The Birth Keepers: When Emilee met Yolande – episode two

Today in Focus

The Guardian

News, Daily News

4.6 • 5.7K Ratings

🗓️ 30 December 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Who is Emilee Saldaya, the woman behind the Free Birth Society movement? And how did she meet her business partner Yolande Norris-Clark? Do either women have the credentials they are claiming? This is episode two of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is The Guardian.
0:07.6	Hi, it's Helen here. Today in Focus is taking a little Christmas breaks that we can recharge
0:12.3	our batteries ready for 2026. While we're off, we're bringing you the latest series of Guardian
0:17.7	Investigates. It's presented by reporters Shirin Kala and Lucy Osborne,
0:22.3	and it tells the story of how two influencers made millions radicalising pregnant women around the
0:28.0	world. Today, part two.
0:33.6	Hi, I'm Shirin Kala, and I'm Lucy Osborne. You're listening to The Birth Pupers, a new six-part series from The Guardian Investigates.
0:43.2	Just before we start, this series contains references to baby loss and maternal harm.
0:59.0	Before Emily Saldaya was the leader of a self-proclaimed movement,
1:04.2	she was Emily Benner, aka Hoop Nasty.
1:11.4	There's a video on an old YouTube account posted by Emily in 2010.
1:16.8	It's got 500 views, a show reel from her time as a hula hooper.
1:24.5	Emily is dancing on stage in an LA nightclub, gyrating in a hoop under red and blue strobe lights.
1:27.6	It feels very naughty's.
1:29.2	She's wearing a trilby.
1:30.8	She's got the fingerless gloves.
1:32.7	She's actually pretty good.
1:36.3	It's hard to imagine this is the same woman
1:38.1	who 15 years later
1:39.6	would be hosting this festival
1:41.2	on her land
1:42.4	in the Blue Ridge Mountains
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 6 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Guardian, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Guardian and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.