Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Turn online alignment into an offline community — join us at thewayfwrd.com/join to connect with like-minded people near you.
When did we decide women’s bodies couldn’t be trusted to give birth?
Childbirth is often the first place we’re taught to override intuition in favor of authority. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Nathan Riley about how modern systems shape pregnancy and birth — not just medically, but psychologically and culturally.
This conversation isn’t about rebellion or nostalgia. It’s about responsibility, trust, and what happens when we’re trained to hand those over.
We talk about natural birth, home birth, and the power of doing less instead of more. C-section rates keep climbing and fear is introduced early through institutional rituals. Education, compliance, and credentialed authority train us to outsource knowing, especially during pregnancy and birth. From midwifery to birth trauma, from holistic health to reclaiming responsibility, this conversation connects dots most people never think to question.
If you’re interested in birth sovereignty, health sovereignty, and the deeper implications of how humans enter the world, this episode will challenge you.
Not with ideology, but with lived experience and uncomfortable clarity.
You’ll Learn:
[00:00] Introduction
[04:07] Meeting Dr. Stu Fishbein at a breech delivery talk and the home birth that changed everything
[13:53] Why compulsory education conditions us to trust credentials over critical thinking and clinical experience
[27:53] The alternative health movement is still rooted in materialism
[39:01] The overuse of the word physiology when being directed towards childbirth
[52:35] Where the alternative health space is getting it wrong
[01:06:53] How asking about your own birth transforms your ability to hold space and trust intuition during labor
[01:16:40] Induction risks depend on your provider and why most inductions aren't medically necessary
[01:29:14] The HPV and cervical cancer story
[02:02:03] The graphic reality of circumcision
[02:22:10] Why midwives should be the default for prenatal care
[02:50:55] The nuanced case for free birth, the problems with rebirth certifications, and why "birth educator" replaced "midwife"
Related The Way Forward Episodes:
Rethinking DNA: Examining the Evidence with Dr. Tom Cowan | https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NpPySD-3tl0
The Heart is Not a Pump: Vortexes, Blood Flow & The Seat of the Soul with Dr. Stephen Hussey | youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=KL68_0b-nrg
The Great Birth Revival: Birth Certificates, Circumcision, Postpartum & More with Veda Ray | https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RqGsCxKHYZ8
Flipping Birth Upside Down with Eyla Cuenca | https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nM2ULauj_nc
Resources Mentioned:
The Secret Life of the Unborn Child: Dr. Thomas Verny on the Embodied Mind, Epigenetics, and Transgenerational Healing | bit.ly/4qt63gr
50 Human Studies, in Utero, Conducted in Modern China, Indicate Extreme Risk for Prenatal Ultrasound by Jim West | amzn.to/4qrJTv0 or amzn.to/4qAjbRg
Learn more from Dr. Nathan Riley:
Born Free Method | bornfreemethod.com
Beloved Holistics | belovedholistics.com
2026 Born Free Twins-Breech Gathering | bornfreemethod.com/conference
Find more from Alec:
instagram.com/d_alec_zeck
https://x.com/Alec_Zeck
instagram.com/thewayfwrd
The Way Forward is Sponsored By:
Designed for deep focus and well-being. 100% blue light and flicker free. For $50 off your daylightcomputer.com/?snowball=TWF50, use discount code: TWF50
New Biology Clinic: Redefine Health from the Ground Up
Experience tailored terrain-based health services with consults, livestreams, movement classes, and more. Visit NewBiologyClinic.com and use code THEWAYFORWARD (case sensitive) for $50 off activation. Members get the $150 fee waived: thewayfwrd.com/join
RMDY Academy & Collective: Homeopathy Made Accessible
High-quality remedies and training to support natural healing.
Enroll here: rmdyacademy.org
Explore here: rmdycollective.org/aleczeck85
Turn online alignment into an offline community — join us at thewayfwrd.com/join to connect with like-minded people near you.
When did we decide women’s bodies couldn’t be trusted to give birth?
Childbirth is often the first place we’re taught to override intuition in favor of authority. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Nathan Riley about how modern systems shape pregnancy and birth — not just medically, but psychologically and culturally.
This conversation isn’t about rebellion or nostalgia. It’s about responsibility, trust, and what happens when we’re trained to hand those over.
We talk about natural birth, home birth, and the power of doing less instead of more. C-section rates keep climbing and fear is introduced early through institutional rituals. Education, compliance, and credentialed authority train us to outsource knowing, especially during pregnancy and birth. From midwifery to birth trauma, from holistic health to reclaiming responsibility, this conversation connects dots most people never think to question.
If you’re interested in birth sovereignty, health sovereignty, and the deeper implications of how humans enter the world, this episode will challenge you.
Not with ideology, but with lived experience and uncomfortable clarity.
You’ll Learn:
[00:00] Introduction
[04:07] Meeting Dr. Stu Fishbein at a breech delivery talk and the home birth that changed everything
[13:53] Why compulsory education conditions us to trust credentials over critical thinking and clinical experience
[27:53] The alternative health movement is still rooted in materialism
[39:01] The overuse of the word physiology when being directed towards childbirth
[52:35] Where the alternative health space is getting it wrong
[01:06:53] How asking about your own birth transforms your ability to hold space and trust intuition during labor
[01:16:40] Induction risks depend on your provider and why most inductions aren't medically necessary
[01:29:14] The HPV and cervical cancer story
[02:02:03] The graphic reality of circumcision
[02:22:10] Why midwives should be the default for prenatal care
[02:50:55] The nuanced case for free birth, the problems with rebirth certifications, and why "birth educator" replaced "midwife"
Related The Way Forward Episodes:
Rethinking DNA: Examining the Evidence with Dr. Tom Cowan | https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NpPySD-3tl0
The Heart is Not a Pump: Vortexes, Blood Flow & The Seat of the Soul with Dr. Stephen Hussey | youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=KL68_0b-nrg
The Great Birth Revival: Birth Certificates, Circumcision, Postpartum & More with Veda Ray | https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RqGsCxKHYZ8
Flipping Birth Upside Down with Eyla Cuenca | https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nM2ULauj_nc
Resources Mentioned:
The Secret Life of the Unborn Child: Dr. Thomas Verny on the Embodied Mind, Epigenetics, and Transgenerational Healing | bit.ly/4qt63gr
50 Human Studies, in Utero, Conducted in Modern China, Indicate Extreme Risk for Prenatal Ultrasound by Jim West | amzn.to/4qrJTv0 or amzn.to/4qAjbRg
Learn more from Dr. Nathan Riley:
Born Free Method | bornfreemethod.com
Beloved Holistics | belovedholistics.com
2026 Born Free Twins-Breech Gathering | bornfreemethod.com/conference
Find more from Alec:
instagram.com/d_alec_zeck
https://x.com/Alec_Zeck
instagram.com/thewayfwrd
The Way Forward is Sponsored By:
Designed for deep focus and well-being. 100% blue light and flicker free. For $50 off your daylightcomputer.com/?snowball=TWF50, use discount code: TWF50
New Biology Clinic: Redefine Health from the Ground Up
Experience tailored terrain-based health services with consults, livestreams, movement classes, and more. Visit NewBiologyClinic.com and use code THEWAYFORWARD (case sensitive) for $50 off activation. Members get the $150 fee waived: thewayfwrd.com/join
RMDY Academy & Collective: Homeopathy Made Accessible
High-quality remedies and training to support natural healing.
Enroll here: rmdyacademy.org
Explore here: rmdycollective.org/aleczeck85
