The Happy Mama Movement with Amy Taylor-Kabbaz

There’s a lot to be worried about. Our kid’s health, their safety, bullying, screen time. At first, it was how to just keep them alive, and then, as they get older, the fears seem to compound with each passing day… How can we ensure they’re safe? How do we instill a deep sense of self within them? How do we let go when we want to keep them so close? Trust, and surrender. That’s what I have to reme...

I used to teach that self-care was the answer to so much of our strugggles as mamas. That if we just 'filled our cup first', we would change that feeling of overwhelm, And I believed it. In fact, I practised what I preached - over and over again. Until my pursuit of trying to squeeze everything in, including the self-care, caused early labour and complete burn out. So when I talk about how to fina...

We SAY we're going to slow down and prioritise what's really important to us, and yet we keep trying to do all the things. We know our health needs us to step off the never ending to-do list treadmill, and yet we struggle to say no. Why? Why is it that as life gets busier with babies, we find it so hard to admit we can't be Superwomen anymore, and slow down a little? This is the question I ask Meg...

It's not in another to-do list. It's not in getting up earlier, or staying up later. And it's definitely not in just being busier. The balance we crave as mamas and as women has nothing to do with what is going on in our lives (yes, nothing!), but is all about how you are acknowledging what you need and who you are right now. Matrescence is a transformation - an ongoing, every expanding transforma...

It's one of the last unspoken areas of mamahood: sex, passion, and desire once we become parents. But if we are to truly embody being a whole woman, it's a part of us we can no longer ignore or hide in shame. How do you reconnect to this part of yourself when your whole world has been turned upside down? How do you ignite passion again when your relationship with your body is transforming? And wha...

This isn't just a process of becoming the mama and woman you long to be... it's also an undoing of so many outdated and incorrect beliefs and patterns. To rise, we must also unlearn, undo, and let go. So often, this is the part we forget to talk about. Over and over again, the hardest part of mamahood has been the undoing of the old beliefs about what happiness and success and a being a 'good moth...

Motherhood is often the catalyst for so much change, and so many old beliefs and patterns rising to the surface - this is part of it's purpose: Matrescence is a shedding of the old, and a becoming the new. Over the years, however, I have heard thousands of women say they are afraid to look at what is coming up. They know they are struggling, but they're afraid of what change would actually mean. S...

What stories and beliefs have you been told about what it means to be a good woman and a good mama? What are the folklore of your life - and are they serving you? Are they even something you think about? One of the most important elements of matrescence - the transformation of a woman through motherhood - is this opportunity to examine all that we have been told about what it means to be successfu...

Over the years, I have heard so many mamas share with me what their Inner Mean Mama sounds like. I know that we, as mamas and women, are so hard on ourselves, often feeling like we're never good enough, or worrying that we're always screwing it up. And then, when I talk to them about self-compassion and kindness, I see their eyes glaze over. "Yes, yes... I need to be kinder to myself. I get it." B...

We have been told that strength comes from our willpower, our ability to keep on going, our resilience in the face of fear. And yes, of course, that is true. As women and mamas, we have that innate ability to soldier on, no matter what. Especially when it involves our children. But motherhood requires a softening too. When life throws challenges at us, we must also learn how to surrender and trust...

What would happen if the world talked about motherhood - and womanhood - differently? How different would our experiences of raising children and balancing all that is asked of us be? Would it change the rate of burn out, overwhelm, and yelling? Would it alter the numbers of past natal depression, adrenal fatigue, marriage breakdowns? And would knowing what we share in this podcast create happier...

To be a spaceholder - what does that actually mean? The idea of a woman as the spaceholder is at the core of so many of my programs and teachings, but is often a concept many don't truly understand. And when they do 'get it', there's often overwhelm and resentment. Why is it that I have to hold it together for so many people? How am I expected to hold the space for so many when I'm already doing s...

For Anna, it was more a feeling than anything: on paper, she had the life she wanted, but when it came to what was happening behind closed doors, she was drowning. She yelled at her kids. She wasn't the wife she wanted to be. She really didn't know who she was, or how to get out of this hole. 4 Months ago, when Anna and I first jumped on a call together, I could see how overwhelmed and broken she...

On reflection, the IDEA of self-care, self-reflection, even daily meditation sounds nice - but really, is it even possible? When so much of our lives seem to be filled with the 'urgent and important' tasks of life, these ideas just keep getting pushed down the list. But what if we were to start to consider that nothing was more urgent and important than our health, our mental health, our inner sen...

"If I'm not Superwoman, then how am I going to get it all done?" That's what I believed for so long. And it's what I've heard mamas say for years. It's nice to think that we can slow down, let go of the pressure, look after ourselves a little better, and be in the moment with our loved ones... but when the reality is our house is a mess and our to-do list never, ever ends, then how? How is that ev...

I want to show my children what is possible. I want them to see that you can be a kind, compassionate and present mama, and still do what you love. I want to show them that you can have a healthy and respectful marriage with three kids taking up ALL OF YOUR SPACE. I want them to know that it's possible to be happy and full without being Superwoman. And if I want them to see ALL of this, then that...

How do you find peace with parts of this mamahood journey that aren't so joyful and happy? What if you feel a sense of sadness or anger that it seems so much easier for others? How exactly do you live with grace? These are the questions author and mama Cathy Spooner had to face when she realised that deep down inside, she was not happy. On the outside, she should have been - she had all she'd drea...

If only it were as easy as listening to a podcast, and ... that's it.⁣⁣ Your thoughts are changed. ⁣⁣Your energy is cleared, your old stories of not being good enough, your beliefs that you should be doing more, transformed. ⁣If only. ⁣⁣Every single day for the past decade, I have committed to myself and my family that I will do my best:⁣⁣my best for them, and for me.⁣⁣I know you feel the same - ⁣...

If we want to work, does that mean we value motherhood less? And if we suddenly find ourselves reprioritising our career plans to be with our little ones while they are still little, does that mean we have given up on our ambition? Can we make decisions on what we most want at this time of our life without the judgement of what it actually 'means'? For so long, we've been told that we have a choic...

We think falling pregnant will be easy; We have a very clear idea of what the birth will look like; We believe we know exactly how it will be when we return to work; We have the perfect vision for our perfect families: And of course, motherhood shows us life can be very very different. So how do we navigate the great expectations we have of this time in our life, with the reality that we are faced...

I used to think I would just tac motherhood onto my life - as if it would be another role on top of all I do. I'd go back to who I was - at work, in my relationship, with my body and health - just with the added bonus of a baby, or three! What I didn't know then, but I know now, is... we never go back. Every part of our lives is changed with motherhood - that's what matrescence is all about. But,...

How does something like mindfulness actually help us as mothers? When so many of us just want to be calmer and more present when we're with our children, how does something like a mindfulness practice actually help? Sometimes, understanding the science behind something can be the key to actually sticking to it. You can see the need for healthy food and exercise, but once you understand what it doe...

If we can accept that right now, in this season of life, we are in 'matrescence', the transformation from woman to mother, then we can start to accept that all we're feeling, all we're going through, all we're facing is a part of a process. In fact, it's a DIVINE process. This is the making of us, mamas. All that we are going through is the making of us. So can we start to change the way we view w...

"Again and again and again I recognise the stunning beauty in pain. And the outrageous gift that is motherhood - in all its tiresome, messy and unsure glory." These are the words of mama, business woman and my beautiful friend, Lisa Corduff. When I read these words recently, I immediately reached out to Lisa and insisted we jump on a call as soon as possible to discuss. How can we remember the stu...

What if your anger and anxiety was your life calling you? Here's an interesting idea, mamas - what if all that overwhelm, anger, anxiety and worry was actually a gift? What if it was the warning sign your life was sending you, that things were out of balance? As women, we believe anything that is going right is our fault: we should 'fix' it by trying harder, giving more of ourselves, doing more, a...