{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"EP 237: \u201cSage-escence\u201d \u2013 The Natural Menopause Movement, Shamanic Midwifery, and Birthing the Wise Woman with Jane Hardwicke Collings","description":"In this episode, Kimberly speaks with Jane Hardwicke Collings, a post-menopausal grandmother, former midwife, and founder of the School of Shamanic Womancraft. They explore how the lessons learned from the natural childbirth movement must now be applied to menopause, discussing what Jane calls \u201csage-escence,\u201d the becoming of the wise woman. Jane shares her journey from hospital nurse to home birth midwife, how her midwifery awakened her to the patriarchy\u2019s medicalization of women\u2019s bodies, and why she sees a natural menopause movement emerging. They dive deep into the connections between all rites of passage, from menstruation to birth to menopause, and examine how unresolved trauma surfaces during these transitions. The conversation also explores sexuality and the erotic through life\u2019s seasons, the impact of childhood trauma on menopausal symptoms, body shame, aging, and the cultural pressure toward hormone therapy versus embracing natural processes. Bio Jane Hardwicke Collings is a post-menopausal grandmother, mother of a blended family with four adult children and four grandchildren. A former Registered Nurse who worked in Paediatric Intensive Care Units and Women\u2019s Operating Theatres, she became a midwife at 26 and left the hospital system so as not to be complicit with institutionalized acts of abuse and violence on women and babies masquerading as safety. She was a homebirth midwife for 30 years in city and rural areas of Australia. Jane carries the lineage of Shamanic Midwifery from her teacher Jeannine Parvati Baker and created the School of Shamanic Womancraft in 2009, an international Women\u2019s Mystery School. She travels internationally giving workshops on the wisdom of cycles, the spiritual practice of menstruation, sacred dimensions of pregnancy, birth, and menopause, and reclaiming women\u2019s rites of passage. She also offers teacher training, books, and e-courses. Jane is a co-creator of Hygieia Health, a not-for-profit with a mission to create freestanding birth centers and fund homebirth. She lives in the bush on the edge of a forest in New South Wales, Australia, committed to walking her talk and treading lightly on the earth. She sees herself as an Agent of the Goddess, a Priestess at the altars of transformation.   What She Shares: \u2013Journey from hospital nurse to home birth midwife \u2013Applying lessons from natural childbirth to menopause \u2013Sage-escence: the becoming of the wise woman \u2013How childhood trauma affects menopausal symptoms \u2013Salutogenic vs pathogenic perspectives on women\u2019s health \u2013Personal healing journey around sexuality at menopause \u2013Crowning the Crones ceremony \u2013Preparing for the transition to elderhood at 70   What You\u2019ll Hear: \u2013Jane\u2019s awakening to the patriarchy through midwifery training \u2013Why she left hospital to become a home birth midwife \u2013Bringing midwife eyes and heart to all rites of passage \u2013The state of birth in Australia and globally \u2013Free birth, doulas, and current threats to birth workers \u2013How home birth advocates are embracing medicalized menopause \u2013HRT keeping women in a static hormonal state \u2013The natural menopause movement emerging \u2013Anti-aging culture and the privilege of aging \u2013Body shame rooted in menstrual shame \u2013Kimberly\u2019s reflections on cosmetic procedures and nervous system impact \u2013How orgasm and sexuality change across a woman\u2019s lifetime \u2013Healing sexual inheritance from mothers and grandmothers \u2013Unresolved trauma surfacing at menopause as healing opportunity \u2013First sexual experience as imprint that unfolds through life \u2013Libido changes through life stages \u2013Finding new reasons for sexuality post-reproduction \u2013The spiral of life: what unfolds at each new season \u2013Honoring crones and receiving their wisdom   Resources Website: https:\/\/janehardwickecollings.com\/ IG: @janehardwickecollings Kimberly\u2019s Mobilize Freeze Course: https:\/\/kimberlyannjohnson.com\/freeze\/   ","author_name":"Sex Birth Trauma with Kimberly Ann Johnson","author_url":"http:\/\/www.kimberlyannjohnson.com\/","html":"