Today in Focus The Birth Keepers: When Emilee met Yolande – episode two
Dec 30, 2025
Emily Saldea, the founder of the Free Birth Society movement, delves into her transformation from performer to influential advocate for free births. Joining forces with Yolande Norris-Clark, the duo navigates their shared skepticism towards mainstream obstetrics. The discussion reveals their backgrounds in medical families, their contentious relationship with midwives, and the financial successes of their movement. The podcast also touches on allegations about their claimed experiences and the controversies surrounding their educational courses.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
From Hoop Dancer To Movement Founder
- Emily Saldea transitioned from an LA hoop dancer and doula to founding the Free Birth Society after years of varied odd jobs and birth work.
- Friends remember her as ambitious, confident and driven to build a large platform and business around birth.
Credibility Built On Inflated Experience
- Emily and Yolanda framed their authority by claiming decades of birth experience and hundreds of attended births.
- Reporting suggests both women exaggerated their hands-on birth numbers to build credibility and sell courses.
Doula Work And Growing Disillusionment
- Emily trained as a doula and worked with the LA Doula Project providing free support to low-income women.
- Colleagues recall her caring deeply but becoming haunted by trauma she witnessed in hospitals.