Abortion is one of the most politically charged healthcare issues of our time, yet much of the public debate is driven by misinformation, fear, and emotionally charged rhetoric rather than medical reality.

In this episode, I sit down with Kayla, a midwife of more than a decade and the voice behind Delivering the Facts. After witnessing a surge of disinformation about abortion online, Kayla began using social media to unpack the facts, explain the statistics, and provide much-needed context around the realities of abortion care.

Together, we discuss what late-term abortions actually are, who needs them, and why the overwhelming majority occur in heartbreaking circumstances involving severe fetal anomalies or serious risks to the pregnant person’s health. Kayla explains what happens when families are denied access to appropriate medical care, including being forced to continue pregnancies where a baby is not compatible with life, and the implications of restricting options such as foeticide.

We also explore the politics surrounding MS-2 Step, the medication used for medical abortion in Australia. We discuss how it works, who uses it, when it is prescribed, and the barriers many Australians still face when trying to access abortion care.

This conversation contains discussion of pregnancy loss, fetal anomalies, abortion, and reproductive healthcare. Whether you are firmly decided on this issue or still forming your views, this episode aims to cut through the noise and provide evidence-based information about a topic that is too often misunderstood.

Kayla’s IG - @delivering.the.facts 

https://www.instagram.com/delivering.the.facts?igsh=cWsxYng5Z3IzNDR3

Arc Woman - Fact Checking the Australian Anti Choice Movement PDF File - https://tr.ee/qPAp0LZOVh

If in Australia, send to your local MP

🎙️ Listen to Arc Woman Podcast Episode with Kayla and Georgia - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-arc-woman-podcast/id1802086910?i=1000769771640

If you or someone you know may need access to a safe and legal abortion, reliable information and support are available. The following organisations can help:

🌸MSI Australia (formerly Marie Stopes Australia): https://www.msiaustralia.org.au

🌸Children by Choice (Queensland-based information and counselling service): https://www.childrenbychoice.org.au

🌸1800 My Options (Victoria): https://www.1800myoptions.org.au

This conversation delves into the themes of healing, self-nurture, and personal growth through therapy, self-care, and reparenting. It also explores the impact of childhood experiences on adulthood, the journey of self-reliance, and the importance of emotional expression and cultural change. This episode also touches on trauma stored in the body, and various trauma healing modalities.

Crisis Support

• Lifeline Australia
  • 13 11 14 (24/7)
  • Lifeline Australia
• Suicide Call Back Service
  • 1300 659 467 (24/7)
  • Suicide Call Back Service
• Beyond Blue
  • 1300 22 4636
  • Beyond Blue

General Mental Health Support

• Head to Health
  • Free information, resources, and service navigation.
• Black Dog Institute
  • Evidence-based resources on depression, anxiety, trauma, and wellbeing.

• headspace
  • Mental health support for young people aged 12–25.

1800RESPECT

Australia’s national domestic, family and sexual violence support service. Free, confidential, and available 24/7.

📞 1800 737 732

📱 Text: 0458 737 732

🌐  1800RESPECT

Provides counselling, information, safety planning, referrals, online chat, and video counselling

MensLine Australia

Free 24/7 telephone and online support for men experiencing relationship difficulties, family violence, mental health concerns, or emotional distress.

📞 1300 789 978

🌐  MensLine Australia

Full Stop Australia

24/7 support for people affected by domestic, family, and sexual violence.

📞 1800 385 578

🌐  Full Stop Australia

For People Using Violence Who Want Help to Change

Men’s Referral Service

Support, counselling, and behaviour change referrals for men concerned about their use of violence or controlling behaviour.

📞 1300 766 491

🌐  Men's Referral Service

What happens when two people who grew up in the same small rural town reunite after 18 years to chat about what life was really like in that tiny little coastal haven.

In Part One of this two-part conversation, I sit down with Jack Hellmrich, someone I grew up alongside who also experienced domestic violence, family instability, and the challenges of low socioeconomic living. We reflect on how our childhood experiences shaped our beliefs, behaviours, and sense of self, and the ways anger can become a survival strategy when pain goes unprocessed.

Jack shares his journey from carrying that anger through adolescence and into adulthood to discovering new pathways for healing through personal development work and a multitude of therapeutic approaches.

Jack has now stepped into a coaching role to support others on their own healing journeys. 

Together, we share stories from our upbringing, discuss the lasting impact of childhood adversity, what it means to consciously rewrite the narratives we inherited. “Millennial cycle breakers” you could say. 

This is Part One of a two-part conversation. If you’ve ever wondered how early experiences shape who we become—and whether real change is possible—this episode is for you.

Crisis Support

• Lifeline Australia
  • 13 11 14 (24/7)
  • Lifeline Australia
• Suicide Call Back Service
  • 1300 659 467 (24/7)
  • Suicide Call Back Service
• Beyond Blue
  • 1300 22 4636
  • Beyond Blue

General Mental Health Support

• Head to Health
  • Free information, resources, and service navigation.
• Black Dog Institute
  • Evidence-based resources on depression, anxiety, trauma, and wellbeing.

• headspace
  • Mental health support for young people aged 12–25.

1800RESPECT

Australia’s national domestic, family and sexual violence support service. Free, confidential, and available 24/7.

📞 1800 737 732

📱 Text: 0458 737 732

🌐  1800RESPECT

Provides counselling, information, safety planning, referrals, online chat, and video counselling

MensLine Australia

Free 24/7 telephone and online support for men experiencing relationship difficulties, family violence, mental health concerns, or emotional distress.

📞 1300 789 978

🌐  MensLine Australia

Full Stop Australia

24/7 support for people affected by domestic, family, and sexual violence.

📞 1800 385 578

🌐  Full Stop Australia

For People Using Violence Who Want Help to Change

Men’s Referral Service

Support, counselling, and behaviour change referrals for men concerned about their use of violence or controlling behaviour.

📞 1300 766 491

🌐  Men's Referral Service

In this deeply personal episode, I share my decade long battle with bulimia and discuss the experiences that I believe contributed to its development.

Steph and I chat about what it was like growing up in an unstable home environment marked by abuse, criticism, and a lack of emotional safety, and how these experiences shaped my sense of self-worth from an early age. Feeling unseen, unworthy, and constantly put down influenced the way I viewed myself and my body.

I also unpack the impact of beauty standards and body image pressures that began as young as six years old for me. While I often felt I didn't measure up to society's ideals, I simultaneously received praise for my athletic physique. Over time, that praise became intertwined with my sense of value, creating a hyper-fixation on maintaining my body and appearance. What initially seemed like validation eventually became a source of pressure, fear, and obsession. One that took years of joy away from my life. 

This episode is an honest conversation about the complex relationship between trauma, self-worth, body image, and eating disorders. While these reflections are based on my personal experience, I hope they offer insight, connection, and understanding for anyone navigating similar struggles. 

Crisis Support

• Lifeline Australia
  • 13 11 14 (24/7)
• Suicide Call Back Service
  • 1300 659 467 (24/7)
• Beyond Blue
  • 1300 22 4636

🦋  Butterfly Foundation

Australia’s national charity for eating disorders and body image concerns. They provide support for people experiencing eating disorders, as well as families, carers, and loved ones. Services include a national helpline, online chat, email support, support groups, and treatment resources. Their National Helpline operates 7 days a week from 8am–midnight (AEST/AEDT

National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC)

A government-funded organisation that provides evidence-based information about eating disorders, recovery, treatment options, and support pathways. Their resources are particularly useful for individuals, families, educators, and health professionals.

General Mental Health Support

• Head to Health
  • Free information, resources, and service navigation.
• Black Dog Institute
  • Evidence-based resources on depression, anxiety, trauma, and wellbeing.

I am joined by a good friend, Stephanie Pritchard, to explore the realities of binge eating disorder and bulimia, challenging the common misconception that eating disorders only affect people who appear visibly underweight. We discuss how individuals living with eating disorders in larger bodies are often met with less understanding, less empathy, and face significant barriers to being taken seriously.

Our conversation examines the complex relationship between childhood trauma and disordered eating, unpacking how early experiences can shape coping mechanisms, behaviour, self-worth, and our relationship with food.

We also discuss mental health more broadly, such as anxiety and depression. 

Finally, we touch on the shame many girls experience when they begin menstruation, and how a lack of education and positive messaging about our bodies can contribute to feelings of embarrassment, disconnection, and self-criticism.

We share a few laughs and a movie quote or two, but this episode is a compassionate and honest discussion about the experiences that often exist beneath the surface. And the importance of approaching mental health and eating disorders with curiosity, understanding, and empathy rather than judgment.

If this episode raises concerns for you, support is available. Contact the Butterfly Foundation’s National Helpline on 1800 ED HOPE (1800 334 673), visit Butterfly.org.au, or speak with your GP about accessing eating disorder treatment and support. If you are in crisis, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or call 000 in an emergency

🦋  Butterfly Foundation

Australia’s national charity for eating disorders and body image concerns. They provide support for people experiencing eating disorders, as well as families, carers, and loved ones. Services include a national helpline, online chat, email support, support groups, and treatment resources. Their National Helpline operates 7 days a week from 8am–midnight (AEST/AEDT

National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC)

A government-funded organisation that provides evidence-based information about eating disorders, recovery, treatment options, and support pathways. Their resources are particularly useful for individuals, families, educators, and health professionals.

Eating Disorders Victoria (EDV)

Offers peer support, counselling, telehealth services, support groups, and resources for both people experiencing eating disorders and their carers. While based in Victoria, many of their resources are available online.  

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦  Eating Disorders Families Australia (EDFA)

Provides education, support, and advocacy specifically for families and carers supporting someone with an eating disorder.  

In this episode, Dr Nicole Kennedy joins me to unpack feminism, media literacy, and the importance of questioning the narratives we consume. We discuss the timeline of rights women have fought for, why many of these changes are more recent than people realise, and how race and gender intersect to shape different experiences of inequality. A conversation that challenges assumptions and invites deeper reflection.