The Happy Mama Movement with Amy Taylor-Kabbaz Amy Taylor-Kabbaz

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Happy Mama Movement podcast.
This week’s guest is a writer who has been exploring the politics and culture of parenting and caregiving for more than fifteen years.
The marvelous Elissa Strauss.
We cover a lot of ground, including:
Insights from her book,'The unexpected magic of caring for others'How we can inspire a new culture and conversations.The intersection of motherhood and cultural criticism.The effect of cultural programming on today’s society.Balancing professional life with family responsibilities.
I hope you find this conversation useful, and if you do, please share it widely so mothers everywhere can access the support and information they need to thrive.
ABOUT ELISSA: Elissa has been writing about the politics and culture of parenting and caregiving for more than fifteen years. Her work appears in publications like the Atlantic, the New York Times, Glamour, ELLE, TheWeek.com, and elsewhere. She was a former contributing writer at CNN.com and Slate, where her cultural criticism about motherhood appeared on DoubleX. Her book, When You Care: The Unexpected Magic of Caring for Others, is out now from Gallery Books.
She also works in curation and cultural programming. She is the associate director of LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture, a global artists incubator program that uses ancient Jewish texts to inspire the creation of new culture and conversation and the artistic director of the LABA hub in the Bay Area. Additionally, she is the senior curator of the 2024 California Jewish Open at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.
She lives in Oakland, California, with her husband and their two sons.
RESOURCES:
WEBSITE: https://www.elissastrauss.com/
INSTAGRAM:https://www.instagram.com/elissaavery/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/elissa.strauss.7/
TWITTER/ X: https://x.com/elissaavery
PURCHASE ELISSA'S BOOK, 'When You Care: The Unexpected Magic of Caring for Others': https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1982169273?tag=simonsayscom

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Welcome to this week’s episode of the Happy Mama Movement podcast.
This week’s guest is Courtney Whittle, a motherhood support facilitator and the founder of The Georges River Motherhood Network.
We explore:
Courtney’s journey in overcoming Postpartum Depression and Anxiety.How to concept of Matrescence changed everything for her and what she sees is possible for othersHow Courtney founded The Georges River Motherhood Network and it's big missionThe gaps in support services for new mothers and how to fill themThe importance of community and support for maternal mental healthHer vision for a new way and a new funding system for new parents
ABOUT COURTNEY:
Courtney Whittle is a motherhood support facilitator and the founder of The Georges River Motherhood Network. After overcoming her own experience with Postpartum Depression and Anxiety as a second-time mum, Courtney identified a gap in support and education services available to mothers. Eager to uncover a more profound understanding into why she had developed this common postpartum mood disorder, Courtney came across the term matrescence and she knew she’d found the answer. Now, through her work with The Georges River Motherhood Network, Courtney focuses on providing the type of service she wishes she had access to in her time of need by filling the gap in support services on offer to new mothers.
RESOURCES:
COURTNEY'S WEBSITE: The Georges River Motherhood Network
INSTAGRAM: @georgesriver_motherhoodnetwork
FACEBOOK: Georges River Motherhood Network
JOIN THE MOTHERS GROUP PROGRAM: https://thegrmnetwork.com.au/mothersgroup/

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Welcome to this week’s episode of the Happy Mama Movement podcast.
This week’s guest is Gabrielle, the mother of three beautiful children, an author, a doula, and the founder of Gather, a space and community for women in Melbourne, Australia.
We talk about:
How we can support families through conception, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.The importance of creating and nurturing community spaces for women.Insights from Gabrielle’s journey as an author and doula.The challenges and rewards of balancing motherhood and professional passions.How we can make a positive impact on women’s lives.
I hope you find this conversation useful, and if you do, please share it widely so mothers everywhere can access the support and information they need to thrive.
ABOUT GABRIELLE: Gabrielle is the mother of three beautiful children, an author, a doula, and the founder of Gather, a space and community for women in Melbourne, Australia. She is passionate about supporting families through the life-changing conception, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum chapters and holding space for women as they find their footing on this rocky and wonderful road we call motherhood. In 2018 she opened 'Gather' in Melbourne’s inner-west, and in 2020 her first book, "The Birth Space," was published, followed by her second book, "The Motherhood Space," in 2023.
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SEE THE FULL YOUTUBE VISUAL PRESENTATION HERE: https://youtu.be/b3TWKbI_TqQ
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RESOURCES:
GABRIELLE'S WEBSITE: www.gabriellenancarrow.com/
INSTAGRAM: @gatherwomenspace
BUY GABRIELLE'S BOOKS:
The Birth SpaceThe Motherhood Space
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How do we make peace with the type of mother we want to be when we also crave our careers or our own ambitions and dreams?
That's exactly what this week's podcast is all about when Amy speaks with Vicky Wren, a mother of three, an accountant with over 20 years of experience, a Mama Rising Facilitator and Coach, and a soon-to-be-published co-author in the book “Working Mothers Inspiring Others.”
In this episode, we discuss:
- the eye-opening moment she came face-to-face with the concepts within Matrescence.
- the cultural impact of living in Zimbabwe, and how it shaped her thinking around gender roles.
- Vicky's experience of 'The Inner Split' and how she came to terms with it.
- how you can be a great mum as well as a motivated career woman.
- some of her brilliant ideas around community, and mutual support of women from all walks of life.
I hope you find this conversation useful, and if you do, please share it widely so mothers everywhere can access the support and information they need to thrive.
ABOUT VICKY:
Vicky is passionate about supporting women in achieving their full potential and helping them see it even when they can’t. She is about to launch an outsourced finance and operations team that provides straightforward financial insights, strategic planning, and operational support to empower businesses to scale with confidence and clarity. This service covers execution (bookkeeping, payroll, BAS and management accounting), mentoring (of an existing team), and finance and operational strategy (fractional CFO/COO).
BOOK: https://www.workhardparenthard.com.au/product/working-moms-inspiring-others-physical-product/
WEBSITE: coming soon!  www.vickywrenconsulting.com 
But in the meantime you can contact Vicky on LinkedIn.


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Welcome to this week’s episode of the Happy Mama Movement podcast.
This week’s guest is Sarah Rusbatch, a multi-award-winning Health and Wellbeing Coach, an accredited Grey Area Drinking Coach, and a menopause coach.
We talk about:
- How Sarah's journey to sobriety began and the impact it had on her life.
- The importance of understanding and addressing grey area drinking.
- Key strategies for women to create and live their best alcohol-free lives.
- The role of community and support in achieving personal wellness goals.
- How to navigate menopause and mental health challenges.

I hope you find this conversation useful, and if you do, please share it widely so mothers everywhere can access the support and information they need to thrive.
ABOUT SARAH:
Sarah is the author of the best-selling book “Beyond Booze: How to Create a Life You Love Alcohol Free,” a multi-award-winning Health and Wellbeing Coach, an accredited Grey Area Drinking Coach, a menopause coach, and a keynote speaker sharing her journey to sobriety and the impact of alcohol on mental health with global audiences. Sarah works tirelessly to support women all over the world to create and live their best lives as they age.
After developing what she describes as 'a dysfunctional relationship with alcohol,' Sarah made the decision to remove alcohol from her life in early 2019 and has never looked back. She now works with women across the globe, guiding them from feeling lost, stuck, and out of control (something she fully understands herself), to a healthier and happier way of living.
She’s the host of a thriving, global online community (The Women's Wellbeing Collective), which offers a safe space where women feel seen and understood. Sarah meets her clients where they’re at, and her programs are designed for real life. She equips women with the tools they need to break the cycle of unhealthy habits and coping mechanisms. Her experience, knowledge, and passion have transformed lives.
Each client is uniquely supported on their journey - one day, one event, and one step at a time.
RESOURCES:
SARAH'S WEBSITE: https://sarahrusbatch.com/
BUY SARAH'S BRILLIANT BOOK HERE: https://geni.us/BeyondBooze
INSTAGRAM: @sarahrusbatch
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/sarahrusbatchcoach/
SARAH'S 30 DAY ALCOHOL-FREE CHALLENGE: https://sarahrusbatch.com/af-challenge-jul24#join

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Welcome to this week’s episode of "Take The Mic".
This week is Eliane Polek, who created her first blog, ‘The Insane Mama,’ during the first COVID lockdown, driven by her own experiences and struggles with motherhood.
She share's with us:
How Eliane's journey through motherhood and feelings of maternal anger and rage inspired her blog and her work with mothers.
The impact of learning about matrescence on Eliane's life.
The importance of finding balance amidst the chaos of motherhood.
How embodiment and mental healing tools can support mothers.
Eliane's project, ‘Insane Mama Moments,’ and its mission to share anonymous stories of shame, secrets, and guilt from mothers.
I hope you find this useful, and if you do, please share it widely so mothers everywhere can access the support and information they need to thrive.

ABOUT ELIANE:
Eliane created her first blog, then called ‘The Insane Mama,’ in 2020 during the first COVID lockdown. The name came to her easily, because she felt quite ‘insane’ then, and still does quite regularly. Or at least, tipped very out of balance most days.
Since first becoming a mother almost 11 years ago, questions like, ‘Am I going crazy?’, ‘Is this how motherhood is meant to be?’, ‘Is it just me, am I broken somehow?’ were a constant. Combined with feelings of maternal anger and rage, overwhelm, shame, guilt, loss, and quite a lot of grief, these questions and emotions made up an enormous amount of her self-talk and were a big part of her motherhood experience.
Learning about matrescence and becoming a Mama Rising Facilitator has been an eye-opening experience for her and one that set her on the path of finding out more, of constant learning about the various conflicting emotions most mothers encounter in motherhood.
There is a dance in there, a way to live with both sides, and dance in between them. She tries, most days, to do this with as much grace as she can muster. Knowing and trusting that the darker side is there for a reason, but you do not need to get stuck in it; you can always come back to the light.
Originally from Germany, she lives in Dublin, Ireland, with her two sons, her husband, and a sneaky black cat. She loves tea, foxes, the mountains and their smell, water, ancient Irish wells, and the sea.
She has set up ‘The Sane Mama’ in Dublin, where she offers in-person workshops for mamas who feel stuck in survival mode, depleted, or burnt out, especially years after having had their first child.
Eliane has also started a project very close to her heart called ‘Insane Mama Moments,’ where she is collecting anonymous stories of shame, secrets, and guilt from mamas of all walks of life, to culminate in an exhibition in the future.
If you are interested in participating in Eliane’s ‘Insane Mama Moments’ project, please email her at info@thesanemama.ie.
Website: The Sane Mama
Instagram: @the_sanemama
Facebook: The Sane Mama
LinkedIn: The Sane Mama

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