M.other

Ashlee Coyles is a Perth mum of two little girls who runs a business with her husband. After the birth of her first daughter, she felt her whole identity collapse. In this honest conversation, she reflects on losing her confidence, stepping away from the business she helped build, feeling lonely and resentful when family and work life pulled apart, and learning to block out the constant noise of other people's opinions.

In this episode of M.other with Audrey Isautier, Audrey and Ashlee talk about the realities that so many mothers experience but rarely say out loud. Ashlee shares how she woke up one day, around nine or ten months in, feeling like herself again, why asking for help is so hard when you do not yet know what you need, and how moving the family business back home made life feel whole again. Audrey also opens up about her own experience and about matrescence, the huge transition of becoming a mother that mirrors adolescence.

They also discuss why all judgement is really self-judgement, the guilt that comes with paying for help, the generational pressure to do it all, and why grace and presence matter more than perfection.

If you've ever questioned yourself as a mother, felt isolated, or believed everyone else had it figured out, this conversation is for you.

Follow M.other with Audrey Isautier:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m.other.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17qP9MaEGx/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033L9BWBOOJtlOekwI578Y

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-other/id6788243620

Connect with Audrey:

Linktree: https://beacons.ai/m.other.co

Chapters

0:00 Cold open and welcome to M.other

2:24 Meeting Alila and Havana and the quiet moments that make motherhood special

6:22 Losing confidence and the noise of everyone's opinions

8:52 Second-guessing every little thing

11:03 Feeling like yourself again

16:25 When your whole identity collapses and you step back from work

22:14 Loneliness, resentment and the day work moved back home

28:29 Family support and learning how to ask for help

33:00 Survival mode, raging hormones and giving yourself grace

36:15 Matrescence and the pressure to have it all figured out

40:42 Mum judgement and daycare guilt

46:56 What being a good mother really means and filling your own cup

55:05 Generational patterns, paying for help and the guilt of having support

1:06:18 Advice for new mum Ashlee and why everything is temporary

Produced by Podwave Studios: www.podwavestudios.au

This podcast shares personal experiences of motherhood. The views expressed are those of the individuals involved and are intended for conversation and support. They are not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice.

If this conversation brings up difficult feelings, support is available through Lifeline on 13 11 14, PANDA on 1300 726 306, or 000 in an emergency.

#mother #motherhood #audreyisautier #podcast #podwavestudios #perth #motherhoodunfiltered #matrescence #newmum #mumlife #postpartum #identityshift #mentalload #mumguilt #mumjudgement #perthmums #mumsinbusiness #selfcompassion

Saffron found out she was already five months pregnant at 18, terrified, broke and still living at home, with friends who slowly drifted away. In this raw and funny conversation, she reflects on becoming a mum at 19 with no experience, no money and no roadmap, and how she kicked straight into survival mode to keep herself and her daughter afloat.

In this episode of M.other with Audrey Isautier, Audrey and Saffron talk about the contradictory feelings so many young mothers carry overwhelming love for their child alongside grief for the freedom and the twenties they never got to have. Saffron shares the loneliness of watching friends travel and party while she worked and parented alone, the shame that keeps mothers from speaking their truth, and the relief of finally hearing a name for what she went through matrescence.

They also discuss shutting down feelings to keep going, the toll survival mode takes on the nervous system, the pressure to "save face", and how her daughter, now nine, gave her drive, purpose and a reason to shoot for the stars.

If you've ever questioned yourself as a mother, felt isolated, or believed everyone else had it figured out, this conversation is for you.

Follow M.other with Audrey Isautier:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m.other.co/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17qP9MaEGx/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033L9BWBOOJtlOekwI578Y
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-other/id6788243620

Connect with Audrey:

Linktree: https://beacons.ai/m.other.co

Chapters

0:00 "You're having a baby whether you want to or not"
2:45 19, terrified and in shock
3:15 Finding out at five months along
5:15 The birth, and having no idea what to do
6:45 The first time she felt real love
8:00 Starting from zero, by herself
9:30 Loving the baby, grieving her twenties
11:15 The loneliness of scrolling while friends went out
12:45 Slowly getting her own life back
15:00 Survival mode and shutting feelings down
16:00 Hearing the word matrescence for the first time
18:45 Body changes, shame and feeling different
20:30 Present day: purpose, impact and a daughter who's nine
20:45 What she'd tell a scared young mum

Produced by Podwave Studios: www.podwavestudios.au

This podcast shares personal experiences of motherhood. The views expressed are those of the individuals involved and are intended for conversation and support. They are not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice.

#mother #motherhood #audreyisautier #podcast #podwavestudios #perth #motherhoodunfiltered #matrescence #youngmum #teenmum #mumlife #maternalmentalhealth #survivalmode #singlemum #mumguilt #perthmums #realmotherhood #firsttimemum #loneliness #speakyourtruth

Aurelie has been mothering for six years now, immigrating to Australia without family nearby, breastfeeding around the clock for five years straight, and living through the stillbirth of her third pregnancy. In this deeply honest conversation, she reflects on what it really means to long for the person she was before children, without loving them any less.

In this episode of M.other with Audrey Isautier, Audrey and Aurelie talk about the accumulation of pressures that can spiral a mother into a dark place, the guilt of receiving help, and the constant "doing" that Aurelie learned from watching her own mother never simply be. Aurelie shares how consumer culture keeps mothers on edge, why she still hasn't managed to lie in the grass and stare at the clouds, and the spiritual awakening that carried her through the loss of her baby.

They also discuss matrescence, the radical shift of identity that comes with becoming a mother, what Aurelie believes makes a good mother, and the advice she'd give her younger, pregnant self.

If you've ever questioned yourself as a mother, felt isolated, or believed everyone else had it figured out, this conversation is for you.

Follow M.other with Audrey Isautier:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m.other.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17qP9MaEGx/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033L9BWBOOJtlOekwI578Y

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-other/id6788243620

Connect with Audrey:

Linktree: https://beacons.ai/m.other.co

Chapters:

0:00 Not doing something feels so uncomfortable

1:00 Welcome to M.other with Audrey Isautier

2:00 Meeting Aurelie: six years on, two girls, and a stillbirth

4:00 Mothering alone in a new country, breastfeeding non-stop

8:00 Spiralling into a dark place

10:00 What's shifted since getting help at home

13:00 Starting things, never finishing them, and the guilt of receiving help

19:00 "Doing, not being": a pattern passed down from her mum

21:00 Consumerism, the invisible weight, and a generation that's not coping

27:00 What is matrescence?

29:00 Who Aurelie was before kids, and the layers that came after

33:00 The spiritual awakening, losing her baby, and finding meaning

37:00 What makes a good mother, and advice to her younger self

Produced by Podwave Studios: www.podwavestudios.au

This podcast shares personal experiences of motherhood. The views expressed are those of the individuals involved and are intended for conversation and support. They are not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice.

If this episode brought anything up for you, support is available: Lifeline 13 11 14, PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia) 1300 726 306, or 000 in an emergency.

#mother #motherhood #audreyisautier #podcast #podwavestudios #perth #motherhoodunfiltered #matrescence #babyloss #stillbirth #mentalload #mumguilt #breastfeeding #immigrantmum #consciousparenting #presence #selfidentity #matrescencejourney

Audrey Isautier sits in the guest chair while her husband Angad asks the questions. In this deeply honest conversation, Audrey opens up about what she never expected motherhood to demand: the loss of identity, the isolation, and the two years it took her to recognise she'd lost herself entirely.

In this episode of M.other, Angad and Audrey talk about the realities so many mothers experience but rarely say out loud. Audrey shares the concept of "matrescence” the largely unspoken transition into motherhood that mirrors adolescence and it’s symptoms, plus why she believes it's ignored by a medical system that only tracks physical healing.

They also discuss the moment she hit a physical and emotional breaking point while managing a home build with a toddler on her hip, how starting this podcast became her own therapy, and the honest conversation she and Angad are now having about whether and how they're ready for a second child.

If you've ever questioned yourself as a mother, felt isolated, or believed everyone else had it figured out, this conversation is for you.

Follow M.other with Audrey Isautier:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m.other.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17qP9MaEGx/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033L9BWBOOJtlOekwI578Y

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-other/id6788243620

Connect with Audrey:

Linktree: https://beacons.ai/m.other.co

Chapters

0:00 Welcome to M.other

2:03 Angad takes over as host

6:31 Why the hard parts of motherhood get left unsaid

10:12 Discovering the concept of matrescence

11:41 The spiritual healing nobody talks about

20:40 Who Audrey was before motherhood

27:20 The pressure of consequences you can't undo

27:58 The moment she snapped and realised something was wrong

33:08 Starting the podcast as her own therapy

37:25 Boundaries, resentment and finding a framework to anchor to

40:54 Why so many marriages struggle after a second child

46:10 The two questions they're asking before trying again

48:20 Tackling the mental load and finally accepting help

53:32 Final reflections and closing thoughts

Produced by Podwave Studios: www.podwavestudios.au

This podcast shares personal experiences of motherhood. The views expressed are those of the individuals involved and are intended for conversation and support. They are not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice.

Michelle moved from South Africa to Australia six months pregnant, leaving behind her family, friends and the village she had always relied on. In this deeply honest conversation, she reflects on what it was really like becoming a first-time mum in a new country, navigating birth, isolation, FIFO parenting, breastfeeding struggles and the overwhelming pressure to get motherhood "right."

In this episode of M.other with Audrey Isautier, Audrey and Michelle talk about the realities that so many mothers experience but rarely say out loud. Michelle shares how learning to trust her intuition changed her parenting, why having a support network matters more than trying to be the perfect mum, and the moment she realised something had to change before burnout consumed her.

They also discuss the invisible mental load of motherhood, the pressure created by parenting advice, and why asking for help is a strength - not a weakness.

If you've ever questioned yourself as a mother, felt isolated, or believed everyone else had it figured out, this conversation is for you.

Follow M.other with Audrey Isautier:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m.other.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17qP9MaEGx/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033L9BWBOOJtlOekwI578Y

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m-other/id6788243620

Connect with Audrey:

Linktree: https://beacons.ai/m.other.co

Chapters

(0:00) Welcome to Mother - creating a safe space for honest conversations

(1:54) Meet Michelle and her motherhood journey

(3:18) Learning to trust your maternal intuition

(5:30) Ignoring your gut and discovering your baby's colic

(9:30) Jobless, homeless, pregnant - arriving in Perth at six months pregnant

(16:40) FIFO parenting and raising two young children alone

(22:20) Finding a village and building lifelong friendships

(25:00) Why community changes everything in motherhood

(26:00) When motherhood starts to feel easier

(28:50) Breastfeeding pressure and the guilt of stopping

(32:00) The myth of the "perfect mum"

(34:15) What Michelle would do differently if she could start again

(36:00) Final reflections and advice for new mums

Produced by Podwave Studios: www.podwavestudios.au

This podcast shares personal experiences of motherhood. The views expressed are those of the individuals involved and are intended for conversation and support. They are not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice.