Wine with Wita

This week on Wine With Wita, I’m excited to welcome back Donna Berry. Donna was the very first guest on the podcast, and it feels like a beautiful full-circle moment to have her as the final guest of 2024. In this episode, Donna shares her profound insights into the crucial first nine months of life—starting from a mum’s pregnancy—and how these formative months shape who a child becomes. We explor...

As a mum, have you ever felt like you need to ask for permission to take some time for yourself? This week on Wine with Wita, we’re diving deep into the whirlwind of motherhood with the lovely Wendy Gilroy. Wendy is a mum of two and a counsellor who specialises in supporting mothers through all phases of parenting, from the chaos of early years to the challenges of raising teens. With a holistic a...

This week’s podcast episode features the incredible Natasha Piccolo. Natasha is a speech pathologist, author, and proud mum to a wonderful autistic toddler. Her story is one of self-discovery, resilience, and learning to embrace the beauty of neurodiversity within her family. In our conversation, Natasha shares her unique perspective as both a professional and a parent, touching on topics like: ✨...

This week on Wine with Wita, I’m joined by Connor Bailey, an inspiring teacher who is making waves in the world of swim education.  Recently named the 2024 Australian Swim Teacher of the Year for Learners with a Disability, Connor shared his journey from being diagnosed with ASD at age 4 and overcoming childhood challenges to becoming a passionate advocate for inclusivity and neurodiversity.  In o...

In this week’s episode of Wine with Wita, I spoke with James Sismanes, an award-winning audio and visual storyteller from Melbourne. He recently, debuted his first children’s book  (The Marvellous Mullabaloos Only Wear Blue)  . A few months ago, I reached out to James, as his book explored empathy, uniqueness and beauty is being authentically you. A beautiful story for all children. Throughout the...

November NICU Awareness Month is a time to highlight the importance of Neonatal Intensive Care Units and their amazing staff around Australia. Offering specialised care and making a difference to the more than 48,000 babies born premature or sick each year. This week on Wine with Wita, I interviewed Emma Ferguson. Emma's path into motherhood didn’t go quite as expected—her little girl, Celeste, ar...

Jocelyn Manzanarez, is on a mission to help teachers  thrive at circle time and beyond by integrating brain-based strategies with engaging activities that bring the fun back to teaching and learning. How? Through music and movement! Two highly-effective, yet underutilized strategies too often missing in the classroom.  She owns and operates Musically Minded, a Seattle based early childhood music e...

Renee Bell knew that something was wrong with her son Nik, despite her GP not addressing her concerns. Like all parents, her mother's intuition would not budge. Unknowingly, she did like all parents and referred to Dr. Google. After a few consultations, her GP referred her to a paediatrician, which led to the journey of her son's diagnosis of Neurofibromatosis type 1. Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1...

As parents, we tend to put our wellbeing to the side. Managing busy lifestyles, work, proper nutrition and therapy appointments can take a toll on our health. This week on Wine with Wita, I spoke with Deena Jane Kelaita, a registered Clinical Nutritionist with nearly a decade of experience specializing in gut health, genetic health, and personalized nutrition. Deena dug deep into the impact of chr...

In this episode of Wine with Wita, I spoke with Lewis Huckstep, a performance and fulfilment coach dedicated to helping high achievers create a life on their own terms. At a young age, Lewis was diagnosed with Asperger's and ADHD. He openly discussed his challenges particularly with communication, socialising and learning. Lewis also faced several challenges in his youth, navigating mental health...

With over 20 years of experience as a paediatric occupational therapist, Dave Jereb has made a significant impact in the Allied Health field. As co-founder of MoveAbout Therapy Services with his wife Kathy, Dave’s vision is to create a world where all children lead meaningful lives and are valued within their communities. Dave is driven to support Allied Health businesses in helping their therapis...

Kizzy Searle is a Speech Pathologist who is deeply passionate about trauma-informed practice. She regularly presents to organisations and private practices, advocating for the integration and awareness of trauma-informed practice in allied health settings and providing training on how to implement this. Kizzy serves on the Mental Health and Trauma Advisory Panel of Speech Pathology Australia and i...

Kathrine Peereboom, is a distinguished advocate and prominent figure in the disability community. As the devoted mother of three profoundly disabled sons, Kathrine has dedicated herself to fostering positive change in support of individuals with disabilities across Australia for more than a decade. Kathrine holds the esteemed title of Australia’s only trainer of Law Enforcement to understand the d...

Last year, I created Wita's Words" is a segment I created to give back. It was a place for parents/caregivers to feel informed, heard, and welcomed in a world of uncertainty, especially after their child's diagnosis. My first guest speaker was Jasmine from  @theinclusionspot . We funnily joked, lets have a wine and both yelled “Wine with Wita”, never did we imagine it would turn into a reality. Ja...

Last year, Wine with Wita occurred via Instagram live. My final interview of the year was my first client, Melanie. I will never forget Melanie and her son Jack. As a new graduate, examining Jack's complex medical history and behavioural concerns, I secretly was scared and nervous. He taught me lessons that changed me as a clinician. Skills that were never taught or discussed at university. Workin...

Eloping is defined as to wander or run away from a safe place or caregiver. Eloping is more common with children with ASD. Last year, we were anxiously waiting for Hussein Al Mansoory to be found. Thankfully, he was found safe and well. However, throughout the news reporting's, it was quite interesting, in the lack of awareness of autism let alone a child with a disability. A special Wine with Wit...

Driven by her youngest son’s autism diagnosis, Joline is on a mission to eliminate the isolation often felt by caregivers.    She wholeheartedly believes in providing compassionate support and essential resources to caregivers, understanding the profound importance of well-being and health throughout their caregiving journey.    Despite being a business owner, her true passion lies in helping othe...

It was an absolute pleasure discussing Stephanie's experiences and her daughter, Tori’s, cleft palate journey. Last year, Steph, reached out to me and wanted to take part in Wine with Wita. Steph wanted to raise awareness of cleft palates, especially as it was not identified in her ultrasound. Steph wished there were more support networks available to increase awareness around cleft palates and cl...

Kelly Elfalak, is a name we are all familiar with. In 2021, her son, Anthony Junior, AJ, went missing from the family’s rural NSW property.  As a nation, we all were anxiously waiting and praying for AJ. We all became increasingly concerned especially as AJ is autistic and non-verbal. However, AJ is a true miracle, he was found safe and well.  On Wine with Wita, Kelly and I discussed the stigma as...

Vanessa Khoury knew that something was wrong with her newborn daughter Gabby, despite doctors telling her she seemed fine. Vanessa and her husband, Simon, refused to accept that answer and continued to push for a diagnosis. Finally, when Gabby was 11-months old, genetic testing diagnosed her with Kleefstra Syndrome (KS). There are only approximately 500 families with a child with KS in the world,...

Dr. Maike Neuhaus, founder of The Flourishing Doc, is one of today’s most forward-thinking and globally acclaimed psychologists, specializing in behaviour change strategies and positive psychology. In her roles as speaker, coach, and educator, Dr Maike guides high achievers from mere success to true significance. She’s a highly-cited author, having published in international scientific journals, e...

Joe Williams is a Wiradjuri/Wolgalu 1st Nations Aboriginal man born in Cowra, raised in Wagga NSW having lived a portion of his life as a professional athlete. Joe played in the National Rugby League for South Sydney Rabbitohs, Penrith Panthers and Canterbury Bulldogs before switching to professional Boxing in 2009. As a boxer Joe was a 2x WBF World Jnr Welterweight champion and also won the WBC A...

Adam completed a Masters Degree in Exercise physiology and spent the better part of 2 decades dedicating his time to helping people foster a healthier lifestyle and create a balanced and positive environment in which they live. Adam can confidently say that BALANCE is the key to living your best life. Adam now spends his time helping companies, the general public and high level athletes and indivi...

The Resilience Shield Pty Ltd (‘TRS’) is a 100% Australian veteran-owned business committed to improving individual and collective resilience. The proprietary Resilience Shield model was developed by Dr Dan Pronk, Ben Pronk DSC, and Tim Curtis, all of whom are Australian SAS veterans with combat experience in theatres including Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone and Timor Leste as well as on counter...

Dr. Ian Zajac is a Clinical Psychologist and the Director of MensPsych Psychology Services in Adelaide where he works exclusively with adolescent and adult males. With a blend of clinical and research expertise, as well as his own lived experience, Ian is renowned for his engaging and relatable approach. Known for making complex psychological ideas easy to understand, Ian covers a broad range of t...