The Art of Connection

In this episode, Yana explores the inherited scripts we follow, including the paths of career and home that many adopt before they are old enough to question them. She shares her personal journey of ticking every box only to find her life force energy leaking, and the unexpected liberation she discovered when her world cracked open and allowed her to begin again. It is a story of moving from doggy...

In this special cross-podcast episode, Yana is joined by parenting mentor and registered nurse Kim Cousins, host of the Baby It’s You podcast. Together they explore Yana’s unfolding journey as a woman, mother, and creator — from the early shaping of her identity to building Oak and Haven, a much-loved community store in Melbourne’s east. The conversation moves through creative expression as a path...

In this episode, Yana returns to the microphone to introduce a project that has been over a year in the making: Blood to Bone magazine . After a brief hiatus from recording, she shares the vision behind this new print publication designed to hold women's stories with reverence, clarity, and without judgment. Yana discusses the "drop-in" moment of inspiration that led to this venture and her commit...

In this episode, Yana reflects on two years of Oak & Haven and what success truly means beyond numbers and productivity. She shares the quiet wins that shaped the past year; sustained energy, mental wellbeing, present motherhood and creative expansion, and invites you to pause and honour your own journey. A reminder that success can be spacious, nourishing and deeply human.

In Part 2 of a conversation recorded in 2023, we return to where we left off with Yaz Del Mar of Tiny Cupboard Creatives . This episode explores creativity as a lifeline through change. We reflect on art as a place of safety, self-trust, and resilience, and on the natural cycles of destruction, maintenance, and creation that shape our lives. Yaz shares openly about navigating separation, cancer su...

In this episode, Yana invites you into a gentler and more grounded approach to the holiday season. From her cosy “car office,” she reflects on the unseen labour women often carry at Christmas and offers tender, practical ways to return to presence, equity and joy. She explores how to ease the mental load, ask for support, honour your limits and reshape traditions so they feel aligned with your val...

In this gentle solo episode, Yana reflects on the void ; the quiet space before something exists, where ideas rest in the dark soil of possibility. She shares how Oak and Haven grew from a personal longing for connection during early motherhood, a time marked by isolation, anxiety, and a deep need for community and softness. This episode is an invitation to notice what is missing in your life and...

In this solo episode, Yana offers an honest look at the realities of running a heart-led business. She speaks to the parts we celebrate and the parts we often keep to ourselves. Yana explores three of the hardest aspects of business: juggling multiple roles, dealing with uncertainty, and experiencing the loneliness that can come with leading something of your own. She then turns to the three thing...

In this solo episode, Yana reflects on the fullness and chaos of life, learning to “let it be hard” instead of resisting it. She answers listener questions about imposter syndrome, self-forgiveness, and knowing when it’s time to start anew; sharing her own journey of leaving teaching, rebuilding life, and returning to what feels true. A gentle reminder that growth often lives in the messy middle,...

In this episode of The Art of Connection , Yana sits down with women’s embodiment photographer Sophie Spencer for a conversation that began before the podcast itself had even taken shape; a story of creative trust and saying yes before knowing how it will unfold. Sophie shares her journey from photographing pizzas to capturing the essence of women through intimate portraiture; a transformation bor...

In this episode of The Art of Connection , Yana records from her “mobile office” and offers a tender life update on moving from her beloved Croydon home to a little cottage in the hills. She reflects on the house that held early motherhood and the seed of Oak & Haven, and how transition can hold grief and gratitude in the same breath. With gentle rituals; early nights, incense, pink paint for...

Reporting poolside from Tugun on the Gold Coast, Yana is joined by poet, mentor and “word florist” Sophie Rowlands for a spacious conversation about creativity that grows like a garden; seasonal, cyclical and deeply human. They explore the language of intuition, the “fertile dark” that precedes new work, and the tender link between pleasure and expression. Sophie shares the story behind her hand-t...

In this episode of The Art of Connection , Yana sits down with Mikka Richter, founder of The Hearth Café & Providore in Mudgeeraba, QLD. What began as a dream and an online offering has become a soulful bricks-and-mortar space where food, family, and community weave together. Mikka shares how her maternal line of women shaped her love of cooking, why food is more than fuel, and what it takes t...

In this episode of The Art of Connection, Yana explores the fertile, surprising relationship between early motherhood and creativity. She shares how the rawness of postpartum life; its sleepless nights, shifting identity, and moments of deep presence can awaken a powerful surge of inspiration and ideas. What might seem like a season of loss can also be one of self-discovery, where dreams, artistry...

Lately I’ve had so many conversations with friends about the fear of letting go — of relationships that have run their course, of clothes or things tied to a past self, of identities that don’t feel right anymore. Here’s what I’ve come to believe: letting go creates space for life to surprise you. The void never stays empty. This week on The Art of Connection, I’m sharing my own story — from leavi...

In this episode of The Art of Connection , Yana reflects on the unexpected parallels between strength training and working with clay. At first glance they seem worlds apart; one rooted in sweat, movement, and resistance, the other in earth, stillness, and form. Yet both invite us to centre ourselves, breathe with intention, honour good form over force, and embrace the steady rhythm of learning thr...

In this episode of The Art of Connection , Yana reflects on the toll of busyness and the reminder of why she chose to step away from the fast-paced, burnout-driven way of working. From the hum of overfull weeks, she contrasts her past life as a teacher with the slower, intentional rhythm she has designed now; one that honours rest, motherhood, creativity, and nervous system care. She shares candid...

In this heartfelt episode of The Art of Connection , Yana reflects on turning 34 and the gratitude she feels for motherhood, partnership, creativity, and community. She shares tender moments from her birthday celebrations, alongside the bittersweet process of farewelling her beloved honey-bricked home. Through poetry and reflection, she honours the space that nurtured her healing and creativity be...

After a two-year pause, Yana returns to The Art of Connection with a heartfelt reintroduction, honouring the vision that first sparked this podcast and the journey that’s unfolded since. She reflects on the opening of Oak & Haven and the immense growth of her business over the past year, while candidly sharing the fears that once held her back from fully stepping into her creative path. This e...

I’m here today with Yaz Del Mar of tiny cupboard creatives, the most effervescent and bold creator, art teacher and mentor, sole business woman, mother and absolute powerhouse I have the honour of knowing. Yaz is not like any other woman I have met before, and our chance meeting was written in the stars in 2021, connecting us through another artist and creator, which we’ll get into. Yaz teaches ar...

In episode two of The Art of Connection, I share the deep and nourishing impact travelling to the seaside surf town of Bermagui (Yuin country) has on my creativity and connection as a result of consciously and intentionally making time to spend with my family. I hope this episode guides you towards satiating and soulful connections with loved ones in your life, and reminds you to take inspired act...

Welcome to The Art of Connection — a space created to explore true connection with the arts and conscious creators in our community. Thank you for being here. I’m Yana — host, conscious creator, teacher, mother and founder of Oak & Haven ceramics. TAOC explores how art led connection guides us to satiating, soulful fulfilment, and welcomes us home to ourselves. I can’t wait to unravel and disc...