Birth: The Most Overlooked Leadership Journey of a Woman’s Life
Birth is one of the most defining moments in a woman’s life. In psychology, it is recognised as one of the five biggest life events, shaping how we welcome our children into the world and how we experience ourselves as women, mothers, and leaders.
And yet, birth today is more fear-driven and medicalised than ever before.
Globally, C-section rates are soaring between 30% and 80%, despite the World Health Organization stating that only 10-15% of births require surgical intervention. This means millions of women are going through unnecessary, often traumatic, procedures—not because their bodies are failing, but because the system is failing them.
Birth can be our greatest resource or our deepest trauma. How we experience it matters. It is not just about bringing a baby into the world; it is about who we become in the process.
Women Deserve More Than Just a Baby in Their Arms—They Deserve to Feel Powerful
Modern women want it all—and they **deserve to have it all**—a career, a family, a life that feels whole and fulfilling. And yet, when it comes to birth, women are often told to “just get through it” as if it is something to endure rather than something to step into with confidence and ownership.
Think about Jacinda Ardern, the former New Zealand Prime Minister. She led a country while pregnant, gave birth while in office, and continued to govern with strength and clarity. Her journey was a powerful reminder that motherhood and leadership are not separate—they are deeply intertwined.
Every woman stepping into birth is stepping into leadership of her body, her choices, her experience.
However, the system does not prepare women to lead at birth. It conditions them to be passive, to hand over decisions to others, and to doubt their instincts. And that has consequences—not just for the birth itself but for how a woman steps into motherhood, how she recovers, and how she carries this experience into the rest of her life.
Birth is Not Just a Physical Event—It’s a Mental and Emotional One Too
A close friend of mine had a beautiful, empowering **water birth**. Years later, she was diagnosed with cancer. As she navigated her healing journey, she kept coming back to one thought:
My body grew a baby. My body, with the right support, can heal itself.
Her birth experience had given her a deep, unshakable trust in her body’s power—a trust that carried her through one of the hardest challenges of her life.
Imagine if every woman carried that same belief. Imagine if instead of fear, birth left us with confidence. Imagine if, instead of trauma, birth left us with resilience.
We Must Shift from Fear to Empowerment—For Women, Their Partners, and Future Generations
Fear has no place in birth. When women and their partners are informed, empowered, and actively involved in decision-making, everything changes:
Birth is not something to be controlled. It is something to be navigated with wisdom, trust, and choice.
And that’s why I do this work.
After 42 years, 3,000 births, 10,000 consultations, and countless international talks, my mission is clear:
To help women reclaim birth as a powerful, life-changing experience.
Because when we change birth, we change women. And when we change women, we change the world.
