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 women ...
Dec 05, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 33
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 their...
Nov 21, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 32
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 these show...
Nov 14, 2023•35 min•Ep. 31
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 ‘undoing’ in...
Nov 07, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 30
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 appeared ...
Oct 24, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 29
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 reflect...
Oct 10, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 28
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 car...
Sep 26, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 27
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. We di...
Sep 12, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 26
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 seen in h...
Sep 05, 2023•19 min•Season 1Ep. 25
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 ef...
Aug 29, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 24
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 you a...
Aug 22, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 23
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 to be...
Aug 15, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 22
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 connect...
Aug 01, 2023•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 21
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 inner wor...
Jul 25, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 20
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 mothers i...
Jul 18, 2023•40 min
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 pred...
Jul 11, 2023•14 min•Ep. 18
Join me this week as I talk to Dr, Kyla Smith, a Paediatric Dietitian and Feeding Specialist, a mum of two and founder of the Baby, Toddler and Family Mealtimes online memberships. She supports parents to feed their children with confidence, so they grow up loving food and mealtimes. In our conversation, Kyla opens up about her journey from living a fast-paced, achievement-orientated life, to embracing the transformative role of being a mother. What I especially loved about our conversation was ...
Jul 04, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 17
Hey everyone! My guest this week is Laura Danger. Laura is a Licensed Educator, Certified Fair Play Facilitator, coach and creator who uses her platform to advocate for quality connections and equal partnerships. If you already follow her on Instagram or tiktok, you’ll know that Laura pulls no punches when it comes to dissecting the cultural norms that keep women oppressed in relationships – so of course I was so curious to talk to her and hear how motherhood has evolved for her and how it may h...
Jun 20, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 16
I’ve got something a little bit different for you on this episode of seeds for your garden! There have been big things moving within me in the last little while, and the theme has been grief. Grief is one of the many things that we often don’t know how to process because we weren’t given a good blueprint of how to do so by our parents and our community. In our modern world, grief is an emotion that is often avoided or suppressed – but the truth is that we need to feel it to heal it. Grief is als...
Jun 13, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 15
I am so happy to be bringing you this conversation with my dear friend Fiona Weaver. Fiona Weaver is social worker with expertise in perinatal mental health and a passion for providing education about biologically normal infant sleep. She is a mother of two, very soon to be three, and is the woman behind Mama Matters, and the Mama Chatters podcast. Through her work, she is shaking up the mainstream sleep industry with compassion and integrity, providing parents with the confidence, validation an...
Jun 06, 2023•56 min•Ep. 14
This week on the podcast I explore the transformative power of re-parenting for mothers (and all parents!). Some of the key points I discuss include: · Defining Reparenting: What does reparenting look like? And who is the inner child? · How reparenting can transform our lived experience of mothering by healing attachment wounds and breaking the cycle of unhealthy relating. · Cultivating Self-Compassion. · Reconnecting with Desires and Needs as a vital step in your reparenting journey. · How repa...
May 30, 2023•22 min•Ep. 13
This week, I’m bringing you a different kind of episode, where I’m joined by Mike Dyson and Erin Spahr in a thought-provoking discussion on an issue that struck a chord with my instagram audience: when fathers define themselves as "family men" but their actions tell a different story. Mike and Erin bring their unique perspectives to shed light on why this might be happening, the consequences of this misalignment, and how fathers can find support to change. Mike is the founder of Good Blokes Co, ...
May 23, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 12
This week I chat to Bree Holling from The Matrescence Podcast. Bree and I met via instagram and during the time I have known her, I have chatted with her and Kelly over on their podcast, Bree also journeyed through my signature group coaching program for mothers: The Rebirth, and we have developed a beautiful friendship. In this episode Bree and I explore: · her experience of motherhood as what she describes as an unprepared 22 year old. · how attempting to live in line with the perfect mother m...
May 09, 2023•49 min
In this episode of seeds for your garden, I discuss the power of the word "AND", and how it can help us access greater self-compassion and reduce guilt and shame in our mothering journey. "And" refers to the idea that two seemingly opposite things can both be true at the same time. For example, I can love my children deeply and still need time away from them to recharge and take care of myself. In this episode I explore how patriarchal motherhood ideals can lead to black and white, all-or-nothin...
May 03, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 10
I am so happy to be finally bringing you this deeply treasured chat with my friend Cassidy Freitas. In this conversation, Cassidy tells us about some of her childhood experiences, the pressure she felt to be perfect and the high expectations for herself during pregnancy, birth, and mothering. Cassidy also very vulnerably shares with us the shame she experienced when things didn’t go as planned during her labour and how she managed to overcome this with EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and repr...
Apr 25, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 9
On this episode of Seeds for your garden, I talk about what can happen when we parent from a place of fear. Specifically fear of causing trauma for our children, or of disappointing them. This is something that I am seeing often with the mothers I work with and though it is natural and healthy to act in ways that will not result in trauma for our kids, when our parenting becomes fear based there are a number of ways that this can lead to less than ideal outcomes. I also discuss some reframes tha...
Apr 18, 2023•13 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Beth Berry is the author of the acclaimed book Motherwhelmed. She is a life coach, mother of four daughters, and a revolutionary at heart who spends much of her time supporting and encouraging women in moving toward their fullest potential. In this beautiful and at times confronting conversation with Beth, she takes us through her experience of becoming a mother at the tender age of 17. We talked about the cost to her wellbeing as a result of having her identity and purpose firmly grounded in mo...
Apr 11, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 7
HOLY MOLY mamas! I actually just don’t even know what to say about this week’s episode with Cath Counihan. It’s just THAT good. Cath is a London based trauma-informed Integrative Psychotherapist, lecturer, and host of the podcast Grow Yourself Up. She is a mother of twin girls and started her practice; Psychotherapy Mum after feeling blindsighted by her own experience of motherhood. Cath’s work is focused on supporting those who are healing their own childhood trauma and specifically, her expert...
Dec 13, 2022•59 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Get ready to go deep with Amy Taylor-Kabbaz on being a work in progress. I mean, who can’t relate to that in this season of life! In today’s episode we chat about why Amy found it so damn hard to slow down in motherhood and how this might be related to the value we place the role of being a mother. We also explore the idea of the masculine and the feminine, and we talk feminism and motherhood. This was a truly heart felt chat with Amy, who so generously bared her soul. I am so humbled to have be...
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 5
On this week's Seeds for Your Garden, I chat about some of the things to think about when considering whether the time is right to have more kids. Someone put this question to me on my instagram page, and while I don't offer individualised advice on the podcast (because its simply not possible), I do have some big thoughts about this. Spoiler... YOUR mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical wellbeing is the most important factor. Tune in to hear the rest. Towards the end I also raise the sugge...
Nov 29, 2022•14 min•Season 1Ep. 4
