The Whole Truth: Motherhood and the Writing Life

In the first ever two part episode, Maxine returns after a week's girls trip to Bali, where she (finally!) had some time to think. And she decided she had more to say. About the hard stuff, like parenting neurodiverse kids and struggling with infertility. And how writing helped. Dont miss this chat where the masks come off and the chat gets real.

Buy⁠⁠ Everything is Perfect Here⁠

You can follow Maxine Fawcett on Instagram @maxinefawcettwriter

Nadia Mahjouri is a therapist at ⁠⁠⁠The Holding Space Counselling⁠⁠⁠. If you would like to reach out for support, you can book an appointment online.  Nadia works face to face in nipaluna or online everywhere. 

Nadia Mahjouri is also the author of ⁠⁠⁠Half Truth ⁠⁠⁠- her debut novel that will be released in early Feb 2025. ⁠⁠⁠Pre-orders available soon⁠⁠⁠

Her website is ⁠⁠⁠www.nadiamahjouri.com⁠⁠⁠ and you can find her on Instagram @nadiamahjouri or sign up for her newsletter ⁠⁠⁠The Whole Truth: Stories of Ache and Ecstasy⁠⁠⁠

Or you can email  ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ 

In this episode of The Whole Truth: Motherhood and the Writing Life, Nadia Mahjouri chats with Maxine Fawcett about her book Everything is Perfect, and how the character of Cassie Prince is all of us trying to keep our head above water whilst simultaneously looking insta-worthy and actually getting stuff done.

In this conversation, we discuss how Maxine's morning pages turned into a novel and how the stages of parenting change - particularly as you move into the stage that Maxine refers to as 'mum-oncholy' that sense of aching sadness that comes as you realise you don't remember the last time you read a bedtime story or picked up your child....

Buy⁠ Everything is Perfect Here

You can follow Maxine Fawcett on Instagram @maxinefawcettwriter

Nadia Mahjouri is a therapist at ⁠⁠The Holding Space Counselling⁠⁠. If you would like to reach out for support, you can book an appointment online.  Nadia works face to face in nipaluna or online everywhere. 

Nadia Mahjouri is also the author of ⁠⁠Half Truth ⁠⁠- her debut novel that will be released in early Feb 2025. ⁠⁠Pre-orders available soon⁠⁠

Her website is ⁠⁠www.nadiamahjouri.com⁠⁠ and you can find her on Instagram @nadiamahjouri or sign up for her newsletter ⁠⁠The Whole Truth: Stories of Ache and Ecstasy⁠⁠

Or you can email  ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ 

In this episode of The Whole Truth: Motherhood and the Writing Life, Nadia Mahjouri chats with Kate Kruimink, mother of two, fiction editor of Island Magazine and author of two award winning novels, and a newly released novella.

In this conversation, we discuss how Kate wrote her first novel with her newborn baby on her boob, and how it ended up being a Vogel Award Winner!

We also discuss Heartsease, Kates most recently released novel - a gorgeous novel - described as 'An account of love and ghosts so sharp it will leave you with paper cuts.'

We talk about the logistics of getting work done in amongst the messy middle of it all and talk about the benefits of working with a group of other women all juggling the same madness! Zoom writing groups for the win!

Buy Heartsease here:

You can follow Kate Kruimink on Instagram @katekruimink

Nadia Mahjouri is a therapist at ⁠The Holding Space Counselling⁠. If you would like to reach out for support, you can book an appointment online.  Nadia works face to face in nipaluna or online everywhere. 

Nadia Mahjouri is also the author of ⁠Half Truth ⁠- her debut novel that will be released in Feb 2025. ⁠Pre-orders available soon⁠

Her website is ⁠www.nadiamahjouri.com⁠ and you can find her on Instagram @nadiamahjouri or sign up for her newsletter ⁠The Whole Truth: Stories of Ache and Ecstasy⁠

Or you can email  ⁠[email protected]⁠ 

In this episode of The Whole Truth: Motherhood and the Writing Life, Nadia Mahjouri chats with Liz Evans - author, psychotherapist, academic, ex-rock journalist (and friend of 90s icons Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain among others) and mother of 3, including twins. 

We discuss Liz’ feminist psychological thriller Catherine Wheel and the ways her characters navigate through rage, maternal ambivalence, and grief over unborn children. And the beautiful Japanese Jizo - dolls to commemorate the souls of children not born for any reason. 

Liz shares how went from a rock journalist in the 90s with no kids until she was 42 to a mother of 3 just a few years later and how she navigates making time to write in the midst of it all. 

Buy Catherine Wheel online here

Follow Liz Evan’s on Instagram @lizevanswrites or check out her website here.

Nadia Mahjouri is a therapist at The Holding Space Counselling. If you would like to reach out for support, you can book an appointment online.  Nadia works face to face in nipaluna or online everywhere. 

Nadia Mahjouri is also the author of Half Truth - her debut novel that will be released in Feb 2025. Pre-orders available soon

Her website is www.nadiamahjouri.com and you can find her on Instagram @nadiamahjouri or sign up for her newsletter The Whole Truth: Stories of Ache and Ecstasy

Or you can email  [email protected] 

In this episode of The Whole Truth: Motherhood and the Writing Life, Nadia Mahjouri chats with Katherine Collette, author, cartoonist, ex-sewage engineer, mother of two, ex-podcast host of The First Time Podcast and The Next Step, and writing coach for debut authors.

Katherine and Nadia discuss her newly released first book in a series of Middle Grade Fiction books called The Too Tall Tales of Alma T - written with the help of her kids over lockdown - the best way to get real time feedback on your writing. We discuss how the mental load is shared in her home and how the dream of getting published can get in the way of the unpublished writers work.

We also dig into Katherine's writing routine that includes working three days a week over five days - setting aside the morning every day to write - and learn about how Katherine took long service leave one and a half hours a day to buy time to write. And we touch on the joy of realizing that you have somehow managed to find yourself in the place you dreamed of getting.

Buy Out of Bounds: The Too Tall Tales of Alma T online here 

Follow Katherine Collette on Instagram @katherinecollettewriter or check out her website here. 

Nadia Mahjouri is a therapist at The Holding Space Counselling. If you would like to reach out for support, you can book an appointment online.

Nadia works in face to face in nipaluna or online everywhere. 

Nadia Mahjouri is also the author of Half Truth - her debut novel that will be released in Feb 2025. Pre-orders available from these links

Her website is www.nadiamahjouri.com and you can find her on instagram @nadiamahjouri or sign up for her newsletter The Whole Truth: Stories of Ache and Ecstasy here 

Or you can email me at [email protected] 

In this episode of The Whole Truth: Motherhood and the Writing Life, Nadia Mahjouri chats with Ariane Beeston, psychologist, mother, former child protection worker and author of Because I’m Not Myself You See - a memoir of her experience and recovery from postpartum psychosis. 

In this chat we discuss how sleep deprivation and vicarious trauma from her time as a child protection worker led her to find herself on the other side of the therapeutic relationship- and an inpatient at a mental health clinic, suffering from postpartum psychosis. We chat about how hard it was to tell the truth about what was really going on - and how long it took for her friends and family to realise how bad things really were.

We discuss Ariane’s experience of writing the memoir and how she looks after her mental health now she's on the other side.

Buy Because I'm Not Myself You See here


Follow Ariane Beeston on Instagram@arianejbeeston⁠ or check out her website here. 

The Centre for Perinatal Excellence has resources available for anyone who needs them.

Nadia Mahjouri is a therapist at The Holding Space Counselling. If you would like to reach out for support, you can book an appointment online at www.theholdingspacecounselling.com 

Nadia works face to face in nipaluna or online everywhere. 

Nadia Mahjouri is also the author of Half Truth - her debut novel that will be released in Feb 2025. Pre-orders available soon


Her website is www.nadiamahjouri.com and you can find her on instagram @nadiamahjouri or sign up for her newsletter The Whole Truth: Stories of Ache and Ecstasy here 


Or you can email me at [email protected] 

In Episode 1, Nadia Mahjouri chats with Jane Tara, debut novelist, author of over 100 children’s and nonfiction books, ex-general manager of Better Reading Australia and mother/stepmother of 4 adult boys.

In this chat we discuss the moment Jane found herself standing in her kitchen, seemingly invisible to her own family, and how this led her to create the incredible character of Tilda -who, in midlife, when everything should be fine - discovers one morning, she can no longer see her little finger or her ear and soon enough, is diagnosed with the incurable illness of invisibility - sadly common in women her age.

We discuss Jane’s own journey back to seeing herself and learn some of the tips and tricks Jane uses to stay sane in the messy middle (spoiler: it’s meditation but apparently you actually have to do it, not just think about it!!)

Buy Tilda is Visible ⁠online here⁠

Follow Jane Tara on Instagram @suthorjanetara or check out her⁠ website here⁠.

For tips on meditation and writing, sign up to ⁠Jane’s Substack here⁠

Nadia Mahjouri is a therapist at The Holding Space Counselling. If you would like to reach out for support, you can ⁠book an appointment online⁠.

 Nadia works in face to face in nipaluna or online everywhere. 

Nadia Mahjouri is also the author of Half Truth - her debut novel that will be released in Feb 2025. Pre-orders available soon ⁠here⁠

Her website is ⁠www.nadiamahjouri.com⁠ and you can find her on Instagram @nadiamahjouri or sign up for her newsletter T⁠he Whole Truth: Stories of Ache and Ecstasy⁠

Or you can email her at ⁠[email protected]⁠ 

Thank you so much for listening - and please get in touch if you have any comments, questions or ideas for interviews!

In this episode of The Whole Truth: Motherhood and the Writing Life, introduces herself and invites you to follow and subscribe so that you don't miss the start of Season One, where Nadia interviews Australian writers who are managing to create beautiful work in the midst of the madness and mental load of family life.

Follow to make sure you don't miss anything!