Hi mamas. Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Rachael Shepard-Ohta, who is a certified sleep consultant, a parent educator, content creator, podcaster, mother of three and founder of Hey Sleep Baby. I had the pleasure of being on Rachael’s podcast, No One Told Us, last year and I was so happy to have the opportunity to have another wonderful conversation with her here.    In this episode, we discuss Rachael’s expectations prior to becoming a mother and how her lived experience compared to...

Hi mamas. Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Chrissy Powers, a licensed marriage and family therapist, mum, wife, writer and embodiment coach. I’ve been following Chrissy on social media for quite some time and I just love her beautiful, authentic, warm presence, which shines through in this conversation.    In this episode, we discuss Chrissy’s background and some of her early internalised ideas of being the ‘good girl’, how this showed up in her adulthood and her mothering, and her...

Hi mamas. In this episode of Life After Birth, I am joined by Ali Heppell, a postpartum doula, matrescence educator and guide, and women’s circle facilitator. She is also a wife and mum to two boys.   In this conversion, we discuss Ali’s experience of becoming a mother after losing her own mother to cancer just a few years prior. We discuss Ali’s experience of the grief of losing her mother, her honouring of this grief and how it shaped her own mothering journey. Ali shares her immense loss...

Hi mamas. Join me as I speak with Renee Cachia, experienced psychologist and founder of Inner Bloom Psychology Practice. Renee is committed to improving the lives of families by empowering parents with psychoeducation and creating environments for young people to thrive from the inside out. She is a mum to her 2-year-old daughter and, at the time of recording this episode, was pregnant with her second child.    In this conversation, we hear about Renee’s journey as a mother; her experience of...

Hi mamas. This week I talk to Dr. Elyse McNeil, Mental Load Expert and Founder of Share to Thrive, who is passionate about helping couples thrive in their relationships by providing them with strategies to help them navigate the mental load of parenthood.     In this beautiful conversation, we discuss Elyse’s preparation for her own transition into mothering, and the kinds of conversations she and her husband had to facilitate sharing the load.  We discuss the importance of open and...

Hi mamas. In this episode of Life After Birth, I am joined by Kelly Wright who has recently joined me at Life After Birth in a therapist capacity. Kelly is a mother and therapist trained in social work, attachment theory, nutrition, internal family systems, polyvagal work, and I’m so happy to have her on the team.    In this raw and vulnerable conversation, Kelly shares some of the challenges she has experienced in her mothering journey, and the disparity between what she expected to come...

Hi mamas. Join me for this beautiful conversation with Zoe Blaskey, mum of two and the woman behind the Motherkind Podcast. Zoe invited me to be a guest on her podcast a few months ago, and so I was excited to return the invite and have her come on Life After Birth to share more of her story and insights with you all.    In this conversation, Zoe shares with me about her own upbringing, and reflects on the ‘credits’ and ‘debits’ of her childhood and the role they played in her life and the...

Welcome back mamas! This is the final episode for 2023, and it's all about inviting more ease and joy into the holiday season. In this episode I talk you through 5 things you might want to consider, including prioritising your well being, simplifying your plans, setting boundaries, creating low stress traditions, and embracing imperfection.  While listening to this week’s episode, I want you to remember that your experiences this holiday season matter just as much as the experiences of your...

Hi mamas. This week I talk to Jessie McGarry, Doula and Founder of The Bright Birth Company. Jessie is a mother of four (she was pregnant with her fourth child at the time of recording) and walks with women on their pregnancy, birth and postpartum journeys as a doula, providing soulful guidance and reminding women they have all the power they need within them. She also mentors other birth workers to create thriving, nourishing businesses supporting over 40 births and working with over 100...

Hi mamas. This week I talk to Mike Dyson, Founder of the Good Blokes Co. In his work, Mike empowers men and boys to breakdown restrictive gender norms and to step up as leaders of a healthier culture of masculinity. Mike facilitates Men's leadership retreats, father/son, mother/son and rites of passage camps all over Australia. He also works in schools training teachers to make conversations about masculinity fun, engaging and meaningful for teenage boys and giving parents the tools to get...

In this solo episode I explore the concept of maternal instinct which fell back onto my radar in recent weeks following a viral video featuring Maggie Dent and Kate Richie. I discuss my own thoughts on this topic, recent research on the neurobiology of the mother and father brain, patriarchal implications; and emphasise the importance of understanding parenting to be a skill that transcends one’s sex or gender and is not dictated by biology alone.    **Additional Reading at the bottom of...

Hi mamas. Join me this week as I talk to Elly Taylor, parenthood preparation and relationship specialist and author of the multi-award-winning book Becoming Us, the Couple's Guide to Parenthood, which aims to help couples bridge the gap between the ‘before’ and ‘after’ of parenthood.  In this conversation, Elly talks to me about the disparity between her expectations of motherhood and her lived experience, and how for Elly, her journey to ‘Becoming’ began with an initial period of an...

Hey there mamas and welcome back to another episode of Life After Birth. In this episode, I’m speaking to Minna Dubin, the Author of ‘Mom Rage: The Everyday Crisis of Modern Motherhood.’ I absolutely loved this book and was so excited to invite Minna to speak with me for this episode. Minna’s writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Times, Salon, Parents, Romper, Oprah Daily, MUTHA Magazine and many other publications. As a leading feminist voice on mom rage, Minna has also...

Hi mama. In this episode, I’m joined by Anna Cusack, a Doula, Speaker, Author and Podcaster who supports women by providing emotional support, advice, resources and organisational assistance through pregnancy decision-making, birth mapping, postpartum planning, birth debriefing and guidance throughout the early stages of parenting.  In this  conversation, we discuss Anna’s experience of becoming a mother, both in the initial fourth trimester period, and in the months that followed this. We...

Hi mama. In this episode of Life After Birth, I’m joined by Veronica Eyo, a maternal mental health therapist who helps mothers as they navigate their motherhood journey, as well as managing symptoms of perinatal mental health.  In this conversation, we discuss Veronica’s experience of becoming a mother, and how her reality differed from her pre-motherhood expectation of what it would be like, particularly in the wake of experiencing a difficult birth, which resulted in her entering motherhood...

Hi mamas. Join me this week as I talk to Andrea Bombino, a Career and Business Coach who helps mothers navigate matrescence and step into new mindsets that accommodate their new roles as mothers AND their career aspirations. Andrea’s ethos that motherhood can be done differently shines through our conversation, and I’m so excited to be sharing it with you.  In this conversation, Andrea reflects on her experience of having a baby in the pandemic, and touches on her experience of miscarriage....

Hi mamas!  This is a more personal episode than usual as I delve into my current season of parenting – spoiler alert! This season is bloody TOUGH. In this episode, I speak to some of my current challenges and vulnerabilities, reflect on the emotional journey of raising two energetic children, and how I’m navigating my own mental health.   I was inspired to record this chat as I was listening to a voice message from a friend who was thanking me for providing a space for her to be heard and...

Hi mamas. In this episode, I’m joined by Amy Molloy, an award-winning journalist, editor, author and podcast writer, who produces content for some of the biggest names in global publishing. She is the writer behind the hit podcast, The Space, and as well as writing her own content, she coaches writers through her program -The Book Writing Remedy. In addition to her journalistic work, she is also a qualified counsellor, with advanced studies in grief and loss counselling, child development and...

In today’s episode I offer my thoughts to a listener question. This mother asks how to move beyond resentment when her partner (the father) refuses to step up as a parent despite many conversations where she expresses her feelings and needs. This is a really big question and of course there is always more nuance to these situations that I can possibly account for, but I give it my best shot. Many mothers find themselves in this situation, so if this sounds like your life – then please know...

Hi everyone, this week I chat to Naomi Chrisoulakis, certified post-natal Doula, podcast host and founder of Cocoon by Naomi, a beautiful resource through which Naomi offers mothers the nourishment they need and the nurturing they deserve.  In this discussion, we delve into Naomi’s upbringing and her reflections of it, discussing how various elements of her childhood and early adulthood has affected her on her mothering journey. We discuss Naomi’s optimistic expectations of motherhood prior...

Hi everyone, this week I chat to Alita Blanchard, who is a Parent Coach and Founder of Theawaremama.com.au We first connected through Instagram, where I relate to so much of her content and energy, and I’m excited to be bringing this conversation with her to you today.  Through her work, Alita holds space for mothers and helps them soften their high expectations of themselves and gently learn new skills to help them feel more safe, seen, soothed and secure, so that they can offer the same...

In this solo episode, I delve into the challenging journey of mothering without a clear blueprint. Many women find themselves in this position, either due to the absence of a maternal role model or their desire to parent differently than their own upbringing. We discuss the importance of inner work before and during motherhood, the struggles of healing while parenting, and finding hope and support in this unique path of mothering.  Some of the key points in this episode include: ·      Doing...

Hi Mamas. This week, my guest is Tamica Wilder, Australia’s leading Sexologist for Mums, author, and Founder of The Orgasmic Mama. Through her work and the many resources, courses, and retreats she offers through The Orgasmic Mama, Tamica teaches women the tools and frameworks to create sex-positive households for them and their families, and facilitates women to re-attune to the wisdom of their bodies and to shamelessly seek better sex and pleasure. A while back, Tamica chatted to the...

In this week’s episode of Seeds For Your Garden, I discuss why, as mothers, we often find it so hard to ask for help, and what we can do about it.  In my recent conversation with Laura Danger (you can listen to the episode here), we talked about the experience of pandemic parenting, and it got me thinking about how we access support, and why we sometime struggle to. Much as the pandemic amplified these issues, and meant that we were out of practice in asking for help, this is an issue which...