Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast

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 cutting out everything you enjoy.
We chat about:
why so many women avoid looking at their finances (and how to change that)
the simple budget structure anyone can set up in under an hour
how to pay yourself consistently from a business with fluctuating income
separating business and personal finances in a way that actually makes sense
why “not tracking every transaction” might be the system that finally works for you
how to remove guilt around spending money on yourself
the mindset shift that helps you feel like a real business owner, not just someone with a hobby that sometimes pays
This conversation is especially helpful for birth workers, freelancers, and anyone self-employed whose income changes from month to month. If you’ve ever worried about slow seasons, irregular payments, or feeling like money disappears as soon as it arrives, you’ll walk away with practical strategies you can implement straight away.
Resources & Links
Listen to Shana & Vanessa’s podcast: Financial Coaching for Women
Learn more about their budgeting system: budgetbesties.com/niamh
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Want to find out what Birth Biz Stage you're at and the right next steps for you to take based on your stage? Then take The Birth Biz Quiz now! 
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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-based business owner.
This conversation explores why comparing your pace to someone else’s rarely tells the full story, how your current life season impacts your business capacity, and why slower growth doesn’t mean you’re failing — it often means you’re building sustainably.
You’ll also hear a powerful reframe: instead of chasing perfect balance, think of your life and work like a pendulum that naturally swings depending on what needs you most. And if you’ve ever felt like your business demands constant attention, Niamh shares a reassuring analogy that will change how you view your growth journey.
In this episode, we cover:
Why “we all have the same 24 hours” is misleading advice
The difference between time equality and capacity equality
How caring roles impact business growth (and why that’s normal)
Why balance isn’t the goal — and what to aim for instead
The pendulum approach to managing work and life seasons
How to recognise what stage your business is in right now
Why effort still matters — even when life is full
A healthier way to measure progress without burnout or comparison
Key Takeaway
You don’t need more strategies. You need clarity about your real capacity and permission to grow at a pace that fits your life.
Continue the conversation:
Come join us in the free community and share — what season are you in right now, and where is your pendulum today?
Want to find out what Birth Biz Stage you're at and the right next steps for you to take based on your stage? Then take The Birth Biz Quiz now! 
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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 workers
supported thousands of families
built and scaled sustainable birth-work businesses
and 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 coming together as two of Ireland and Europe’s leading voices in birth work and birth-business to share what we both wish we’d known when we were starting out, and what we now know makes the biggest difference.
In this episode, we talk about:
Why birth work may be a calling, but it still needs to be a viable career
The foundations every birth worker needs before worrying about visibility or marketing
Mindset shifts that help you move from passion to sustainability
Values, boundaries and energy management in emotionally demanding work
Why “there’s not enough work” is a myth, and what actually matters instead
The dangers of black-and-white thinking and fear-based narratives in birth work
Collaboration vs conflict within maternity systems
How to protect yourself from burnout and stay in this work long-term
The role of support, community and professional guidance when you’re starting out
This episode is for you if:
You’re considering training as a doula, lactation consultant, antenatal educator or other birth worker
You’re newly qualified and wondering “Why is this harder than I thought?”
You love the work but feel unsure about how to make it sustainable
You want a values-led, ethical approach to birth work and business
You’re tired of absolutist advice and want nuance, realism and encouragement
Jen and I both believe that there is plenty of work for everyone and that birth work is really just a fledgling industry with so much more growth potential. We are both hurt by seeing good birth workers quit and this conversation is about changing that, starting from the very beginning.
About Jen Crawford
Jen is a life and business coach, parent educator, mentor and doula trainer with over 15 years’ experience. She has trained and mentored hundreds of doulas, supported thousands of families, and co-founded Ireland’s first national doula agency. In 2026, she continues to lead group doula trainings and coach birth workers across Ireland and internationally.
You can connect with Jen here:
Website: jen-crawford.com
Doula training: @jencrawforddoulawisdom
Coaching: @jencrawfordcoaching
Want to find out what Birth Biz Stage you're at and the right next steps for you to take based on your stage? Then take The Birth Biz Quiz now! 
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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 beginning, to when I was naming my antenatal education business, My Baby Beginnings, and how I deliberately chose a name that could grow with me over time. From there, I explore the common tension between choosing a strong “brand” name versus a more SEO-friendly, descriptive business name...and why there isn’t one right answer.
This episode is part personal story, part practical guidance, and part permission slip. Whether you’re naming your business for the first time or wondering if the name you chose no longer fits, this conversation is for you.
In this episode, we cover:
Why I originally chose the name Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective
How fear and a desire to “include everyone” can influence business naming
The difference between a brand name and an SEO-friendly name (and the pros and cons of each)
Practical tips for naming your business when you’re starting out
Why your business name is not a lifetime sentence
How to recognise when it might be time to rebrand
What Your Birth Biz stands for now, and who it’s for
This episode is for you if:
You’re stuck trying to name your birth or postpartum business
You’re worried about choosing the “wrong” name
You feel disconnected from your current brand or business name
You want to build a business that’s ethical, sustainable, and aligned with your values
At its core, this episode is about permission — permission to grow, to change, and to choose what supports you now, not just what felt safe at the beginning.
✨ Explore the new website at yourbirthbiz.com
✨ Join the conversation in the Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective discussion group
Want to find out what Birth Biz Stage you're at and the right next steps for you to take based on your stage? Then take The Birth Biz Quiz now! 
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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 away from a “safe” career and back yourself.
This episode goes deep into themes that so many birth workers grapple with but don’t always say out loud:
 – feeling called to this work but unsure how to make it sustainable
 – the emotional weight of leaving a pensionable job
 – the importance of community (or “the village”) in both motherhood and business
– why not everyone needs to like you ... and why that’s actually a good thing
– leaning into your authentic voice online, even when it feels uncomfortable
Aoife also speaks candidly about building her business slowly and steadily, charging her worth, and the role that mindset and peer support have played in helping her stay the course. This is a conversation about courage, feminism, motherhood, and redefining success on your own terms without the hustle-bro nonsense.
If you’re a doula, lactation consultant, antenatal educator or birth worker who’s ever thought “there has to be another way”, this episode will land right in your chest.
Connect with Aoife:
Instagram: @bumps_and_bainne
Website: www.bumpsandbainne.ie
If this episode resonated with you, send us a DM and let us know what landed. These conversations matter — and you’re not meant to do any of this alone.
Want to find out what Birth Biz Stage you're at and the right next steps for you to take based on your stage? Then take The Birth Biz Quiz now! 
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