Inside Mummas Circle

Rashelle Leahy
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Parenting

Inside Mummas Circle is a podcast for honest conversations about motherhood, identity, connection, and everything in between. Hosted by Mummas Circle founder Rashelle Leahy, this podcast brings together real stories, expert insights, and the conversations mothers are craving but don’t always get to have. From postpartum and mental load to relationships, confidence, career, nervous system support, and the emotional reality of raising children — nothing here needs to be perfect or polished. Whether you’re deep in the newborn stage, navigating motherhood for the first time, or trying to rediscover yourself alongside it all, this is a space where you can feel seen, supported, and a little less alone. Because motherhood was never meant to be done alone.

  1. 6 days ago

    "You Haven't Ruined Your Life": Mel on Teen Motherhood, Stigma & Building A Brave Life

    Send us Fan Mail At 16, Mel was told her life was over. Today, she's a former midwife of 19 years and the founder of A Brave Life — a Brisbane-based charity that has gifted hundreds of baby bundles a month to vulnerable mothers across Queensland and the Northern Territory, and built EMALO (Empowering Mothers and Little Ones), a judgement-free mothers' group designed specifically for young mums who don't feel they belong anywhere else. In this episode, Mel shares her own journey into motherhood as a teenager navigating a dysfunctional home, being placed in a home for pregnant teens, and rebuilding her life from her dining room table into a registered charity. We talk about the stigma young mums still face in healthcare settings today, why preventative support matters more than crisis intervention, and what it really means to be someone's cheerleader rather than their saviour. In this episode we cover: Mel's personal story of becoming a teen mum and the judgement she facedWhy she chose nursing and midwifery — and how it changed the trajectory of her lifeThe unconscious bias young and teen mums still face in healthcare todayHow A Brave Life started with baby bundles gifted from her dining room tableWhat EMALO offers young mums who don't fit into traditional mothers groupsWhy preventative support (not just crisis support) is key to breaking cyclesMel's message to any mum feeling isolated right nowConnect with Mel & A Brave Life: Website: abravelife.com.au Instagram: instagram.com/abravelife Facebook: facebook.com/abravelife Donate: abravelife.com.au/donation If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a mum who needs to hear it — you never know who's sitting in silence, thinking she's the only one. Motherhood was never meant to be done alone. Connect with Mummas Circle: 🌸 Website: www.mummascircle.com 📘 Facebook Community: Mummas Circle Instagram: @mummascircle_ 📺 YouTube: @MummasCircle

    "You Haven't Ruined Your Life": Mel on Teen Motherhood, Stigma & Building A Brave Life

  2. 21 Aug

    Screen Time & Little Minds: What the Research Actually Says with Mariska Kerkhoff

    Send us Fan Mail Screen time is one of the most loaded topics in modern motherhood, and today's guest brings both the science and the lived experience to the conversation. Mariska Kerkhoff is a veterinary surgeon, children's book author and illustrator, and the founder of Tiny Tots Adventures. After her daughter was born three months premature and spent nearly four months in hospital, Mariska threw herself into research on child development, and screen time became a personal focus long before it became a professional one. In this episode, we talk about: What the World Health Organization actually recommends for screen time by ageThe difference between passive and interactive screen use — and why it mattersHow excessive screen time affects stress hormones, dopamine, sleep and physical developmentThe "six cups" framework for understanding your child's behaviour (connection, autonomy, play, movement, sensory, rest)Simple, low-cost activities you can set up at home with things you already ownWhy modelling your own screen habits matters more than any rule you setPractical, guilt-free ways to build screen-free routines — without a total overhaulThis conversation isn't about guilt or panic. It's about understanding what's happening for our kids so we can make informed, sustainable choices as families. Connect with Mariska:  Tiny Tots Adventures Tiny Tots Adventures at Home - Buy the book Instagram Facebook Motherhood was never meant to be done alone. Connect with Mummas Circle: 🌸 Website: www.mummascircle.com 📘 Facebook Community: Mummas Circle Instagram: @mummascircle_ 📺 YouTube: @MummasCircle

    Screen Time & Little Minds: What the Research Actually Says with Mariska Kerkhoff

  3. 13 Aug

    Daisy's Story: Grief, ADHD, and the Year Everything Happened at Once.

    Send us Fan Mail This week we're joined by Daisy, one of our first mums from our North Lakes group — for a raw and honest conversation about her journey through motherhood. Daisy takes us through her birth story with her son Sonny, an unexpected cascade of interventions, and the brutal reality of newborn sleep deprivation. But this episode goes so much deeper than birth. Daisy opens up about the hardest year of her life, navigating Sonny's transition to daycare, her ADHD diagnosis and what it's meant to parent while unmedicated, and caring for her father through a sudden terminal cancer diagnosis, all while re-entering the workforce and planning her wedding. We talk about masking, late ADHD diagnosis in women, the mental load of being a working mum, finding your village, and how communication with her partner Brody carried them through grief and chaos. This is a conversation about resilience, community, and learning that "enough" can look like two minutes of stillness in a hard season. In this episode: Daisy's birth story and the reality of a cascade interventionThe emotional weight of starting daycare and letting go of controlLate ADHD diagnosis, masking, and parenting unmedicatedSupporting a terminally ill parent while raising a toddlerGrief, communication, and love languages with her partnerDaisy's advice for new mumsIf you're a mum juggling more than anyone can see, this one is for you. Motherhood was never meant to be done alone. If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review and share it with a mum who needs to hear it today. Connect with Mummas Circle: 🌸 Website: www.mummascircle.com 📘 Facebook Community: Mummas Circle Instagram: @mummascircle_ 📺 YouTube: @MummasCircle

    Daisy's Story: Grief, ADHD, and the Year Everything Happened at Once.

  4. 5 Aug

    From Colic to Confidence: How Baby Massage Transformed a Mum's Journey with Naomi from Baby Love Massage

    Send us Fan Mail This week we're joined by Naomi from Baby Love Massage and Spa, a mum, baby massage instructor, and colic specialist who turned her own struggle with a colicky newborn into a mission to support other families. Naomi opens up about the early, exhausting weeks with her son Theo — unsettled, in pain, and dismissed by health professionals who simply told her "it's colic, off you go." Determined to find answers, she turned to baby massage, and everything changed. In this episode we cover: Naomi's personal story of navigating an unsettled, colicky baby and feeling unsupported by the healthcare systemHow baby massage helped ease Theo's symptoms, better sleep, regular bowel movements, and a calmer babyThe science of touch and bonding, including the role of oxytocin for both mum and babyWhy bonding doesn't always come instantly — and why that's completely normalNaomi's simple "hold their feet" technique for calming an unsettled baby anywhere, the car, the shops, 2am pacingHer exciting next chapter: opening her own baby spa facility with hydrotherapy sessionsWhether you're dealing with a colicky baby, struggling to bond, or just want practical tools to feel more confident as a parent, this episode is full of warmth, honesty, and hard-won wisdom. Connect with Naomi: 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/babylovemassagespa 🎓 Online course: babylovemassage.com.au/online-course Connect with Mummas Circle: 🌸 Website: www.mummascircle.com 📘 Facebook Community: Mummas Circle Instagram: @mummascircle_ 📺 YouTube: @MummasCircle

    From Colic to Confidence: How Baby Massage Transformed a Mum's Journey with Naomi from Baby Love Massage

  5. 29 July

    Midwifery-Led Care: The Choices No One Tells You About | Alita Pashley, My Midwives.

    Send us Fan Mail Many mums assume there's only one path through pregnancy and birth, but few realise just how much choice they actually have. In this episode of Inside Mummas Circle, Rashelle sits down with Alita Pashley, director and practicing midwife at My Midwives, to unpack what midwifery-led continuity of care really looks like, from pregnancy through birth and into those first vulnerable weeks at home. From VBAC support and delayed cord clamping to daily home visits and why so much of birth trauma comes down to feeling a loss of control, Alita explains why continuity of care isn't the "alternative" option, it's how maternity care has always been done. In this episode:  ✨ What it means to be an "endorsed" midwife, and how Medicare rebates make private care more accessible  ✨ How to access private midwifery care (and why so few people know they can)  ✨ Navigating VBAC and hospital systems with continuity of care  ✨ Why delayed cord clamping matters, and the psychology behind it  ✨ What daily postpartum home visits actually look like  ✨ Why birth trauma is so often about agency, not outcome  ✨ The importance of finding your own "village" of support through pregnancy and birth Whether you're planning your first pregnancy, navigating a VBAC, or reflecting on a past birth experience, this episode will leave you with a better understanding of the choices available to you and the power of continuity of care. Because every mum deserves a village. 🤍 Connect with My Midwives https://www.mymidwives.com.au/ Follow Alita https://www.instagram.com/pash_the_midwife/ Connect with Mummas Circle: 🌸 Website: www.mummascircle.com 📘 Facebook Community: Mummas Circle Instagram: @mummascircle_ 📺 YouTube: @MummasCircle

    Midwifery-Led Care: The Choices No One Tells You About | Alita Pashley, My Midwives.

  6. 24 July

    What Your C-Section Scar Is Really Doing to Your Body | Mikaela, Naturopath

    Send us Fan Mail Naturopath Mikaela explains why C-section scars (and any abdominal scarring) are far more than skin-deep — describing scars as "an iceberg," with a web of collagen underneath strong enough to pull on the pelvis, hips, and even your breathing. She walks through how abdominal massage works to release this tension, improve circulation and hormone regulation, and why the belly holds so much unspoken emotional story.  Final part of our 3-part mini-series with Mikaela. Connect with Mikaela Duffy https://mikaeladuffy.com.au/ Connect with Mummas Circle: 🌸 Website: www.mummascircle.com 📘 Facebook Community: Mummas Circle Instagram: @mummascircle_ 📺 YouTube: @MummasCircle

    What Your C-Section Scar Is Really Doing to Your Body | Mikaela, Naturopath

  7. 23 July

    The 3-Minute Herbal Trick for Headaches & Tension | Mikaela, Naturopath

    Send us Fan Mail A quick but powerful one, naturopath Mikaela shares her go-to herbal remedy for tension, headaches, and eye strain: a strong pot of chamomile tea, a soaked flannel, and 10 minutes to yourself. Simple, cheap, and genuinely effective.  Part 2 of our 3-part mini-series. Connect with Mikaela https://mikaeladuffy.com.au/ Connect with Mummas Circle: 🌸 Website: www.mummascircle.com 📘 Facebook Community: Mummas Circle Instagram: @mummascircle_ 📺 YouTube: @MummasCircle

    The 3-Minute Herbal Trick for Headaches & Tension | Mikaela, Naturopath

  8. 23 July

    Why Your Postpartum Recovery Shapes the Next 40 Years | Mikaela, Naturopath

    Send us Fan Mail Naturopath and doula Mikaela joins us to unpack something most new mums never hear: your postpartum recovery isn't a 6-week window, it's a foundation that shapes your health for decades. She shares a confronting story about a woman who never fully recovered after an unsupported postpartum, explains why thyroid and iron issues so easily get missed after birth, and reminds us that our fertile years are our healthiest years, so what gets depleted now needs addressing now, not later.  This is part 1 of a 3-part mini-series pulled from our full conversation with Mikaela. Connect with Mikaela Duffy https://mikaeladuffy.com.au/ Connect with Mummas Circle: 🌸 Website: www.mummascircle.com 📘 Facebook Community: Mummas Circle Instagram: @mummascircle_ 📺 YouTube: @MummasCircle

    Why Your Postpartum Recovery Shapes the Next 40 Years | Mikaela, Naturopath
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About

Inside Mummas Circle is a podcast for honest conversations about motherhood, identity, connection, and everything in between. Hosted by Mummas Circle founder Rashelle Leahy, this podcast brings together real stories, expert insights, and the conversations mothers are craving but don’t always get to have. From postpartum and mental load to relationships, confidence, career, nervous system support, and the emotional reality of raising children — nothing here needs to be perfect or polished. Whether you’re deep in the newborn stage, navigating motherhood for the first time, or trying to rediscover yourself alongside it all, this is a space where you can feel seen, supported, and a little less alone. Because motherhood was never meant to be done alone.

Information

  • Creator
    Rashelle Leahy
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Inside Mummas Circle
  • Show Website
    Inside Mummas Circle

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