In this conversation with Nicole Wheeler, Nicole shares about her birth work, becoming a successfully booked out doula, writing and self publishing a children's book about home birth and free birth, and her experience with peri-menopause.

You'll hear us discuss:

• Nicole's journey to becoming a doula
• Navigating motherhood, birth work and how she gave up mum guilt (Nicole has 5 children!)
• Writing and publishing a children's book on homebirth
• Nicoles experience of peri-menopause, including how she navigates peri-menopause alongside parenthood
• Embracing the MAGA energy in the birthspace
• What Nicole is doing to mentally and physically prepare for the rite of passage of menopause

MEET NICOLE WHEELER

Nicole Wheeler is a Brisbane-based doula supporting all births, including freebirth and homebirth, and incorporating photography into her practice. She is also the author of the Freebirth children's book "My Most Magically Ordinary Day," which helps children understand and celebrate the beauty of birth.

NICOLE WHEELER SAYS

" I don't have mother's guilt. I gave that up a very long time ago. Having three children under six, the relationship that I was in. There was no space in my brain for guilt. I let it go, it doesn't serve any purpose to me or my kids."

Connect with Nicole Wheeler
Instagram - @nicoleann_birthkeeper
Website - www.nicoleannbirthkeeper.com.au

Connect with Rachael Rose
Instagram: @the_rachael_rose
Website www.rachaelrose.com.au

NICOLE WHEELER SAYS

" Having this book for families that make the decision to birth at home is really important. Kids being able to read a story and see colorful images of birth is important. Small steps to changing how birth is viewed is important.

So that's my why. The joy part is going to be having a book my boys can read and look at when we talk about birth and babies and where they came from. Having women all around the world, sitting down reading this story to their children as part of their birth preparation. And having women and their family centered in the story is important."

Music by Edwina Masson 'The Feminine Spitfire'

In this beautiful conversation with Ali Heppell, Ali shares her journey from attending her first women's circle as a new mother in the middle of the pandemic, to becoming a passionate facilitator.

You'll hear us discuss:

• Ali's first circle experience and what that felt like
• Ali's journey to becoming a circle facilitator, including undertaking 3 facilitator trainings (Together, twice!)
• Ali's first circles that she held online and the first-time nerves
• Ali's special passion for Mother Circles and why they matter
• The importance of marking Rites of Passages
• Attending circles for personal nourishment and having someone hold space for you
• Emotional and practical preparation for circles
• Running a circle business and the roller-coaster of events

MEET ALI HEPPELL

Ali Heppell is a postpartum doula, Womens circle facilitator and Motherhood and Matrescence guide. Ali holds mothers with support, love and nourishment so that they can hold their little ones with ease.

She is passionate about building a mother’s resources and community and inspired by the potential of transformation in motherhood. Ali recognises the importance of mothers and highlights and supports their needs, well-being and empowerment.

Ali Heppell Mothercare offers in home postpartum support, womens circles, mother’s blessings, online birth debriefing and motherhood support or coaching.

ALI HEPPELL SAYS

" The first circle I ever attended I was early. I checked over the event a billion times to make sure it was the right place and time, I felt super unsure. I walked into this beautiful place and nervously got myself a cuppa and sat down. The space was just amazing. I had never experienced anything like that before. And it still feels really moving."

Connect with Ali Heppell
Instagram - @aliheppell_mothercare
Website - www.aliheppell.com

Connect with Rachael Rose
Instagram: @the_rachael_rose
Website www.rachaelrose.com.au

ALI HEPPELL SAYS

" The women in Circle are really there with, the intention of loving you for who you are, they're there to take whatever comes, whenever I have had a moment as a Facilitator where I've made a mistake or something, I have been received with, love and kindness, patience and acceptance."

CURRENT OFFERINGS:
Ali - The Sparkly Village
Rachael - Together Women's Circle Facilitator Training is $200 off, use code AUGUSTSALE at checkout to access this


Music by Edwina Masson 'The Feminine Spitfire'

In this beautiful conversation with Anna Lipsane, we hear Anna's rite of passage story of a 44 week pregnancy and powerful birth. Birth stories of pregnancies beyond 43 weeks can be hard to find and I'm so happy that we can share another one on Together.

You’ll hear us discuss:

• How Anna felt emotionally, spiritually, and physically during her pregnancy
• Anna's fear of hospitals and where she traced it back to
• How Anna experienced the last month of her pregnancy
• Anna's extensive birth preparation
• Anna's decision to birth in hospital, despite her initial plans for a home birth
• Anna's birth story and her husband's experience

MEET ANNA LIPSANE

Anna is an artist and painter. During her pregnancy she barely painted, she just didn't feel like it, she describes it as the creative masterpiece was happening within her.
During her last month of pregnancy (40+ weeks ) Anna was trying to calm her mind and she sat down in the garden to paint her wish- to meet her baby. That is how her first family portrait was born. And after a few months she continued to create family portrait for families - paintings with their families story weaved in.

Special offer from Anna - 15% discount code for Family Portrait code: FAMILYLOVE

ANNA LIPSANE SAYS

" I never had the feeling that I'm over, I never felt I can't do this anymore. I never, had that feeling. Going to do the monitoring was reassuring for myself and my intuition. Knowing that everything is fine."

Connect with Anna Lipsane
Instagram -@annalipsaneart
Website - www.annalipsane.com

Connect with Rachael Rose
Instagram: @the_rachael_rose
Website www.rachaelrose.com.au

ANNA LIPSANE SAYS

" This is our story and this is our unique story. I'm proud of myself, my husband and our story. I really, hope that, someone else who might be going through similar things is going to be able to take a bit of strength from me and our story."

Music by Edwina Masson 'The Feminine Spitfire'

In this conversation with Madeline McKenzie, you’ll hear us discuss:

• Madeline's story that lead her to start her therapy and coaching business whilst on maternity leave
• Navigating motherhood and business
• How Madeline deals with criticism / comments when her reels go viral
• How she got clear on her messaging and key audience
• The benefits of running a launch and Madeline's version of success
• The triggering side of launching something new
• Perfectionism and tools to heal and work through it
• What The Millennial Trifecta is
• How The Millennial Trifecta shows up in motherhood

MEET MADELINE MCKENZIE

Madeline is a toddler-mum and mental health social worker living in the Northern suburbs of Naarm/Melbourne. Sit with Self is her therapy and coaching business which she started on maternity leave in 2022. Her specialty is working with high-achieving millennial women on what she has affectionately coined The Millennial Trifecta: Intellectualising, People-pleasing and Perfectionism.

MADELINE MCKENZIE SAYS

"All of my parts feel like my life is threatened, with this comment from a stranger. My body thinks that a bear is about to attack. I find it super helpful to go outside, I've got a medicine ball and I connect with that urge to run away.

I literally slam that ball as hard as I can and just help to mobilise the fight, flight energy that's telling me that something really life threatening is about to happen. So that has really helped me, rather than just going straight to calming."

Connect with Madeline McKenzie
Instagram -@sitwithself
Website - www.sitwithself.com.au

Connect with Rachael Rose
Instagram: @the_rachael_rose
Website www.rachaelrose.com.au

MADELINE MCKENZIE SAYS

" Perfectionists becoming mothers is just a whole thing on its own. You're so used to placing your value in tangible outcomes and getting external validation. The shift to motherhood with no control can be a real unraveling for mothers, where they feel like failures because they are desperately trying to control and burn out because they're trying to control the uncontrollable"


Music by Edwina Masson 'The Feminine Spitfire'

In this beautiful conversation with Stephanie O'Brien Steph shares about what it's like to enter the maternity system as a plus size person, and the kind of treatment you may or may not receive. We also talk about postpartum care, doula work, business in motherhood, which includes creating an online course.

You’ll hear us discuss:

• Steph's personal experience of navigating her own plus size pregnancies
• The challenges plus size people may face in the current maternity care system
• Steph's birth plan for her elective ceaearean
• Steph's positive and healing ceasarean and love bubble
• How motherhood and being in business looks for Steph
• Steph's program BMI is Bullshit, the resources included and feedback

MEET STEPHANIE O'BRIEN

Steph is a postpartum doula, passionate about supporting mothers in the fourth trimester. It was her own experience of postpartum in 2018 that sent her on a path to discovering how we can better support mothers after the baby arrives.

She likes to advocate and educate about plus-size pregnancy to help remove the fatphobia and weight stigma that exists for plus-size women and birthing people.

She’s a mother to two boys, a wife, a gift-giver, a hugger, and witty with a heart of gold (and a little bit sweary).

STEPHANIE O'BRIEN SAYS

"From the beginning of my care at the hospital, I said, I'm, I'm not stepping on a scale. I don't want to talk about my weight. That's my rules and my boundary. And they were respectful of that, which was great, but the whole experience in and of itself still wasn't perfect in terms of the way I was treated because of my size."

Connect with Stephanie O'Brien
Instagram -@postpartum_with_steph
Website - www.postpartumwithsteph.com

Connect with Rachael Rose
Instagram: @the_rachael_rose
Website www.rachaelrose.com.au

STEPHANIE O'BRIEN SAYS

" Don't expect to become a six figure business owner in two days. or at all.

Building a business takes so much time and there might be people where it's a lot quicker, but we don't know their circumstances. The reality is it can take years before you can rely on your business as your sole source of income and that's okay.

That doesn't mean you're failing, doesn't mean you're not a real doula, or whatever your profession is. That is the reality of business, keep doing it if you love it."

Special offer from Steph - $15 off discount off her plus size pregnancy course BMI is Bullshit. Use code TOGETHER15

Music by Edwina Masson 'The Feminine Spitfire'

In this episode Rachael shares how she is finding her mojo for social media. From a place of overwhelm and self-doubt to embracing authenticity and setting realistic goals.

In this episode Rachael covers:

• Her recent struggle with social media
• Reassessing social media's role in her business
• Setting realistic goals
• Navigating the digital landscape with confidence and purpose
• Embracing authenticity
• Prioritising self care
• Celebrating small victories

RACHAEL ROSE SAYS
"Your voice matters, and your presence on social media can make a difference.”

Connect with Rachael Rose
Instagram: @the_rachael_rose
Website www.rachaelrose.com.au

Links mentioned:
Simone Grace Seol - Garbage Post Challenge https://www.simonegraceseol.com/podcast/garbage-post-challenge

Support a Mother experiencing Domestic Violence
https://www.gofundme.com/f/community-care-for-single-mum-experiencing-dv

Music by Edwina Masson 'The Feminine Spitfire'

Episode Themes: Navigating Business, Motherhood, and Growth: Behind the Scenes of a 6-Year Journey

In this episode, Rachael takes us behind the scenes of her thriving business and the joys and challenges of running a business while raising a family.

In this episode Rachael covers:

• Overcoming challenges in starting something new
• Business milestones and managing expectations
• Balancing business and family life
• A transparent discussion on financial targets for 2024, with insights into how previous launches have contributed to current goals
• A shift from reliance on Instagram to a more diversified marketing approach

RACHAEL ROSE SAYS
"If I could only take that advice and apply it to myself, I'd probably save myself a lot of tortuous thoughts and extra time. Include the buffer of nervousness in creating something new - and just allow it to be what it is”

Connect with Rachael Rose
Instagram: @the_rachael_rose
Website www.rachaelrose.com.au

RACHAEL ROSE SAYS
"I know that there was a lot of stuff that I had to go through around feeling deserving, feeling like it was okay to be abundantly rewarded for my work. I didn't grow up with money. My family of origin did not have money. There's a lot of stuff that I've had to sift through."

Mentioned in this episode Simone Grace Seol's Podcast Episode 268. The myth of fast business growth

Music by Edwina Masson 'The Feminine Spitfire'

In this conversation with my friend Haley, she has come to share the story of her father's death. There's so much beauty in this story and there's so much sacredness in how Haley tells the final weeks and days and hours and moments of her father's life.

You’ll hear us discuss:

• Who Haley's father was
• How his cancer diagnosis effected his life
• How being with her dad as he took his last breath was a positive experience for Haley
• How Haley and her family brought in the power of music at the time
• How Haley navigated her dads death with kids
• Haley's Dad's Memorial
• How the experience has changed Haley forever

HALEY SAYS

“And I guess I used the term visions because I think, the medical profession would, probably term them as hallucinations, but I don't like to use that term because it's not how it felt to witness. It felt like he was in this place between two worlds, neither here on earth nor there, wherever he was going. He was sitting at this place on the edge of death, essentially. And he was able to see and feel things that are there that our brains, don't allow us to see."

MEET HALEY

Haley is a mother who is open, inquisitive and passionate. She has three beautiful children and each of their births has been a journey of discovery, travelling beyond the realms of what she thought was possible and emerging with a new sense of self. Her births have shaped her, inspired her and taught her to understand the world from a new perspective.

HALEY SAYS

"And it was this real contrast of something so profound that had just occurred in this room in his home, yet simultaneously something so normal. As I sat in that room peacefully next to dad and looked outside his window, the world went on oblivious to this transformation that occurred in this home. "

Connect with Rachael Rose
Instagram: @the_rachael_rose
Website www.rachaelrose.com.au

Full Transcript attached
Music by Edwina Masson 'The Feminine Spitfire'