Pregnancy & Postnatal Entrepreneurs Collective Podcast

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 would put their hand up.
From there, the episode traces how the same lesson — sometimes you join a community, sometimes you create one, but you don't get to skip community altogether — shaped her entire business as an antenatal educator, lactation consultant and mentor for birth and postpartum professionals.
Niamh talks honestly about:
The community she had as a new birthworker — and the missing piece that nobody had figured out yet
Why she joined a generic, expensive women-in-business membership when she couldn't afford to (and what 30% of it taught her)
How history shows us self-employment is a relatively new and structurally lonely way of working
Why birthworkers are more isolated in their work than at any point in human history — even with all the communication tools we have
Why so many people walk away from birthwork within a year of training (and what keeps the ones who stay)
The role of "someone a little further along" — at the breastfeeding group, in business, in life
This is the most personal episode of the podcast so far. And the one that explains, more clearly than anything else has, why the work Niamh does the way she does it.
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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.
In this episode:
Why your professional ethics rule out tactics most marketers use without a second thought
The level of connection clients need before they'll ever consider booking you
Why your window to reach potential clients is shorter than almost any other industry
The buying competition you're up against before families have even heard of you
The cultural reason spending money on women's support feels hard for your clients and for you
If you've ever felt like you're playing the marketing game with one hand tied behind your back, this one will make a lot of sense.
If this episode resonated, please leave a review wherever you listen — it helps other birthworkers find the podcast.
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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 on to join The NEST group coaching programme, and continues to be supported inside the Your Birth Biz Besties membership. So this isn't just a guest episode it's a conversation between two people who have walked a significant part of this journey together.
Tina-Marie spent 12 years in the pharmaceutical industry, earned a PhD in chemistry, and built what looked like a very successful career. Then burnout hit. Her blood pressure went through the roof. She was at risk of heart attack or stroke. And everything she thought she knew about herself (and who she was supposed to be) started to come undone.
What emerged from that chrysalis was something she hadn't expected. A later-in-life autism and ADHD identification. A complete identity shift. And a birthwork business built entirely on her own terms.
This is the story of how she got there.
In this episode Niamh and Tina-Marie cover:
— Tina-Marie's journey from PhD chemist and pharma trainer to antenatal educator, doula and pregnancy yoga instructor — Why burnout was the turning point — and what it physically cost her before she listened to it — The identity crisis that came with leaving a career she had worked so hard to build — What it felt like to have her entire belief system challenged during antenatal educator training — and why that was both terrifying and transformative — Her later-in-life autism and ADHD identification — and why she uses the language "later in life identified" rather than "late diagnosed" — How understanding her neurology gave her permission to do things her own way — and why that turned out to benefit everyone she works with — The word "should" — and how recognising it as someone else's expectations changed everything — The chrysalis metaphor — what it means to become mush before you reform into something new — The weaving metaphor — how the threads of her life were always pointing here, even when she couldn't see it — What she would tell anyone who is still dipping their toe into something and wondering whether to take the leap — Why she believes we can do anything when we are properly supported
If you're at the beginning of your own journey and wondering what's possible this episode is a really good place to start. 
About Tina-Marie:
Tina-Marie Bruton is an antenatal educator with Antenatal Ireland, birth and postpartum doula, birth reflections facilitator, and pregnancy Relax Stretch & Breathe instructor based in Cork. She is a later-in-life identified AuDHD mum to two neurodivergent kids and founder of The Birth Alchemist. Find her on Instagram @the_birth_alchemist and at antenatalireland.ie for upcoming workshops.
Links mentioned:
🌸 Tina-Marie on Instagram: @the_birth_alchemist 
🌸 Antenatal Ireland workshops: antenatalireland.ie 
🌸 Cuidiu — National Parent Support Charity: cuidiu.ie
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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 €5k in the bank, invested all of it in a business mentor and made it back within two months. Since then she has built a thriving online coaching business that she has runs entirely on her own terms, and grown almost exclusively through referrals. 
This episode covers the business decisions, mindset shifts, systems and support structures that actually move a business forward — and why most business owners stay stuck without them.
In this episode Niamh and Louise cover:
— Why Louise invested her last €5k in a business mentor — and what happened within two months — The difference between working in your business and working on your business — and why getting stuck in one kills growth — Why AI is a useful tool but will never replace the value of a mentor or community who truly gets your work — The GPS analogy for mentorship that will change how you think about getting support in your business — How Louise structured her business to work from Thailand for six weeks while signing eight new clients — without running a single ad — The role of accountability in keeping a self-employed business owner moving forward consistently — Why surrounding yourself with the right people is one of the most powerful business growth strategies available — What Louise would tell any service-based business owner who is just starting out
Who this episode is for:
This episode is for any self-employed birthworker, doula, lactation consultant, antenatal educator or service-based business owner who:
— Is trying to build a business without any real support structure around them — Has wondered whether investing in a business mentor or coaching programme is actually worth it — Wants to build a business that gives them genuine freedom — not just a different kind of busy — Is struggling to find time to work on the business rather than just in it — Needs to hear an honest account from someone who has built something from nothing
About Louise:
Louise O'Brien is a women's wellness coach and business mentor at Badass Coaching. She works with women all over the world on health, fitness, mindset and business growth. Find her on Instagram @louise_badasscoaching 
Are you ready to be a Birth Biz Bestie? Doors are now open. But not for long. https://yourbirthbiz.com/themembership-flash-sale
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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 do to change the world.
In this episode Niamh talks about:
What her years working with young men in homelessness taught her about unsupported families
Why the modern village has scattered, and what that means for new parents
Maslow's hierarchy of needs and why so many new parents never get to flourish
A real client story that shows exactly what's at stake when a birthworker shows up
Why so many birthworkers are invisible, and the real cost of that invisibility
Why charging your worth isn't about money, it's about sustainability and impact
Why you are part of the solution to everything that's broken and why the world needs you to keep going 
This one is worth sharing with every birthworker you know.
Are you ready to be a Birth Biz Bestie? Doors are now open. But not for long. https://yourbirthbiz.com/themembership-flash-sale
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