🎙️ Episode Recap from The Midwife Life Podcast with Anna Lodder

In this soul-stirring two-part series on The Midwife Life, Diane sits down with Anna Lodder- sobriety survivor, school integration advocate, mother, and student of somatic sex education- to talk about living in “draft mode,” letting go of control, and parenting for the collective good.

From navigating grief and loss to reclaiming pleasure and presence, Part 1 of this conversation is full of insight, healing, and hope.

Part 1 of this episode is a powerful look at how we build lives of meaning, even when they don’t follow a linear path.

✨ 1. Parenting for the Collective Good

📚 “What if we raised our kids for the world, not just for ourselves?”

One of the most powerful ideas Anna brings is the call to parent with the community in mind. Instead of chasing the “best school” or curating the most controlled environment, she asks us to look at the bigger picture: What kind of world are we building together?

Anna shares her journey with Integrated Schools and how enrolling her daughter in a global-majority public school in their neighborhood became an act of solidarity, not sacrifice.

🧭 Takeaway: Parenting for justice isn’t about doing more, it’s about shifting how we show up.

🎧 Listen in to hear how public education became Anna’s path to deeper community care.

🔥 2. “Your Kids Are Not Your Brand”

🛑 This one’s for the recovering perfectionists.

Anna offers a truth bomb that hits home:
“My kids are not my brand.”

She opens up about the pressure to parent performatively, curating a child’s life to reflect her own worth. But what she found was freedom in letting go: fewer spreadsheets, less control, and more space for joy, mess, and true development.

✨ Takeaway: True parenting liberation comes from embracing imperfection, allowing our children to fail, and understanding that their lives are not our resumes.

🎧 This section is a must-listen if you’ve ever felt the pressure to “get it right” every time.

💔 3. Grief, Mentorship & Living in Draft Mode

When Anna lost her mentor and friend Courtney Mykytyn, the founder of Integrated Schools, it cracked something wide open. She shares how that grief shaped her identity and how stepping into leadership meant embracing radical honesty and repair.

🔄 “Everything I do is in draft form. I don’t have to get it right – I just have to come back to community when I don’t.”

She talks about leading through grief, owning mistakes, and repairing relationships as the core of how she keeps showing up.

🛠️ Lesson: The work is never done, and that’s okay. What matters is that we stay in the room.

🎧 Want to hear how Anna turned loss into legacy? Tune in to Part 1 now.

💡  Why This Conversation Matters

Anna’s story isn’t just inspiring, it’s activating. She gives us permission to live messily, to tell the truth, and to build community even when the blueprint isn’t perfect.

Whether you’re a parent, advocate, or simply someone trying to live with more intention, there’s something here for you.

🕊️ This is Part 1. In Part 2, we go deeper into:

• Reclaiming pleasure through somatic sex education
• Finding intimacy after disconnection
• Embodiment as a spiritual + political act

🎧 Listen Now + Share With a Friend

👉 Catch Part 1 of Hummingbird Wisdom on The Midwife Life podcast, now streaming on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you listen.
💬 Tag a friend who needs this conversation.
📲 And don’t forget—Part 2 drops soon. You won’t want to miss it.