Midwife Nina Van Schaick had a calling, drawn to the raw, intimate moments of bringing life into the world. But she couldn’t ignore the unspoken agony she witnessed: 90% of women still endure tearing during childbirth.

In a world where only 1% of pharma R&D goes toward maternal health, Nina realised she’d have to fix it herself. Now, her gloves are off. Nina has created a groundbreaking solution to tackle perineal tearing and taking her delivery room grit to the boardrooms that have long overlooked women’s health. This is her journey from midwife to FemTech pioneer. 

• (00:00 ) - Introduction to The Wobbly Middle


• (03:08 ) - Nina's Journey into Midwifery


• (05:39 ) - The Emotional Spectrum of Midwifery


• (08:04 ) - Challenges and Changes in Midwifery


• (12:11 ) - Innovating with PeriPear


• (20:00 ) - Empowering Women in Midlife

New episodes of The Wobble Middle are released fortnightly. For additional insights, read The Wobbly Middle on Substack. You can also find us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook @thewobblymiddle.

If you are in the wobbly middle of your career, please share your story with us via our socials or email us at thewobblymiddle@gmail.com. We'd love to hear what’s on your mind - and if you're out the other side, please let us know how you got there!

About the hosts:

Susannah de Jager is podcasting in Oxford, consulting to start-ups and occasionally advising on scale-up capital having left her role as CEO of a boutique asset manager and asked "what next?”. Oh, and she’s moving country with her husband and two young children. To say that she’s in The Wobbly Middle would be an understatement. This podcast is for her and for all those like her.

Patsy Day is a lawyer on a break. As an intellectual property specialist, she has worked on everything from anti-counterfeiting to publishing and from London to Ho Chi Minh City and back again. Patsy lives in Oxford and is currently immersed in podcasts producing SafeHouse Amsterdam (out 2025) and co-hosting, The Wobbly Middle.