Grow Yourself Up

In this episode Cath was joined by Alita Blanchard. Alita Blanchard is an Australian based parent coach, holistic counsellor, and mother of four boys, committed to helping parents create safe, connected, and compassionate homes.

With training in nervous system care, Rites of Passage, and Women’s Circles, Alita guides mothers through the transformative journey of parenthood, offering tools to navigate overwhelm, anger, and anxiety without shame or fear. Rooted in her own experience raising sensitive, deeply feeling children, Alita’s work empowers parents to co-regulate, embrace vulnerability, and foster connection with their kids.

Cath and Alita talked about Alita's experience of mothering, how she came to her motherhood journey, mothering after grief, moving away from perfectionism and the growth path this set Alita on. Alita shares about her experience of rage, anger, raising boys, looking at her own attachment patterns and much, much more.

Alita's vulnerability and honesty will invite you to reflect on your own patterns with less shame.

You can connect with Alita to find grounded, growth-oriented support for your own journey, towards being the parent you aspire to be, below.

Instagram: @alitablanchard

Website: www.theawaremama.com.au

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

Substack: Nurture.Heal.Grow

Facebook: Cath Counihan

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In this episode Cath explains why on earth we bother with validating those pesky emotions. As parents, it can seem this is a NEVERENDING task, and it may be the exact opposite of what you learnt as a child. So why bother? What is the point? Cath explains this simply and clearly in this episode. If you have a partner who wants to shut you or your kids down this is a great listen. This is also ideal to listen to if you co-parent with someone who is on a different page to you about emotional holding/flow/space. 

Here is the booking link to buy a ticket for Triggers, Rage and Reparenting Workshop:

https://www.cathcounihan.com/triggers-rage-reparenting-workshop

The live Q&A for this workshop is on Weds 20 November so send in any questions you may have. The Q&A will also be recorded.

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

Substack: Nurture.Heal.Grow

Facebook: Cath Counihan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Cath was interviewed by Nikki McCahon for her 'Seasons of Matresence' podcast. We had a gentle, compassionate and open hearted conversation about the ways in which experiences of childhood trauma can shape and impact how we experience mothering and raising children.

We cover a lot of ground in this episode, the ways in which childhood trauma can impact and shape our experience of mothering and raising children. We talk about the nervous system and our window of tolerance and how trauma can travel through families and generations why playing with your children can feel overwhelming or dysregulating. The power of rupture and repair for our children and ourselves and how we can bring in more compassion in our mothering and our journey of healing from childhood trauma.

There is so much wisdom in this episode, and I know that it’s going to be really supportive for you.

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

Substack: Nurture.Heal.Grow

Facebook: Cath Counihan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Cath speaks to how hard it may be to just 'feel our feelings'.

Many of us have been taught the exact opposite and Cath speaks to some common psychological defence mechanisms to block emotions with examples and anecdotes. Cath talks about interoception and how essential this is and makes reference to Stephen Porges book 'The Polyvagal Theory'.

Emotional Flow is a process and improving this is step by step and Cath shares some tips around this and an example from her own life of helping her kids begin to process their emotions.

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

Substack: Nurture.Heal.Grow

Facebook: Cath Counihan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Cath speaks to self abandonment and how for many of us this feels absolutely necessary. She links it to childhood patterns and speaks to how unfamiliar it can be to start tending to needs, making some suggestions around prioritising your needs.

Please also find details about my forthcoming workshop I mention listed here here.

You can also read more on abandonment on substack (link to Nurture.Heal.Grow below).

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

Substack: Nurture.Heal.Grow

Facebook: Cath Counihan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Cath speaks to the desperation that can arise when we are cycle breaker and are working really hard to give our kids a different experience to the experience we had in childhood. It can feel like we have to get everything RIGHT (whatever that means) and when we overgive and abandon ourselves it is unhelpful (and damaging) for both us and our kids.

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

Substack: Nurture.Heal.Grow

Facebook: Cath Counihan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Cath talks about how emotional health is connected to emotional flow and how this has been the absolute opposite of what many of us have learnt in our families of origin. She provides context about why it is important to learn to actually BE with our emotional selves and shares some personal examples of this.

This episode also covers hate, dissociation, Cath's concept of Emotional Flow, what we are aiming for with flow and why this may be so hard for many of us.

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

Substack: Nurture.Heal.Grow

Facebook: Cath Counihan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Cath shares about some of her personal journey with unwinding from chronic stress, the patterns that perpetuate chronic stress, burnout, how we are set up for this in childhood and much much more.

Healing is a layered and ongoing journey, in service of breaking down shame Cath speaks to parts of her journey and how she has negotiated chronic stress, physical symptoms and challenge this year.

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

Substack: Nurture.Heal.Grow

Facebook: Cath Counihan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cath was joined by Fran Liberatore in episode 101. Cath and Fran talked about Fran's path to motherhood and how she felt she found her purpose through motherhood, her becoming and growing up in motherhood. Fran talked about her own neurodivergence, how she learnt to let go of control in parenting and how she continues to focus on this. Cath and Fran talked about the imprecise nature of diagnosis and some of their thoughts on this. Fran talked about the schooling journey in her family and how she uses a consent based model in life and education and much more.

Fran is an unschooler, mother, writer and child advocate. She writes and podcasts about consent-based, self-directed education, youth autonomy and challenging social norms on her Substack, 'A Life Unschooled' (www.alifeunschooled.substack.com).

She is also publishing a book about centering consent-based practice via her Substack. She does some volunteering work around youth advocacy and self-directed education, and is studying for a Masters in Early Childhood Education, hoping to focus on consent-based education. Her favourite things are long walks, coffee and a good book. She lives with her two unschooled children, her husband, and her dog on a little island off the coast of Maine.

You can also find Fran on Instagram @bigmothering

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

Substack: Nurture.Heal.Grow

Facebook: Cath Counihan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cath spoke with Julie Walter in episode 100. They talked about Julie’s motherhood journey, home educating her children, how she left teaching, unschooling from whatever position we are in and what Julie is currently involved in.

Julie's BIO:

Julie is a certified teacher with years of experience in the classroom, a degree in fine arts, and long-time homeschooler. She has taught students from Kindergarten to Grade 10, including roles as School Librarian and Special Education Resource Teacher. She also has taken on specialised roles such as teaching at an arts school, technology lab instructor at a provincial demonstration school for students with severe learning disabilities, teaching a forest school pilot program, and her most recent role teaching Gifted Education. She currently teaches a forest school homeschooling enrichment program on her farm in Ontario, where she combines what she has learned in classrooms, and more importantly through homeschooling, within a small community of children. 

Julie also has an online presence as “Family Yields” where she inspires and coaches parents and homeschoolers on how to create more integrated and sustainable family lives. She is also the host of “The Family Yields Podcast.”

Julie's SERVICES

Julie offers coaching services for people who wish to step into their authenticity in their parenting, homeschooling and life and she has some also online courses, which are all available to purchase on her website. 

LINKS:

Instagram @familyyields and Facebook @familyyields

Podcast:

https://familyyieldspodcast.buzzsprout.com/

Website:

https://familyyields.com/

If you're enjoying this podcast. Please leave a review and rate the podcast, this really helps others to find it.

To sign up for the journal prompts and Nurture.Heal.Grow (on Substack) please head to www.cathcounihan.com or @cathcounihan on Instagram. 

Follow Cath on social media here:

Instagram: @cathcounihan

Substack: Nurture.Heal.Grow

Facebook: Cath Counihan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.