The Family Compass

What happens when you've ticked every box but lost yourself along the way? Lena Fitzgerald spent 24 years on autopilot before one moment changed everything.  She shares how NLP helped her break generational cycles, reclaim her identity, and reconnect, starting with one simple question. The Family Compass is recorded, edited and produced by Michelle and Zach Oates. dedicated to sharing informa...

In this episode of The Family Compass , mediator and barrister Michele Brooks joined hosts Michelle and Zach to share her wisdom, stories, and hard-earned insights from decades in family law and why mediation can be such a powerful alternative to the courtroom.  Michele didn’t grow up surrounded by lawyers. In fact, law wasn’t even on her radar at first. But through self-discovery, a fierce curios...

In this episode of Family Compass, we sit down with Tony O'Dwyer, a seasoned expert in family therapy and mediation, who shares the intricacies of navigating the legal and emotional landscape of family separation. Tony's wealth of experience stems from decades spent helping families through one of life's most challenging transitions. Growing up on his family farm, Tony's path t...

With a childhood that crossed three continents, Gavin Hawcroft knows a thing or two about the challenges of change, isolation and family dynamics. In this podcast, Gavin sits down with us to talk about his life and his transition from engineer to social worker, driven by his realisation that his passion lay in working with people, helping them to build hope and create better futures for themselves...

For our last Family Compass of 2024, we sat down with Melbourne-based barrister, Adrian Dean. What we quickly discovered is that Adrian loves nothing more than a chat and he has some great stories to tell. Adrian is a member of the Family Law Bar Association, the Law Institute of Victoria and the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia. Before coming to the Bar, Adrian was a Senior Asso...

In episode four of The Family Compass, we sit down with Mike and James to talk about their experiences as a same sex couple and their journey to becoming parents to their daughter, Ava. In a wide-ranging conversation, Mike and James share their stories, individually and as a couple, from coming out, embracing their identity and the impact of the same sex marriage debate to the challenges of adopti...

In the third episode of The Family Compass, Kate shares her story and in doing so, touches on a range of issues including raising a child with special needs, the challenges of being a single mother, grief and recovery, blended families and step-parenting, family dynamics and role-modelling, balancing career and family life, adapting to change and finding hope, and communication and healthy relatio...

In the first episode of The Family Compass, hosts Michelle and Zach introduce themselves and the podcast.  Drawing on their extensive backgrounds in family law and law enforcement, Michelle and Zach aim to explore the complexities of family dynamics, the impacts of separation on children, and the importance of access to professional help in regional areas.  Michelle and Zach emphasise the importan...

In this episode of The Family Compass, we chat with Kay Martin, a distinguished family lawyer with 40 years of experience.  Kay recounts her journey from studying in Melbourne to building her legal career in Mildura, detailing how her practice evolved from part-time work to owning her own firm. Known for her collaborative and compassionate approach, Kay discusses her role as an independent childre...