The Happy Mama Movement with Amy Taylor-Kabbaz

It starts small - an affirmation card, a podcast, a meditation in a yoga class. Sometimes, it can be a green smoothie and a commitment to move your body. It doesn't really matter what the entry point is - because once you're on your way, you're on your way. There's no turning back. That's the process of self-discovery. Motherhood can be such a catalyst for this: a chance to look at yourself in a n...

Modern mamahood is filled with a sense of panic: we feel we have to be on top of everything, all of the time, otherwise the wheels will fall off. Our days are so unpredictable, and we are often so stretched, that we feel like we're only just hanging on. But when Amy speaks with mamas the world over, they always tell her the same thing: They want to feel ease, surrender, and presence. They want to...

So many of us want to slow down, be more present, calm and connected. We crave a different life right now, feeling a pull within to make big changes. And then... nothing much changes. Our inner world does not really align to what we're doing in the outer world. But it is this inner and outer disconnected that is causing so much struggle. It's what mamahood - and the transition we all go through as...

We keep holding our breath until the we reach the next milestone. As mamas, we often sacrifice ourselves, or put some part of our lives on hold, hoping that when we reach 'that time', we will get the space. Maybe it's starting school. Maybe it's starting to sleep. Maybe it's a certain age. But the thing with matrescence is: it doesn't stop. There is no milestone we reach when finally we get our wh...

Two years ago, at an event I held in Melbourne, one very brave mama stood up from the back row and asked a question that changed her life. It was a true sliding doors moment: when one decision leads to a whole new way of living. Sarah is a mama of three, and is the epitome of what I am trying to bring to light with this podcast and all my work. Through the darkness of post-natal depression, health...

"What have you shut down to get the family you desired, Amy?" That was the question that stopped my heart. The moment it was asked, I knew the answer: I had shut down a very big part of who I was in the belief that I could not have both. I could not have that and be the mama, partner, sister, daughter, woman I desired to be. They simply were not compatible. We do this a lot. As women, we shut part...

Spontaneity, freedom, travel - what's that again? That's what the early years of motherhood can feel like at times. The free spirited part of our solves - the woman who ran with the wolves - can sometimes feel completely missing from our now parenting-focused worlds. But to completely dismiss a whole part of ourselves - a part that we used to thrive on - is to deny a core part of what makes us hap...

On my recent trip to the United States, I spent an afternoon at The Motherhood Center, New York. And as I walked through the door, and saw the support they offered to mamas, I was immediately taken back to the first days of mamahood again: scared, overwhelmed, and desperate for the daily support I received at my local hospital. Years on, I still have days of craving that support. I still feel like...

When I became a mother 11 years ago, there was a very real but at the time imperceptible 'split' within me: on one hand, there was the woman who had big dreams and goals and identified with her purpose in the world, and on the other hand, there was the newborn mother. The nurturer, the carer, the woman who wanted to be there with her child for every single milestone. And it has taken me more than...

Life with little ones is anything but predictable. When our whole world is at the mercy to our children, our environment, and our to-do list, many of us tip into control-mode to try and get through. When we can't control what's happening in our day, we end up trying to control the tiniest things - and burn ourselves out. Over the years, I have come to realise that I have very little control over a...

If I could use one word to sum up the struggles and challenges that I have faced over the past 10 years of motherhood, it would be: identity. Who am I now I am a mother? Who am I now so many parts of my independence and freedom have changed? How do I be a partner and a mother when so much of my life was about everything BUT these roles? As I have shared in earlier episodes, I have recently discove...

If we love our children so much, and we love being a mama, why are feelings like resentment, anger and bitterness so quick to rise up? Why, when we commit to spending time with them, we find ourselves not being the mama we want to be? Because, we are lacking in another part of our life. Balance as a woman requires us to acknowledge that we can't just give ourselves to those we love without some so...

We can't have it all - that's the belief of writer, mama and creativity mentor Anna Lovind. And after trying to have it all, and witnessing hundreds of mamas do the same, I agree. Anna is a mama who, at her very core, is a creative spirit, but when motherhood and the realities of two small children came along, she felt that she lost who she was. At her core, she didn't know how to be herself withi...

As we change and adapt to how we are going to juggle all the roles in our lives right now, so too do the people around us. Sometimes, that change is easy - our relationship grows with us, and our friendships evolve alongside our lives. But often, this is not the case. Our partners can feel ignored and angry about the changes in our relationship and intimacy. Our friendships can feel empty and lone...

In our current world, we have been undervaluing what it means to be a woman, and a mother. But in many ancient traditions and teachings, the mother is celebrated and revered for her power to create and sustain life. In my search for a better understanding of who I was becoming, and why I struggled so much to value this current season of my life, Kundalini yoga has been one of those ancient teachin...

This is an episode with a difference. For ten years, Amy has been exploring what happens when a woman becomes a mother: the transition, the changes, the loss of self and the gain of a new self, and how we can move through it all without burn out or anger. Recently, she's discovered something that brings it all together, and brings the pieces of the puzzle together: Matrescence. The anthropological...

Looking back at the start of her motherhood journey, Amy can now see that things might have been very different if someone had told her it was OK she felt completely lost. Not lost about the day-to-day reality of a new baby, but lost within herself. Lost about who she was now, lost in her place in the world. Would it have been different if someone had said to her - "it's OK. You're meant to feel l...

Before mamahood, the world revolves around us. As independent women, with the world at our feet, it’s easy to get wrapped up in our future and our own problems. But mamahood changes that. Our world expands, and our sense of connection to the greater future does too. Suddenly we’re worried about what our children will inherit and we feel more connected to other mothers and children around the world...

Marianne Williamson says that when it comes to relationships, women need to feel adored, and men need to feel respected - but most mamas I have spoken to over the years don’t feel adored right now. They feel like they’re the mother, the organiser, the cook and the cleaner. And they’re completely disconnected from their partner. How do we bring passion back into our lives again? How do we even begi...

It's very nice to think that we can think positive thoughts, live more in the flow of life, and everything will still get done. It's lovely to believe that we can find a balance between all the action that is required of us, and the slower life-style we crave. But how do we get all-the-things done? Staying organised is a must for mamas of young children, but so too is learning to switch off our ad...

Sometimes, we make things a lot harder for ourselves than they need to be - harsh, but true. We allow a story - that inner mean mama voice that is always chattering away in the background - to run the show, letting it take us down a spiral of negativity. And sometimes, it means we totally self-sabotage ourselves. Have you ever heard yourself saying big statements like 'This ALWAYS happens!', or 'W...

We're not getting enough rest - that much is obvious. We prioritise the housework, our emails and social media over sleep, and we worship busy-ness over slow living. Is it any wonder we're so burnt out and disconnected from what's important? But rest is not just a matter of getting more sleep - it's a shift in how we prioritise our lives. And that's takes courage. Karen Brody is a mama, playwright...

As long as I take time every morning to light a candle to my life, it remains my life. But if I hurry into work without that small moment of quiet, then I've already lost myself, and the day." These simple but profound words, from 'Circle of Stones' by Judith Duerk, are at the core of what we are craving as women in this time of our life: a way to honour ourselves before our day, and our life, sli...

There's a deep-seated belief in this world that we must hustle to get anywhere, and that hard work creates success. It's a belief that is seeing thousands upon thousands of mamas burn out in the attempt to create a life of abundance - while missing out on what they most want. But in the online world of entrepreneurs, there's one shining example of how to do success without the burn out, and that i...

There is so much pressure on us as women and mothers. We are expected to juggle so much each day, and no one is acknowledging it. No one is giving is celebrating what we’re doing, or appreciating all it takes. And that’s mostly because we know that everyone else is doing the same. Everyone is in the same boat - doing the best they can each day. But if we don’t start to acknowledge what we do each...