Welcome to a community of mothers doing motherhood on their own terms. In this trailer, I explain a little bit more about what prompted me to start the podcast and what we will be talking about in episodes to come. 

This week I’m speaking with best-selling author, speaker, journalist, and matrescence activist, Amy Taylor-Kabbaz. I came to know Amy through her latest book ‘Mama Rising’, which was truly medicine for my soul. She is the perfect person to speak about the thing that we most often overlook in motherhood, feeling lost and understanding who we are now that we’ve become mothers.

This week I’m speaking with Conscious Life + Parenting Coach, Jennifer Hepton, who works with mothers that have experienced infertility, pregnancy loss and trauma. She uses her knowledge and training of neuroscience, neurobiology and mindfulness to support women in their healing so that they can reconnect to their inner healer, wisdom and true self as they venture into their motherhood journey. Jenn has coached and mentored women who are TTC (Trying To Conceive) after loss, going through fertility treatments, pregnant after loss, and who are parenting.

This week I’m speaking with Valentine Gardener, a certified Hypnobirthing and Postnatal Wellbeing Practitioner, who supports women in pregnancy through to the 4th trimester. Valentine is a mother of two and is passionate about helping women feel positive, informed and confident about birth and the postnatal period.

In this episode, we speak about the lack of support for post-partum mothers and for mothers who are about to give birth, as well as how we can make a difference in the way birth is portrayed. She speaks on the common thoughts and feelings people experience after birth and why it’s so beneficial to seek help and allow yourself to spend time caring for yourself. Valentine offers simple, yet effective tools and techniques for dealing with anxiety, loneliness, worry, overwhelm, and exhaustion during your 4th trimester.

This week I’m speaking with Catherine Topham Sly, a BCAP accredited counsellor, writer and speaker who specialises in relationships, and particularly the challenges of staying connected with your partner while raising a family together.Catherine works with adult individuals and couples, in Brighton, Hove, and online, who want to make changes and feel better by working together to make sense of their problems and find a way forwards.

In this episode, we dive into the most common and biggest challenges couples face after having children, including communication, the mental load, resentment, sex and intimacy, and so much more. We share stories and examples of experiences with disconnection after having kids, differences in desire, default parenting, and societal expectations and judgements of parental roles. Catherine shares powerful tips and techniques for staying connected and aligned with your partner so that you can resolve conflict and foster a loving relationship.

This week I’m speaking with Alissa Timoshkina, Author, Chef, Writer, Podcast Host of Motherhood, Event Curator & Mama. Alissa has had an interesting journey in life, moving from her home country of Russia during her formative years, struggling with an eating disorder (ED), becoming fascinated with food, and then becoming a mother. Women are much more likely to have an ED than men and Alissa wants to liberate women from the grasp of the patriarchal norms of how we should look and what we should eat.

In this episode, we talk about the importance of nourishing the mother, what that means, and how we can work towards a healthy relationship with food. Food cultivates nourishment, community, and connection. Alissa explains how our relationship to food transitions alongside our motherhood journey and the importance of healing our relationship with food, leading to creating positive relationships with food for our children.

This week I’m speaking with Clio Wood, women’s health and sex-positivity advocate and Founder of &Breathe, an award-winning fitness and well-being retreat for pre/postnatal parenthood and perimenopause. She created &Breathe following the birth of her daughter in 2014 and her postnatal experiences with rehab, fitness and well-being, birth trauma, depression, and painful sex/pelvic floor issues. Clio is passionate about helping women to be their best selves.

In this episode, we speak about moving your body in a new way after becoming a mother, noting the emotional and mental benefits of exercise. We discuss what affects our bodies during those early days of motherhood, from body image to the effects of exercise on our mental health, and how we can start the journey towards recovery and building up our strength again. Clio talks to us about pelvic floor health and the power in scheduling in time to move.

This week I’m speaking with Emma Cottam, photography teacher, podcaster, and Owner and Founder of @isabella_and_us  a mum-focused online gift shop. Emma is a mother and wife who is passionate about raising awareness of maternal mental health and encouraging mums to make time for themselves. Emma is also the Editor of the Positive Wellbeing Zine for Mums, a quarterly publication all about self-care, wellbeing and motherhood.

In this episode, we speak about the importance of taking time to nourish and look after yourself in ways that are suited to you, while seeking out the support you need after giving birth. Emma speaks on some of the biggest challenges she faced postpartum and how she overcame them, speaking openly about topics that are usually cast as taboo or shameful in society. She details the significance of her business and magazine, emphasizing how it’s been a saving grace for her mental health.