Written by two birth doulas and intuitive healers, this book tells the metaphorical story of a fictional goddess who must walk through 7 Gates of Transformation in order to become a Mother. At the final gate, she must surrender to the ultimate sacrifice—spiritual death—so she can be reborn into motherhood. Each gate perfectly illustrates the 7 emotional, psychological, and often subconscious sacrifices that every laboring woman experiences, whether willingly or not. This book is a guide to help pregnant women understand birth as a divine journey and master how to walk through each gate with empowered sacrifice, purpose, and zeal through tools, rituals, and integrative practices.

Women are valued for their ability to bear children in many cultures. The birth process, though supposedly the most painful experience of a woman’s life, is seen as a necessary evil to achieve the end goal of children and motherhood. And yet, in the face of a typically masculinized Christianity that nevertheless professes that women are equally created in the image of God, shouldn’t childbirth—a uniquely feminine experience—itself shape Christian women’s souls and teach them about the heart of the God they love and follow? Drawing on her own experience of giving birth and motherhood—and the conflicting assumptions attached to them, by Christians and the culture at large—Aubry G. Smith presents a richly scriptural exploration of common conceptions about pregnancy and childbirth that will not only help mothers and soon-to-be mothers understand how to think biblically about birth, but also walks them through how to put the ideas into practice in their own lives. Along the way, she shows all readers how to see God’s own experience of the birth process—and how childbirth leads to a deeper understanding of the gospel overall.

Embrace the divine feminine power of the Mother Goddess and learn how to spiritually prepare for pregnancy with this guide to Pagan rituals, meditations, and traditions for every milestone over the next nine months! As you make the transition from maiden to mother, you fully embody the Mother Goddess. Embark on this sacred journey with this complete guide including special mediations, affirmations, and rituals designed to help you attune to the divine energies of childbearing. The Pregnant Goddess teaches you how to: -Prepare spiritually for pregnancy by attuning to your emotional and physical cycle -Conduct rituals to aide in conception, safe pregnancy, and easy delivery -Practice responsible magic during these critical nine moths -Deal with unexpected delivery developments The Pregnant Goddess is the perfect companion as you embark on the most magnificent and magical journey of your life!

Can a woman really have a natural, pain-free childbirth? Yes, she can! Can she feel completely in control and actually enjoy her birthing experience? Absolutely! I know this for sure and in The Birthing Goddess, I share my own pregnancy journey and epiphanies as I prepared myself and achieved that glorious goal of pain-free birthing. The Birthing Goddess is a carefully structured holistic program that engages women in an easy step- by- step training process and enables them to experience this seemingly elusive goal. This book targets and eradicates the fundamental causes of pain in childbirth: fear and inadequate preparation. The training involves dispelling fearful myths, strengthening and controlling birthing muscles, conscious breathing, emotional well-being, mental discipline, self-hypnosis, meditation, spiritual awareness, and much more. Fearfulness is banished. Medical intervention is minimized. As a Birthing Goddess, a woman becomes the superstar of her performance. Her body, mind and spirit become well prepared for a happy, healthy pregnancy and a joyful birthing experience. In this fast-paced world, pregnant women will need a structured natural childbirth training program that they can use in the privacy of their homes. Midwives, Doulas, Birthing Centers, and all Health care practitioners will find the information and training in The Birthing Goddess invaluable for themselves and their clients. The idea of enjoying a natural pain-free birthing experience may seem like a fantasy but after reading this book women will realize that they are in fact Birthing Goddesses, ready to reclaim their legacy and enjoy manifesting what they are divinely created to do. About the Author Laila Valere has had the benefit of a multi-faceted career as a Diplomat, Counseling Psychologist, Educator, Training Consultant and Conference Leader. As a mother, she herself has had first-hand experience of the remarkable difference between birthing three children naturally with much pain and anguish and birthing her fourth child at age 46 years naturally yet with comfort and joy. This gave her a compelling dual perspective on natural birthing. She realized that it was the quality of childbirth preparation and self-training that changed painful natural birthing into pain-free natural birthing. This is the transformative process that she wishes to share with others in The Birthing Goddess. Laila is a practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Hypnotherapy. She has also produced a comprehensive training manual Focus on Self and two experiential CD recordings with accompanying booklets: (1) Success in Examinations to assist students to overcome examination anxiety and (2) From a point of Love- a healing prayer and meditation. In The Birthing Goddess, she uses her varied skillsets and experiences to design this innovative and effective training system to help women fully enjoy their pregnancy and be present for their divinely glorious, pain-free birthing experience. Laila lives in Florida with her husband, children and grandchildren and is actively involved in community service and in helping others to develop their potential.

With women leading only twenty-four Fortune 500 companies, female founders receiving only 2.2 percent of US venture capital, and the continued presence of sexual harassment and double standards, the gender gap continues to hinder the advancement of women in the professional world. In Digital Goddess, Montgomery-Brown—founder of Big Think, a collection of experts across all fields and disciplines that are either at the top of their field or disrupting it, shares her story in an entertaining and educational light. Told from the unique, female entrepreneurial perspective that unpacks all the hurdles other female founders may face in their own journey to the top, Montgomery-Brown shares the real-world lessons she’s learned along the way, such as: Never lie to your investors, even when you just got arrested. Raising money is a poker game—learn how to play. The power and money still lie with men. Pretending it’s not that way, or being angry about it, won’t lead to success. Your relationship with your co-founder is like a second marriage, so forget about keeping the personal out of the workplace. The more authentic you are, and the more fun you have, the better your experience will be. This book is about dealing with the way things are, even when you don’t like it, and being yourself, even when it seems like a drawback. It’s about sucking it up, making the hard choices, and dealing with the consequences. It’s about being honest no matter what is going down. Victoria’s been called “the anti-Elizabeth Holmes,” for a good reason—unlike the ill-fated Theranos CEO, she’s transparent with her investors even when she fears they will walk away. Digital Goddess is a story for entrepreneurial women at any stage of life who want to know what it actually takes to build a business in a world that’s not always fair, predictable, or politically correct

I can't believe I'm getting into a token marriage with you, someone who doesn't believe in love… Ettie worked in a luxury apartment in London. She had a bad encounter with the new owner, Leon, a millionaire, and prepared to be fired, but then she learned that he appreciated her work. She met Leon by chance at one of her other jobs, and he invited her to dinner. She was unexpectedly charmed by his kind smile and ended up spending the night with him. This is a dream for tonight only. He is a man way out of my league. But a month later, Eti was stunned when the doctor told her she was pregnant, and Leon offered to marry her...!

For thousands of years women have given birth among people they know in a place they know well. Knowledge is shared between the participants and birth is a social event. In this new, revised edition of her classic book, Sheila Kitzinger explores the universal experience of pregnancy and birth. She looks closely at the place of birth, what is done to help women in childbirth and examines the bond traditionally formed between mothers and midwives.