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Looking Ahead to Season Six - Finding Where Policy and Storytelling Intersect · The LIFTS Podcast

• 0:08
  Gwyneth Hyndman: Welcome to season six of our LIFTS Podcast, where we talk about what it's like to give birth, to raise, and nurture our babies and toddlers in Montana, and what it looks like to care for ourselves in this tumultuous season.
• 0:20
  Gwyneth Hyndman: I'm Gwyneth Hyndman, Storytelling Coordinator for Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies, the Montana Coalition.
• 0:26
  Gwyneth Hyndman: And I'm so excited to share this space with mothers, fathers, caregivers, and providers who will speak on the beautiful chaos of the zero to three years.
• 0:40
  Gwyneth Hyndman: Stephanie, can you introduce yourself to us?
• 0:44
  Stephanie Morton: For sure.
• 0:44
  Stephanie Morton: My name is Stephanie Morton, and I serve as the executive director of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies.
• 0:50
  Stephanie Morton: I've been at the helm of HMHB for about three years now, and prior to that, served as the program director for six years - closing in on a decade of time with HMHB.
• 1:02
  Stephanie Morton: And yeah, excited to be here and kick off another season of the LIFTS Podcast.
• 1:08
  Stephanie Morton: Gwyneth, would you like to introduce yourself?
• 1:12
  Gwyneth Hyndman: Sure.
• 1:12
  Gwyneth Hyndman: My name is Gwyneth Hyndman, and I have been saying that I'm the incoming storytelling coordinator, but I am now seven, eight months in, so I can no longer say that.
• 1:22
  Gwyneth Hyndman: I am the storytelling coordinator.
• 1:24
  Gwyneth Hyndman: I am carrying on the legacies that Claire and Emily left, which is such an honor.
• 1:31
  Gwyneth Hyndman: And I am based in Phillipsburg, Montana.
• 1:35
  Gwyneth Hyndman: I have two daughters, Jesse and Eliza.
• 1:39
  Gwyneth Hyndman: They are five and seven.
• 1:40
  Gwyneth Hyndman: I'm married to my husband, John McKinnie, who's a fly fishing outfitter.
• 1:44
  Gwyneth Hyndman: And I am an older mom.
• 1:47
  Gwyneth Hyndman: I had my girls when I was 41 and 43.
• 1:50
  Gwyneth Hyndman: My background is in journalism.
• 1:53
  Gwyneth Hyndman: My dad's from New Zealand, so I went to university over there and studied over there and spent about 10 years in journalism in New Zealand, covering health, among other things.
• 2:03
  Gwyneth Hyndman: And then I was traveling through Montana and met my husband in Big Sky and came here to be the editor of the Phillipsburg Mail newspaper, and then ended up staying.
• 2:15
  Gwyneth Hyndman: So my background is primarily in print journalism, and podcasting is a new world for me, which has been exciting, frightening, and but ultimately just really inspiring to hear the work that's been done already and to think about how to bring stories of families and providers to the podcast.
• 2:38
  Gwyneth Hyndman: Today we are going to be talking to Stephanie about our upcoming LIFTS season, which we are now in the sixth season.
• 2:49
  Gwyneth Hyndman: So a year ago at this time, Emily Freeman, who was in my role, she introduced the new podcast season.
• 2:56
  Gwyneth Hyndman: And at that time, you and Emily both made an announcement.
• 3:00
  Gwyneth Hyndman: You talked about the decision to rename the podcast that is now LIFTS from its previous name, which was Mother Love.
• 3:07
  Gwyneth Hyndman: And this was a transition.
• 3:09
  Gwyneth Hyndman: And 12 months later, can you just reflect on what that name change or that brand change actually allowed for?
• 3:20
  Stephanie Morton: For sure, Gwyneth.
• 3:21
  Stephanie Morton: The name change really was inspired by two different things.
• 3:26
  Stephanie Morton: One, we really wanted to make sure that folks who don't call themselves mom or mother felt included in the podcast.
• 3:35
  Stephanie Morton: And we know that it's incredibly important to think about community, both that intimate kind of family community, and then the broader community of folks who are helping to raise kids here in Montana in order to get best support for moms and babies.
• 3:54
  Stephanie Morton: That just is an essential piece of this.
• 3:56
  Stephanie Morton: And focusing just on mom's and mom's experiences leaves an entire bevy of opportunities to learn how to do better off of the table.
• 4:08
  Stephanie Morton: And those stories are incredibly important.
• 4:11
  Stephanie Morton: And you will definitely hear maternal voices at the center of this podcast.
• 4:16
  Stephanie Morton: But also alongside of them, we want to think about the fathers, the grandparents, aunties, uncles, foster parents, all of those different folks that really are providing essential pieces of the puzzle for families here in Montana.
• 4:31
  Stephanie Morton: And it was important for us to make sure that all everyone felt like this was a podcast for them to listen to and learn from.
• 4:38
  Stephanie Morton: Second of that was really just clarity if we can co-brand things, like the LIFTS Online Resource Guide, the LIFTS magazine, and now also the LIFTS Podcast.
• 4:49
  Stephanie Morton: It helps consumers of that media have a level of trusted understanding that this is a product of HMHB.
• 4:58
  Stephanie Morton: Hey, I know them from this magazine I read or from the blog I read as well.
• 5:04
  Stephanie Morton: There's just a helpful nature of making things a little bit more streamlined.
• 5:08
  Stephanie Morton: And if there is one thing that I'm very certain of, it's that parents do not need more confusion or choices.
• 5:16
  Stephanie Morton: So it's an important streamlining we felt in terms of getting out our messaging and communications.
• 5:26
  Gwyneth Hyndman: In the fall of 2025, HMHB brought Mary Collins on as policy director for HMHB.
• 5:33
  Gwyneth Hyndman: What did that signify?
• 5:37
  Stephanie Morton: Mary Collins serves as our first ever policy director, and she started in October of 2025.
• 5:44
  Stephanie Morton: This was a huge growth point for healthy mothers, healthy babies, and really our investment in that skill set and role, and in Mary in particular, is an expression of our commitment to changing the systems for moms, babies, and families.
• 6:05
  Stephanie Morton: We know that telling stories and normalizing accessing resources, pushing back on stigma, engaging with the folks who are taking care of our moms, babies, and families is an incredible part of all of this work.
• 6:22
  Stephanie Morton: But there is also the side of it where we can change that big P policy work, which we're thinking about legislative and law, as well as that small P, what is internal organizational policy.
• 6:37
  Stephanie Morton: And so when we were able to finally stand up a policy director here at HMHB and start to engage in this in a much more intentional way, it really is the continuation and growth of HMHB's successes in terms of Medicaid coverage for pregnancy extension, as well as our work establishing licenses for doulas here in the state of Montana over the past couple legislative sessions.
• 7:07
  Gwyneth Hyndman: And those are some of the big successes in the last 12 months.
• 7:12
  Gwyneth Hyndman: Right now, in the next 12 months, as we head into the 70th Montana legislative session, what is HMHB honing in on?
• 7:22
  Stephanie Morton: Yeah, very exciting.
• 7:23
  Stephanie Morton: We'll be continuing to stand with partners in terms of protecting Medicaid, access to Medicaid, and ensuring that this keystone part of our health system is protected and maintained.
• 7:37
  Stephanie Morton: We know that any cuts to Medicaid will probably affect families because it is just such a cornerstone piece of the entire infrastructure.
• 7:47
  Stephanie Morton: Even if it's not something that's directly impacting families or the benefits not targeting perinatal experiences, we know that it is a critical element to maintain here in the state of Montana in order to have any sort of access care, yeah, that's necessary in order to serve families here in the state.
• 8:09
  Stephanie Morton: It's a critical piece of what we'll be thinking about as we've done for the last few sessions.
• 8:13
  Stephanie Morton: In addition to that, we are looking at stewarding some legislation that is helping to advance the conversation on substance use in parents and caregivers and how our state does and does not respond to providing services to those folks, as well as how child and family services is interacting there.
• 8:38
  Stephanie Morton: We really hope that the legislation will be something that starts more conversations than creates conclusions.
• 8:44
  Stephanie Morton: This is continues to be a persistent problem for many families in the state of Montana.
• 8:50
  Stephanie Morton: And we know that very young children are most likely to be removed from their homes.
• 8:58
  Stephanie Morton: And oftentimes, like more often than not, there is substance use, parent substance use involved in the decisions to do that.
• 9:06
  Stephanie Morton: Making sure that we are doing so with incredible care and coming alongside our partners in child and family services and elsewhere.
• 9:14
  Stephanie Morton: Yeah, it's really important.
• 9:15
  Stephanie Morton: So I think this will hopefully start more conversations and it brings us conclusions.
• 9:19
  Stephanie Morton: But we're excited to be able to help steward that very particular system of care forward.
• 9:27
  Gwyneth Hyndman: Stephanie, what role can the LIFTS Podcast and all the HMHB storytelling efforts play in moving the meter in the decisions being made on those levels?
• 9:41
  Stephanie Morton: Yeah, that's a great question, Gwyneth.
• 9:43
  Stephanie Morton: And it's the core of our why.
• 9:45
  Stephanie Morton: Why does HMHB have a storytelling coordinator?
• 9:48
  Stephanie Morton: Why do we have a podcast, a magazine?
• 9:50
  Stephanie Morton: Really, what we're looking for has a couple of different aims.
• 9:55
  Stephanie Morton: First and foremost, we know the incredibly healing and impactful nature of stories.
• 10:02
  Stephanie Morton: They're so human.
• 10:05
  Stephanie Morton: They're core to our human experience.
• 10:07
  Stephanie Morton: And the experience of listening to others and deeply feeling whatever that person is feeling, that joy, grief, anxiety, it's just it's so helpful and impactful.
• 10:22
  Stephanie Morton: And pairing that right alongside our evidence bases and more data, our I guess numerical data informed opinions and understandings of how to better serve families.
• 10:34
  Stephanie Morton: It's an incredible twofold.
• 10:36
  Stephanie Morton: So we're thinking about one, that telling story telling stories is healing, hearing stories is healing, healing stories is impactful in terms of moving someone to change their mind or change their behaviors.
• 10:51
  Stephanie Morton: And the all of those pieces really we're just looking to normalize like all accessing services, driving people back to that LIFTS Online resource guide, letting people know that as a parent, you're not supposed to do this alone.
• 11:08
  Stephanie Morton: And the terrible fallacy that our culture continues to steward that you're just supposed to know how to be a parent.
• 11:18
  Stephanie Morton: You're just supposed to know how to do the hardest job that you'll ever have.
• 11:22
  Stephanie Morton: Is yeah, I do feel like that that narrative and that tide is changing, but we still have a lot of work to help people understand what kind of help is out there, how you access it.
• 11:34
  Stephanie Morton: And yeah, it just feels like it's a continuous push towards saying, yeah, you're not supposed to just grit your teeth and muscle your way through this.
• 11:43
  Stephanie Morton: It's not supposed to be all sleep deprivation and toughen it out.
• 11:47
  Stephanie Morton: There are points where you can find support when and if you like it.
• 11:52
  Stephanie Morton: And I think that's incredibly important to continue saying always.
• 11:58
  Stephanie Morton: Yeah.
• 11:59
  Stephanie Morton: It's hard to know when you're in the deep dark depths that there is light at the end of the top tunnel, that there are options.
• 12:06
  Stephanie Morton: And yeah, so just reminding folks of all that.
• 12:10
  Stephanie Morton: I think the other piece that this storytelling work that we do helps is to guide the systems and folks like me, folks like us, who are working to change those systems.
• 12:22
  Stephanie Morton: It's data, it's another data point to help us understand what the experience of folks in the perinatal period is in Montana.
• 12:32
  Stephanie Morton: We have a growing amount of data and reports and formalized research on the area, but having story collected alongside that to help fill out those pictures and more deeply understand what a family's experience here is in Montana.
• 12:50
  Stephanie Morton: It's critical.
• 12:51
  Stephanie Morton: And it helps us to understand if what we are doing is impactful and helps to guide efforts and allocate resources.
• 13:00
  Stephanie Morton: I have had a sneak preview of what you have coming up in terms of podcast episodes this season.
• 13:08
  Stephanie Morton: And man, it's so easy for me to look at those and just start feeling like, oh, this question, this person, this report.
• 13:17
  Stephanie Morton: And so I'm just so excited to continue to be in that learner seat and always be hearing firsthand from folks who are living it and doing it.
• 13:28
  Gwyneth Hyndman: What are you excited about for the coming season?
• 13:31
  Gwyneth Hyndman: And what are your sort of hopes that this will do?
• 13:35
  Stephanie Morton: Yeah.
• 13:36
  Stephanie Morton: I think for me, that learner seat, I'll be a little vulnerable in this moment and say, as an executive director, a lot of times you're expected to be a knower and a doer.
• 13:47
  Stephanie Morton: And when I put on my headphones, I put in my earbuds, and I get to listen to LIFTS podcast, it is a moment where I don't have to be a knower or a doer.
• 14:00
  Stephanie Morton: And I get to kind of put my shoulders down and just invest myself completely in the space of learning.
• 14:06
  Stephanie Morton: And also feeling and being able to continuously hear from providers who know better and then do better in order to prove outcomes for families.
• 14:17
  Stephanie Morton: Hearing from the mom who is figuring out, wow, yeah, home visiting is an incredible resource.
• 14:24
  Stephanie Morton: I had no idea someone would come weigh my baby in the first weeks.
• 14:29
  Stephanie Morton: Yeah.
• 14:30
  Stephanie Morton: I it it's it's an easy way to get high quality information for me that that really does help me be stay curious, be more informed, and think about systemic ways and shifts that will help families in Montana, which is the goal of healthy mothers, healthy babies.
• 14:50
  Stephanie Morton: I think in particular, when we're trying to think about the perenatal period, you don't know what you don't know, particularly as a first-time parent.
• 14:59
  Stephanie Morton: And that learning curve is really steep.
• 15:02
  Stephanie Morton: And ideally, your child is growing and changing every day.
• 15:07
  Stephanie Morton: And so what they need and what you need as a parent or a caregiver changes every day.
• 15:13
  Stephanie Morton: And that's so tiring.
• 15:15
  Stephanie Morton: And if you don't know what resources are out there or how to access them, if you don't have a trusted person in your community you can go to and just kind of talk about what you're feeling or what you're struggling with, and similarly to share joy in your child, that's the incredibly important part of being a parent or caregiver is having that shared joy with others.
• 15:37
  Stephanie Morton: I appreciate it so much, is what I will end with.
• 15:40
  Stephanie Morton: There is a level of vulnerability that everybody who shares their story with us is willing to engage in.
• 15:47
  Stephanie Morton: And I'm so thankful that they trust us to be able to steward those well.
• 15:51
  Stephanie Morton: And I'm so thankful that, Gwyneth, you have been willing to jump in and to dive into podcasting and grow your skills and bring your incredible skill set of journalism and connection and your personal empathy and warmth into this place and space.
• 16:11
  Stephanie Morton: So thank you for being willing to do that as well.
• 16:13
  Stephanie Morton: It's yeah, act of radical bravery, I feel every day to be okay enough to share your story in the world and help others know better and do better.
• 16:23
  Stephanie Morton: No matter what the topic is, I'm always like, good lord, people are amazing.
• 16:28
  Stephanie Morton: Which I really appreciate.
• 16:32
  Gwyneth Hyndman: Thank you, Stephanie.
• 16:44
  Gwyneth Hyndman: Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies is a nonprofit organization out of Helena, Montana, dedicated to the health and well-being of families expecting and raising little ones.
• 16:53
  Gwyneth Hyndman: Opinions and views expressed in these interviews do not necessarily represent the views expressed by HMHB as an organization.
• 17:01
  Gwyneth Hyndman: If you have a topic or a story you would love to see covered on our podcast, or if you have any feedback on a podcast that has aired, you can contact me at Gwyneth at HMHB-mt.org.
• 17:14
  Gwyneth Hyndman: You can also go right to our website at HMHB-mt.org.
• 17:20
  Gwyneth Hyndman: We look forward to hearing from you.