Two different paths into nursing brought Mandy Irby and Maggie Runyon to the same place. Listen as they discuss that nurses bring their psychological histories into the birth space and that most adults have experienced trauma at some point in their life. Open yourself to the vulnerability of connection with patients and accept that you’ve been complicit in obstetric violence in order to advocate to nurse leaders to change policies, serve as an active bystander, and make trauma-informed care the standard to improve health outcomes. 

Meet our guests:

Mandy Irby, BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, LCCE, NSI-L1

Mandy Irby is a leading authority in transforming birth care culture through the prevention of birth-related trauma by co-creating The Embodied Trauma-Informed Care Framework. Since founding The Birth Nurse, she’s worked with state quality collaboratives, departments of health, and hospital teams to strengthen psychological safety in childbirth and improve family outcomes across generations. Her paradigm shifting workshops, keynote speeches, and consultations drive the change to patient-centered care within a safe and ethical framework for nurses.

Maggie Runyon, MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM (she/her)

 

Maggie Runyon is a nurse, educator, writer, and speaker. She began her nursing career in 2009 and has since practiced in hospitals and communities around the country. In 2019, Maggie founded the non-profit Your BIRTH Partners with a mission to cultivate inclusive, collaborative birth care environments rooted in autonomy, respect, and equity. Maggie is currently pursuing her PhD in Nursing and loves educating, mentoring, and learning alongside nurses. She recently authored her first book, I Thought I Was Here to Help, which chronicles her early career journey and the lessons she has learned. Her advocacy focuses on improving perinatal care in hospital environments through trauma-informed care, affirming nurses’ agency, and community collaboration.

Episode Resources

  • Runyon, M. (2025). I thought I was here to help.  
  • Burgess, A., & Kosmas, T. R., (2025). Trauma-responsive perinatal leadership. MCN, The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, doi: 10.1097/NMC.0000000000001120. Online ahead of print. 
  • Runyon, M. C., Trout, K., Copel, L. C., & Moriarty, H. (2025). Labor and delivery nurse psychological trauma an integrative review. MCN, The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, doi: 10.1097/NMC.0000000000001118. Online ahead of print. 
  • Runyon, M. C., Irby, M. N., Pascucci, C., & Rojas Landivar, P. (2023). Exposing the role of labor and delivery nurses as active bystanders in preventing or perpetuating obstetric violence. Nursing for Women’s Health, 27(5), 330-336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nwh.2023.05.002 
  • Garcia, L. M. (2020). A concept analysis of obstetric violence in the United States of America. Nursing Forum, 55(4), 654-663. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12482 
  • Obstetric Violence from Birth Monopoly 

 

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