The Good Girl Confessional

Claire Ashman is a remarkable woman. She grew up in a sect, a break away from the Catholic Church, and at 18 married a man who would lead her into an even more sinister community. For almost a decade she lived by the whim of a man who called himself "Little Pebble", the leader of a doomsday cult called The Order of St. Charbel. Forced to join the religious order, she took a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience and attended prayer sessions three times a day, It was the concern for the safety of her eight young children that eventually saw her bravely flee with her kids from the secretive cult , led by convicted rapist and pedophile William Kamm, on the NSW south coast. After escaping the cult, Claire had no idea about the outside world or how to survive on her own. But survive she did. Claire went on to forge an amazing life, is an author, a coach and has delivered no less that four Ted X talks.
Claire joins host, Sandy Lowres, to tell her story. This is Part 1 of Claire's remarkable journey of survival. (*Note: We made a conscious decision to have Claire's story told in two parts so that she could tell it fully).

Claire Ashman is the author of Lessons of a Cult Survivor.
You can buy her remarkable book here:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Lessons-Cult-Survivor-Claire-Ashman-ebook/dp/B07G7276P5

You can watch Claire Ashman's Ted X Talks and find out more about Claire here:
www.claireashman.com

Follow us on instagram: @thegoodgirlconfessional

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram: @womenbeyondforty


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Sara Cunningham is the Founder of Free Mom Hugs (USA) and she shares her journey from midwest Christian mother to her gay son Parker coming out, to creating an organisation that wraps its arms around the LGBTI+ community. This is an inspiring and heart warming story. Free Mom Hugs now has a chapter in every state of the USA and has inspired other groups around the world including Australia. Her book 'How We Sleep at Night: A Mother's Memoir' has been optioned by Jamie Lee Curtis and will be released as a film.

Helpful Links:
How We Sleep At Night: A Mother's Memoir by Sara Cunningham
https://www.amazon.com/How-We-Sleep-A...

Free Mom Hugs (USA)
https://www.freemomhugs.org/

PFLAG (USA)
https://pflag.org/

Free Mum Hugs (Australia)
https://www.facebook.com/FreeMumHugsAus/

PFLAG Australia
http://pflagaustralia.org.au/

Parker Cunningham - Music
https://www.facebook.com/parkercunnin...


The Good Girl Confessional Podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/GoodGirlConf...

Follow us on instagram: @thegoodgirlconfessional

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram: @womenbeyondforty

The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Many women listening or of a certain age, will be going through peri-menopause or menopause. Host Sandy Lowres chats to Nadine Marsh, a Women's Health facilitator, and Sarah Hennessey, Natural Health practitioner and Doctor of Chinese Medicine, about their innovative workshops for women - Menomorphisis: Reclaiming, Reframing and Reinventing Menopause. When Nadine started to go through her own menopause journey, she started to research and then work with other people to reclaim herself. Joining forces with Sarah after they realised there was a gap in the information women were seeking, they started Menomorphosis Workshops to help women feel the best they can about themselves. They explore how hormones affect women throughout their lives as well as cultural perspectives around menopause and offer simple tools to support harmony, balance and wellness. As a doctor of Chinese Medicine, Sarah has a philosophy of a holistic approach to balancing hormones, working along side modern medicine. So let's talk about everything from hot flushes and beyond.

Follow us on instagram: @thegoodgirlconfessional

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram: @womenbeyondforty


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Dating in midlife?! Kerri Sackville Australian author, columnist, social commentator, media personality and mother of three chats about herl atest book Out There - A guide to dating in Midlife, and dating after 50. Kerri writes a regular column for the SMH online and has written for The Age, Women's Weekly online, MamaMia, OK Magazine and The Australian Jewish News.

To follow Kerri Sackville:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kerri.Sackville/

Her Book: Out There - A Guide to Dating in Midlife is available through https://allenunwin.com

To read Kerri's SMH Columns: https;//www.smh.com.au/by/kerri-sackville-hve6w

Follow us on instagram: @thegoodgirlconfessional

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram @womenbeyondforty


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Guest #14
Nicole Brownlee is an innovative leader in business who founded The Story Box Library in 2012 utilising her passion for children's literature and a background in education. Nicole works with Australian celebrities who read Australian children's books for her, including Nick Cave and Missy Higgins amongst others, and designs programs around the books for use in schools. Her vision is supporting Australian literature and showcasing amazing Australian talent. 

You can follow Nicole and her team at https://storyboxlibrary.com.au

Follow us on instagram: @thegoodgirlconfessional

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram @womenbeyondforty


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Caroline Candusso is the Creative Director of studio Papel (Paper), Along with her son and business Partner, Agustin, who is 10 years old, they create amazing objects of art made out of fine and handmade papers. Caroline recognised a special talent in her son when he was 2 and by 6, he asked to start a business, folding paper into amazing objects. With the profits from her children's book, Spring, they created Papel (Spanish for Paper) and together they create large installation pieces as well as paper wearables. This is an amazing journey of Caroline (La Mama) and the Boy (Augustin) from the land of W. It is also the story of a mum who recognised the light and talent of her child.

You can find Papel (Paper) at https://papelpaper.com
Instagram: @papelpaperboy
Video: "Hear them Roar" from Women in Business Wagga - https://vimeo.com/285245336
Follow us on instagram: @thegoodgirlconfessional

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram @womenbeyondforty

Guest #12 - Gorgeous Lou Pollard chats about Clown Doctoring, single parenting, taking care of parents in a sandwich generation, and finding humour in life. Lou Pollard describes herself as a professional fool, actor, MC and speaker. As a Clown Doctor, Lou works with very sick children in Sydney Hospitals, something she is passionate about. Lou has performed with at corporate and community events in Australia and the middle east. She is a speaker for The Humour Foundation, a charity dedicated to promoting good health through humour.She talks on topics such as how to relieve stress through laughter, and humour therapy. Lou also writes comedy, non-fiction and short stories, and worked on ten books with her late Father, Jack Pollard, OAM. She has appeared at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Sydney Comedy Festival, and Adelaide Fringe Festival. 

You can follow Lou Pollard at her blog:
https://loupollard.me

For Media/Corporate Enquiries at:
https://loupollard.com

The Humour Foundation: https://humourfoundation.org.au

Follow us on instagram: @thegoodgirlconfessional

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram @womenbeyondforty


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Guest #11 Becky Paroz doesn't always fit in, and she's not sorry! As a disruptor and an engineer, she has built a 30 year career in the male dominated construction industry, taking names and making one for herself. Becky is an industry leader, an author, a coach, a mentor and a keynote speaker. Becky was recently a cover girl for Y-Mag and is the co-founder of PineappleLit, a bespoke publishing company, and of Imaginarium 2.0, supporting independent and self published authors. In 2019, Becky has received a wave of awards and she dropped into the Confessional to chat to Sandy about surviving trauma, building an amazing career, writing her book, of belonging, vulnerability and finding her tribe. We're thrilled she shared her story here.

You can follow Becky at:
https://wordsofbek.com.au
https://imaginarium2point0.com


Follow us on instagram: @thegoodgirlconfessional

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram @womenbeyondforty


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Erin Guest is a survivor, and one of millions of victims impacted by the contraversial medical device Essure. Erin is a courageous Melbourne woman and we're honoured she's trusting us with her story. This is a story about a big Pharmaceutical, of FDA (USA) and TGA (Australia) approvals, and about a medical device which is currently at the heart of a hard hitting documentary screening on Netflix called The Bleeding Edge. This is the story of women wanting autonomy over their own bodies and of not being believed by medical professionals and of a world wide Class Action against a pharmaceutical giant due to the courage of the women their device had impacted.

Important Links:
Slater & Gordon - Australia - www.slatergordon.com.au (Essure Class Action)
Note: This class action covers claims of all individuals who have had Essure devices implanted from 1999 - 2018.
Facebook Support Group : Essure Problems Australia and NZ
Facebook Support Group:Essure Problems (USA)

Netflix | The Bleeding Edge Documentary (2018 - Film maker - Kirby Dick/Producers Amy Ziering & Amy Herdy)

Follow us on instagram: @thegoodgirlconfessional

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram @womenbeyondforty


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Kimberly Holiday-Coleman is a sister queen who hails from Houston, Texas but is living her amazing life in Lexington, Kentucky with her loving family. She was a model, a wife and a mum and in 2015 she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Rectal Cancer. She underwent treatment for a year, but in the course of the treatment she almost lost her life due to a bowel perforation. She had life saving surgery which also involved a colostomy bag. She has kept her stoma, affectionally called "Toodles". Surviving childhood trauma, and then cancer, Kimberly made a decision to grab life by the horns and live it loud! She continues to be a model and has been the featured model in Melbourne Fashion Week (Australia) as well as being a model is two separate book projects on body image. She is a best selling international author, a motivational speaker and has won two awards for her advocacy, breaking down stigmas around stoma/colostomy and cancer awareness. Kimberly has also taken up burlesque and is performing across the USA as well as internationally. Kimberly is beautiful inside and out and I'm so thrilled she joined us in the confessional.

You can follow Kimberly on instagram @cancerwarriorcolostomyqueen or www.kimberlyhcoleman.com

Book Sales - Underneath We Are - www.underneathiam.com
For information of Skin Deep: The Skin I'm In Exhibition by Ferrell Phelps - Http://ferrellphotography4.wxsite.com/ferrelphelps
(Australia) - For information/support for colostomy/stoma: www.australianstoma.com.au
(USA) - https://www.ostomy.org
(UK) - www.colostomyuk.org

Follow us on instagram: @thegoodgirlconfessional

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram @womenbeyondforty


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging.