Her Herd

Tori is often described as a ray of sunshine, and that couldn’t be more spot-on. Her infectious smile and the genuine joy she radiates when she greets you are just the surface of her true magic. What really sets Tori apart is the way she makes everyone around her feel—it's her superpower.

Today, we’re diving into a side of Tori that you might not know as well. She’s not only an exceptional teacher and intuition coach but also a devoted mum. The story we’re about to explore is one you might not have heard before. It’s a glimpse into the trials and triumphs that come with building a family. Tori is opening up about the behind-the-scenes moments—the ones that shape us as women, as families, and as communities. She’ll be talking not just about pregnancy and birth, but also about the often-overlooked postpartum experience.

If you think you’ve heard it all, think again. Get ready to be truly inspired by Tori’s incredible journey. We’re deeply grateful for her willingness to share her story with us, and we’re so thankful for her openness and courage. Welcome to the herd, Tori. We’re excited to have you here.

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Kimmie is the @ruraldietician - but that’s just one of many hats she wears on any given day. 

Kimmie is a mum of four, three of which she has living in her home.

Kimmie takes us through her journey of how her beautiful family has come to be. Kimmie is warm and kind. She is vulnerable with her story but has summoned a strength, “her Pippa power” to bring this story to life. Honestly I can’t do this women justice in words so I’m just going to simply say; 

On the eve of pippa’s birthday we give you Kimmie and her beautiful families story. 

Kimmie thank you, I can’t put into words how much this story moved me. Sometimes we are privy to conversations that make us a better human, a kinder person, a better friend and this is one of those. Thank you for entrusting me tell this to our community.

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When I first looked at the unedited version of this episode, I was sure it was two episodes, but as I listened, I just could not find a point in which I could cut it in half. As you listen, you you will begin to understand, that what happened in Acacia first two births, really sets you up to understand what happened with her beautiful baby girl Sadie.

Acacia is a mum, wife, and schoolteacher. Married to Todd and mum of Henry, Paddy, and now Sadie, Acacia was no stranger to pre-term labour. In fact, she had, had pre-term labour with both Henry and Paddy. So, when beautiful Sadie decided she was ready at 32-week, Acacia, and Todd thought “we’ve got this”. Acacia notes that she spent so much time in that last week of pregnancy (once she knew Sadie arrival was immanent) reading miracle babies, she thought “32-week babies do really well”.  What laid ahead was two trips to Canberra, a NETS retrieval, many weeks in the NICU, hard conversations, resuscitation, ventilations, and a special care stay.  Just when Acacia and Todd finally settled at home, with their baby Sadie and were reunited with their boys, Acacia herself became unwell, and then so did Sadie.

You will hold your breath has Acacia recounts this remarkable rural story. 

Acacia tells this incredible story with such candid honesty, she is warm, and funny. She had me in tears throughout our time together but also in stitches of laughter. Acacia talks about find a strength she didn’t know she had, and how her and Todd as a team were each other’s strength when the other needed to crumble. 

Acacia thank you so much for sharing this incredible story with our community, we are forever grateful.

Acacia talks about the remarkable people that saved Sadie and supported her family during their time of need. If you work in the Canberra NICU, Wagga Special care, support families at Ronald McDonald house, are midwife in the Riverina, or fly those incredible retrieval flights with the NETS team – this one is for you!

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Clare Hockings is a name you might have heard before, that’s because her, and her love, Farmer Brad met on the little-known Australia tv show Farmer Wants and Wife. Now I can’t speak for Brad, but I have had a chance to have a good chat to Clare, and I have to say the way she met Brad is really the least interesting thing about her. Clare is one hell of a tough rural women, to me she comes across as an the approachable, dependable, down to earth, fun, rural mum, and friend we all hope to be and all hope to have. 

Clare takes us through her pregnancy with her first beautiful baby boy Roy (like seriously, the kid is as cute as a button). Early days were tough for Clare, as she had just moved to the farm, but due to show obligations had to lay low. She was pregnant already and madly in love with her farmer when the show aired, and what followed was a tough time. See Clare (like many the people that go on reality tv) had to endure the onslaught of comments online from people, while tackling a new relationship, town, and the first trimester, it was a lot. When I listen to Clare talk about this time, what is clear to me is that her and Brad are a real team, they are rock solid, and it is the old tripod of leaning into each other and supporting each other that got her through that time. The way Clare speaks about Brad, his love, support, and ability to laugh anything off was the key ingredients that really got her through. 

Clare’s story touches on some incredibly important discussion points for rural women like; access to continuity of care, particularly when there are medical complications, supports for rural remote women, inductions of labour, and birth trauma. Clare articulates so well the shock of coming home and running straight into harvest.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-suraya-shannon-reef-and-wren

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When I caught up with Tiarna from @helloblossomsbouquets she was in her third trimester with her fourth baby, a baby girl who she was so excited to welcome. Tiarna is the creative genius behind the incredible blooms you can find in @transwestfuels, and just before your brain goes there THESE ARE NOT SERVO FLOWERS, they are like the most beautiful fresh market flowers you can get. Tiarna’s journey with PCOS, Endo, and fertility has had a lot of twist and turns. When I enquired as to her journey and how many children, she replied promptly with the responds that; “I essentially brought two and got two for free”.  

I had such a long chat with Tiarni, I was so incredibly engaged by her, she made me laugh, but also at times had me holding my breath. Tiarni journey started before she was married, having received information in her late teens, after having heavy painful periods, she knew she was going to need some support to get pregnant. After quite a few years of struggling and being ignored, she finally found her IVF specialist and together with the help of her husband was able to achieve her first baby on their first transfer. She then fell pregnant with her second baby quickly, VERY quickly. After battling an illness in the first trimester she went to her first scan to find out that her baby did not have a heartbeat. Tiarni talks with such honesty about the physical and emotional battle of round IVF, particularly in the context of miscarriage. Tiarni talks so beautifully about the real let down of approaching your babies due date after miscarriage, doing back-to-back rounds of IVF, and feeling like nothing is working.  She tells the most hilarious story, about breaking the golden rule of IVF which will have you in fits of laughter also.

Tiarni touches on how you plan for a baby that you hadn’t planned for, how do you negotiate differing perspective of what your family might look like with your partner and come back together stronger. How do you even deliver that information (hot tip: it’s a text). It is such an interesting conversation to come from trying so hard for a baby to being surprised and shocked to be pregnant. How do you reconcile that?  I am not lying when I say you will be hanging on to this story for every turn. There is so many laugh-out-loud moment, from this relatable down-to-earth rural mum. I can see Tiarni around a bomb fire with her friends, with a wine in fits of laughter.  Tiarni thank you so much for doing this interview, we are so thankful to have you as part of the Herd. X

You can find Tiarni @helloblossombouquets

https://helloblossombouquets.com

or at any of the incredible @transwestfuel @transwestnorthstores

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Ash’s opening line to me was that she loves babies, and by the end of our conversation.

together, I had no doubt about that. Ash lives with her husband and high school sweetheart in (as she described it) sunny gunny Gunnedah NSW, together they have three beautiful babies. 

Ash has had three unique and beautiful births, Ash story includes a positive induction, and GP shared care in a rural public setting. Ash notes that while it took her and husband a while to achieve their dream of a baby, once pregnant it was a fantastic ride. Ash describes the process of birthing Elouise as a dream and a very positive experience. Her doctor noted it was textbook. What followed was a miscarriage, and then a lot of changes on the maternity care front in her hometown which resulted in less options for her, which lead Ash with the question what happens when birth occurs outside of the normal 9 to 5pm workday?

A teacher by trade, and now also a sleep consultant, Ash was motivated to share her story to discuss particularly postpartum support. Ash is so candid with our listeners; she talks us through the awakening that her second born brought her literally and figuratively. Describing her first born as a unicorn, she was not quite prepared for what her second born was going to dish their family.  This started her passion for learning about sleep, trying to hack her own way through and essentially becoming her own creative solution, she now is that for other rural families. Ash not only birthed her son but his sleep needs inspired her to birth TSC The Sleep Coach.

Ash thank you for sharing your story and for the work you do.

If you would like to reach out to Ash, you can find her at TSC The Sleep Coach.

During Ash story we talk about the arrive study, you can find this study here: 

https://evidencebasedbirth.com/arrive/

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Cait is a primary teacher, wife to Charlie and mum to her incredible little boy Clancy. Clancy does things his way. Literally! – you will understand exactly what I mean when you listen. By the end of this interview, you will also be saying “that’s so Clancy”.

When I first met Cait, she said to me “nothing is off limits, I love birth, I love babies and I am a chronic over sharer”. This is one of the best chats, Cait tells her families story so beautifully, I literally hung on every word, every twist, every turn, and man it’s a story!

Cait and her husband Charlie started trying for a baby shortly after they were married, Cait had in the back of her mind that it might be a little tricky having been diagnosed with Endo & PCOS. Little did she know what her beautiful boy had in store for her. Cait story includes Endo, fertility treatments, threatened miscarriage, pre-term labour, an empowering vaginal birth, a retained placenta, then many surgeries and a 10-week NICU stay. She takes us through how to prepare for birth before you have packed the bag. We talk how do you prepare for the statistics they throw at you when you have a prem baby, what is it like to stay for long lengths of time in hospital, how do you mentally manage when your discharged and your baby is not, and how to trust and develop your own skills as a parent and a mum when your baby has been in the NICU for such a long time. Cait and her family’s story is incredible, and one that cannot be missed.

If you love Cait’s story as much as we do, you are so incredibly lucky! Cait is one of our panellists for podcast to plate in Wagga Wagga, sharing all her incredible knowledge and lived experience. Cait we are blessed with your generosity to share your family’s story, and to continue to give of your time to support rural women and families. Thank you so much.

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Welcome to season 3!

We couldn’t think of a better person to kick off season three during bereaved parents’ month than Rochelle from @

Rochelle is a mum, wife and incredible rural women deeply embedded in her community. She knows grief and loss more than most people.

Rochelle candidly shares her journey of staring her family. She discusses the loss of Edward, the journey to her son Jock and what it is like to return to pregnancy after loss. Rochelle is so open with this community about how you can support someone who has experienced baby loss. What NOT to say and HOW you can do the SIMPLEST things that offer such comfort and support to families whose baby has passed. Rochelle shares some scary statistics, like did you know that there are more babies lost each year in Australia than the road toll. I felt like this was my own personal education session, I learnt more from Rochelle in our chat than I have from some PD I have done over the years! I left this conversation deeply impacted, Rochelle imparted so much knowledge on myself that I will carry with me forever. 

Rochelle’s mission and Edwards legacy is the baby loss mentor, and she drives bereavement care in the bush. I was really taken back when she spoke of her work, and the way in which she supports, and nurtures loss families as her way of continuing to parent Edward. 

Rochelle not only support families who have had a loss navigate this extremely difficult time, but she is also on a mission to educate workplaces, and community on how they can support friends and family whose babies have passed away.

Rochelle and I take a deep dive on how as a society in general we don’t always deal with grief and death all that well, and how you can create space to allow friends to talk about ALL their children, both living and passed. 

Rochelle was nominated and a finalist in the NSW Regional Women of the year awards, and I am not bloody surprised.  Rochelle was also an Agri futures finalist in 2023. Her list of awards and acknowledgments are long and are a true indication of the incredible work she is doing. Rochelle is everything that I love about living rurally, she is the true definition of a creative solution in community and the work that she does will continue to be deeply impactful to rural people. Thank you, Rochelle, for everything you do.

You can find Rochelle Here: https://www.thebabylossmentor.com.au

You can find her blog post “motherhood to the power of baby loss” here: https://www.thebabylossmentor.com.au/resources/motherhood-to-the-power-of-baby-loss

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Dr Rachael Knight is the Clinical Director of Riverina IVF Wagga Wagga and Life Fertility Clinic Melbourne. She has been helping couples achieve their dream of having a family for over 20 years. Racheal speaks about this as her passion, and motivator to help people become mums. It’s the way she says it that clearly demonstrates what drives her. 

Rachael is an experienced Fertility Specialist and Gynecologist who has also completed sub-specialty training in Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility (the highest qualification available in Australia). Rachael work and career has seen her support women and families right through from fertility but also birthing babies. She provides a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan and is well known for her gentle and caring approach. Rachael prides herself on taking the time to explain complex medical science in ways her patients can easily understand.

The service Riverina IVF provides is a game changer, they have a permit office lab and clinic there, while Rachael fly’s in, there is a dedicated nurse that lives in the Riverina and that is there for patients all the time, plus wait times are low. We know the big guys will have you believe that no rural patient must travel further than 2 hours, but the reality of that is just BS (sorry we are calling it). As Dr. Knight agrees too, and that’s why they have done everything in their power to make Riverina IVF a full service, that means you don’t have to travel. To the big guys, that is what a true creative solution looks like! #justsaying #takenote

Rachael and her team are a passionate crew, Rachael touches on the number of ways in which Riverina IVF are supporting the community, and she also offers up some myth busting data on medicated cycles and advice for younger endo suffers and their fertility. This is a jam-packed episode by an incredible passionate dr. Thank you so much Rachael and your whole team at Riverina IVF the work you do and provide to rural people is truly a creative solution.

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Her Herd presents Katie from Her Herbs (yes Katie I both know that is a bloody mouthful – say it 10 times fast just for fun) a true creative and thoughtful natural therapies solution for rural families. 

When I first met Katie, and she was running me through the principles and purpose of her business Her herb she stated that it had been built upon the pillars of accessibility for all. As soon as she had said this, I knew she was my type of person. That she understood the struggles of equality and access in healthcare, and a fast friendship was born.

Katie is a mum, and an incredible naturopath and Nutritionist with over 10 years’ experience. Katie is passionate about her work, and I can imagine her in her little chemist lab (wearing her white coat) mixing up herb formulas for her clients that she knows by name and his deeply invested in their journeys.

See Katie originally study nutrition, and during her own journey of fertility, turned to herbs and naturopathy to support her own health and journey to her beautiful boy.  Katie is so passionate, I listened back to this episode so many times and thought, “oh my gosh she can cure my chronic fatigue, maybe she could make me something that would actually make me sleep”. Katie just wants everyone no matter their income or location to be able to access natural therapies, Katie has done everything in her power including having access to her own testing lab to try and address every barrier for clients. She really is that incredible. As many people (particularly in the fertility trenches) would know naturopathy can be one of the most difficult alternate therapies in a treatment plan to access, and I feel like Katie has just blown that up with the service Her Herb provides. 

There is one final little teaser at the end of this episode where Katie and I talk about her impending trip to Armidale (read into that what you want – much more info on this to come soon).  Thank you, Katie, for being this incredible creative solution for rural people. If you would like support or to work with Katie, or to follow along on the Her Herbs journey you can find katies @Herherbs or alternatively at herherbs.com.au 

Katie is our only creative solution for the end of Season 2. We want to thank everyone of our creative solutions who have humbly agreed to be held off to the end of season 3. We have so much work going on behind the scenes for #podcasttoplate and with sick little people I just need to take this time to be heads down bum up. Her Herd will be taking a two-week break and we will be back with season 3 (it’s an absolute cracker). I love this community and I love what we have built together – stay tune for so many updates on #podcasttoplate in the coming week.

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