Home or Hospital Birth? Samantha Christine’s Unfiltered Journey

Pursuit of Wellness

Mari Llewellyn

Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Fitness, Nutrition

4.8 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 11 August 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ep. 197: On this episode of Pursuit of Wellness, I’m joined by Samantha Christine (SAMCFIT), a certified nutrition coach and the host of The Empower Podcast. We talk through her journey from a hospital birth that didn’t go as planned to a powerful, peaceful home birth years later. Sam shares what it took to rebuild her life after divorce, how she learned to advocate for herself in pregnancy, and the silent struggle she faced in those first weeks as a new mom. This episode is raw and full of wisdom for anyone navigating motherhood or major life transitions. Leave Me a Message - click here! For Mari’s Instagram click here! For Pursuit of Wellness Podcast’s Instagram click here! For Mari’s Newsletter click here! For Sam’s Instagram click here! Sponsored By: Transform your bedtime routine with Cozy Earth. Get 40% off at http://cozyearth.com using code PURSUIT at checkout. Hungryroot makes healthy eating easy! Get 40% off your first box + a free item for life at http://hungryroot.com/POW with code POW. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at http://betterhelp.com/POW and get on your way to being your best self. Build your dream brand with Shopify. Start selling today at http://shopify.com/mari. It’s never been easier to get started. Bake-from-frozen sourdough, pasta & pastries — ready in 25 minutes. Visit http://wildgrain.com/POW for $30 off your first box + free croissants in every box. Sleep smarter with Autopilot by Eight Sleep. Get $350 off Pod 4 Ultra at http://eightsleep.com/pow with code POW. Show Links: Train with Sam & explore her programs at https://samcfit.com/ Support gut health, immunity & glowing skin with Colostrum & Collagen Peptides, Bloom’s 3-in-1 formula with probiotics. Topics Discussed 00:10 - Welcome & guest introduction 02:10 - Balancing motherhood, career & fitness 03:48 - Experience of her first (hospital) birth 05:11 - Why she chose home birth for her second 06:45 - How doulas support & empower birth choices 09:30 - Switching from birth center to home birth & choosing a midwife 12:07 - Preparing for unmedicated birth 16:04 - Sam’s experience of home birth 19:28 - Pain vs pressure & intuitive delivery 23:00 - Handling judgment around home birth 24:01 - Mari’s birth planning: holistic vs hospital 25:19 - Postpartum anxiety, support & communicating needs 33:55 - Prenatal perineal massage 35:35 - Pressure to “bounce back” 37:20 - Breastfeeding & body changes 38:11 - Working out after birth: realistic timelines 40:25 - High Rocks & endurance sports 47:14 - Building a blended family with Ian 52:38 - Time-blocking & daily structure 52:50 - Fitness for kids 55:39 - Healthy eating for kids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Pursuit of Wellness Podcast and I'm your host, Mari Lawellan.
0:08.8	Hi guys, welcome back to the show. Today we have Samantha Christine, who is a certified
0:14.4	nutrition coach and a personal trainer who specializes in women's health, strength
0:18.9	training and clean eating. As a marathon runner herself,
0:22.1	she coaches others in training for endurance events like 10Ks, half marathons and full marathons.
0:28.1	She's also the host of the Empower podcast. She's part of the Pursuit Network. And she shares
0:33.0	personal stories and expert conversations about wellness, relationships and parenting of two boys.
0:38.3	She came on my show today. We had an amazing conversation about pregnancy, birth, motherhood,
0:43.7	how she juggles it all. She's incredible, such an inspiration. And I'm so excited for you guys to hear
0:49.0	this episode. Sam, welcome to the pursuit of wellness. Thank you for having me.
0:53.8	Honour to have you.
0:55.1	And you're so gorgeous.
0:56.4	You're so inspiring.
0:57.4	I love your content.
0:58.5	You're also a Pursuit Network host.
1:01.0	Yes.
1:01.6	So exciting.
1:03.1	When I was talking about the network with Michaela and we were speaking about the talent,
1:07.9	you are just like the ideal person to me because you have so much substance.
1:13.3	You're a mom.
1:14.2	You love fitness.
1:15.4	You have a career.
	...

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