And We’re Rolling with Sophie Walker
Steph Hunt:
Hi there, welcome to And We’re Rolling, the show hosted by me, Steph Hunt, where we chat with the world’s best female broadcasters, foreign correspondents, leaders and athletes about life and career — but mostly about what scares them the most, their secret tips and tricks, and how they find the grit to do it anyway.
Sophie Walker is the creator and host of the hugely successful Australian Birth Stories podcast. The poddy has more than 11 million downloads and more than 350 episodes of women sharing their birth experiences — and not just the blissful bits.
Sophie’s podcast community has become a kind of virtual birthing village, especially during COVID lockdowns.
“I wish I had known…” or “Why didn’t someone tell me?” are phrases often uttered by women after giving birth for the first time.
But Sophie’s aim is to share wisdom and stories so others can make informed and empowered decisions as they prepare for this new stage of motherhood.
And now, along with brilliant author Jodie Wilson, the pair has written and released The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth.
The book weaves together stories from the podcast while drawing on the expertise of perinatal specialists and medical professionals. It covers the first, second and third trimester, labour and birth, and early postpartum. It also doesn’t shy away from challenging topics that are often glazed over.
Sophie has created the book she wishes she could have had.
Very exciting to see you.
Firstly, I have to apologise. I’ve just come back from a really great holiday, so I’m feeling a little underprepared.
But then I gave myself a pep talk and thought: Oh my God, I have two kids. I’m overprepared for this interview.
Sophie Walker:
Totally. That’s motherhood right there, isn’t it? Constantly second-guessing yourself.
Steph:
Exactly.
And it’s funny — I’m normally interviewing other people, so I was a little nervous coming on here too.
Sophie:
We’ll be right. We’ll be great.
Steph:
We will.
Now, you are incredible. You’re the founder and host of the weekly podcast Australian Birth Stories.
I had written here “9 million downloads and counting” but apparently it’s now closer to 11 million?
Sophie:
Yeah, nearly 11 now.
Steph:
Holy moly. That’s huge.
An incredible resource for women.
You’re also a mum of three boys under eight.
Where did the idea for the podcast first come from?
How Australian Birth Stories Began
Sophie:
It started forming when I was pregnant with my second child.
With my first birth, I went in really confident. I thought: That’s fine, I’m excited for the challenge, I’m excited for contractions, I really want to have a crack at this.
Since I was little, I’d always been fascinated by babies. I was always the first one saying, Let me hold the baby.
So I was really excited.
But my first birth was quite harrowing. It was 36 hours, and I ended up with the classic cascade of interventions. I had a postpartum haemorrhage, forceps, and my son Nico came out blue and unresponsive.
It was nothing like I imagined.
It was a huge shock because I thought I was more prepared than most.
Going into my second birth, I was still really excited to try again — but this time I immersed myself in as many stories and experiences as I could.
At that point, there weren’t many Australian podcasts at all. This was around 2015–2016.
So I was listening to American birth stories and binging books like Ina May Gaskin’s Spiritual Midwifery.
But it was all American-centric.
After I had my second birth — which was this magical five-hour birth (my easiest birth, and he’s my most challenging child) — I thought:
Maybe I’ll create an Australian version.
Something where women hear about our hospitals, our drugs, our systems — something relevant to Australian women.
It started as a side hobby while I worked part-time and had two boys.
Now it’s my full-time job.
And my husband has recently become the stay-at-home dad.
It’s been a whirlwind six years.
Why the Podcast Resonates
Steph:
Honestly, it’s become one of those things people tell pregnant women to do:
Buy What to Expect When You’re Expecting and listen to Australian Birth Stories.
Why do you think it resonates so deeply?
Sophie:
I think because I sit back and let women really tell their stories.
People often start by saying, I don’t know if I’ll remember much…
Then once they begin, every tiny detail comes back.
I think women are hungry to know:
What might happen? If I choose this, what’s likely to happen next?
Now there’s a library of more than 350 episodes.
Women message me saying:
I’ve just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes — what should I listen to?
And I can immediately send them episodes.
Or women navigating miscarriage, stillbirth, or terminations for medical reasons can hear stories from women who’ve walked that path.
It’s become this virtual birth village.
And I think that’s what women are craving.
Steph’s Birth Experience
Steph:
I remember with my first pregnancy, I was devouring all the positive birth stories.
I went to prenatal yoga, and the teacher had this beautiful “baby born in the sack, no drugs, magical natural birth” story.
She was very anti-C-section, anti-drugs.
And I remember thinking:
Okay, hopefully mine will be like that too.
It wasn’t.
It was a long labour ending in an emergency C-section.
And honestly, I almost felt like I’d failed.
Like: Did I even give birth? Why couldn’t I do it properly?
I think a lot of women feel that.
Sophie:
Definitely.
That’s actually why I’ve just released a cesarean birth class.
C-section mums are often left out of the picture, as though they somehow didn’t “succeed.”
That’s so damaging.
There are so many ways to make cesarean birth more mother-centred and beautiful — but unless women know those options exist, they can’t advocate for them.
That’s why education matters so much.
“Too Posh to Push”
Steph:
I remember before my second baby, chatting at work about likely needing another C-section.
A guy walked past and said:
“Too posh to push, hey?”
And these incredible women in the office absolutely destroyed him on my behalf.
I’ll never forget that.
Birth can divide us, because comparison creeps in.
But it can also bring us together.
Sophie:
Exactly.
And language matters so much.
Terms like “failure to progress” are so loaded.
Women hear that and internalise failure.
Even the distinction between “natural birth” and “vaginal birth” matters.
We’re trying to move toward language that supports all birth experiences.
The Book
Steph:
You and Jodi Wilson have now written The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth.
It’s warm and empowering, but also incredibly comprehensive.
Sophie:
That was exactly what we wanted.
There are lots of pregnancy books, but many are either American, whimsical, or not comprehensive enough.
We wanted an Australian guide that was evidence-based and emotionally supportive.
It moves from preconception through pregnancy and postpartum, and throughout we weave real stories from the podcast with expert advice.
We also included topics often glossed over — miscarriage, birthing on Country, postpartum realities.
We had Indigenous midwives review sections. We had women who’d experienced miscarriage review that chapter.
We wanted this to be genuinely inclusive and useful.
It’s the book we wished we’d had.
Birth Trauma & Empowerment
Steph:
You often say positive birth experiences depend on two things:
It sounds so simple.
Sophie:
It should be simple.
But one in three Australian women report birth trauma.
And often it comes from not understanding what’s happening and not feeling heard.
Even if birth becomes complicated, women can still walk away feeling empowered if they understood the decisions being made and felt part of the process.
That’s why education is everything.
On Podcasting
Steph:
How have you found podcasting as a skill?
Did it come naturally?
Sophie:
I think I’m just completely myself.
My mum’s a psychologist, so maybe I inherited some listening skills.
But interestingly, I’d much rather sit in my office and record than go to events or be recognised in public.
I’m definitely more extroverted behind the mic than in real life.
And I’ve had to learn a whole new business skill set too.
I never imagined writing a book or building this kind of business.
I was working in cancer research and health research before this.
Now I’m listening to business podcasts instead of birth stories and constantly learning.
Family Life
Steph:
And your husband is now the stay-at-home dad?
Sophie:
Yes.
He’s a primary school teacher and burnt out during COVID.
The boys think it’s great.
Although he’s much stricter about screens than I am.
They were literally counting down how long “Dad’s six months off” would last.
He’s learning there’s a lot more cleaning and lunchbox prep involved than he realised.
What’s Next
Steph:
What are you excited about?
Sophie:
Seeing people holding the book.
That’s really special.
And we’re also moving into more advocacy and research work.
I’ve built this incredible community of women, and now I want to harness that to gather meaningful data that can create change in the maternity space.
That feels really exciting.
Steph:
You’re absolutely nailing it.
Thank you so much.
