Welcome back to part two of my chat with the wonderful Rach & Sarah as we continue the discussion of important topics around neurodiversity.

As we jump into the second half, Rach & Sarah first discuss the very raw emotions that parents can experience exploring neurodiversity.

These beautiful gals then talk through the exploration of their own diagnosis, the process, their own emotions and what it means for them today.

Both with different stories, I cannot say how privileged I felt to listen to their points of view, as well as ask a few reflective questions. Particularly for my wonderful sister-in-law, Rach. It is the first time she had shared some of this. So thank you so much Rach for being so honest and so bloody brave.

After listening to them both speak you will see that they have so much love and passion for this space and we hope that after listening, from whatever experience or circumstance you are in that you feel comfort and understanding in what they so openly shared.

In this episode of Yeah The Gals, I had the pleasure of connecting with Louise Siwicki, more fondly known as Lou.

Lou is a holistic fertility specialist, and knows first-hand the unexpected struggles of entering motherhood, as well as the physical and emotional toll it can have too.

After 6 years of trying every possible fertility treatment, developing coeliac disease, adrenal fatigue and depression along the way, Lou was told by her fertility specialist at the time that she needed to take a break from IVF treatment and seek mental health support before coming back and continue.

Feeling at rock bottom, Lou decided to explore a holistic pathway and through the support of coaches, hypnotherapy, acupuncture, and a lot of work, she would strip back the layers of her grief, and began to heal.

6 months to the day of her last specialist appointment, and a complete shift in her mind and body, Lou would receive a phone call after some pre-IVF blood work and find out she had fallen pregnant naturally.

Now with 3 beautiful children, and the realisation that our minds and bodies are completely linked, she went on to complete her studies in neuro linguistic programming, hypnotherapy, timeline therapy and coaching – and now offers support to women who are walking the path she once did.  

In Lous words, she has found her passion and her purpose and after speaking with her I couldn’t agree more. She speaks from the heart, and has turned her grief into empowerment, as well as a strong sense of self.

Welcome back for season two of Yeah the Gals!

We are kicking off with one hell of a gal, the beautiful and absolute fire cracker Jess Ragusa – who was born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition that in Jess’ case, affects predominantly the respiratory system.

After being diagnosed at 3 days old, Jess’ Mum Kell and Dad Marks worlds completely changed as they not only became parents for the first time, but now had to navigate a life of medication, hospital visits and nebuliser’s with their new-born daughter.

Making a sea change to the Central Coast, they made a commitment to ensuring Jess was given a normal life doing most of the things a kid could do... and she did exactly that.  

At 18, after hitting milestones she was told she wouldn’t, Jess fell incredibly ill, and after some time in hospital, Kel & Mark were told she had 6 months to live.

Choosing not to initially tell Jess the prognosis, her and her boyfriend (now husband) James, sat in a café as she sobbed in frustration and despair on how she could continue to live her life like this.

But, this gal is something else – stubborn, determined, passionate, strong and resilient, are a few of the words to describe her... this was not going to be her story. Bloody hell did she prove everyone wrong.

When a drug became available to literally save her life, her family put up their home to fund the exorbitant cost to keep Jess alive.  

Not settling for the price of her life, what started with an Instagram post to her friends and family, quickly spiralled to 50,000 signatures on a petition and speaking to major media outlets, politicians and CF advocates who also agreed there needed to be change.

I really don’t want to steal her thunder because Jess you should be so proud that you were the voice that changed the lives of CF patients across Australia.

Strap yourselves in guys, this gal will have you sobbing, laughing and f bombing the whole way through…

Welcome to a little light hearted bonus episode as we gear up for season two of Yeah The Gals!

We all come across different hacks and tips in life that make us go, YASSS.

So, me and a few of my best gals decided to sit down and hash a few out that we love (in between a bunch of laughs), as well as a few newbies sent in by some of you.

Perhaps there is a hack or two that you might want to shamelessly steal too - Enjoy gals!

In this episode of Yeah The Gals, I was joined by one incredibly impressive gal, who is currently residing in Erbil, which for those of you who don’t know (because I totally didn’t) is in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Marley Tinnock, is a born and bred Coastie who had many dreams and ideas of what her career could look like as she approached the end of high school.

After choosing to study her communications degree, the wide eyed Marley was offered multiple internships, that lead to her accepting a full time position at the end of her first year of Uni... something she managed to do all while still studying full time too!

To keep things interesting, she decided to start free-lance writing in her not so spare time and before she knew it, she was on a flight to New York to try her luck in the big smoke.

From New York, back to Australia…completing a masters in HR in between, this gal did not think she would then be heading to Geneva in Switzerland to work for the United Nations – but she did!

With many twists, turns and amazing experiences, Marley is currently working as head of communications for SEED Foundation which is a women-led, non for profit organization in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. They are are committed to protecting, empowering, and supporting the recovery and reintegration of survivors of violence and others at risk.

As you can imagine, we had A LOT to chat about and can absolutely say we barely scratched the surface!

One thing that really stood out for me is that although Marley leant on the amazing support systems, mentors and women who inspired her throughout her career, it is ultimately her dedication, work ethic and willingness to give even the craziest of ideas a go, that has been the catalyst to all her successes and achievements.

In this episode of Yeah The Gals, the lovely Zoe Papadatos joined me in the studio.

Zoe is the founder of Coastal Wellness Cottage and a leading Chinese herbalist and acupuncturist.

Coastal Wellness cottage is where you will find a team of passionate and dedicated women’s holistic health and wellness practitioners, who’s mission is to empower women and share their wealth of knowledge.

Her vision for the space was to create a homey and comfortable environment to seek alternative women’s health services, and she has done exactly that.

Zoe knew from a young age that her purpose is to be helping women in the community through natural and alternative therapies. She studied aBachelor of Health Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and something we didn’t get a chance to discuss was that she actually went on to undertake a 6-week placement in Cheng Du, China where she saw first hand the benefits of Chinese medicine in an integrative setting.

We chat about what acupuncture is and the many benefits it has on mind and body, as well as how she got to opening her beautiful multi modality clinic.

As someone who ahs been a patient of Zoe’s, it is her soft and beautiful nature that makes women feel so welcomed and cared for. After listening to her very soothing voice, I’m sure you gals will agree!