Tell us about your family. How many Kids?
My husband and I have one little girl who is seven years old and extremely cheeky.
What was the biggest adjustment for you when you became a mum?
Absolutely everything changed.
In ways I never saw coming.
I was that woman confidently telling the guys I worked with that I’d be back at work in six weeks, no worries, I’d just juggle it all. Cute optimism. Motherhood arrived and very quickly proved me wrong.
For starters, I didn’t actually want to go back to work. Then a few health curveballs appeared and suddenly I was home with my baby for two years.
It was a huge adjustment. The sleep deprivation. The lifestyle overhaul. The unexpected solitude. And the deep, bone-level love.
It was a complete shake-up.
How do you manage the juggle when it comes to trying to do it all?
I tend to bite off more than I can chew.
I’d love to say I’ve mastered the work-and-motherhood juggle, but honestly, I haven’t.
Half the time I feel like I’m letting both my work and my child down because you can’t really give 100 per cent to both at the same time. That divided heart hits hard.
What keeps me afloat is preparation.
Lunchboxes. Fridge organisation. Little systems.
Getting help when I need it, even if it’s only a babysitter for an hour.
And being brutally realistic about what I can actually achieve in a day.
The nights I’m solo parenting and I manage to “put the house to bed” properly, waking up to a clean kitchen and everything ready for the next day makes me feel a million times more on top of life.
What is the best thing about being a mum?
Everything.
I feel so incredibly lucky to be a mum to this beautiful little girl.
It’s the best thing I could ever imagine.
What has been the biggest challenge?
The hardest thing is surrendering control.
It’s big and it’s scary, especially when worry creeps in. Worry about keeping this tiny human safe. Grieving the life you once had. Making space for the immense love that suddenly takes up residence in your heart.
The energy shift can be confronting too. I can’t run on empty the way I did in my twenties, which is sometimes a rude awakening.
The structure you once relied on dissolves and suddenly the world no longer revolves around you. It revolves around someone else. Someone whose needs are constant, real and not always easy to predict.
And then there are those seasons where life revolves around nap schedules and routines, which can feel limiting in a completely different way.
What surprised you most when becoming a mum?
The depth of the love.
It’s endless.
What do you wish you knew before becoming a mum?
I wish someone had prepared me for how hard breastfeeding can be.
For me, it was one of the most intense experiences of my life.
I ended up seeing multiple lactation consultants and following a very full-on pumping routine before my milk supply finally came in properly. It took almost four months to get there.
It was physically exhausting and emotionally draining.
If you could go back, what would you tell yourself before becoming a mum?
This may be one of the hardest things you’ll ever do.
But it will also be one of the most beautiful.
It moves faster than you’re ready for.
And nothing comes close to the privilege of being someone’s mum.
Do you have any tips or tricks to manage the day-to-day juggle?
Prep, prep, prep.
Keep the fridge stocked.
Set up systems wherever you can.
Use grocery deliveries.
Prioritise date nights and time with your girlfriends.
And never underestimate the power of a little mascara in the morning.
Sometimes that alone can change your whole day.
How do you manage your time to fit in career, being a mum, relationship and time for you?
I don’t think there’s a secret formula.
The biggest thing is accepting support and actively seeking it out when you need it.
The divided heart will always show up from time to time. We’re all human and doing the best we can. Surrounding myself with positive people makes a huge difference too.
You become the accumulation of the people you spend the most time with, so choose people who lift you up and always find something to be grateful for.
Who is in your village and you couldn’t live without?
So many people.
We don’t have family living nearby, so we’ve had to create our own village.
We have beautiful babysitters who our daughter adores and who we trust completely.
The nature play programs near where we live were instrumental in helping foster her love of nature during those early years.
And my girlfriends, especially the ones raising children the same age, have been everything.
The 5 things in your bag you can’t leave home without?
- A Keep Cup Filled with Cacao: My favourite is a Fressko cup because they don’t leak.
- A Claw Clip: The ultimate mum bun essential.
- Eye of Horus Mascara: A non-negotiable.
- Eye of Horus Blush Palette: Makes me look far more awake than I feel.
- SuperFeast ‘I Am Gaia’: My go-to for hormone support.
And always a giant water bottle with a pinch of Celtic salt for remineralisation.
Your favourite holiday spot is…
Our daughter once dreamed of going on a caravan adventure, so we hired a van and drove from Queensland to Victoria.
Tiny beach tracks. Sandy feet. Snacks everywhere.
Australia is outrageously beautiful.
Bali is always a yes.
We love staying at Meliá. It’s relaxed, easy and fantastic for young families. Easy holidays are elite parenting decisions.
Last year my husband was working in Ireland for four months, which felt far too long to be apart, so we flew over to visit him.
During his break we travelled to Annecy, a beautiful village in the French Alps with the cleanest lake in Europe.
It was magical.
Our daughter was six, which felt like the perfect age for that kind of adventure.
Even the 36-hour flight was manageable. She basically watched television the entire way.
What location is on the top of your wish-list to travel to next?
Everywhere.
Next month I’m heading to Bali with the girls, which will be my first international trip away from my daughter.
It’s only four nights, but it feels big.
What is your favourite brand and why?
It feels fresh, vibrant and their collaborations with artists are incredible.
The trend you’re loving right now
Living in Noosa means linen is practically a uniform.
I love brands like Lucy Folk, Deering and Nagnata.
I’m much more interested in quality investment pieces than fast fashion.
Where do you do most of your fashion shopping?
Mostly online.
Time is precious.
Although I do miss wandering through beautiful stores. There aren’t many options where we live.
What does a healthy lifestyle mean to you?
Energy and vibrancy.
Creating that through good food, detoxification, sunlight and trying very hard to overcome my natural night owl tendencies.
What do you do to keep your body moving?
At the moment I’m recovering from a shoulder injury, so movement looks a little different.
I’ve been working with a CHEK practitioner and have temporarily stepped away from Pilates and running.
I’m slowly rebuilding strength, but I genuinely miss the gym and those endorphins.
What are your top 5 tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle?
- Cyclical living.
- Learning to work with your menstrual cycle instead of against it has been a complete game changer.
- Listening to your hormones.
- Paying attention to what your body needs.
- And giving yourself permission to say no when that’s what feels right.
What are your non-negotiables when it comes to health and wellness
- Healthy food.
- Clean water.
- Sunlight.
- And movement.
We’re animals at the end of the day. We need movement just as much as our dogs do.
What does the word ‘balance’ mean to you?
Saying yes to the things that light you up.
Not being overly prescriptive.
Enjoying your life.
What Led You To Create Modern Menopause Manual?
I was searching for a resource that didn’t seem to exist.
Everything I found was either highly biased, overly opinionated or missing huge pieces of the conversation.
I wanted something intelligent, warm, practical and genuinely useful.
Something that simply explained what perimenopause is, what is happening inside your body, what your options are and how to move forward feeling informed and empowered.
I kept thinking, someone needs to build this.
Eventually I realised that someone was probably me.
Tell Us About Modern Menopause Manual
Modern Menopause Manual is an expert-led preparation guide for perimenopause and menopause.
It’s digital, self-paced and designed for women who want the full picture.
We have nine leaders in women’s health and nine comprehensive modules covering everything from hormones and conventional medicine through to gut health, mindset, intimacy, movement and the deeper rites-of-passage conversations nobody talks about.
Because women deserve both the medical and the holistic.
Not one or the other.
The whole picture.
Without judgement, bias or confusion.
What would normally cost over $3,500 in private consultations is available in one place for $295.
We’re incredibly proud of it.
It’s genuinely changing lives.
What Has Been the Best Part of Launching MMM?
The testimonials.
Every single one.
I still tear up reading them.
Hearing how much this resource has helped women makes every hour of work worthwhile.
What’s Been the Biggest Challenge?
Honestly, the scale of the project.
When I started, I had absolutely no idea how enormous it would become.
It’s now been more than 18 months of work.
Everything has grown organically so far. Women have found us, brands have reached out and we’ve partnered with one of the biggest wellness companies in the world when it aligned perfectly with our values.
Now we’re stepping into the next phase and reaching a much bigger audience.
That’s exciting, but it’s also a big leap.
Are You Still Involved In Creative Projects?
Absolutely.
I recently finished a project called Swimmers, created with Screen Queensland.
It’s a short-form comedy series about a woman searching for sperm.
I’ve been developing it for seven years, so finally seeing it come to life has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.
Curious about The Modern Menopausal Manual? Find out more here
What’s Next For You?
At the moment, my creative babies are Swimmers and Modern Menopause Manual.
I’m also dipping my toe into the documentary world as executive producer of ShowdownDOC on the Sunshine Coast.
It’s a very full, very exciting season.
