Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast
The Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast, in conjunction with Your Birth Biz, is a podcast for birth and postpartum professionals who want to grow sustainable, ethical businesses without burning out or losing themselves along the way.Hosted by Niamh Cassidy, childbirth educator, IBCLC lactation consultant, and business coach to birth workers, this podcast sits at the intersection of business, birth work, values, and real life.Niamh started her own perinatal business as a side hustle while working full-time in social care, and knows first-hand how challenging it can be to fill classes, attract clients, and stay confident when everyone else...
Your Business Should Fit Into Your Life, Not the Other Way Round: Why my social care background shapes how I coach birthworkers
Looking for a business coach for your doula, lactation consultant, antenatal teaching or postpartum practice? Most business coaching assumes you have endless time, no caring responsibilities and no ethical lines. Most self-employed birthworkers and mothers in business have all three.
In this episode, I explain how 15 years in social care shaped how I coach birth workers and how I support families as an IBCLC lactation consultant. You’ll hear how to build a sustainable birth business that fits around your children, your health and your values, without hustle culture or burnout.
In this episode:...
"It's Not a Calling, It's a Career": Birth Workers Talk Pricing
Charging and pricing are some of the most loaded topics in the birth worker business — and in this panel episode of the Pregnancy and Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective, we're finally talking about it out loud, no holds barred. Niamh is joined by three birth workers at different stages of their business journeys: Natalie Abouchai (Natnat Your Doula), Emma Fitzsimons (The Marathon Doula), and Audrey McEntee (Hug and Hold Doula Support) for a raw, honest conversation about what it really takes to build a sustainable birth business, why birth workers and doulas keep undercharging, and what the industry needs to change to...
Speak Your Truth (Without the Controversy)
There's a difference between standing up for what you believe in and courting controversy for clicks. In this solo episode, Niamh explores why fear-based content might get you reach—but it won't get you booked—and how the most ethical choice is also the most profitable one for your birth business.
If you're feeling pressure to be louder, more provocative, or more controversial to succeed as a doula, lactation consultant, or antenatal educator, this one's for you.
We talk about:
Why controversy in birth work is almost always fear-based (and what that costs your clie...Use AI as a Collaborator, Not a Ghostwriter: Sustainable Marketing for Doulas & IBCLCs
If marketing your birthworker business makes you cringe, this one's for you. Postpartum doula turned marketing mentor Patricia Grenseman joins Niamh to talk about calm, low-lift visibility, doula and IBCLC marketing that doesn't cost you your evenings, and how to use AI as a collaborator instead of a ghostwriter — so you can build a sustainable birth business without the burnout.
Patricia started out as a postpartum doula and sleep consultant on a Navy base in Japan, took her work online the year before the pandemic, and slowly realised more people were asking her for help with their we...
Hustle Is an Inherited Value (And You Can Put It Down) - Soul-led business mentor Lety Martínez on why chasing the next tactic keeps you stuck
Ever felt like your work or business just... doesn't fit you anymore?
Maybe it did once. Maybe you built it from real passion — but somewhere along the way it started to feel heavy, off, not quite you. This week Niamh is joined by Lety Martínez, a Soul-Led Business Mentor and Akashic Records Practitioner based in Mexico, who spent over 25 years building and leading businesses (including directing 250+ franchisees) before walking away from all of it the moment it stopped feeling coherent with who she'd become.
Lety's whole philosophy is that business is inner wor...
Your Minimum Viable Summer: A Business Survival Plan for Birthworkers
The school summer holidays are a pressure point that self-employed birthworkers rarely talk about openly — but if you're a doula, IBCLC, antenatal educator or postpartum worker with your own kids at home, your capacity changes for eight weeks and your business needs a plan for that.
In this episode Niamh shares her own framework for getting through summer without burning out or dropping the ball — and without trying to hustle, launch, or "maximise" anything. This is about survival with your business, health and family intact, not productivity for its own sake.
She covers:
How to f...She Built a Massively Successful Business and It Nearly Killed Her — Literally
Bron Watson on burnout, cancer, and why self-care has to come before the sales funnel
What happens when you do everything right in business — the funnels, the followers, the retreats, the courses — and it still costs you everything?
That's exactly what happened to Bron Watson. Nurse, educator, entrepreneur, and mother of five, Bron built a thriving online business from the ground up. But behind the success, her cup was running empty. In 2017, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Five years later, an incurable blood cancer.
In this episode, Bron and I talk...
Dealing With The Isloation Of Self-Employment As A Birth Worker
Self-employment isn't natural.
That's the thread running through this week's episode — and once you see it, you can't unsee it.
In this honest, story-led conversation, Niamh shares the part of her own story she doesn't usually tell on the podcast. The unplanned pregnancy in her early 30s. The friendship group that fell away. The antenatal class her now-husband signed her up for because he could see how lonely she was. The breastfeeding group that gave her her closest friends 13 years on. And the baby link group she set up when nobody else in the room wo...
Why Marketing as a Birthworker Is Different
Marketing for doulas, lactation consultants and antenatal educators needs to different.
Most marketing advice was written for people selling software, shoes, or supplements, not for the care that you provide. And if you've ever read a marketing tip and thought I literally cannot do that, this episode is for you.
In this episode I'm breaking down five reasons why marketing in birthwork is genuinely different and why the tactics that work elsewhere can feel completely wrong in our industry. That friction you're feeling isn't a sign you're doing it wrong.
I...
Ep 87: From PhD Chemist to Birth Alchemist: Tina-Marie Bruton on Finding Her Power
From PhD chemist to birth alchemist - Tina-Marie Bruton on burnout, late autism identification, identity and finding her power in being herself.
What happens when everything you built your identity around stops fitting?
In this episode Niamh Cassidy is joined by Tina-Marie Bruton, antenatal educator, birth and postpartum doula, pregnancy Relax Stretch & Breathe instructor and founder of The Birth Alchemist for one of the most honest and moving conversations this podcast has had.
Tina-Marie is also one of Niamh's longest-standing clients. She was part of Niamh's very first coaching programme, went...
Two Business Owners Get Honest: What Actually Makes a Business Work — with Louise O'Brien
What Actually Makes a Business Work — with Louise O'Brien
Two business owners get honest about mentorship, investment, structure and building a business that actually works
What does it actually take to build a business that works — and keeps working?
In this episode Niamh Cassidy sits down with Louise O'Brien, women's wellness coach and business mentor at Badass Coaching, for a genuinely honest conversation between two business owners about what makes the difference. Not the polished version. The real one.
Louise closed her physical gym, started from scratch with €...
The Ripple Effect: Why Your Birthwork Business Could Change the World
This episode is a little different.
Niamh gets personal.. sharing stories not just from her early career in youth justice and youth homelessness in Dublin, but her own pregnancy journey and the loss of her friends because of it. All of this so she can share what she's learned across decades of working with families in crisis and families who were simply left without enough support.
And she connects all of it to one big idea: supporting families through pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period might be one of the most powerful things we can...
Ep. 84: Stop Adding, Start Nailing: The Truth About Diversifying Your Offers as a Birth Worker
This episode came straight from you — after asking followers for topic ideas, diversifying income and offers kept coming up. And it's no surprise, because it's also one of the most common conversations happening in coaching calls right now.
But here's the thing: this is not a one-size-fits-all answer. The stage your business is at matters enormously — and getting this wrong is one of the most common and costly mistakes birth workers make.
In this episode Niamh covers:
Why trying to do too much too soon is the number one mistake early-stage birth workers make — and ho...Ep: 83: From Zero to Fully Booked: One Doula's Whirlwind Journey
Orla Nealis went from pandemic mum with no support to fully booked doula in less than two years from completing her training. Here's what actually got her there.
What does it actually look like to build a birthwork business from scratch — with three children under six, no reliable childcare, and no business background?
In this episode Niamh is joined by Orla Nealis, a birth and postpartum doula, birth reflections facilitator and antenatal educator in training. Orla's story starts where so many birthworkers' stories start — with a difficult personal experience that ignited her passion for...
Ep. 82: The Identity Shift Every Birthworker Needs to Make (And Nobody Talks About)
Why so many brilliant birthworkers struggle to call themselves business owners — and why making that shift changes everything.
If you've ever introduced yourself by saying "I do a bit of doula work" or "I run a few classes" — this episode is for you.
In Ep 82 of the Pregnancy and Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective podcast, Niamh Cassidy explores one of the most important and most overlooked conversations in the birthwork business world: the identity shift from birthworker who charges to business owner who does meaningful work.
This isn't about becoming a different person or l...
Ep 81: Why Birthworkers Quit (And What Actually Keeps Them Going)
The business side of birthwork is harder than it should be — and it's not your fault. Here's why, and what actually helps.
Something I hear all the time from birthworkers is that the business side of things feels so much harder than it should. And I feel that — because I've lived it.
In this episode I'm having an honest conversation about why so many passionate, qualified birthworkers end up quitting the profession — not because they stop caring, but because the business side grinds them down. Including the story that really lit a fire in me...
Ep. 80 Building A Birth Work Business with Annie Frisbie (Throwback Episode)
This is a republished episode from November 2023 - and there’s a reason it’s back.
It was the most popular guest episode I’ve ever shared on the podcast, and listening back, it’s easy to see why.
In this conversation with Annie Frisbie (IBCLC, private practice owner and educator), we dive into what it really takes to build a sustainable birth work business, one that supports your clients and your life.
Because here’s the reality…
So many birth workers are incredible at the work itself but struggle to...
Ep,. 79: Stop Overcomplicating Your Marketing: What Actually Works for Birth Workers
If marketing your birth work business feels overwhelming, confusing, or like something you should be doing but don’t actually enjoy… this episode is going to be a bit of a reset.
In this conversation, I’m joined by Charlie Cleary, a marketing simplification strategist who helps women build businesses that actually work for their lives — not ones that leave them burnt out or glued to the algorithm.
We talk about what’s really going on when marketing feels hard, why so many women struggle with pricing and visibility, and how to create a marketing approach t...
Ep 78: Why Birth Workers Should Ignore Some “2026 Business Advice”
If you spend any time on business Instagram or TikTok right now, you’ve probably seen a flood of posts about what works in business in 2026.
Stop posting educational content.
Use custom AI tools for everything.
Say something controversial to grow faster.
But much of this advice is coming from people who are selling to coaches, creators, and influencers not people working in healthcare-adjacent professions like birth work.
In this episode, Niamh Cassidy (IBCLC, antenatal educator and business coach for birth workers) unpacks three pieces of...
Ep 77: Why Birth Worker Bookings Might Be Slower Right Now (It’s Probably Not What You Think)
Over the past while I’ve been hearing the same thing from birth workers again and again:
“Things feel quieter.”
Fewer enquiries.
Fewer bookings.
Calendars that suddenly feel lighter than they did a few months ago.
Doulas, lactation consultants, antenatal educators and other birth professionals have been reaching out asking if I’m seeing the same thing.
And the honest answer is… yes. I’ve noticed it too. Normally when business slows down, we reach for the obvious explanation: the economy, the cost-of-living crisis, families having less disposable i...
Ep. 76: Fluctuating Income? Here’s How to Finally Feel Financially Secure
If your income goes up and down each month and you’ve ever felt stressed, guilty, or unsure about your money this episode is going to hit you right in the feels.
I’m joined by financial coaches and business partners Shana and Vanessa (aka the Budget Besties), who help women create simple, realistic budgeting systems that actually work in real life... not the restrictive, spreadsheet-heavy versions most of us have been taught to dread. Together we unpack how to manage money confidently even when your income isn’t predictable, and why budgeting doesn’t have to mean cutt...
Ep. 75: We All Have the Same 24 Hours… Or Do We? The Truth About Time, Capacity & Growth
Do we really all have the same 24 hours? Discover how time, capacity, and life seasons affect business growth — especially for busy birth workers and parents.
Do we really all have the same 24 hours in a day? Technically yes. But in real life — with caring responsibilities, client work, family life, emotional labour, and everything else on your plate — time does not feel equal. In this honest and grounding episode, Niamh unpacks the myth behind the popular phrase and shares a more realistic, compassionate way to think about productivity, growth, and success as a birth worker or service...
Ep. 74: Getting Started in Birth Work: What We Wish We’d Known
What does it really take to get started in birth work — and stay there?
In this episode, I’m joined by Jen Crawford, life and business coach, parent educator, mentor and doula trainer, with over 15 years’ experience supporting families and shaping skilled, grounded birth workers across Ireland. Between us, we’ve:
trained and mentored hundreds of birth workerssupported thousands of familiesbuilt and scaled sustainable birth-work businessesand seen far too many brilliant practitioners leave this work unnecessarily due to burnout, lack of support, or unrealistic expectations.In this honest, grounded and at times possibly controversial conversation, we’re co...
Ep 73. Why I Rebranded (and How to Name or Rename Your Business)
Naming your business can feel like one of the biggest, most loaded decisions you’ll ever make, especially when you work in the birth and postpartum space, where identity, values, and care are so closely tied to what we do.
In this episode, I’m sharing the full story behind my recent rebrand to Your Birth Biz, why I moved away from The Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective, and what the process taught me about fear, confidence, and allowing your business to evolve as you do.
I also take you back to the very begi...
Ep 72. From Teacher to Birth Worker: A Story of Courage, Change & Choice
In this episode, Niamh is joined by Aoife Lennon, perinatal educator, IBCLC, former Home Economics teacher and founder of Bumps & Bainne. Aoife describes herself as a “full-time challenger of the polite nonsense that surrounds birth and breastfeeding” — and this conversation very much lives up to that energy.
Aoife shares her journey from nearly 20 years in secondary teaching to building a values-led birth work business, shaped by her own birth experiences, motherhood, and a powerful shift in priorities. We talk honestly about fear, identity, financial risk, mindset work, and what it really takes to step a...
Ep 71: Visibility Without Self-Abandonment: Showing Up Without Losing Yourself
In this episode of The Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast, I’m joined by Parnuuna Thornwood, guide and teacher behind Feel Good Rebel, for a calm, grounding conversation about visibility that doesn’t ask you to override yourself to grow your business.
What I loved most about this conversation was Parnuuna's tone - calm, warm, and deeply respectful of the fact that visibility can feel genuinely hard, especially for birth and postpartum professionals. There’s no pushing, no “just get over it”, and no one-size-fits-all strategy. Instead, we explore visibility as something that can be built in...
Ep 70: When Business Doesn’t Feel Right: A Wake-Up Call for Birth Workers
Have you ever been offered something in your business that looked brilliant on paper — but felt wrong in your gut?
A collaboration, a speaking gig, a brand opportunity, a new direction for your work — and instead of excitement, you felt unsettled, conflicted or quietly uncomfortable.
If you’re a doula, lactation consultant, antenatal educator or birth worker, this experience is far more common than you might realise.
In this episode, I’m talking about mission, principles and values in your birth work business — what they actually are (not the fluffy corporate version) a...
Ep 69: Visualisation for Birthworkers: From Birth Prep to Business Growth
As birthworkers, visualisation is something we trust deeply. We use it every day with clients to prepare for birth, reduce fear, build confidence, and support emotional and physical readiness.
But when it comes to our own businesses, many of us stop using this powerful tool altogether.
In this episode, I explore how visualisation can support you as a birth worker not just in birth preparation, but in business growth, confidence, decision-making and sustainability. We look at why so many of us under-utilise visualisation in business, how it’s used in sports ps...
Ep 68: What 2025 Taught Me About Connection, Business & Being Human
As we step into a new year, there’s often pressure to move straight into goal-setting, planning and “big energy” — without taking time to pause and reflect on what the year actually held.
In this solo episode, I’m sharing an honest reflection on my 2025: the moments that nourished me, one major low point that changed the pace of everything, the lessons I didn’t expect to learn, and the intentions I’m carrying forward into 2026.
This isn’t a strategy episode or a highlight reel. It’s a conversation about connection, ethical business, nervous system regulation...
Ep. 67 The Birth of a Business: How to turn a Personal Need into a Product
In this episode of The Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast, I’m joined by the brilliant Brónagh Davidson, founder of My Pregnancy Journals — a beautiful Irish brand born from one mam’s real-life experience, frustration and deep desire to create something meaningful for her own children.
Brónagh shares openly about the surprising path that led her here:
– her background in psychology, coaching, fitness and even cybersecurity
– the fertility scare that changed everything
– the shift from service-based work to launching her very first product
– building a business between nap times
– and...
Ep. 66 Planning Your Birthwork Business for the Year Ahead
In this episode of The Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast, we’re diving into something every birthworker needs — a simple, supportive way to plan your year without burning out.
Most traditional business planning frameworks just don’t land for us in birthwork. Our schedules are unpredictable, our lives are full, and the work is deeply seasonal. This episode walks you through a more realistic, more humane way to map out your year so you feel grounded, focused and ready — not frazzled before January even arrives.
Whether you're a doula, lactation consultant, antenatal teacher or any other bi...
Ep. 65 From College Dropout to 75 Employees: The Courage to Build Something Bigger
In this episode, I’m joined by Carson J. Wagner, founder of Lifetime of Love Nannies, a US-based childcare agency offering inclusive, personalised, 24/7 in-home care. Carson started her business at just 19, left college, ignored every voice telling her she was crazy… and went on to build a company with over 75 employees across three locations (and more on the way).
Her story is powerful for anyone working in the birth, postpartum, and family support industries — especially if you’ve ever wondered:
Am I ready to grow?Who am I to hire...Ep. 64 The Parenting Copywriter on Telling Your Story & Selling Without the Ick
Do you ever sit staring at your website or Instagram post wondering how to actually put into words what you do? Or maybe you’ve been told to “share your story” but aren’t sure how to do that without feeling boastful?
In this week’s episode of the Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast, I’m joined by Sarah Davis — The Parenting Copywriter. Sarah is the author of Baby Daze and a former teacher turned copywriter who now helps small business owners whose clients are parents.
Together we chat about:
What copywriting really is (and...Ep. 63 Why Your Summer Slowdown Doesn’t Mean You’ve Failed (and How to Reset for September)
If your summer felt slow, you’re not alone. Many birthworkers experience a summer slump — enquiries dip, classes don’t fill, clients go quiet, and social media engagement drops. It can feel like you’ve lost momentum or even failed… but the truth is, this is simply the rhythm of birthwork.
In this episode, I’m catching you up with a quick life update, before diving into:
✨ Why the summer slump is normal (and not a sign your business is broken)
✨ How to create stability by paying yourself consistently, even when income dips
✨ Why September has that...
Ep. 62 Working With Your Cycle: Boost Productivity & Balance in Your Business
In this episode of The Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast, I’m joined by Tayba Azim, counsellor, psychotherapist, and Mizan therapist. Together, we explore how understanding your menstrual cycle and its inner seasons can help you thrive as a woman in business.
We dive into:
🌸 What Mizan therapy is and how it supports reproductive, digestive, and emotional health
🌸 The inner seasons of the menstrual cycle (winter, spring, summer, autumn) and what they mean for energy, mood, and productivity
🌸 Practical tips for cycle charting — apps vs paper tracking
🌸 How to sync business task...
EP. 61 Making the Shift: Navigating Career Change into Birthwork
In this episode of The Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast, I sit down with the brilliant Anke Roth — a postpartum doula and parenting coach, to hear her amazing and inspiring story of leaving a high-flying corporate job to follow her heart into birthwork.
Anke spent over 25 years working in the tech industry, managing global teams and climbing the career ladder — all while raising three children. When she was made redundant in 2023, she was gifted a rare opportunity: the pause she didn’t know she needed. What followed was a bold career pivot into the world of doula work an...
Ep. 60 Behind the Biz: Your Questions Answered on Policies, Dream Clients & Paying Yourself
Are you second-guessing the ‘business bits’ of your birthwork practice? In this behind-the-scenes episode of The Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast, I’m giving you a taster of the kind of real-world, no-fluff support we offer inside Your Birth Biz – The Membership.
I’m answering three brilliant and very relatable questions from our members:
🔐 What policies and procedures does a birthworker really need?
From GDPR to client agreements, I break down the essentials — including what helps protect your business and your clients.
🎯 How do I get clearer on my dream client witho...
Ep. 59 The Gut-Health Reset for Burnt-Out Birthworkers
Are you constantly giving to others but struggling to prioritise your own wellbeing?
In this episode of The Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast, I’m joined by wellness coach and founder of Live Life Well, Jo Bibby, for a powerful chat on how gut health can impact your mood, energy, hormones—and your business success.
Jo shares her personal journey from postnatal exhaustion and overwhelm to feeling energised and grounded, all through small but mighty changes to her nutrition and lifestyle. If you’ve been ignoring your own health while running your busine...
EP. 58 Spilling the Tea - The Personal Story Behind My Work in Birth and Business Support
In this week’s episode of The Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast, I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing something a little more personal than usual—my own story.
From an unexpected pregnancy in 2012 to becoming a fully booked lactation consultant, childbirth educator, and a business mentor for birthworkers, I’m walking you through the journey that brought me here. You’ll hear how my experience as a new mum led me to the Cuidiú community, the role that peer support played in my parenting and professional life, and how that foundation inspired the work I do today—su...
EP. 57 How to Build Strength Without Burnout: Mindset, Movement & Motivation for Busy Birthworkers
In this episode of The Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast, I sit down with women's wellness coach and nutritionist Louise O’Brien, founder of Badass Coaching, to talk about how birthworkers and busy women can build strength, boost energy, and care for their bodies—without burning out.
With over 17 years’ experience in coaching women, Louise shares her personal journey from competitive boxing to running a female-only gym, and now coaching women worldwide through her online platform. Her approach blends fitness, mindset, and real-life strategies to help women prioritise their wellbeing—even when life is full...
