Hot + Brave – The Blog
How the Postpartum Snapback is a Recipe for Suffering
This week Bianca and Meg are talking about one of the most harmful, almost comical lies we tell new parents: the idea that they will be able to “bounce” or “snap” back into their pre-pregnancy life. This devastating myth has us focusing on all the wrong things: shrink your body, hide any signs…
Read MorePivoting after failure: what we learned when our workshop offerings tanked
Written by Meg Kant Pivoting after failure: what we learned when our workshop offerings tanked Anyone who has joined us for any of our courses knows that we don’t hold anything back. We are happy to share all our successes and tips and tricks we have learned over the years. We are also very forthcoming…
Read MoreThe power of Embracing Every Emotion on Infant Sleep with Greer Kirshenbaum
This week Bianca talks to Dr Greer Kirshenbaum from Nurture Neuroscience, the first neuroscientist doula, about the importance of sleep and the challenges that families faced when trying to fit into unrealistic societal standards around infant sleep guidelines and the pressure to sleep train babies. Greer and Bianca discuss how science now backs up…
Read MoreAdvocating for your Body with Priyanka Saju: Hot + Brave Podcast
This week Bianca is joined by Toronto-based writer and speaker Priyanka Saju to talk about advocating for your body and humanity while navigating the healthcare system in a racialized, fat body. Priyanka offers her thoughtful scripts to interact with healthcare providers while challenging the racist history of the BMI and discussing the many…
Read Morewhat I wish people understood about pregnancy loss
Written by Meg Kant what I wish more people understood about pregnancy loss **Content warning** discussion of pregnancy loss My first pregnancy ended in a second-trimester miscarriage; I delivered my baby, Zennon at 4.5 months pregnant. After losing Zennon many people in my life tried to help make me feel better but fell short. Their…
Read MoreHot + Brave The Blog-Cast: Season 2 Episode 4: Bigger than babies: Navigating In/Fertility
Like a hilarious fertility conversation with your feisty friend who doesn’t give a f*ck. Brave stories, hot topics, and #truthbombs that will either balm your soul or light fire to your rage. This week Bianca chats with Regina Townsend from The Broken Brown Egg about the many underrepresented facets of in/fertility and…
Read Morea heartwarming story from an infertility support group
Written by Meg Kant a heartwarming story from an infertility support group When I first launched my doula business my community didn’t have many, if any, resources to support those who were going through infertility. I knew there was a large gap in care and I wanted to help fill it. I often heard from…
Read Morewildly simple, but impactful advice to help grow your doula business
Written by Meg Kant wildly simple, but impactful advice to help grow your doula business This week we had our final class of our Maternal Support Practitioner training for the Fall 2022 semester. The last class is always bittersweet because as much as we are excited for you students to be starting or growing your…
Read MoreMy favourite birth video ever (I may be a bit biased though… it’s mine)
Written by Meg Kant My favourite birth video ever (I may be a bit biased though… it’s mine) This week my youngest son celebrated his 6th birthday. I love reminiscing about his birth, it was one of my favourite experiences of all time, I had the home birth of my dreams (you can even watch…
Read MoreLet’s Ditch the Resolutions and Focus on Feelings
Let’s Ditch the Resolutions and Focus on Feelings in 2023 Written by Amy C. Willis Let’s Ditch the Resolutions and Focus on Feelings We are just a little over a week into 2023. First off, if you’re reading this, you survived 2022 – congrats! By now, you’ve likely been exposed to a plethora…
Read MoreStop Wishing Your Body Was Different: A New Years Resolution
Written by Meg Kant Stop Wishing Your Body Was Different: A New Years Resolution Right now you are most likely being inundated with all the ways you should try to improve yourself this year. With advertising about gym memberships, and diets (even Noom, which says it’s not a diet but it is) flooding your news…
Read MoreHangover anxiety can be brutal… it’s why I stopped drinking
Written by Meg Kant Hangover anxiety can be brutal… it’s why I stopped drinking If you have been following this blog for a while, then you know that I am a super sensitive human who has a fair amount of anxiety (lol, okay, a lot of anxiety). It was actually that combination of sensitivity and…
Read MoreDiversifying Your Income as a Doula
Written by Meg Kant and the #bebobabes Diversifying Your Income as a Doula During our Choose You, For You week (Nov 14-18, 2022), we created a free session, facilitated by #bebobabes Bianca, Meg, Marissa, Amy and Michelle, that was all about diversifying your income and coming up with creative ways to generate income. This is…
Read MoreThe Ultimate Doula Gift Guide 2023
ii tifggift gfor The Ultimate Doula Gift Guide 2023 Written by Meg Kant If you are a doula, or you love someone who is a doula then this guide for gift is going to make your life a whole lot easier. We have put together a list of tried and tested things that doulas love…
Read MoreFinding another way doesn’t make you difficult, it makes you brave
Written by Meg Kant Finding another way doesn’t make you difficult, it makes you brave Trusting yourself, paving your own way and doing things differently aren’t always the most popular options. Others might not be big fans, but that doesn’t mean doing what works for you is the wrong way of doing things. When I…
Read MoreGrocery shopping without kids isn’t the same as ‘alone time’
Written by Meg Kant Grocery shopping without kids isn’t the same as ‘alone time’ There’s no doubt, for some people the act of going to the grocery store brings them joy, therefore it might hit the bucket of feeling like alone time. However, for the majority of people, especially mothers, grocery shopping is just one…
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