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Do you want the truth about c-sections? Because this week, you’re getting it.


Jen and Beth — the brilliant, brutally honest minds behind The C-Section Experience podcast — join us for a conversation that’s part group therapy, part birth trauma confessional, and part roast of the word “birth plan.” Between them, they’ve had more abdominal surgeries than a Grey’s Anatomy cast member and are here to share about some really personal things like: stillbirth, VBACs, unmedicated guilt spirals, body betrayal, hospital shakes, and the deep weirdness of bonding with a newborn when you’ve got a toddler at home who still calls the shots.

They’re smart. They’re funny. And they’re not here for the sugarcoating.

Whether you had a magical unmedicated birth or felt like your uterus got mugged in an OR, this episode is for you.

Content note: This episode includes a deeply personal story of stillbirth.
At 28 weeks pregnant, Beth knew something was wrong — but no one listened. What followed changed everything about how she approached birth, medicine, and motherhood. She shares her story with vulnerability and strength, offering insight into how trauma shapes our decisions and how healing isn’t linear.


Together we unpack:

What it’s like to schedule a C-section after stillbirth

The guilt spiral of “failed” birth plans and emergency deliveries

Why three is the hardest age (scientific consensus among moms)

Medical gaslighting and why your gut always knows

Birth prep advice that actually helps

Scar tissue, diastasis recti, and whether a strong core helps or hurts

The postpartum recovery no one preps you for (including scar itch and the shakes)

How to stop apologizing for your birth story

They also get real about what it’s like to fall in love with your kid — sometimes not right away — and why being a “good mom” has nothing to do with how your baby entered the world.

Resources Mentioned:

The C-Section Experience Podcast

Every Mother: Diastasis Recti Program

Postpartum Support International

VBAC info via ACOG

Support the show

Website: https://www.doyouwantthetruthpod.com

Connect with Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/samanthastrom

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthastorms

Connect with Zara:

Zara Hanawalt https://www.linkedin.com/in/zara-hanawalt/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@zarahanawalt

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/zarahanawalt/

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Amanda Anderson @commonthreads is a stay-at-home mom of four, a former boutique owner, and a full-time reseller who’s grown a thriving Whatnot business—pulling in up to $3,000 in a single show and $26k in just one month on Whatnot and $15k on TikTok Shop. In this episode, she talks candidly about the mental load of motherhood, religious deconstruction, parenting on one income, and how she clawed her way out of financial fear by finding something for herself.

Whether you’re a mom trying to make ends meet, someone burned out from corporate life, or just curious about how reselling really works, this conversation is equal parts validating and motivating.

We cover:

• What it’s really like to raise 4 kids on a single income
• The shame spiral of not “contributing financially”
• Reselling as financial empowerment—and why Amanda says it saved her
• Growing up Mormon and figuring out your own beliefs
• The myth of “having it all” and why everything feels like a no-win scenario
• Making money on Whatnot, TikTok, and how she hit $26K in one month

Follow Amanda:
TikTok: @amanda.comandthreads
Instagram: @commonthreadsLLC
Whatnot: commonthreadsLLC

Resources:

Postpartum Support International

Mothers for Mothers

National Maternal Mental Health Hotline (U.S.): 1-833-9-HELP4MOMS

Support the show

Website: https://www.doyouwantthetruthpod.com

Connect with Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/samanthastrom

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthastorms

Connect with Zara:

Zara Hanawalt https://www.linkedin.com/in/zara-hanawalt/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@zarahanawalt

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/zarahanawalt/

Send us a text

After giving birth to her daughter, Ayana Lage felt euphoric—until everything unraveled. Ten days postpartum, she was hospitalized with postpartum psychosis, experiencing delusions, paranoia, and hallucinations. In this unfiltered conversation, Ayana joins us to share what really happened, how she got help, and why she’s choosing to speak out.

We talk about the terrifying reality of postpartum psychosis, the cultural stigma that surrounds maternal mental health, and the systems that fail too many moms. Ayana opens up about being a Black woman navigating psychiatric care, how her husband and family carried her through, and what she did differently with her second baby to protect her mental health.

If you're a parent, if you've ever had scary thoughts after giving birth, or if you want to know what real support looks like—this episode is for you.


In this episode, we discuss:

What postpartum psychosis really looks like and why it’s often missed

How Ayana knew something was wrong—even as everyone else dismissed it

Why she felt safer in the hospital than at home

The truth about intrusive thoughts, rage, and the postpartum spectrum

Cultural and racial stigma around mental health for Black mothers

What Ayana did differently after her second baby to safeguard her mental health

How postpartum care needs a serious overhaul

Resources
Pre-order Ayana's Book
Follow Ayana on Instagram
Ayana’s personal essay in Cosmopolitan: "I Had Postpartum Psychosis and Didn’t Know What Was Real"

Postpartum Support International
The Blue Dot Project
National Maternal Mental Health Hotline (1-833-9-HELP4MOMS)

Support the show

Website: https://www.doyouwantthetruthpod.com

Connect with Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/samanthastrom

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthastorms

Connect with Zara:

Zara Hanawalt https://www.linkedin.com/in/zara-hanawalt/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@zarahanawalt

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/zarahanawalt/