I absolutely loved this amazingly relevant episode with Nicola.
She gave such great tips to implement easy ways to share the joy of reading with little ones.
Easy to relate to, to listen to and to take action with!
Nicola Smith – Biography
Nicola Smith is a primary school teacher, literacy specialist and mother of two. She has taught in Amsterdam as well as Melbourne. Since pausing her teaching career to be a full time mum she has continued to pursue her passion in researching children’s early literacy skills. She aims to empower parents to support their children’s early literacy development in those all-important years from birth to school age.
Nicola’s Recommended reads for parents (literacy):
‘Reading Magic’ by Mem Fox (also memfox.com)
‘The Read Aloud Handbook’ by Jim Trelease
Roald Dahl website: roalddahl.com
The Children’s Book Council of Australia: https://cbca.org.au/
Kids’ Book Review: http://www.kids-bookreview.com/
Nicola’s Favourite parenting resources:
Wonder weeks: https://web.facebook.com/WonderWeeks/
Pinky McKay: http://www.pinkymckay.com/ https://web.facebook.com/pinky.mckay.fanpage/
Connect with Nicola via:
Facebook: search ‘Literacy for kids’ (https://web.facebook.com/earlyliteracyforchildren)
Email: nic-andrews@hotmail.com
The post MUM 028: Nicola Smith : Instilling The Joy Of Reading appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

MUM 028: Nicola Smith : Instilling The Joy Of Reading

Natural, Honest & Reliable Resources from Experts & Mums

Kids & Family

Such an important topic and when you hear the statistics that Joyce shares in this interview its truly so strange that we don’t talk about it more. The Blues, Depression….. We need to talk about it and we also need to know that there ARE solutions. Joyce shares so much wisdom and even better … she shares HOPE on this cast, I am truly feeling honoured to host such a show, and that we can get this message out to the masses that help is available and healing is possible and that it happens.
Enjoy the Episode!
x Kaz
Joyce Bergsma Bio:
Joyce Bergsma is a registered Nutritional Therapist, practicing Orthomolecular and Functional Medicine since 2010. Joyce has a BA from Canada and later trained as a Nutritional Therapist in the UK. Her interest is on how food affects mental health and she is an advocate for approachable change for her clients.
Before studying nutrition, Joyce worked for the largest private health insurer in the UK. Since moving to the Netherlands, she’s focussed on where food comes from and how it can be used to best promote our mental health.
Growing up in Canada, the kitchen was the centre of Joyce’s family home. Her mother taught her how to cook from an early age with the vegetables from their garden.
As she got older, she noticed how food affected her mood, energy levels, digestion and stress levels.
When several people close to her started developing serious health problems, she felt there was a connection between the illnesses and their diets. Would a healthier diet create a healthier life?
This interest led Joyce to study nutrition in the UK, where she learned to identify the connections between the systems of the body. She found out how diet, exercise, our environment and genetics affect whether diseases develop or not.
Joyce’s interest in preventing the same depression her close family suffer from inspired her to learn how mental health could be influenced by nutrient therapy. Understanding the challenges of adjusting our lifestyles in a consumer society, she is keen to motivate others in making practical changes that enable their bodies to heal themselves.
Change is difficult, there’s no two ways about it. Joyce works to break down the different factors that contribute to mental health into bite-sized pieces so each step is manageable. We all have busy lives, but making change just happens one step at a time.
Joyce is currently working on developing the Happiness Hub, a place to connect and learn about being mentally healthier. She also offers personal consultations and runs workshops for private groups on Stress Management and Fermenting Foods. You can book online at www.eatlivelovefood.com.
Joyce’s Quote:You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take one step at a time
Joyce’s Recommended Resources:Period Repair Manual – Lara BridenWhy Isn’t My Brain Working? – Datis KharraziaBrain Maker – Dr David PerlmutterGrain Brain – Dr David PerlmutterHealing Without Freud or Prozac – Dr David Servan-Schreiber
Joyce’s Links:
Website/Blog : http://www.eatlivelovefood.com/postpartum-depression/https://www.instagram.com/eatlivelovefood/https://www.facebook.com/eatlivelovefoodhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgehr-uuZVkvSk416qLcenghttps://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/1099386/admin/updates/https://twitter.com/eatlivelovefood
The post Joyce Bergsma – More Than Just The Blues appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Joyce Bergsma – More Than Just The Blues

Bianca Sprague Bio:
Sprague is a birth doula and lactation educator and has supported hundreds of families through their pregnancy, birth and postpartum periods. She feels particularly passionate around maintaining the family’s relationships and mental wellness. As a queer woman she advocates for inclusive language in the birthing space. She lives in Toronto with her spouse, Alana, and their daughter, Gray.
And a bio of bebo mia:
bebo mia inc. is a training & mentorship organization for women in the maternal health field, including pregnancy/birth professionals, childbirth educators & parenting specialists. They offer comprehensive skills, business support & community care through an innovative online structure that spans a global market.
A very different culture from both the patriarchal boardroom model & the female-centric multi-level marketing industry, bebo mia offers opportunities for women to work from home while making an income for themselves and their families. They develop inclusive, accessible trainings for women that provide the skills needed to grow & sustain a lucrative business. bebo mia remains fiercely committed to their original mission that was developed in 2008: To connect women to their intrinsic value and power.
Bianca’s Quote:“not my circus, not my monkeys”
Bianca’s Resource:
Book – Danielle La Porte  – The Firestarter Sessions
Book – Brene Brown  – Daring Greatly
Book  – Elizabeth Gilbert  – Big Magic
Website  – Olivia Scobie.com  – Birth Trauma Healing
Bianca’s Links:www.bebomia.com & www.babyandmefitness.com
Check out Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
The post MUM 084: Bianca Sprague : Birth Trauma Myths appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

MUM 084: Bianca Sprague : Birth Trauma Myths

Dotan Dagan Bio: 
Dotan was born in Israel and grew up in the Netherlands. She has been a carer for a decade and has owned a catering company. After becming a mother in 2012 she felt inspired to work with new mothers. Dotan is now an independent postpartum care taker, (kraamverzorgende) which is a recognized profession in the Netherlands and part of its unique maternity care system. She is focusing on a nourishing, natural approach for the postpartum period. Dotan has experience in methods such as attachment parenting, Aware parenting, baby wearing, baby led weaning, co-sleeping, long-term nursing and non-violent communication and is very respectful of the parents individual needs and wishes during this special moment in their lives.
Quote: “If you want the truth, I’ll tell you the truth: Listen to that secret sound, the real sound, which is inside of you.”  by Kabir a Sufi poet
Dotan’s Resources:
“Atachment Play” by Aletha Solter
“The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother”  by Heng Ou, Amely Greeven, Marisa BelgerMother’s Wisdom deck by Niri Dewart, Elizabeth Marglin
Dotan’s Links:
Natural Postpartum Kraamzorgwww.naturalpostpartum.nldotan@naturalpostpartum.nl06-52611556
The post MUM 083: Early Post Partum – Dotan Dagan appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

MUM 083: Early Post Partum – Dotan Dagan

In the first few minutes that I met Kamini, I realised that we speak the same language. Although she is a pregnancy yoga teacher and myself a pregnancy chiropractor, we have the same beliefs and philosophies on birth, the pelvis, sitting, opening. She is so refreshing and I am thrilled to share her wisdom on the cast.
Kamini Stam’s BioKamini has worked as a massage therapist since 1998 and started teaching Yoga in 2008. She has had the privilege to study with various renowned teachers around the globe. Each one of them helped her deepen her understanding of the human body, and clarifying the interaction between body and mind. In 2010 she decided to specialize in Pregnancy Yoga. From 2011 she studied with Katy Bowman to learn more about how the body is really designed and meant to move. Kamini is passionate about alignment and intrigued about how physical alignment supports a positive mindset or ‘mental alignment’. During the course in Pregnancy Yoga and Alignment she will explain you how to adapt various yoga postures to the needs of your pregnant body, working on an optimal balance between flexibility and strength to prepare your body for birth. In her classes you will learn all about pelvic alignment, on how to get and keep your pelvic floor muscles toned ánd relaxed and why that is important. You will learn not just to squat, but hów to squat to prepare for birth and how to create the optimal birthing space in the (lower opening of the) pelvis.
Kamini’s Quote:“our bodies are made to birth”
Kamini’s Resources:
WEBSITES:
*www.nutritiousmovement.com (Katy Bowman)
*www.birthlight.com (Francoise Freedman)
BOOKS:
*Spiritual Midwifery (Ina May Gaskin)
*The Female Pelvis-Anatomy and Exercises (Blandine Calais-Germain)
*The Architecture and Design of Man and Woman- The Marvel of the Human Body, Revealed (Alexander Tsiaras)
Kamini’s Deets/Links:
*www.kaministam.nl / FB: Pregnancy Yoga with Kamini
*Studio MAY-B, Amaliastraat 5, Amsterdam (Westerpark area) / FB: Studio MAY-B
The post MUM 082: Kamini Stam – Pelvic Alignment appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

MUM 082: Kamini Stam – Pelvic Alignment

Eva Visser Plaza Bio: 
Eva Visser Plaza is passionate about guiding women to create ease, purpose and connection in their lives to become authentic inspired creators of their lives.
She was not born a coach, guide or mentor. She has done different studies and worked in different work environment. In 2009, while she was working as a project manager/consultant in a consulting firm, she became a mother for the first time. When she returned to her  job after her maternity leave, she struggled for a year to create purpose and alignment with her new self as a mother.
Her priorities hadchanged and her work field and activities did not resonate with her anymore. While she was juggling my role as a mother and consultant she landed in a burn-out in 2010. She took a wise decision by following her heart and started the three-year Rebalancing Bodywork therapy training where she was invited to reconnect with her heart and soul.
Fast forward, 6 years later she has become a certified Rebalancing Body worker and stress coach. Until today she have guided many intuitive, sensitive, creative, international women (and since this year many men are knocking on her practice door) successfully explore their mind, body, soul alignment to create ease, purpose, flow, authenticity and autonomy.
Since 2014 she is the the owner of the holistic coaching and bodywork practice Eva Authentic Living, based in Amsterdam.
She offers 1-1 coaching programs, workshops and training regarding soul-centered career coaching, Burn-out and stress recovery coaching and personalized rebalancing bodywork programs. She is on a mission to facilitate women and men to connect with their authentic self and embody themselves to transform them into leaders of the new economy.
She invites my clients to embody their soulful value through authenticity, compassion, intuition, collaboration, sensitivity and long-term view and contribute with that to a sustainable, heart-centered world. When we allow ourselves to step into our light, magic starts to happen and that transforms our lives and that of others and the world.
Eva’s Quote:“Listen to your body to receive Wisdom”
Eva’s Resources:
If Women Rose Rooted: Sharon Blackie
Playing Big, Tara Mohr
The Heroine’s Journey, Maureen Murdock.
Eva’s Details/Links: 
When you would like to receive more good resources and inspiration then you can sign up for Eva’s soulful conversations. In those mails she shares inspiration, motivation and guidance for living a life in alignment. You can sign up by clicking on the following link: http://www.evaauthenticliving.com/soulful-conversations/
When you have listened to the podcast and you are interested in working with Eva, then as mentioned on the episode, she invites you to book a free 30 minute introduction call to get to know her and her work and see if she can help you with your current challenges. If you are not based in Amsterdam, don’t worry, she offers online guidance also through zoom or Skype.http://www.evaauthenticliving.com/introductory-call/
The post MUM 081: Eva Visser Plaza – Authentic Motherhood appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

MUM 028: Nicola Smith : Instilling The Joy Of Reading

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