Welcome Back, to the Happy Mama Movement Podcast

In this heartfelt conversation, I met with Hayley Smith to discuss the often hidden experiences of motherhood, particularly in the face of grief and illness.

Hayley shares her journey as a mother of three, focusing on the harrowing diagnosis of her daughter, Elsie Rae, with cancer. They explore the emotional turmoil of navigating a child's illness, the lack of support for parents, and the importance of normalizing conversations around grief. Hayley emphasizes the need for emotional tools and community support, reflecting on her own experiences with grief and the cultural stigmas surrounding it.

We Discuss:

• Normalizing motherhood includes discussing grief and illness.
• Motherhood expectations often differ from reality.
• The diagnosis process can be overwhelming and chaotic.
• Emotional support for parents is often lacking in medical settings.
• Cultural practices around grief can provide valuable insights.
• Advocacy for better support systems is essential for families.
• Community support can significantly impact coping with illness.

ABOUT HALEY:

Hayley is the founder of Cancer Dancer, a heart-led platform supporting mothers and families through the emotional and physical challenges of cancer. A mum of three, Hayley’s world changed forever when her youngest child was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at just 22 months old. This wasn’t her first encounter with cancer—she lost her father to the disease as a teenager, whilst her mother survived cancer. These life-shaping experiences led her on a 30-year healing journey.

MAKE-A-WISH:

·             Since 1985, Make-A-Wish Australia has granted over 11,000 unique, inspiring and extraordinary wishes across the country

·             Make-A-Wish Australia is currently supporting over 900 kids on their wish journey ​

·             Make-A-Wish Australia is a registered Australian children’s charity that relies on its volunteers, donors and supporters to make wishes happen​

·             For everyone involved, wishes have a remarkable, uplifting and positive impact - well beyond the wish itself ​

. Make-A-Wish Australia creates life-changing wishes for children with a critical illness ​

CONTACTS:

FACEBOOK: /cancerdancer

IG: /cancerdancer.co

LINKEDIN: cancer-dancer

WEBSITE: www.cancerdancer.co

Chapters

00:00 Normalizing Motherhood and Grief

01:37 The Journey of Motherhood Before Diagnosis

03:30 The Diagnosis: A Mother's Intuition

08:49 The Shock of a Life-Altering Diagnosis

12:39 Finding Support in Crisis

21:23 Grieving Expectations and Reality

25:00 Exploring Grief Rituals and Acceptance

30:51 Navigating Guilt and Strength in Adversity

37:11 Transmuting Emotions: From Guilt to Strength

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WELCOME BACK TO THE HAPPY MAMA MOVEMENT PODCAST.

In this weeks episode, I speak with Emily Mitchell to explore the concept of matrescence, our grand transition into motherhood, and the importance of support systems during the postpartum period.

Emily shares her personal journey, including the trauma of her first birth experience and how it shaped her understanding of motherhood. We discuss the creation of resources aimed at educating new mothers about matrescence and the collaborative efforts with healthcare professionals to improve postpartum care. Our conversation emphasizes the need for community support and the empowerment of mothers through knowledge and understanding of their experiences.

WE DISCUSS

• Matrescence is a transformative process that impacts mothers deeply.
• Emily's first birth experience was traumatic and unplanned.
• Understanding matrescence can provide relief and validation for mothers.
• Support systems are crucial during the fourth trimester.
• Preparation for a second birth can lead to a more positive experience.
• Creating resources for new mothers can help them navigate postpartum challenges.
• Co-designing support with healthcare professionals is essential.
• Empowering mothers through education can change their postpartum experience.
• The importance of self-reflection and internal validation for mothers.
• Community support plays a vital role in maternal health.

ABOUT EMILY

Emily Mitchell is here to disrupt the motherhood narrative and shift the focus from the baby to the mother because she is born alongside her baby and needs to be held just as tight. Founder of Motherhood Milestones, a multi award winning business, Emily creates heartfelt cards without the hallmark cliches that honour the reality of motherhood and create space for supportive and honest conversations. A keen motherhood advocate, Emily has partnered with government to create resources and programs for new mums to validate and support their introduction to motherhood. A Reiki Practitioner and Mama Rising Facilitator, Emily works to remind mothers of their own power while also balancing her own role as mother to her four-year-old son and soon to be new arrival. 

CONTACT:

Website: www.motherhoodmilestones.com 

Facebook and Instagram: @motherhoodmilestones

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to Matrescence and Its Impact

01:28 Emily's Personal Journey into Motherhood

04:00 The Trauma of Birth and Its Aftermath

06:29 Understanding Matrescence: A New Perspective

08:49 Preparing for a Second Birth: Lessons Learned

10:08 The Importance of Support in the Fourth Trimester

12:06 Creating Resources for New Mothers

15:35 Co-Designing Support with Healthcare Professionals

19:04 Empowering Mothers Through Education

22:15 The Pilot Program and Its Anticipated Impact

25:33 Conversations That Matter: Values and Support

27:28 Conclusion and Future Aspirations

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Welcome back, Mama's.

This week, Amanda Jackson and I explore the profound journey of motherhood and Matrescence, discussing the emotional and physical transformations that come with becoming a mother. We delve into the struggles of adjusting to new identities, the importance of self-care, and the need to listen to one's body. Amanda shares her personal experiences and insights from her book, emphasizing the significance of community support and the healing power of sharing stories among mothers.

Some takeaways from our conversation:

• Writing a book is a vulnerable process.
• Matrescence is often unrecognized in motherhood.
• Motherhood can challenge our expectations and identities.
• Breakdowns can lead to breakthroughs in self-awareness.
• Listening to our bodies is crucial for well-being.
• Self-care should be about tuning into our needs.
• Creating support systems is essential for mothers.
• The experience of motherhood is shared across generations.
• Healing comes from sharing our stories.
• Empowerment in motherhood comes from understanding matrescence.

About Mandy

Amanda, or Mandy as she’s affectionately known by her clients, guides mothers on a path

from guilt to growth. Her methods make visible the invisible loads and expectations that set

mothers up to feel as though they’ve failed.

Instead of perpetuating myths that the role of mother will neatly integrate into life without

changing us, Mandy #39;s signature programs embrace matrescence and the mother-child

relationship as opportunities for profound personal and professional growth.

Mandy has a background in psychology and sociology and completed her thesis on the

regulation of pregnant women’s bodies. Her approach draws from experience in Corrective

Services, youth and family development, and corporate sectors.

Chapters

00:00 The Birth of a Book

02:16 Honoring the Body in Motherhood

05:47 The Reality of Matrescence

11:31 Breakdowns and Breakthroughs

18:34 Redefining Self-Care

23:50 Creating Accessible Support for Mothers

28:07 Reflections on Matrescence and Self-Connection

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to The Happy Mama Movement Podcast.

In this Take the Mic episode, I’m honoured to share the voice of Kirsten Calloran — a Mama Rising coach and lactation consultant from County Wicklow, Ireland — whose story reaches straight into the heart of motherhood’s deepest transformations. Kirsten invites us into her journey through post-diagnosis motherhood — the moment her son’s autism diagnosis opened a second matrescence, a new becoming that reshaped everything she thought she knew about identity, strength, and love.This is a story of grief and grace, of survival and softening. Of finding language for what once felt unspeakable. It’s an offering to every mother who’s ever wondered where she went — and to those slowly remembering themselves, one tender breath at a time.

She talks about:

• How a child’s diagnosis can awaken a second transformation in motherhood.
• The invisible weight and isolation many caregiving mothers carry.
• Grief, rage, love, and identity — all existing side by side.
• The need for spaces that hold mothers, not just their children.
• The hope that rises when we begin to honour our own becoming.

May this conversation remind you: you are not broken, you are becoming — again and again, in ways that matter more than you know.

ABOUT KIRSTEN

Kirsten Calloran is a matrescence coach based in Ireland, specialising in post-diagnosis support for mothers (and fathers) of neurodivergent and disabled children.

She combines lived experience with professional training to help parents navigate what she calls “post-diagnosis matrescence” — the profound identity shift that begins when the life you imagined for yourself and your child suddenly changes.

Through her 1:1 coaching, talks for families in disability services, podcast Fi(ND)ing Motherhood, and compassionate social media presence, Kirsten offers validation, emotional grounding, and practical support to women often left behind by traditional parenting narratives.

Her work centres on the belief that when we nurture mothers, we strengthen families — and that no woman should have to lose herself to love her child well.

Kirsten lives in Wicklow with her husband, daughter, and young son, whose diagnosis marked the beginning of her own second becoming.

Connect with Kirsten:

Website: www.finding-motherhood.com

Podcast: Fi(ND)ing Motherhood on Spotify

TikTok: @findingmotherhoodcoach

Instagram: @findingmotherhoodcoach

Facebook: facebook.com/FindingMotherhoodCoach

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WELCOME, MAMAS, TO THE MAMA MOVEMENT PODCAST.

In this conversation, Today Dr. Margot Lowy and myself delve into the often overlooked topic of maternal ambivalence, exploring the complex emotional landscape of motherhood.

Dr. Lowy emphasizes the importance of acknowledging both the loving and bitter feelings that come with being a mother, advocating for open discussions about these emotions to foster genuine connections and understanding. The conversation also addresses common misconceptions about ambivalence, clarifying that it is not indifference but rather a rich tapestry of feelings that mothers experience.

We cover the following:

• Maternal ambivalence encompasses all feelings of motherhood.
• Acknowledging dark feelings is crucial for genuine mothering.
• Societal expectations make it hard to discuss negative emotions.
• Finding a safe space to talk about feelings is essential.
• Ambivalence is often misunderstood as indifference.
• Mothers experience both love and bitterness simultaneously.
• Dark feelings can lead to personal transformation.
• It's important to embrace the full spectrum of emotions.
• Open discussions about motherhood can reduce shame.
• Maternal ambivalence is a common experience for all mothers.

ABOUT MARGOT

 Margo Lowy, PhD, is a psychotherapist specializing in mothering. She is the author of MATERNAL AMBIVALENCE: The Loving Moments & Bitter Truths of Motherhood (Post Hill Press) and holds a doctorate from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, where she researched maternal ambivalence. Dr. Lowy is the author of a previous academic book, The Maternal Experience: Encounters with Ambivalence and Love, and has spoken about maternal ambivalence at universities and in media interviews worldwide. She is a columnist for Psychology Today, a member of PEN America, and a former advisor to the founder of the Australian Jewish Fertility Network (AJFN). She is mother to three children and is based with her husband in New York City.

CONTACTS

IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmargolowy

Website: https://drmargolowy.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmargolowy/

Chapters

00:00 Understanding Maternal Ambivalence

04:57 The Misconceptions of Ambivalence

06:01 Navigating the Emotional Landscape of Motherhood

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this week’s episode of The Happy Mama Movement Podcast.

Today I’m joined by Lucy Wylde — coach for women and mothers, matrescence guide, personal trainer, and perinatal wellbeing specialist.

With raw honesty and poetic strength, Lucy shares the story of her early experiences of motherhood — from medical trauma and personal betrayal to powerful reclamation — and how she rose from the fire to support others in doing the same.

WE TALK ABOUT:

• The Birth She Never Expected

How five days of labour and a traumatic emergency C-section shattered her sense of safety and control.

• When the Body Breaks and the System Fails

Why we need to stop asking new mothers about their babies and start seeing them — especially when the system doesn’t.

• Rage, Burlesque, and Reclamation

The healing power of movement, performance, and allowing the primal truth of our motherhood stories to be expressed.

• Shame, Affairs, and the Myth of the Perfect Mother

Why Lucy believes we need a new language for survival — and how finding comfort isn’t a failure but a lifeline.

• Becoming the Shield Maiden

From trauma to poetry, Lucy reflects on the death of an old self and the fierce beauty of becoming your own protector.

Lucy’s story is one of heartbreak and hope, rage and resilience. I hope it leaves you feeling less alone, more seen, and ready to take up space in your own journey — no matter where you are right now. If this episode speaks to your heart, please share it widely so other mothers can feel held, too.

ABOUT LUCY WYLDE:

Lucy Wylde is a coach for women and mothers, as well as a perinatal wellbeing specialist. Her work and passion are dedicated to helping women not just survive but truly thrive — in both body and mind. Lucy is also a Matrescence coach, personal trainer, yoga teacher, and a mother herself.

With a background in dance, Lucy has been a personal trainer for 17 years, a postnatal exercise specialist for 13 years, and a yoga teacher for 12 years. She became a Mama Rising Facilitator in 2022 and a Matrescence coach in 2023. She is also a solo mama to her 10-year-old daughter and deeply passionate about supporting women through all stages of motherhood.

RESOURCES:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucywyldecoaching

Website: https://www.lucywyldecoaching.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this conversation, Ashley Chang and I discuss the challenges faced by working mothers in balancing their careers and family life.

Ashley shares her personal experiences and insights from her research on the struggles of working parents, emphasizing the need for support systems and the importance of recognizing the mental load that comes with parenting. They explore the concept of creating a supportive environment for mothers, including the role of executive assistants in alleviating some of the burdens of family management. The discussion highlights the ongoing challenges in workplace culture and the need for more effective solutions to support working families.

IN THIS EPSIODE:

• Ashley was inspired by her mother's experience as a working mom.
• Many women feel they have to choose between career and family.
• The concept of 'perceived choice' in motherhood is often misleading.
• Balancing work and family can feel like being two people in one.
• Expectations placed on mothers can lead to feelings of inadequacy.
• Research shows that many parents struggle with time management.
• Sundays aims to help families reclaim their time together.
• Executive assistants can alleviate the mental load for parents.
• The emotional connection to the baby can differ between parents.
• Creating a supportive work environment is crucial for working mothers.

ABOUT ASHLEY:

Bio - Ashley Chang is the co-founder and CEO of Sundays. She was inspired to start Sundays by her own mom, a software engineer in the 80’s who left the workforce because she felt like she had to make a choice between work and family. Ashley spent a decade prior to Sundays in early stage technology companies – as the first employee at a developer tool company, building member experience for health insurance and benefits at Collective Health, and joining Carta to help scale their Venture Capital products from $10 to >$100M in revenue. During this time she saw many of the smartest women she knows have to make the same choice between family and work, 30 years later. In the past year, she has spoken to >1,000 parents about what makes it so hard to have both a meaningful career and family. She’s on a mission to make it possible for future generations.

CONTACTS:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleymchang/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/with-sundays

https://www.instagram.com/with_sundays

Website Details - https://withsundays.com/utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=happymamapodcast

CHAPTERS:

00:00 The Journey of Motherhood and Career

12:51 The Reality of Balancing Work and Family

24:48 Creating Support Systems for Working Mothers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back, beautiful mamas, to this week’s episode of The Happy Mama Movement Podcast.

In this heartfelt and deeply persona TAKE THE MIC episode, Lee Tracey — a Sex Educator, Matrescence Coach, Yoga Teacher, and Acupuncturist — shares her story of awakening, healing, and reclamation. Through her own matrescence journey, Lee uncovered not only the physical challenges of postpartum life but the profound transformation of identity, sexuality, and self that comes with becoming a mother.

Drawing on both lived experience and professional insight, Lee shines light on an often-silent truth: that up to 88% of women face changes in sexual health and wellbeing during the perinatal period. Yet so few are offered support or understanding. Her story is both an invitation and a revolution — calling us back to our bodies, our pleasure, and our wholeness.

LEE SHARES:

• The unspoken reality of perinatal sexual dysfunction and how common — and normal — these experiences are.
• Matrescence as a profound rite of passage — one that cracks us open to healing, reclamation, and truth.
• The enduring split between motherhood and sexuality, and how cultural conditioning shapes our sense of worth.
• Lee’s powerful personal story — from physical pain and disillusionment to embodied healing and liberation.
• Practical pathways to support — from pelvic floor care to open, shame-free conversations around women’s sexual health.

Lee’s solo reflection is raw, liberating, and tender — a reminder that our sexuality and our motherhood are not opposing forces, but intertwined expressions of our deepest humanity.

If this episode moves you, please share it with another mother who may need to hear these words. Together, we can break the silence and honour the full spectrum of womanhood.

ABOUT LEE TRACEY

Lee Tracey is a women’s health and sexual wellbeing professional. She is a trained professional Sex Educator, certified through The Sexual Health Alliance (AASECT) , a certified Matrescence Coach (ICF) certified through Amy Taylor Kabbaz & also an Acupuncturist. She is the co-founder of Reformation Studios and has been teaching yoga and leading training's for over a decade & has qualifications in multiple disciplines and lineages. She is a passionate and professional advocate for Women's Health focused on providing support & education.e.

CONNECT WITH LEE

Reformation.ie

LeeTracey.ie

📸 Instagram: @LeeTraceyLife

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back, mamas.

In this return episode, I want to share something close to my heart — a reflection on my own journey through burnout, vulnerability, and change. Over the past few months, I’ve been reminded just how hard it can be to pause, to admit that we’re struggling, and to honour our need for rest. Motherhood asks so much of us, and yet within the breaking down, there is always a quiet invitation to begin again — softer, truer, more aligned with who we’re becoming.

Key Takeawways: :

• 🌸 The courage to be honest about our struggles, and the healing that comes when we stop pretending we’re okay.
• 🌿 The necessity of rest, and how stepping back allows space for renewal.
• 🌀 The shifting identity of matrescence, and how breaking down can become a breakthrough.
• 💗 Letting go of old patterns, trusting that what falls away is making space for something more real.
• 🌈 Embracing change, and remembering that transformation is part of our rhythm as mothers.

If you’re feeling stretched, tired, or unsure right now — please know...

You are not alone.

We are most definitely in this together.

ABOUT AMY

Amy is a writer, speaker, coach, and mother who has spent over a decade exploring the transformation of matrescence — the complete identity shift that happens when a woman becomes a mother. Through her award-winning podcast The Happy Mama Movement and her global coaching program Mama Rising, Amy helps women and professionals understand and honour this life-changing rite of passage with compassion and truth.

🌐 amytaylorkabbaz.com

📸 Instagram: @amytaylorkabbaz

Chapters

00:00 Relaunching the Podcast: A Personal Reflection

03:00 The Need for Rest: A Mother’s Journey

06:09 Breaking the Cycle: From Superwoman to Vulnerability

10:06 Navigating the Liminal Space: Transformation and Identity

15:07 Embracing Change: Lessons from the Journey

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome, dear listener, to this week’s episode of The Happy Mama Movement Podcast.

In this conversation, Amy Taylor-Kabbaz speaks with Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett — journalist, author, and columnist for The Guardian and Vogue — about the profound emotional and political layers of motherhood. Through her own journey, Rhiannon reflects on the uncertainty of choosing to have children, the unspoken vulnerability that follows, and the urgent need for better systems of care and community support for parents everywhere.

Together, they explore the tension between personal transformation and societal expectation — how motherhood reshapes identity, challenges old narratives, and reveals how deeply entwined the personal is with the political.

We talk about:

• 🌸 The tender uncertainty of becoming a mother — how few of us ever feel entirely “ready,” and how the decision to have children is layered with love, doubt, and longing.
• 🌿 The lifelong vulnerability motherhood brings, and how stepping into this role opens us to both immense joy and profound change.
• 🏠 Why the nuclear family no longer serves us, and how true support is found in wider circles of care — in community, friendship, and shared responsibility.
• 💗 The importance of mental health and open conversation, breaking the silence around the realities of matrescence and the emotional demands of caregiving.
• 🔥 The political awakening of motherhood, and how naming these challenges can become a radical act of truth-telling and transformation.

This episode is an invitation to see motherhood not just as a private journey, but as a deeply collective experience — one that calls for compassion, honesty, and courageous change.

If this conversation resonates, please share it with another mama who may need to hear that she is not alone. Together, we can rewrite the story of what it means to mother in today’s world.

ABOUT RHIANNON LUCY COSSLETT

Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a journalist and writer. She is the co-author of The Vagenda, and the author of the novel The Tyranny of Lost Things, and the critically acclaimed memoir, The Year of the Cat, about deciding whether or not to have a baby. She is a columnist for the Guardian and Vogue, and has written for Elle, Stylist, the New Statesman, the Independent and Time. 

CONNECT WITH RHIANNON

📸 Instagram: @rhiannonlucycosslett

✖️ X (Twitter): @rhiannonlucyc

CHAPTERS:

00:00 The Journey to Motherhood: A Personal Exploration

05:55 The Reality of Motherhood vs. Expectations

11:43 Navigating Mental Health Postpartum

17:46 The Need for Support Systems in Parenting

23:41 Motherhood as a Political Experience

29:40 Hope and Change in Parenting Dynamics

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this episode of The Happy Mama Movement Podcast.

Today, I’m joined by mindfulness teacher and founder of The Compassion Project, Belinda Haan. With warmth and honesty, Belinda shares how perfectionism and self-doubt marked her early motherhood years—and how compassion, not criticism, became her most powerful tool.

We talk about:

• Unrealistic Beginnings

How the "Huggies ad" version of motherhood left Belinda isolated, ashamed, and exhausted in her early years as a mum.

• The Deepest Regret

Why self-criticism is often the harshest parenting voice in our heads—and how seeing her daughter clearly helped Belinda rewrite her own narrative.

• Practising What We Preach

How running honest, real-talk mother’s groups made Belinda realise it was time to embody self-compassion in her own life, not just teach it.

• Barriers to Kindness

The nervous system realities that make self-compassion difficult—and how to gently meet yourself when you feel most undeserving.

• Tender, Not Prescriptive

Why self-compassion isn’t a one-size-fits-all script—and how small, embodied gestures can shift your whole day.

This is a conversation full of quiet revelations and radical permission. I hope it reminds you that you are never alone in this—and that kindness, towards yourself, is not something you have to earn. If this resonates, please share it with a mother who needs to hear it too.

ABOUT BELINDA HAAN

Belinda Haan is a mindfulness teacher, creator and humble guide to the full joy, catastrophe and sacredness of life.

As an Ambassador of Compassion with Stanford University, she founded The Compassion Project—a heartfelt initiative delivering practical, research-backed tools to reduce suffering and cultivate compassion.

Its first resource, The Emotional Support for Mothers Toolkit, provides the missing piece of modern mothering with a practical how-to for nervous system support, emotional self-regulation, resilience and wisdom. Grounded in the day-to-day of parenting, it treats mothers as real people—supporting them to meet all of motherhood with more confidence, ease and self-compassion.

A mother of two, Belinda created this work to offer solace, inspiration, and meaningful tools for families everywhere.

RESOURCES:

Website: The Compassion Project

Instagram: @thecompassionproject.au

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