We are trained to trust the monitor, the lab result, and the evidence base. But what about that feeling on the back of your neck when the energy in the room shifts?

In a system that values evidence over experience, many birth workers have learned to gaslight their own gut feelings.

In this episode, Sarah explains the concept of neuroception—how your nervous system processes safety and danger faster than your conscious brain—and why reclaiming your intuition is essential for your resilience and the care work you do.

In this episode, we cover:

• Neuroception: The biological mechanism behind your "gut feeling."

• The Difference: How to tell if you are feeling Fear or Intuition.

• Informed, Intuitive Care: Combining the art and science of birth work.

• The Tool: The “Intuitive Listening" practice to create a container for your own wisdom.

Stay Connected:

• Like/Follow/Subscribe to the podcast

• Website: www.sarahhardywalsh.com

• Instagram: @theresilientbirthworker

• Free Resource: Get the 5-Day Rest + Resilience Reset

How many times this month have you said "Yes" when your entire body was screaming "No"?

In birth work (and for many women), we are conditioned to be 'team players'. We smile when we are angry. We undercharge. We soothe a client's guilt when they cancel at the last minute. We reply to texts outside of office hours so we don't seem 'rigid'.

But in nervous system terms, this isn't just 'being nice.' It is a survival response called Fawning.

In this episode, Sarah explores the sneaky, everyday ways we abandon our own boundaries to make others comfortable, and how chronic fawning leads to the most corrosive symptom of burnout: Resentment.

In this episode, we cover:

• The 4th Survival Response: What is "Fawning" and why is it such a brilliant (but costly) survival strategy in birth work?

• The "Micro-Fawns": The quiet, everyday ways we shrink ourselves to keep the peace.

• Fawn vs. Compassion: How to tell if you are helping from a grounded choice or a fear-based compulsion (and addressing the fear that boundaries will hurt your business).

• The Somatic Cost: How unexpressed "No's" show up as jaw tension, migraines, and 3 AM anxiety.

• The Tool: The "Grounding Anchor" practice to help you find your footing—and your gut intuition—before you answer a request.

Stay Connected:

Like/Follow/Subscribe to the podcast

Website: www.sarahhardywalsh.com

Instagram: @theresilientbirthworker

Free Resource: Get the 5-Day Rest + Resilience Reset

You are likely good at your job because you care deeply. But is that caring contributing to burnout?

In this episode, we tackle the "Cost of Caring." We explore the crucial difference between Empathy (feeling with someone) and Compassion (feeling for someone).

We break down Affective Empathy ("The Sponge") versus Cognitive Empathy ("The Witness") and explore why joining your client in their emotional storm isn't actually helpful for them and is dangerous for you.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Research: Why "people-oriented" professionals are prone to empathic distress.

• The Sponge vs. The Witness: How to stop absorbing experiences like a sponge.

• The Oak Tree: Why your client needs you to be an anchor.

• The Tool: The "Screen Door" visualization to protect your energy while remaining connected.

Stay Connected:

• Like/Follow/Subscribe to the podcast

• Website: www.sarahhardywalsh.com

• Instagram: @theresilientbirthworker

Free Resource: Get the 5-Day Rest + Resilience Reset