A Mother's Space

This week I'm speaking with Maisie Hill, a menstrual health expert, author, and doula who knows the power of working with the menstrual cycle and believes that our hormones are there to serve us and help us get what we want out of life. Life affects your cycle and your cycle affects your life. If your cycle has been fluctuating and seeing changes during this pandemic, you're not the only one.

In this episode, we speak about period power for mums. Maisie helps us to understand the patriarchal conditioning around our menstrual cycles and shares methods for connecting to and tracking our cycles. She speaks about the importance of creating menstrual awareness in children and educating them on the power of our cycles, detailing the sensible ways in which we can do that. We also delve into how our first blood experience impacts our relationship with our cycle.

This week I'm speaking with Anna, also known as The Spiritual Midwife, who is a midwife, childbirth educator, Kundalini yoga teacher, coach and women's work facilitator with over 10 years of experience in holding space for women. She offers one-on-one coaching in addition to two online courses where she assists women in embodying sovereignty in their birth space and being a part of preventing birth trauma and postnatal depression, which is seen in large numbers in the western world.

In this episode, we speak about the first 40 days of post-partum life, the history and importance of honouring this time, and what exactly mothers and their community are supposed to do during those first 40 days. We discuss the common lack of preparation that most women experience while entering their post-partum period and what they can do to better prepare and have a plan for it. Anna shares with us many of the ways that mothers are supported and celebrated in different cultures around the world, opening our eyes and hearts to the vulnerability and delicacy of motherhood.

This week I'm speaking with Anoushka Florence, Founder of The Goddess Space. Seeking to create beautiful sacred spaces to support, hold, and empower women, Anoushka began hosting small Women's Circles in her living room and now offers one-to-one spirit sessions, nomadic Women's Circles, tailored pop-up events, and private ritual gatherings, including bridal and baby blessings.

In this episode, we talk about Anoushka's recent motherhood journey and how she uses rituals and creates sacred space to honour her journey and herself as a feminine being. Anoushka tells her story of transitioning from maidenhood to motherhood, detailing what she has discovered about the divine feminine and the Goddess along her life journey, as well as how we can honour our sacred space by honouring the first 40 days after giving birth. You'll learn the purpose and meaning behind women's circles and explore ways in which you can create sacred space and rituals in the simplest moments of life.

This week I'm speaking with Sarah Tobin, who has discovered the power of Tapping/EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)after experiencing PTSD from the loss of her first child. During her journey learning the Tapping technique, she has given birth to two beautiful boys and has helped many mothers through the effects of trauma with EFT.

In this episode, we speak about how Tapping can release trauma, specifically ancestral trauma and motherhood-related trauma. Trauma is an experience that has affected us in a negative way and it can show up in different forms and sizes. Sarah shares about her journey in motherhood and how EFT has helped her and other women through traumatic experiences, as well as the science behind how Tapping works.

Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion around baby loss.

https://www.tappingformums.com

This week I'm speaking with Registered Nutritional Therapist, Thalia Pellegrini. After spending 10 years as a broadcast journalist for BBC, Thalia followed her passion for nutritional science. She specializes in women's health, with an interest in maternal health, and works 1:1 with mothers to help them feel themselves again and stay nourished. Following many years with fertility struggles, she became a mum in 2010 and had her second son in 2012.

In this episode, we speak about how nutrition is intrinsically linked to anxiety and motherhood and Thalia offers great insight into the fundamentals of a healthy diet with balanced nutrition. She shares what you can do to heal postnatally, including incorporating dietary changes into family life and getting the support you need. Thalia shares her thoughts on supplements, probiotics, and diet culture, detailing when it's time to see a professional for guidance and nutritional advice, which is crucial information everyone needs to know.

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.

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 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 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 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.