Siren: A podcast about sex and motherhood
By Blaire Lindsay McDonald
When I became a mom, I realized these two parts of me can't be separated because the fullness of who I am encompasses both my mothering and my erotic self.
This podcast is here to explore how deeply linked motherhood and sex truly are; how they serve one another and how motherhood can usher in new depths of sexual awakening and vitality.
It's a deep dive into what it means to be both a mother and a sexual woman; as I navigate my own journey in real time.
Siren: A podcast about sex and motherhoodJun 16, 2023
The Power of Myth, Symbol, & Storytelling
In this episode, I'm delighted to bring you an interview with a friend and colleague whom I respect and adore.
Stacey is an old friend who is a mother, a somatic practitioner, a wise woman, and a master space holder. Her way of being with the "unsavory" parts, her brilliance in the way of myth and imagery, and her equal parts potty mouth + incredible intelligence made this episode funny, poetic, real, and deep.
We touch on:
-female friendship
-co-dependency
-mythology and symbology to make meaning of the mysterious
-soul as the animating force of the body
-the connection between the state or posture of the body and the psyche
-the real definition of "virgin"
-mythology without dogma
-how to know Truth in our bodies
-the power of speaking our experiences
-thoughts on polarity/relationships/post-honeymoon phase
-Stacey's experience of motherhood, postpartum, and the reorganizing of her lifeforce and erotic identity
It was a real delight to have this conversation with Stacey and get real about motherhood, sex, dogma, religion, and more.
I hope you enjoy!
Stacey Ramsower is a somatic practitioner specializing in women's reproductive and sexual health. Using Somatic Experiencing, Ayurveda, and holistic counseling, Stacey creates a space for women to tell the truth about their lived experience and to be transformed in the process. Her mantra is, "all of you is welcome here.... Yes, even that part."
The Doorway of the Dark Feminine: Descent, pain initiations, & nourishment on the embodiment path
This was such a beautiful conversation with teacher and creator of the Feminine erotic mysteries, Shaney Marie.
Her subtle attunement, mythopoetic orientation, and open heart made this conversation a pleasure to experience for me.
In this episode we talk about:
-Meeting God through the erotic
-The Feminine as the deep undercurrent that moves life
-Opening too quickly and being able to metabolize our experiences of opening
-Ritual as transmutation of life energy
-Descending well, pain initiations, and death portals as birth portals
-The transmission of the Mother as it relates to Eros
-How to find true nourishment in our Eros
And so much more...
I love Shaney's honest and raw transmission here. I hope you enjoy.
Anger, Eros, & Mothering Ourselves
In this episode, I speak with my powerhouse of a friend, Po-Hong Yu. Po is a somatic healer, embodiment teacher, medicine woman, and host of the Tao of Po Podcast.
Po's fierce motherlove and deep sensuality have inspired me greatly on my journey and I'm so excited to share her with you.
In our talk, we dive into the topic of anger - especially in the context of motherhod -and Po talks about her unique approach to anger; a "yin" approach.
We talk about what happens when anger calcifies, how to mother ourselves through feelings of deep anger, and the connection between anger and orgasm.
We speak about:
-Mother frequency for mothers and non-mothers alike
-Motherlove as fierce and sharp (when needed)
-Self-mothering through having boundaries with ourselves
-The connection between mother frequency (the heart) and eros (sex)
-The connection between anger/resentment and orgasm
-Po's yin approach to anger and resentment
-Anger and people-pleasing
-How to parent our "little ones", especially the inner children who are full of rage
There is much gold in here, especially if you have people-pleasing tendencies or deal with feelings of anger/rage (or the absence of them!)
If you want to dive deeper, Po has an upcoming program called RIP Resentment, which you can learn more about here:
https://www.taoofpo.com/rip-resentment-course
In the episode, I also share about an exciting new community forming around the podcast (!!!) which you can learn more about here:
https://blaire-lindsay.com/siren
Ecstatic Grief & Mothering Beyond the Veil
In this episode, I speak with writer, astrologer, and recently bereaved mother Damascena Tanis.
Damascena lives on the shores of Lake Erie with her three earthbound children. Currently, Damascena is most involved with learning how to parent a fourth child who has journeyed beyond the veil. She writes about this journey, astrology, spirituality, and her messy human life on her popular website.
Damascena's writing has been a heart-opening resource for me since becoming a mother, including and especially anything she writes about her losing her son Tanner and the journey with grief.
Witnessing the depth of love for her son and her devotion to the frequency and archetype of Mother has been lifechanging for me.
In this episode, we speak about:
-how mothering can continue beyond the veil and what that looks like for Damascena
-vulnerability and what it's like to share the deepest parts of ourselves online
-opening to eros through grief
-the patterns that stop us from grieving fully
-motherhood and grief
-grief as aliveness
-birth as a roadmap to teach us how to grieve
-what we can learn from the ancient practice of keening
This is an intimate conversation that had us both in tears.
I also had a big a-ha! moment in real-time and we honor Damascena's son, Tanner, throughout.
I loved it and I think you will, too.
You can find all of Damascena’s work, including her journey with loss, at: www.RedMoonRevival.org
Beyond the Mother Victim with Kristin Hauser: Finding pleasure in birth and mothering
In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Kristin Hauster: a mother, acupuncturist, herbalist, and somatic sex educator who supports women to create lasting hormonal resilience and fertility through postpartum.
Inspired by the ancient wisdom of Chinese Medicine, the modern understanding of hormonal physiology, and a deep reverence for the innate intelligence of the body, Kristin is a deep well of experience and wisdom.
In this episode, we speak at length about what Kristin calls the Mother Victim story: the spot where we mothers can feel victimized by the responsibility and intensity of mothering.
We speak at length about the medicine of responsibility, something we have both been served in our mothering journeys.
We speak about the "yin" undercurrent or female physiology of mothering that supports our arousal and pleasure.
We speak about how accessing our power in birth and motherhood sets the stage for the influx of eros and eroticism.
I really loved this conversation and really appreciate Kristin's expertise. I think you will too.
Show notes:
4:18 - The split between motherhood and sexuality
5:45 - The energetics of the yin state and how that relates to mothering and eros
7:72 - Radical responsibility for our sexuality and leading our partners
10:30 - The feminine frequency goes first
14:47 - The Mother Victim archetype
16:25 - What does motherhood provide for women?
18:30 - Kristin's experience of Mother Victim
22:11 - The underworld journey of mothering
29:00 - Disorientation and the deconstruction of our identity post birth
33:30 - Holding sensation and eros
34:30 - Birth and eros
37:19 - Rewriting the stories of our pelvis in birth
46:00 - Supporting a yin state and the pleasure we experience
50:00 - Birthing in power and eros immediately postpartum
58:30 - Pleasure as yin tonic and Kristin's upcoming course Mother Alchemy
My story...
In this episode, I get candid about my journey with eros, sex, feeling sexual shut-down and closed, motherhood, and the major shifts that took place after I had a baby.
I lay out some of the energetic patterns that played out for me and kept me locked out of body and sexual expression. I talk about how motherhood set fire to these old patterns and allowed me to not just birth a baby, but a new version of myself.
I talk about the energetic pattern of Feminine starvation vs. Feminine nourishment and I also talk about the damsel patterns that kept me looking outside of myself for answers.
:::Show notes:::
2:48 - On vulnerability
3:30 - An invitation to my audience
5:10 - Quick fixes vs. rewiring deep patterns
7:55 - My story. Who I wanted to be vs. what life wanted for me
10:00 - Studying sexuality abroad
13:00 - Meeting my husband
14:30 - When eros began to shut down for me
17:55 - My study of somatics to "heal" and what it couldn't offer me
22:00 - Feelings of superiority killing my relationship
26:30 - Eros beginning to flourish after years of struggle
33:00 - The energetic pattern of Feminine starvation
35:25 - Thinness, restriction, and control
37:00 - The lie that eros has something to do with what our body looks like
39:55 - Embracing my hunger
41:30 - Is your nervous system dysregulated or are you just not eating enough:
42:00 - Nourishment and sexual opening
48:50 - The damsel pattern
52:00 - Motherhood and birth as an initiation into radical responsibility
58:00 - Sovereignty, responsibility, and what it has to do with our sexual opening
Welcome to SIREN
In the first episode of SIREN, I lay out essential concepts of the Feminine and introduce the fundamental split in our culture between mother energy and erotic energy. What is the cost of this separation? And how do we begin to bridge the two?