More Than Mothering Podcast

Join Gemma, a Perinatal Counsellor, and me as we talk about discovering the empowering journey of motherhood beyond the picture-perfect façade. We explore the real challenges, how to seek professional support, the importance of connecting authentically with fellow mums, and how to navigate the dynamics of social media. Embrace the 'sh*t-show' moments and find strength in the collective experience of motherhood. Gemma's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/postpartumlikeaboss/ Read the Blog Post https://thegentlecounsellor.com/acknowledging-the-sh1t-show/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thegentlecounsellor/ TikTok http://tiktok.com/@thegentlecounsellor Website https://thegentlecounsellor.com/  

Read the Blog Post 'Parenting From a Place of Fear' Are you a parent who struggles with fear and uncertainty? My latest podcast episode with Danica from Little Bloom explores the different ways fear can show up when parenting. From feeling judged by others to worrying about the future, we talk about what helped us overcome our fears and create a more supportive environment for our children. Tune in now and let's learn to parent from a place of love, not fear.   Danica is an Education Mentor & Consultant specialising in Children’s Behaviour. She helps educators and parents transform how they support children’s behaviour and emotional development (0-7 yrs).   Website - https://www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au/  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/littlebloom.consultancy     Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thegentlecounsellor/ TikTok http://tiktok.com/@thegentlecounsellor Website https://thegentlecounsellor.com/

Read the Blog Post 'Finding Your Calling During Early Postpartum' Sami is a preconception, pregnancy and postpartum Doula living, working and mothering on Turrbal country in Brisbane's North West. She is passionate about providing continuity of connection to mothers, women and birthing folk in both an in-home and online capacity. Her professional and educational history centres on public health, social justice and diverse communities. She is a mother to a 15-month-old boy, which is her greatest calling.   Website - www.theholddoulaco.com Instagram - @theholddoulaco     Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thegentlecounsellor/ TikTok http://tiktok.com/@thegentlecounsellor Website https://thegentlecounsellor.com/

Read the Blog Post: 'Postpartum Insomnia: Causes, Warning Signs, and Effective Solutions for New Mothers'   Allison shares her experience of motherhood and insomnia, and how she found sleep again. She is a 39-year-old mother of a two-year-old and a four-week-old and works as a clinical pharmacist.   Book a Counselling session with me https://thegentlecounsellor.com/counselling-services/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thegentlecounsellor/ TikTok http://tiktok.com/@thegentlecounsellor Website https://thegentlecounsellor.com/

Read the Blog Post: 'Why Emotional Regulation Can be Challenging for Some Children Despite Gentle Parenting: Tips and Strategies for Parents' Yvette Knights works with families who have children with a range of delays in their foundational skills. These delays impact their behaviour and attention, social skills, emotional regulation, motor skills, balance and neurological readiness for learning. She is a neuro developmental therapist and has a degree in early childhood education. This means she has good knowledge about how we grow and develop and how our development impacts our brain and its development. Yvette uses this information to fill in any gaps in our brain's development helping people to overcome many challenges they are facing. Here is the link to the Play Ideas handout https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I23HUMfhK1wBBV8f-dlUiyMHAOGENcIb/view?usp=sharing https://www.facebook.com/MoveLearnConnect @movelearnconnect  www.movelearnconnect.com   Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thegentlecounsellor/ TikTok http://tiktok.com/@thegentlecounsellor Website https://thegentlecounsellor.com/

Common struggles for parents, childhood experiences and family dynamics, insecure avoidant and anxious attachment styles, and effective communication.   To book a Counselling session with Crystal click here.  Click here to download the Transcription for this episode. Instagram  TikTok Website  

What is real self-care? It is real and radical. Real – truly deep to your soul-nourishing. Life-changing and life-giving. Radical – unapologetic, and without guilt or shame. Quite literally taking care of yourself. Examples of real – seeing a mental health professional, setting and maintaining boundaries, learning self-regulation strategies. Examples of radical – learning from triggers instead of avoiding them, saying ‘no’, monitoring your energy levels each day.The self-care cup analogy. When you fill your own cup then you can pour from the overflow into people and activities around you and other areas of your life i.e. relationships, creative projects, and exercise. However, your cup may have holes in it. Your environment is either strengthening or weakening your ability to self-care.Some examples are: Lack of support network, missing ‘the village’, stress, relationship issues, mental health struggles, homelessness, experiencing racism or discrimination, and living through a crisis.Different Types of Rest – Physical, mental, sensory, creative, and social rest are often overlooked as individual types of rest that we all need.Dynamics between partnered parents to give each other enough time for self-care. Click Here for the Free Self-Care Workshop   To book a Counselling session with Crystal click here.  Click here to download the Transcription for this episode. Instagram  TikTok Website

The clash between what we thought parenting would be like vs. the reality. Societal pressures and expectations on parents especially mothers and the imbalance of expectations between mums and dads. How those following gentle parenting can feel the pressure to ‘get it right’ all the time.    To book a Counselling session with Crystal click here.  Click here to download the Transcription for this episode. Instagram  TikTok Website

I am hosting the annual Mums’ Mental Health Summit which is a 2-day event of Guest Speakers and Workshops with mums sharing all about mental health and motherhood. If you’ve been feeling the pull to do something for yourself, then this is the event for you. Its happening over October 8th-9th at the Mantra Legends Hotel in Surfers Paradise, in QLD. It’s the ultimate self-care for mums event. There are VIP and General admission options for you to check out, but be quick to grab your ticket and make plans as tickets are very limited. I cannot wait to meet you all!  Tickets for the Mums' Mental Health Summit https://thegentlecounsellor.com/mums-mental-health-summit/   In today's podcast episode, I wanted to share with you a bit about my thoughts and my personal and professional experience around psychology and spirituality. This is something that I have been on my own journey with. So of course, I've got my degrees that are very psychology based. But in my personal life, I've also felt this shift to explore my spirituality. I find this to be perhaps a more common thing that occurs for us as we get older, I really am curious about what it stems from for a lot of people, whether that's religious trauma, or just feeling the sense of there's something more, or you're trying to find ways to support yourself. Join me in this conversation, I would love to hear from you. To book a Counselling session with Crystal click here.  Click here to download the Transcription for this episode. Instagram  TikTok Website If you work with mothers and families you may be interested in my upcoming Gentle Motherhood Professionals Training. It consists of educational content and modules learning the Gentle Motherhood™ Framework alongside individual and group sessions over 8-weeks. In this training, you will receive a combination of: The Gentle Motherhood™ Framework 6-weeks of education content and modules Business coaching and personal counselling 12-months Business plan and an offering A certificate upon completion A listing in my business directory network (only available for those who complete this training) Gentle Motherhood™ Professionals Training https://thegentlecounsellor.teachable.com/p/gentle-motherhood-professionals-training

I am joined by De from Mama Nourished Co who is a Postpartum Doula passionate about mothers deserving postpartum support. In this episode De shares some of her practical tips for how we can receive and ask for support during this vulnerable and important time. After this chat, we decided to make a Facebook group for those who are looking to create their own or be a part of someone else's postpartum community. Search Practical Postpartum Village Australia or click here to join. De @mamanourishedcohttps://www.mamanourishedco.com/ The annual Mums' Mental Health Summit is coming to you October 8-9! Tickets are available now, click here. I can't wait to meet you! To book a Counselling session with Crystal click here.  Click here to download the Transcription for this episode. Instagram  TikTok Website

I went Live on Instagram with Tiffany to talk about the duality of motherhood. Here is the replay on Instagram. We can love it and we can find it hard. We can enjoy playing with our children and dislike pretend play. We can wish for our children to sleep through the night and miss the cuddles when they do. We can be snappy some days and be working to be more gentle. There is so much we can be as Mothers, this journey isn’t linear. There is space for the positive and negative. So what can we do? Accepting this, being compassionate with ourselves will allow the space for the duality of motherhood. Tiffany @inspire.learn.teach The annual Mums' Mental Health Summit is coming to you October 8-9! Mark your calendars for ticket sales to become available in early April. I can't wait to meet you! To book a Counselling session with Crystal click here.  Click here to download the Transcription for this episode. Instagram  TikTok Website

In today's episode, we're going to be talking about what it means to be a cycle breaker, and what does this mean for our children. For many of us who are making a conscious decision to parent differently to the way that we were parented and raised, we can feel like we're going against the grain. If you were not modelled to parent in this gentle parenting way, you need a lot of information and support. It's really hard to parent in this way, it's definitely not the easy way out. And when we come to realize this and acknowledge our struggles, and what we find really hard, we realize it is because we are the first ones to do something differently. To book a Counselling session with Crystal click here. To book Coaching click here. Click here to download the Transcription for this episode. Instagram  TikTok Website

Did you know that the way you were parented impacts you? In this episode, we are adding to this conversation by talking about the four attachment styles which is something I am really passionate about. Remember, it's never too late to form a secure attachment. If you would like to learn more about the attachment styles, I have a course on my website 'Understanding Your Attachment Style: explaining patterns in triggers, behaviours, and relationships' that you can access here.  Click here to download the Transcription for this episode. Instagram  TikTok Website

If I were to ask you if you believe the way you were parented or raised has impacted you in a positive or negative way, what would you say? It is likely that every person I ask would give me a different answer. There may be some similarities in emotions felt, family dynamics, or cherished holidays. But each one will hold unique details that ultimately contribute to how you were shaped into who you are today. This is a big topic and today's episode will focus on how different parenting styles impacts you. Click here to download the Transcription for this episode. Instagram  TikTok Website

Welcome to the More Than Mothering Podcast. I am your host Crystal Hardstaff from The Gentle Counsellor where I specialise in maternal mental health and gentle parenting. Let me ask you a question. Are you tired? If you are a mum listening to this, then your answer is probably YES. Ok, here’s another one. How is your energy level right now? A bit lacking, feel like the toddler is sucking it right out of you? Yep. Been there. Let’s talk about energy states for women, because I have some insights I would like to share with you that I often share with counselling clients in session, and they find this information really helpful. Click here to download the Transcription for this episode. Click here for the freebie on energy states. Remember to tag me @thegentlecounsellor Instagram  TikTok Website