{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Midwifery Wisdom Podcast ","title":"Building Against All Odds & the Cost of Calling with Althea Hrdlichka, CPM","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/54bedda8\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2579,"description":"Althea Hrdlichka opened a birth center in Colorado in 2020 — a state where CPMs were not legally allowed to practice in birth centers. She then changed the law. She opened a second location in 2026. She has attended over 1,000 births and she's far from done.\nIn this episode Augustine sits down with Althea for one of the most unfiltered conversations this podcast has had about what it actually takes to build midwifery infrastructure in a hostile system — the legislation, the license battles, the EMS protocols that she believes are being used deliberately against out-of-hospital providers, the rivals who tried to bring her down, and the moment she almost didn't keep going.And why she kept going anyway.\nIn this episode:Four births that led her to midwifery — and the one that changed everythingOpening a birth center she couldn't legally practice in — and changing the lawA two-year license battle, $70,000 out of pocket, and what pulled her back from the edgeThe EMS \"stay and stabilize\" protocol and what it means for out-of-hospital birthWhy she pays herself zero and what her sustainability plan actually looks likeThe homegrown midwife model — and why it's the only one that worksWhat midwives eating each other is costing the profession\n• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MidwiferyWisdom \n• Birth Center Incubator: https://www.skool.com/birth-center-incubator-4343/about\n• Guest Contact: https://tendergiftsmidwiferyandbirthcenter.com/about-us/","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/WMWT03jadnl0ZGz2IdxRG91nuKz0uJpsscyzIGbJ_rg/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzIwNTYxLzE2OTg2/ODUxNDYtYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}