com or on Instagram @alilevinedesign Connect with Jess at www.loveyourwoo.com or on Instagram @loveyourwoo

From postpartum depression as a new mother to postpartum euphoria, today's guest, Ali Levine, knows what deep inner work looks like. She joins me in a collaborative conversation today to discuss the lows and highs as we learn to tap into trust, alignment, and sovereignty. Ali and I recorded this conversation days before the birth of her third child and a few weeks before my wedding. We decided to record this episode to be shared on both Your Woo Woo Best Friend and Ali's show, Awakening with Ali. Ali Levine is a breathwork specialist, a celebrity stylist, TV personality, and a transformation expert. She's a mother of three, helping women around the world tap into a higher frequency of being.  Ali is a master of moving her clients from breakdown to breakthrough, showing them how to shift both consciousness and confidence. Ali has styled thousands of celebrities and fashion industry leaders around the world. Between conscious styling, energy audits, and breathwork she's transforming individuals from the inside through a process that's uniquely her own. Ali lives by the mantra "confidence is your best accessory and authenticity is your superpower." In the episode, we discuss: Intention setting and learning to lean into divine timing  Getting comfortable in the “real” and showing up messy  Ali's experience as a celeb stylist and the moment she knew she was done with Hollywood What happened when Ali decided to share her true, vulnerable self versus her red-carpet self True surrender: shifting into an awareness that everything is happening for you  Ali's birth experience and how it reaffirmed her trust in the universe  Andi's experience moving to a small town on the Mediterranean coast and how it kick-started her meditation practice  Breaking free of the programming to find fulfillment and your soul calling Why Andi embraced the opportunity to go through Kundalini teacher training and how she's applying it to her corporate client work  How Andi stayed aligned with her mission when creating her Google Creators Youtube and Pinterest TV series Returning to your truth and connecting to your inner child  The process of shadow work and how to know when you've moved to a new timeline  How Ali found healing when she released fear and took responsibility for her decisions How to step into sovereignty, empowerment, and embodiment  Living by the mantra: what is for me will find me in divine timing    Learn more about Ali Levine by following her Instagram at @alilevinedesign. Check out our new show sponsor Magic Mind and get a limited-time 40% off the Magic Mind subscription & 20% off a one-time purchase offer with the discount code bestfriend20. Want to chat about this episode? Text me

On this Episode, number 246, of the “Just Bein' Honest Podcast”, my soul sister is HERE to breathe us through everything that may seem hard and rough at times... You've got this breakthrough to the lifestyle that you've always wanted - we are here to support you along your journey.Ali Levine is a world renowned celebrity stylist & sought after TV & media personality. From dressing the most famous people in Hollywood & public figures around the world, in 2020 Ali started her own personal inner journey and became a certified Breathwork Facilitator & Coach. She is now a Celebrity Conscious Stylist, Sought After Media Personality, Author, Healer, & known for the deep work of Embodiment and Transformation.She is a mama of 3 and influencer of all things related to motherhood, wellness, spirituality and conscious living. Ali will help you not only transform from the inside & out but consciously design the life of your dreams !!You're one breath away from Healing!!ALSO - The holiday season is upon us and let's give back instead of giving in to the landfills, eh? I would love to share some of our non-profits that we decided to have wedding guests donate to in lieu of tangible products (old fashioned registry...) If you'd like to help support our favorites, I have attached the links below:HEAL THE OCEANFLY COMPTONI hope you enjoy the show, and when you are ready to take create a "Toxic Free Lifestyle" - I am gifting you a FREE 1-1 consulting session. During this time you can ask all the questions you want to ask, and I am here to answer. Together, we can get you to the place you are meant to be. Please contact @JustBeinHonestKB on Instagram for more information on how to schedule a time. xoxoWe are diving in deep about:How Ali's 2020 awakening set her on a new conscious trajectory.How Breathwork funnels all of the energy that is TRAPPED within us.How stagnate energy can be the culprit to disease.How to support those upon transformation...WIN! You could WIN a bundle of my favorite wellness products! All you have to do is leave a COMMENT + 5-STAR RATING over on APPLE PODCASTS / iTUNES (Subscribing is a PLUS!) - WAIT, we have MORE giveaways to come, stay tuned!P.S. DID YOU SEE OUR NEW WEBSITE? www.JustBeinHonest.comResources:@JustBeinHonestKB@AliLevineDesignTODAY'S FEATURED SPONSOR:WISHGARDEN HERBS // "HONESTKB" for 20% OFFFLIGHTFUD // "HONEST" for 10% OFFBRANCH BASICS // "HONEST" for 15% OFFALSO - LOVES :I M M U N I T Y + H E A L T H . By BEEKEEPER'S NATURALSCreating cleaner alternatives to the traditional medicine cabinet. Merging modern science with natural medicine to prove that clean medicine canactually work. Use code: "HONEST20" for 20% OFF!!!S K I N C A R E + B E A U T Y . By THREE SHIPS BEAUTYLook closer at Three Ships Beauty's formulas and you'll find all natural, 100% plant-derived ingredients, selected for their clinically-proven performance and skin-loving qualities. Nothing else. ‘Less' never felt so ‘more'. Use code: "HONESTKB20" for 20% OFF!!!C B D + S E L F C A R E . By PRIMAWellbeing essentials made with broad spectrum hemp CBDand functionally innovative botanicals — and the highest standards of purity, potency and transparency. Use code: "HONESTKB" for 15% OFF!!!G U T + B R A I N | H E A L T H . By ION BIOMEION*Gut Health supports the body's production of beneficial enzymes through redox signaling (cellular communication).Those beneficial enzymes support the tight junctions (the seals between cells) in our gut lining – the barrier protecting us from toxic substances like glyphosate and gluten while allowing the entry of beneficial nutrients. Shop + Save with the Subscription + Bundles: ION BIOMENEW:* P L A N T B A S E D . M I L K | H E A L T H . By JOIUse code: HONESTKB for 10% OFF! For the CLEANEST Plant Based MILK ALTERNATIVE!* I M M U N I T Y | H E A L T H . By BEEKEEPER'S NATURALSUse code: HONEST20! Beekeeper's Naturals creates clean remedies that actually work. Experience hive-powered health with natural everyday solutions that are effective, non-toxic, and backed by science.* D O G | H E A L T H . By BOTANICAL BONESUse code: HONEST10 for 10% OFF! My + Poppy's FAVORITE + CLEANEST Dog Treats!* D E N T A L + S K I N | H E A L T H . By PRIMAL LIFE ORGANICS* Exclusive, limited time offer for JBH Podcast listeners: Save 60% off the regular price of the teeth whitener at Primallifeorganics.comGrab your: Teeth WhitenerGrab your: Dental Detox KitThe "Just Bein' Honest" Podcast is a production made from the ♡xoxo KB*Business Inquiries : media@justbeinhonest.com*Music : "Alone" by Emmit Fenn // "Bravado" by Rondo BrothersSPONSORS + PARTNERSHIPS: My platform is rooted on the bases of natural healing and clean product integrity - Products linked are affiliate relationships, meaning if one purchases through this link, I may benefit a small commission from your support.SUPPORT OUR SHOW! We would be honored if you'd like to contribute to the production + time that goes in to creating our show : SUPPORT NOW!

Ali Levine is a celebrity stylist, featured on Bravo TV, entrepreneur, podcaster, and mom x3. She has worked with major companies, and big-time Hollywood fashion icons, and made a career of knowing what to know in fashion. Today, she's in Tennessee advocating for mothers and sharing her own story via Instagram... and Ep. 86 of If Anyone Cares.Keep up with Ali: https://linktr.ee/alilevinedesignIAC x Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/isd6udf2ge8jixu9jmdvy7g22?si=lbVsX8nGR4GDU8S76ZjAXA&nd=1 Twitters:  @IfAnyoneCares_  @RileyJamesIAC   Instagram: @RileyJamesIAC Art: Spencer Ware (@spencerwarecreative)Music: All Good Folks and IAC Productions Music from Upbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/summertime-jamLicense code: I2TIWBIRPGF4Z3VY 

In this interview with celebrity stylist and Bravo star Ali Levine, you'll learn more about color psychology in fashion and how to consciously carry out a closet declutter or a closet makeover, to raise the vibration of your closet and your life. https://georgelizos.comFrom breakdowns to breakthroughs Ali helps women around the world tap into a higher frequency of being. You'll shift into a higher level of consciousness and confidence as Ali shares her own spiritual toolkit that will help you activate the light and elevate all that's possible for you in your personal life and business.When you order my book Protect Your Light, you'll get the Psychic Scanning Workshop (valued at £197) – a 60-minute workshop to scan for and cleanse yourself from energy attacks – for FREE! Get it at www.protectyourlightbook.comRESOURCES MENTIONED:Ali's Website: https://www.alilevine.com/Ali's Instagram Handle: http://instagram.com/AlilevinedesignAli's Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/AlilevinedesignFREE GUIDES TO GET YOU STARTED: Energy Protection Guide: https://georgelizos.com/negativeenergyLife Purpose Workbook: https://georgelizos.com/lifepurpose The Ultimate Intuitive Development Starter Kit: https://georgelizos.com/intuitionstarterkitIntuition Mastery Accelerator Guide: https://georgelizos.com/intuitionmasteryScanning For Psychic Attack Guide: https://georgelizos.com/psychicattackCrystals to Manifest Your Best Life: https://georgelizos.com/crystals CONNECT WITH GEORGE:Instagram: www.instagram.com/georgelizosTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamgeorgelizosFacebook Group: www.yourspiritualtoolkit.comWebsite: www.georgelizos.comYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMLcoCVRHZU407OXj24HH8g?sub_confirmation=1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ali Levine is a celebrity stylist, TV personality, lifestyle expert, author, breathwork specialist, content creator, and podcaster who believes authenticity is your super power. Ali loves helping women transform from the inside out, through mind, body and soul. Empowering others to activate the light within them using the A.L.I. method. From breakdowns to breakthroughs Ali helps women around the world tap into a higher frequency of being. You'll shift into a higher level of consciousness and confidence as Ali shares her own spiritual toolkit that will help you activate the light and elevate all that's possible for you in your personal life and business.Stress, work, and anxiety have all played their part, causing you to forget the true beauty of who you really are. You'll leave all that behind and come home to yourself, to your own power as Ali shares how meditation, breathwork, and affirmations can be combined to elevate, empower and activate the light that has been hidden deep within you. There is a solution to the stress and exhaustion of our modern world… it's you.For more information:IG - @alilevinedesignhttps://www.alilevine.comhttps://mailchi.mp/alilevinedesign.com/subscribehttps://soaak.com/21-day-programs/ali-levine-breathe-in/ (use CODE ALI70 for 70 % off first month)

Today is the 4 year anniversary of the podcast and I am SO grateful to everyone who has provided the fuel by sharing, leaving a review and overall being incredibly supportive of this now 4 year journey! Today I have the first of many interviews that have absolutely been lighting a fire inside of me! Meet Ali Levine, a dear friend and former celebrity stylist turned conscious breath work practitioner and woman on a mission to help awaken the power within you. We dove deep into: Her awakening process and how motherhood activated more information within her Ego deaths and dark nights of the soul Losing your identity and creating a new one Why the scariest things you're called to do always become your biggest breakthrough Why authenticity and vulnerability is your greatest super power Why our internal journal relates to what is going on outside of us Why social media is a powerful tool but why we need to also be using discernment Conscious breathwork and why it will help heal you   Connect with Ali on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alilevinedesign  Share this episode with those who you know need to hear this message! Connect With Me Further: Free 5 Part Higher Frequency Activation Meditations: https://iamtaylorstone.com/free-meditations/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamtaylorstone Website: https://iamtaylorstone.com Email: info@iamtaylorstone.com  

Confidence is your best accessory, and it comes from knowing and loving your authentic self. Ali Levine helped people to tap into that confidence as a celebrity stylist for many years. Not everyone she worked with was grateful for what she offered, however. It took a client blowing up her phone during a traumatic birth experience for Ali to realize that she wanted something more. She felt called to really serve the collective and step into her own evolution. Experiencing postpartum depression, Ali reluctantly got into meditation. It was hard for her at first, but eventually she realized all it had to offer.   Diving deeper into her own healing, Ali stumbled upon breath work. By the time she was ready to birth her second child, Ali was well versed in the benefits of breath work.  Utilizing it during her delivery, Ali was truly amazed by what it could truly do. That was when she knew this was something she had to share with others. Now she's getting certified in breath work, so she can teach this art to others.   What You'll Learn: How breathwork can help to transform your life. How to override your ego and tap into your higher self. What Ali's favorite book is and what it taught her. How breath work differs from meditation.   Favorite Quote: “I really believe our breath is sacred; it's our life source.” -Ali Levine

On this Episode, number 225, of the “Just Bein' Honest Podcast”, we are getting gritty and down to it health wise!Are your HORMONES taking the brunt of your daily stressors? Are you feeling a little queasy in the gut more than you'd like - or even care to share the details? Have you undergone an environmental toxin that has left you with chemical sensitivity complications that are a mystery to bare with?We've got a path to answers here with Lahana Vigliano of Nuvitru Wellness.Lahana Vigliano is the CEO of Nuvitru Wellness and a board certified clinical nutritionist. She holds a Bachelor of Nutrition Science degree and is almost finished with her Masters of Human Nutrition + Functional Medicine. She is passionate about women's health, especially gut health + hormones! She is obsessed with natural remedies, research, reading, weight lifting, and cooking. Outside of work, she is a mother of two and wife. Her family is the inspiration behind Nuvitru and continues to encourage her through everything.We are diving in deep about:What is the major + minor causes to HORMONE imbalances?What are some practices to start regulating your HORMONES?What really is LEAKY GUT?What are tests that can jump start the path to "root cause" healing?COMMENT + 5-STAR RATING over on APPLE PODCASTS / iTUNES (Subscribing is a PLUS!)Resources:@JustBeinHonestKB@NuvitruWellness*** Thank you to today's Sponsor! Grab it now :TODAY'S FEATURED SPONSOR: FLIGHTFUD// "HONEST" for 10% OFF + BRANCH BASICS// "HONEST" for 15% OFFI M M U N I T Y + H E A L T H . By BEEKEEPER'S NATURALSCreating cleaner alternatives to the traditional medicine cabinet. Merging modern science with natural medicine to prove that clean medicine canactually work. Use code: "HONEST20" for 20% OFF!!!S K I N C A R E + B E A U T Y . By THREE SHIPS BEAUTYLook closer at Three Ships Beauty's formulas and you'll find all natural, 100% plant-derived ingredients, selected for their clinically-proven performance and skin-loving qualities. Nothing else. ‘Less' never felt so ‘more'. Use code: "HONESTKB20" for 20% OFF!!!C B D + S E L F C A R E . By PRIMAWellbeing essentials made with broad spectrum hemp CBDand functionally innovative botanicals — and the highest standards of purity, potency and transparency. Use code: "HONESTKB" for 15% OFF!!!G U T + B R A I N | H E A L T H . By ION BIOMEION*Gut Health supports the body's production of beneficial enzymes through redox signaling (cellular communication).Those beneficial enzymes support the tight junctions (the seals between cells) in our gut lining – the barrier protecting us from toxic substances like glyphosate and gluten while allowing the entry of beneficial nutrients. Shop + Save with the Subscription + Bundles: ION BIOMENEW:* P L A N T B A S E D . M I L K | H E A L T H . By JOIUse code: HONESTKB for 10% OFF! For the CLEANEST Plant Based MILK ALTERNATIVE!* I M M U N I T Y | H E A L T H . By BEEKEEPER'S NATURALSUse code: HONEST20! Beekeeper's Naturals creates clean remedies that actually work. Experience hive-powered health with natural everyday solutions that are effective, non-toxic, and backed by science.* D O G | H E A L T H . By BOTANICAL BONESUse code: HONEST10 for 10% OFF! My + Poppy's FAVORITE + CLEANEST Dog Treats!* D E N T A L + S K I N | H E A L T H . By PRIMAL LIFE ORGANICS* Exclusive, limited time offer for JBH Podcast listeners: Save 60% off the regular price of the teeth whitener at Primallifeorganics.comGrab your: Teeth WhitenerGrab your: Dental Detox KitThe "Just Bein' Honest" Podcast is a production made from the ♡xoxo KB*Business Inquiries : media@justbeinhonest.com*Music : "Alone" by Emmit Fenn // "Bravado" by Rondo BrothersSPONSORS + PARTNERSHIPS: My platform is rooted on the bases of natural healing and clean product integrity - Products linked are affiliate relationships, meaning if one purchases through this link, I may benefit a small commission from your support.SUPPORT OUR SHOW! We would be honored if you'd like to contribute to the production + time that goes in to creating our show : SUPPORT NOW!

From being on red carpets to meet the celebs (in my case), to transforming the stars for their movie shoots and events (in my guest's case), here are two gals exploring the mindf*ck of being in Hollywood to now seeing it in all its post-pandemic, sad little bubble form. Celebrity stylist turned podcaster Ali Levine is here to expose these hoes and we further get into experiences with controlling entities like Disney (and why they feel the political need to make The Little Mermaid a Sex Ed show) and the clash of the women's and trans rights in pop culture. (Because even Caitlyn Jenner didn't ask for this shit.) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/taylor-ferber/support

This is part 2 of my conversation with Ali Levine where we continue to discuss WAKING UP post COVID and these intense astrological times. Many might not know that we'll soon be experiencing the Pluto return which signifies a dismantling and a specific period of time ending. Interestingly enough, the last time it happened was during the American Revolution. The new earth is already developing and we're coming into an era which will in no doubt be intense but also absolutely beautiful.  As Ali mentions, ”It will be further collapse and change and this new earth is going to be a place for us to create our own reality… as the powers that be fall away”. Ali also shares with us how she ended up moving to Tennessee, her discovery of breathwork and her interest in collaborating on projects that enhance people's lives and that align with her mind, body, and soul since “authenticity is your superpower”.To learn more about Ali  visit www.alilevine.comFollow her on Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok or FB: @AliLevineDesignDiscover her podcast “Everything with Ali Levine” on iTunesOr look her up on SOAAK using the code ALI70 to get 70% off on any membership. HIGHLIGHTSSeeing what is playing outPlanets are aligningA new EarthDeciding to evolveBeing true to oneselfWhat's next for Ali Energy that is tellingLetting yourself be ledConfidence as your best accessoryWhat is non-negotiableCONTACT ALYSEFor more info join my Facebook group: Breathe to SucceedFollow me on Instagram @alyse_breathesYou can also visit my website: https://www.alysebreathes.com/Or contact me at info@alysebreathes.comTo all the business owners, entrepreneurs and spiritual women out there who want to make an impact and grow their income, check the details of my Accelerated Wealth Program right at the beginning of the episode.

How do you like to connect to your authentic self?Starting off the new year right does not equal doing more. This year we want to do it right by slowing down and looking inward.This is a teaser to Ali's episode. She is packed full of passion and good advice. Don't miss it! Tune in to Everything with Ali Levine Podcast.Resources: Interested in becoming a virtual assistant? Enroll in the 60 Days to VA Course:camillewalker.co/60-days-va-master-courseAccess the 5-day email sequence to help you discover your purpose:www.callmeceopodcast.comDiscover Your Why:www.camillewalker.co/quizTo learn more about sound frequency, visit www.alilevine.com/spirituality and use Ali's code ALI70 to get 70% off for the first month.Connect with Ali:Access her website at: www.alilevine.comFollow Ali on Instagram: www.instagram.com/alilevinedesignFollow Ali on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AliLevineDesignFollow Ali on Twitter: twitter.com/AliLevineDesignFollow Ali on Pinterest: www.pinterest.ph/alilevinedesignFollow Ali on TikTok: tiktok.com/@alilevinedesignFollow Ali on LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/alilevinedesignFollow Ali on YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCWx0MOZoBrHVBCzJLbp2sVgConnect with Camille Walker:Follow Camille on Instagram: www.instagram.com/CamilleWalker.coFollow Call Me CEO on Instagram: www.instagram.com/callmeceopodcast

Have you ever wondered how you could connect with your authentic self and build your confidence? In this episode, Camille welcomes Ali Levine, a celebrity stylist, lifestyle expert, and founder of Ali Levine Design, which features a star-studded portfolio of top celebrities. She's also a mompreneur and hosts her podcast, Everything with Ali Levine, and offers Breathe In with Ali Levine, a 21-day program in mindfulness and breathwork. "I always say confidence is your best accessory and it truly is. Another piece I've learned over the years from styling to motherhood is authenticity is your superpower. And so, when you marry those two, you're unstoppable, no matter where you are, no matter who you are." – Ali LevineAli shares her journey in how she became comfortable in the uncomfortable, whether it was through building her own brand or dealing with motherhood. She gives her advice on how to embrace transformations and how you can set your intentions and boundaries to create space and opportunities to grow. "If you're feeling either burned out or you're feeling like you have something burning inside of you, but you're afraid because you've never been in that space before or it feels uncomfortable when you get uncomfortable, that's when the gold happens." – Ali LevineWhether you're currently going through a transformational change or are planning to set your intentions and boundaries for the new year, tune into this episode as Avi shares the ways in which she was able to grow and transform in her roles as a business owner and a mother. "If we honor ourselves and honor our emotions, we can come into the space of true authenticity. We can figure out what works for us and what doesn't." – Ali LevineResources: Interested in becoming a virtual assistant? Enroll in the 60 Days to VA Course:camillewalker.co/60-days-va-master-courseAccess the 5-day email sequence to help you discover your purpose:www.callmeceopodcast.comDiscover Your Why:www.camillewalker.co/quizTo learn more about sound frequency, visit www.alilevine.com/spirituality and use Ali's code ALI70 to get 70% off for the first month.Connect with Ali:Access her website at: www.alilevine.comFollow Ali on Instagram: www.instagram.com/alilevinedesignFollow Ali on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AliLevineDesignFollow Ali on Twitter: twitter.com/AliLevineDesignFollow Ali on Pinterest: www.pinterest.ph/alilevinedesignFollow Ali on TikTok: tiktok.com/@alilevinedesignFollow Ali on LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/alilevinedesignFollow Ali on YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCWx0MOZoBrHVBCzJLbp2sVgConnect with Camille Walker:Follow Camille on Instagram: www.instagram.com/CamilleWalker.coFollow Call Me CEO on Instagram: www.instagram.com/callmeceopodcast

Today's episode is all about awakening to your shadows! We are talking to Ali Levine (https://www.alilevine.com/), celebrity stylist and motherhood/fashion/lifestyle expert all about her spiritual awakening, the darkness in Hollywood and how to see the fear and move through it. If you want to strip away what's not important and sit with your shadows in healing be sure to tune into this episode!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands