Samantha Payne (CEO and founder of Pink Elephants) engages Tahyna MacManus in a discussion about the grief of miscarriage, creating the documentary 'Misunderstandings of Miscarriage' and hopes for women in the future. The two professional women reflect on their own pregnancy loss' experiences and the need for letting go of shame and disenfranchised grief. Links: Websites: https://www.pinkelephants.org.au/ https://www.mumdocumentary.com/ Instagram handles: - glimmer_project - pinkelephantssupport...
Apr 21, 2024•24 min•Season 4Ep. 2
A miscarriage doula is someone who provides knowledgeable guidance and support to people who experience pregnancy loss at any gestation in pregnancy. They provide emotional and mental support through grief coaching and are trauma-informed individuals. Samantha Payne (CEO and founder of Pink Elephants) engages Arden Cartrette in a heartfelt and compassionate discussion about the grief of miscarriage. The two women have personal and professional experience working in the pregnancy loss space and t...
Apr 21, 2024•34 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Sarah Roberts is a grief councilor, creator, teacher and healer. She is the founder of ‘The Empty Cradle’ which supports women who have lost the opportunity for motherhood. The Empty Cradle is a place where mourning, complexity, spirituality, hope, ambition and lifestyle collide. Samantha Payne (CEO and founder of Pink Elephants) engages Sarah in an interview about the identity grief of involuntary childlessness, identity annihilation and societal perceptions. Sarah is a wealth of knowledge both...
Apr 07, 2024•31 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Fatima El-Assaad and Amanda Pain join Glimmer to share their experience of how their cultural and religious backgrounds have shaped their pregnancy and baby loss journey. Links: https://www.theglimmerproject.com/ https://bluehearts.com.au/the-cause.html https://stillbirthfoundation.org.au/ www.thestillnest.com Special thank you to: - Corey Green (podcast editor - Transducer Audio) https://www.transducer-audio.com/ - Coby Grant (Winter Bear backing sound track) - Ashleigh Smith (Producer and crea...
Jan 15, 2023•42 min•Season 3Ep. 6
The online Glimmer program’s beloved specialist bereavement midwife and fellow warrior Mum Liana Quinlivan joins this episode of The Glimmer Podcast to talk about putting the jigsaw of your life back together after baby loss. Liana runs the online Glimmer Program groups and has been a midwife for 15 years. Caitlin Crowley interviews Liana in this heartfelt episode of the Glimmer podcast. After Liana’s baby ‘Dot’ died due to a skeletal malformation disorder, she felt like everything in her life h...
Nov 15, 2022•27 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Rachel Whalen joins us in this episode of the Glimmer Podcast to discuss preeclampsia, stillbirth and maternal near-death experience in pregnancy. Caitlin Crowley interviews Rachel and asks her what it was like dealing with catastrophic grief while facing her own mortality. Rachel is a preeclampsia loss mum and social media influencer who heads the Instagram @unexpectedfamilyouting. She is a writer, mother, griever and advocate. Rachel speaks about just wanting to go home and start the grieving ...
Oct 11, 2022•32 min•Season 3Ep. 4
This episode of the Glimmer Podcast is all about returning to work after miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal loss or TFMR (termination for medical reasons). It gives helpful lived experience and advice to the listener on how to navigate interactions with colleagues, clients and everyone involved in the workplace. This episode also gives helpful advice to employers and we recommend this episode to every work place whose staff may experience this type of loss. Our guest is Ann-Maree Imrie, a social ...
Jul 02, 2022•27 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Meagan Donaldson joins The Glimmer Podcast to talk about TFMR (termination of pregnancy for medical reasons), the importance of language and finding joy again after such heartache. Meagan is the author of ‘Still a Mum,’ which shines a spotlight on the stigma that still exists around pregnancy loss, TFMR and its impacts; not just for the parents but for other family members as well. Meagan Donaldson was 23 weeks pregnant when tests confirmed her unborn baby had a rare condition. Told the prognosi...
Apr 29, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Edwina Symonds is a red nose volunteer support line worker whose son Sebby passed away due to a rare genetic disorder. She uses writing to help grieve and also to help those around her to understand the impact child loss creates. Caitlin Crowley interviews Edwina on her work as a volunteer for the Red Nose support line. Edwina explains that working at Red Nose feels like a legacy for Sebby and her contribution through that work is his gift to the world. Edwina reassures the listener to call the ...
Apr 02, 2022•35 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Priyanka Saha is many things – a pregnancy and baby loss survivor, charity founder, lawyer, and believer in hope. Having lived through a traumatic first pregnancy loss and then the death of her first born, Lily at 10 months old, Priyanka set up the Lily Calvert Fund (LCF). LCF raises awareness of grief and loss and runs a national music therapy program providing musical care kits to paediatric palliative care programs Australia wide. Priyanka shares her thoughts on parenting after loss and post ...
Oct 04, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Dr Ashleigh Smith of The Glimmer Project interviews 2 sub-specialist medical professionals in this episode of The Glimmer podcast - for women and their families who have experienced pregnancy loss, stillbirth, neonatal loss or high risk pregnancies. Dr Alex Heazell is a consultant Obstetrician and leads a stillbirth research group in Manchester, UK. He works with Tommy's charity, The International stillbirth alliance and is father to Jack, his son who was stillborn 19 years ago. Dr Heazell runs ...
Sep 05, 2021•41 min
In this episode of The Glimmer Podcast, Dr Ashleigh Smith interviews Joy Hall. Joy offers a grandparents perspective to pregnancy loss and shares her experience as grandmother to Marley, who was stillborn earlier last year . Joy speaks about the multiple layers of her grief - the grief for her grandchild and then the added grief and anguish she feels for the pain her child and partner are experiencing. Joy talks about the first weeks after Marley was born and the added complication of coronaviru...
Jul 03, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Bec Sparrow and Mia Freedman formed a strong and long-lasting friendship over their shared experience of pregnancy loss. In this episode, Dr Ashleigh Smith asks them about how they became friends. How they helped each other through their grief. How they continue to support each other during the milestones and anniversaries. Bec that a week after losing Georgie, she felt strongly that her stillborn daughter was going to turn the light in her life up, not down. Even though Bec “wishes Georgie was ...
Jun 05, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Ann-maree Imrie joins Dr Ashleigh Smith and The Glimmer Podcast today as someone who knows the struggle of pregnancy-after-loss – also known as a ‘rainbow pregnancy’ or ‘rainbow baby.’ She is a Social Worker trained in grief and mother to Xavier who is her first child. He was stillborn in 2015 and Ann-maree has since gone on to have 2 subsequent rainbow babies named Kai and Jesse. Discussing the recent 6th anniversary of Xavier, the pair reflect on stillbirth and neonatal loss and where is fits ...
May 01, 2021•39 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Mitchell Delamotte joins Glimmer today to offer a ‘fathers perspective’ on pregnancy loss - an important and lesser-discussed experience. In this episode. Mitch explains how his daughter Pia’s stillbirth 4 years ago has shaped and altered his life. Dr Ashleigh Smith asks about the early days after losing Pia, what the most difficult moments were, how his gender and parenting role coloured his experience, and how he managed his grief. Mitch opens up about running, fundraising for the Stillbirth F...
Apr 04, 2021•36 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In the Season finale of The Glimmer Podcast, Dr Ashleigh Smith interviews Senator Kristina Keneally about her life after losing her daughter Caroline through stillbirth, political activism and spearheading the Stillbirth Inquiry. The 2018 Senate Inquiry into stillbirth has resulted in greater government funding toward research and bereavement support for affected families. Senator Keneally explains how 20 years ago (when her daughter Caroline passed away) there was no internet, no support groups...
Sep 29, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 8
During this episode of The Glimmer Podcast, Dr Ashleigh Smith (founder of The Glimmer Project and 3 week online Glimmer program for women who have experienced stillbirth or neonatal loss) interviews Claire Storey - a board member for the International Stillbirth Alliance (ISA). The ISA exists to promote global collaboration in the prevention and provision of appropriate care for families after stillbirth and neonatal death. It aspires to achieve this through public awareness initiatives, communi...
Sep 13, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Zelda Language is a Counselling Psychologist in South Africa. She has many years of experience and is currently in the process of establishing a Wellness Centre for families who have suffered pregnancy or infant loss named the Manaheim Healing centre. Dr Ashleigh Smith (creator of The Glimmer Project and 3 week online Program) interviews Zelda and they initially discuss Covid19 restrictions in South Africa and the associated sadness, isolation, unemployment and grief). Zelda opens up about her p...
Aug 30, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 6
This episode begins with the difficult journey travelled by Jenn Hepton – an incredible and resilient woman who has experienced more heartache then many people could ever imagine. If you are feeling fragile today and worry that hearing stories of loss are too painful and raw for you at this time – please skip forward in the episode approximately 20 minutes. In this episode, Dr Ashleigh Smith discusses ‘the motherhood journey’ - all the highs and lows, challenges and triumphs that go along with f...
Aug 13, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Dr Ashleigh Smith interviews Annabel Bower – author of the heartfelt book ‘Miles Apart’ which aims to support mothers navigating grief after the loss of a baby at any stage of pregnancy or infancy and gives practical and emotional advice on coping with the many challenges life after loss brings. Annabel has also launched a not-for-profit foundation to distribute donated copies of Miles Apart to hospitals around Australia and hopes the foundation will help raise awareness of the emotional impact ...
Jul 29, 2020•49 min•Season 1Ep. 4
This episode discusses grief after pregnancy loss, holding space, post-traumatic growth, liminal space and recommendations for further reading. Dr Ashleigh Smith interviews Heather plett - an expert on grief. Heather lost her mother in recent times and her son Matthew many years ago through stillbirth (she unfortunately had an incompetent cervix with subsequent cervical cerclage, ruptured membranes and intrauterine infection). These events shaped her life and took her from a managerial job in Ca...
Jul 20, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 3
The Glimmer Podcast is hosted by Dr Ashleigh Smith and interviews experts on managing pregnancy and newborn loss related grief. This week’s guest is Alana Sheeren. She is a multi-passionate creative who shows up in all her work with the aim of making the world a kinder, more compassionate place. Whether speaking about grief from the TEDx stage, or in her healing work with clients, she combines her training as a therapist and her intuitive abilities with a deep understanding of the human conditio...
Jul 03, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Today we welcome Julee Pinel – Psychologist and Mental Health Nurse with over 25 years experience. Julee’s son Andrew passed away when he was born at 22weeks and I thank Julee for devoting her career to helping people psychologically recover from similar tragedies, hardships and mental illness. She is a warrior mum like all of us listening to this podcast. On the show today, we discuss how Julee managed her grief after losing Andrew 27 years ago due to preterm labour and extreme prematurity. Jul...
Jun 24, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 1
