Life After Birth with Yara Heary

<p>Life after birth is a podcast hosted by me; mother, psychologist and coach, Yara Heary. This is where I'll talk to women about their complex experiences of being a mother. You'll find me talking to experts but not how you've heard them talk before. I'll be asking them about their experiences behind their expertise - who were they before a mother, how has it changed them, and who have they become.</p>

When The Going Gets Tough: Being With Our Grief

Hi Mamas.This week I’m talking about grief. The grief that’s in me and I’m guessing may also be in you. We have the grief that comes from our personal lives/mothering, and then there is the grief that comes from knowing about the harm and loss that is occurring in the world around us – and from feeling unable to change that. It’s been a big year of loss and atrocities, and as we approach the holiday season in a post US election moment – I’m REALLY feeling it. So I’m briefly talking about...

11-19
30:38

Bernadette Lack on Healing Through Connection in Motherhood

Hi Mamas. Today, I have the pleasure of talking with Bernadette Lack, the founder of Core and Floor Restore and co-creator of Motheration. In this powerful conversation, Bernadette opens up about her journey through parenting, sharing her heartwarming stories of fostering children and the raw realities of her own motherhood experience. We also discuss the challenges and growth she experienced during her postpartum journey, highlighting how community and connection became her anchor.In th...

11-12
01:27:26

Kendra Blake on Trusting Yourself, and Letting Go of Perfectionism in Motherhood

Hi mamas. Today, I have the pleasure of talking to Kendra Blake, an occupational therapist who has been supporting women throughout all stages of life for nearly a decade. In this powerful episode, Kendra shares her personal journey through motherhood, especially now as a mother of two young children, with her newest little one being just two weeks old!We discuss her transition into motherhood, the unravelling of her perfectionism, and how she has come to deeply trust herself in this new...

10-29
49:27

What You Need To Know About: Mothering During the Transition into Perimenopause

What You Need To Know About: Perimenopause and Motherhood Hi mama.Today, I'm diving into a topic that doesn't get enough attention: mothering during perimenopause. This is something I've been exploring lately, both through my own experiences and those of the incredible women I work with, so I wanted to shed some light on this often overlooked phase that so many of us may be navigating without even realising it. In this episode, I discuss:The hormonal changes that occur during this t...

10-22
38:12

Alex Field on Becoming Your Own Best Friend and Nurturing Self-Compassion in Motherhood

Hi Mamas.Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Alex Field, a holistic psychotherapist and naturopath who brings so much wisdom and heart to the conversation about discovering yourself during motherhood. Alex opens up about her incredible life journey, from her adventurous days as an underwater filmmaker in Egypt to her transformational experience as a mother to two teenagers in Australia.Alex and I discuss:How her time in Egypt encouraged self-discovery, and how moving to Australia marked a new...

10-15
01:07:20

What You Need To Know About: How Parts Work Can Support You as You Mother

Hi mamas. Today on the podcast, I’m diving into a therapeutic approach that has been a complete game changer for so many of the mothers I work with—Internal Family Systems (IFS). This modality helps us understand the different “parts” within ourselves, heal intergenerational wounds, and cultivate self-leadership. I know many of you are on this path of exploring your inner world, and IFS offers such a profound way to do that.In this episode, I’ll guide you through:Understanding our mind as an ...

10-08
29:00

Jane McFadden on Mothering with Neurodivergence, and the Challenge of Slowing Down

Hi mamas. Join me as I speak with Jane McFadden, mum of three and the woman behind the ADHD Mums podcast.In this episode, Jane reflects on her childhood growing up with now-diagnosed ADHD and autism, how this impacted her school years, her approach to work and her experience of becoming a mother. We discuss the struggle that so many of us experience with regards to perfectionism and high-performance, and how this can often be heightened when we become mothers, due to the many societal expecta...

10-01
01:01:38

REPLAY - Cath Counihan on leaning into imperfection and being the parent she needed in her childhood

*This is a replay series of previously released episodes, as I prepare all new episodes with new guests. New episodes will be back on the regular by Oct 2024. This replay series are the top 4 most listener to episodes and although we can't have favourite - they are very loved by me too!*HOLY MOLY mamas! I actually just don’t even know what to say about this week’s episode with Cath Counihan. It’s just THAT good. Cath is a London based trauma-informed Integrative Psychotherapist, lecture...

09-17
01:00:29

REPLAY - Round Table Chat on Realigning Fatherhood: Bridging the gap between words and actions

*This is a replay series of previously released episodes, as I prepare all new episodes with new guests. New episodes will be back on the regular by Oct 2024. This replay series are the top 4 most listener to episodes and although we can't have favourite - they are very loved by me too!*This week, I’m joined by Mike Dyson and Erin Spahr in a thought-provoking discussion on an issue that struck a chord with my instagram audience: when fathers define themselves as "family men" but their actions...

09-10
01:15:38

Tracy Gillett on the Power of Self-Trust in Motherhood

Hi mamas! Today I am joined by the wonderful Tracy Gillett, an adventure-loving mum, writer, and advocate for natural parenting. You might know her as the founder of Raised Good, an inspiring platform that empowers parents to trust the voice of their intuition. Tracy is also the author of "The Lost Art of Natural Parenting" and the host of the annual Raised Good Online Parenting Summit.In this powerful conversation, Tracy and I explore her journey into motherhood, her passion for what s...

09-03
01:09:39

REPLAY - Minna Dubin on Rage, Compassion, and Challenging 'Good Mother' Assumptions

*This is a replay series of previously released episodes, as I prepare all new episodes with new guests. This replay series are the top 4 most listener to episodes and although we can't have favourite - they are very loved by me too!*In this episode, I’m speaking to Minna Dubin, the Author of ‘Mom Rage: The Everyday Crisis of Modern Motherhood.’ I absolutely loved this book and was so excited to invite Minna to speak with me for this episode. Minna’s writing has been featured in The New York ...

08-27
53:33

REPLAY - Lael Stone on Finding Herself in Motherhood

*This is a replay series of previously released episodes, as I prepare all new episodes with new guests. This replay series are the top 4 most listener to episodes and although we can't have favourite - they are very loved by me too!*In this episode of Life After Birth I chat to Lael about her experience of becoming a mother and travelling this path for the past 20 odd years. We talk about her experience with a challenging birth, the far reaching impacts of that, surviving her first year as a...

08-20
01:02:50

Danielle Facey on Loss, Birth Trauma and Finding Her Way Back To Herself In Motherhood

Hi mamas. Today on the podcast I am joined by Danielle Facey, also known as the breastfeeding mentor. Danielle is an author, speaker and a fierce advocate of breastfeeding empowerment. In this beautiful and courageous conversation, Danielle shares her story of becoming a mother; one that includes her experience of miscarriage, birth trauma and her journey back to herself. We discuss how Danielle's experiences of loss and trauma influenced her need for control and resulted in a heig...

08-13
53:33

Sarah Ashton on Navigating Hyper-Focus Around Sleep and Finding Your Authenticity Through Matrescence

Hi mamas. Today I’m so excited to be joined by the wonderful Sarah Ashton, a mental health occupational therapist whose work beautifully blends motherhood studies with occupational therapy, providing support for women as they transition, adapt and transform through matrescence. In this conversation, Sarah shares her experience of becoming a mother, and in particular we discuss what Sarah calls her hyper-focus around her and her baby’s sleep, and how this impacted her experience of ...

07-30
48:59

Haylee Collins on Working Through Maternal Rage and Being Robbed By The Pandemic

Hi mamas. Today on the podcast I’m joined by Haylee Collins, who is a book publisher and creator of the magazine, Howl, which is how I came to know her. Howl is an incredible magazine that explores the intersection of motherhood and creativity, and was born out of her own observations of watching and speaking to other artists, writers, designers and photographers who are also mothers about how they occupy both of those identities at the same time. In this episode we discuss Haylee’...

07-16
01:06:01

Lucina McKimm on the Challenges of Sharing The Load in Parenthood, and the Emotional Intensity of Motherhood

Hi mamas. Today on the podcast I’m so happy to be joined by my lovely friend and podcast host, mother, writer and producer, Lucinda McKimm. She is the host of the podcast Ready Or Not, and the co-host of Witching Hour, and a mother of two. In this conversation, we discuss Lucinda’s experience of becoming a mother and how, despite her expectations that the day-to-day of the role would be challenging, she was not prepared her for the emotional intensity of motherhood, in terms of the rawne...

07-02
01:05:21

Joy Netanya Thompson on Finding Completeness with One Child and Befriending Her Parts Within

Hi mamas. Today, I’m excited to have Joy Netanya Thompson on the podcast. Joy is a writer who covers the intersection of motherhood, culture and identity and whose writing has appeared on sites like Parents, Motherwell, Romper, Coffee & Crumbs, and she’s also the author of the substack newsletter, Midweek Joy. She lives in LA with her husband and 8-year-old daughter. This is a rich and raw episode where Joy shares with me her experience of becoming a mother, the traumatic birth...

06-18
57:44

Jacqueline Kelly on Losing and Meeting yourself in Motherhood

Hi mamas. Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Jacqueline Kelly, a matrescence coach who supports mothers who feel like they’ve lost themselves in motherhood. Founding Our Brave Hearts, Jacqueline works to challenge the unrealistic standards of motherhood that we are encouraged to aspire to and to support mums in rediscovering and reclaiming their confidence. In this beautiful conversation, Jacqueline reflects on her own journey of matrescence and her transition from the freedom, adventur...

06-04
51:55

Penny Moodie on Parenting With OCD, Self-Regulation and Reframing Failure As Evolution

Hi mamas. Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Penny Moodie, a writer, OCD advocate and mum of three. In 2023, she wrote the incredible book, ‘The Joy Thief’, sharing her personal journey and the stories of fellow OCD sufferers, exploring OCD stigmas and treatments with raw honesty and zero judgement. In this conversation, we talk about Penny’s experience of becoming a mother, and in particular her experience of this while suffering with OCD. Undiagnosed at the time of her first child’s b...

05-21
42:10

Rachael Shepard-Ohta on Taking The Pressure off Baby Sleep and The Relinquishing of Control in Motherhood

Hi mamas. Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Rachael Shepard-Ohta, who is a certified sleep consultant, a parent educator, content creator, podcaster, mother of three and founder of Hey Sleep Baby. I had the pleasure of being on Rachael’s podcast, No One Told Us, last year and I was so happy to have the opportunity to have another wonderful conversation with her here. In this episode, we discuss Rachael’s expectations prior to becoming a mother and how her lived experience compare...

05-07
45:38

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