Hot+Brave
Hosted by birth worker and activist Bianca Sprague from bebo mia Inc (https://bebomia.com/), Hot + Brave is like a hilarious conversation with your feisty friend who doesn’t give a f*ck. Brave stories, business support, hot topics and #truthbombs that will either balm your soul or light fire to your rage.
Episodes
85 episodes
S7E5: Why Are Old Doulas So Mean to New Doulas? With Cheyenne Williamson
This conversation was supposed to start with an introduction. It did not.Before Bianca could even properly introduce Cheyenne Williamson, certified birth doula, writer, graphic designer, and creator of A Doula’s Guide to Labor Positi...
S7E4: Online vs In Person Doula Training: What Actually Prepares You for Real Clients?
Should you choose online doula training or in person doula training?It's one of the most common questions aspiring doulas ask, but it might be the wrong question.In this episode of Hot + Brave, Bianca Sprague ...
S7E3 - Thinking About Becoming a Doula? Here's What the Job Is Really Like
In this episode of Hot + Brave, Bianca Sprague pulls back the curtain on life as a doula. She shares what doulas really do beyond attending births, including client communication, prenatal appointments, being on call, b...
S7E2 - Thinking About Becoming a Doula? Start Here for Your Step By Step Guide to Choosing the Right Doula Training
Thinking about becoming a doula but feeling overwhelmed by all the different certification programs?You're not alone.In this episode of Hot + Brave, Bianca walks you through the process of becoming a doula, from deciding wh...
S7E1 - How TV Made Birth Hurt More with Dr. Sam Vaive
Welcome back to Season 7! Host Bianca Sprague sits down with Dr. Sam Vaive, psychologist, sexual health educator, author, indigenous-informed full-spectrum doula, yoga teacher, sound therapist, and founder of Sound Birthing, for a wide-ra...
S6E13 - My Biggest Doula Mistakes I’m Not Proud Of (And Why I’m Sharing It)
Content note: this episode includes grief, suicide loss, racism, obstetric violence, medical emergencies, family conflict and birth trauma. Please care for your heart while you listen.In this season finale of Hot and Brave, Bianca...
S6E12 - The Three Things Every Doula Needs in Their First Year That Nobody Teaches
In this episode, Bianca breaks down the three pillars every doula needs to build a sustainable, heart centered business: clarity, visibility, and community. She shares the stories we all live through in that first uncertain year, the places we ...
S6E11 - Your Network Is Bigger Than You Think
Most doulas think they don’t have an audience... but you already have a network filled with potential clients who know, like, and trust you.In this week’s Hot + Brave, Bianca shares how to tap into your existing community to fil...
S6E10 - The End of the Weekend Doula Training Era
In this episode, Bianca Sprague invites the birth world into a critical and overdue conversation: the end of the weekend doula training model.The weekend era served an early purpose. It opened the door to formalized doula work, community...
S6E9 The Invisible Doula Problem: Why Nobody Knows You Exist (Yet)
You can be the best doula in the world, compassionate, skilled, and deeply dedicated, but if people don’t know you exist, they can’t hire you.In this episode of Hot + Brave, Bianca dives into what she calls The Invisible Dou...
S6E8 - How to Get More Doula Clients (Without Selling Your Soul to Social Media)
Your calendar’s quiet. The DMs are dry. You’re doing the work, showing up online, and still hearing crickets. So… what gives?In this episode of Hot + Brave, Bianca Sprague shares the five essential steps to move your business fr...
S6E7 - Birth in Ghana Isn’t What You Think: A Conversation with Bobette from Uzuri Birth
In this powerful follow-up episode, Bianca sits down once again with Bobette from Uzuri Birth in Ghana to go even deeper into the realities of birthwork in West Africa.Together, they explore what birth really looks like i...
S6E6: Stop burning out: 12 boundary scripts every doula needs
If you’ve ever answered a 3 a.m. text about pineapple or found yourself chasing unpaid invoices, this one’s for you. In this episode, Bianca Sprague gets real about boundaries: the messy, hard, business-saving kind. You’ll learn exactly what to...
S6E5 - Tylenol, Trump, and the Tyranny of Lies: Birthwork is Resistance
Want to support the pod? Click here we SO appreciate it! This episode is not neutral. Oh, and we cuss. A lot.Bianca Sprague brings rage, grief, and truth to the mic, na...
S6E4: Doula Work, Money Wounds, and Healing Generations with Jalisa Hardy
Money stories run deep… and for so many of us, they carry shame, fear, and generational wounds. In this episode of Hot + Brave, Bianca sits down with Jalisa Hardy, the founder of the
S6E3 - Nature as Medicine: Alyssa Coleman on Maternal Mental Health and Healing
Bianca is joined by Alyssa Coleman, founder of Nurture the Journey, to talk about her thesis project on Maternal mental health and nature-based retreats. They dive into the connection betwee...
Birth Prep Is More Than Positions: Lindsay McCoy on Somatics, Safety & the Body Ready Method
In this episode of Hot + Brave, Bianca Sprague sits down with Lindsay McCoy, co-creator of the Body Ready Method®, to talk about what birthing bodies are trying to tell us… especially through ...
S6 E1 From Family Loss to Full Spectrum Doula - Finding Purpose in Birth Work: An Interview with Nia Ashay
Send us a textWhat does it mean to turn personal tragedy and systemic injustice into a powerful calling? In this episode of Hot + Brave, Bianca sits ...
S5E13 - Should You Offer Sliding Scale? Let’s Talk About It
Should you offer sliding scale pricing in your doula business? This solo episode of Hot + Brave dives into the heart of that question with honesty, nuance, and strategy. We’re unpacking the roots of sliding scale, how race and gender shape expe...
S5E12 - Global Wisdom, Local Roots: How Bobette Returned to Ghana to Transform Birth Care
What does birth look like in Ghana today? In this powerful episode, Bianca sits down with Bobette, founder of Uzuri Birth, to explore how ancestral knowledge, global education, and personal experience c...
S5 E11 - Breath as Medicine: A Doula’s Guide to Embodied Healing with Jillian Marchand
In this tender and powerful episode of Hot + Brave, I’m joined by Jillian Marchand, founder of Exploring Embodiment, for a deep dive into breathwork, reproductive health, and the cultural disconnection so many of us carry in o...
S5E10 - How to Be a Great Backup Doula (and Choose Yours Wisely)
In this episode of Hot + Brave, Bianca breaks down the essential (but often overlooked) topic of backup doulas: how to choose one, how to be one, and why this role is a vital part of building a sustainable, ethical doula practice.<...
S5E9 - The journey from maiden to mother with Anna Lundqvist
In this episode of Hot + Brave, we’re joined by Anna Lundqvist of Sacred Birth International (www.sacredbirthinternational.com) to explore one of the most profound and often overlooked shifts in a woman’s life: the transition from maid...
S5E8 - The Best Doula Tools You Already Have (No Shopping Needed)
In this episode of Hot + Brave, Bianca Sprague is busting a huge myth in the birth world... the myth that you need a bag full of fancy tools to be an effective doula. Spoiler: the best doula tools are already within you.F...
S5E7 - Talk Like a Doula: Understanding the Language of Birth
In this episode of Hot + Brave, Bianca Sprague breaks down common birth terms you’ve probably heard, like effacement, dilation, VBAC, golden hour, and more... but maybe never fully understood.Whether you’re brand new to doula tr...