Single Mother Survival Guide

In this episode, single mum Jenny shares Part 1 of her story.   **Please note this episode and topic may act as a trigger for some people, and this episode is not suitable to listen to within earshot of children.** In part 1 of this series, Jenny shares her life from her childhood and the sexual abuse she received from her father which started when she was nine years old. She talks about: what life was like growing up with an alcoholic father and the sexual abuse she got from her father, the pain she had to overcome when she exposed her father, and the shame that came with it, the discovery that her father was also doing the same thing to her sisters, the court case and how she was let down by the people who should have protected her, how her father continued abusing her throughout it, how she was betrayed by her own mother to protect her father, how her own children coped with the truth about their mother's abuse, the power of forgiveness, and overcoming and thriving after sexual abuse. This is not just a

This week on the show, I have Jen Adams joining me. Jen Adams is a functional nutritionist and skin health expert with 10 years of clinical experience. She specialises in pro-ageing nutrition advice for the skin and body, helping clients look younger and feel better by restoring health, balance and wellbeing.   Jen has an honest, professional approach and an exceptional understanding of how the body works, in particular how metabolic pathways influence our metabolism as we get older. She understands the science behind skin health and nutrition and how the two are linked – and extensively researches innovative and natural treatments that promote health for the skin and body.   Through her Metabolic Health Club, Jen provides online coaching and delivers structured programmes that help clients understand how they can make small changes to restore their metabolic health, improve their gut function and increase their energy levels.   The treatments she offers are concentrated and personal – her knowledge and ex

  This week on the show, I have Leslie Parker joining me.   Leslie Parker has been a Physical Therapist since 2000 and has a special focus on pelvic health. As a pelvic floor specialist, she specializes in Women's Health including bladder, bowel, and pain dysfunction to include prenatal and postpartum care. She also works with women with breast and reproductive cancer in a variety of ways including lymphedema care. Over the years she has expanded her focus to include both men's and children's pelvic health as well.    In 2012, she developed the Seacoast's premiere Pediatric bladder and bowel program, Pediatric Elimination Therapy (P.E.T.) at Wentworth Douglass Hospital. She then opened her own Physical Therapy practice in Eliot, Maine.    Leslie published her first book, "The Art of Control; A Woman's Guide To Bladder Care" in June 2015, which hit Amazon's #1 Best Seller rating during the first week it was published. She did this as she was recovering from breast cancer, bilateral mastectomies, and chemot

This week on the show, single mum Kimberley shares Part 6 of her story.  Please note that these contain sensitive topics on domestic abuse and violence. It is recommended you listen to Parts 1 - 5 prior to listening to Part 6, but here's a short recap of the past episodes. In Ep 263 - Part 1, Kimberley talked about growing up in a single mum household and the relationship she had with her own father, the night she met her husband, and how (what she thought was going to be) a one night stand turned into a very toxic and abusive relationship. She shared the story of the early days of their relationship, up until the birth of her daughter, and the red flags and abusive tendencies that started appearing. In Ep 264 - Part 2, Kimberley's story continued. She talked about how the abusive tendencies started escalating and she shared her experience of what she would later find out was known as the cycle of domestic violence. She also talked about how she gained the courage to leave him, though it was the first of many

This week on the show, single mum Kimberley shares Part 5 of her story.  Please note that these contain sensitive topics on domestic abuse and violence. It is recommended you listen to Parts 1 - 4 prior to listening to Part 5, but here's a short recap of the past episodes. In Ep 263 - Part 1, Kimberley talked about growing up in a single mum household and the relationship she had with her own father, the night she met her husband, and how (what she thought was going to be) a one night stand turned into a very toxic and abusive relationship. She shared the story of the early days of their relationship, up until the birth of her daughter, and the red flags and abusive tendencies that started appearing. In Ep 264 - Part 2, Kimberley's story continued. She talked about how the abusive tendencies started escalating and she shared her experience of what she would later find out was known as the cycle of domestic violence. She also talked about how she gained the courage to leave him, though it was the first of many

This week on the show, single mum Kimberley shares Part 4 of her story.  Please note that these contain sensitive topics on domestic abuse and violence. It is recommended you listen to Parts 1 - 3 prior to listening to Part 4, but here's a short recap of the past episodes. In Ep 263 - Part 1, Kimberley talked about growing up in a single mum household and the relationship she had with her own father, the night she met her husband, and how (what she thought was going to be) a one night stand turned into a very toxic and abusive. She shared the story of the early days of their relationship, up until the birth of her daughter, and the red flags and abusive tendencies that started appearing. In Ep 264 - Part 2, Kimberley's story continued. She talked about how the abusive tendencies started escalating and she shared her experience of what she would later find out was known as the cycle of domestic violence. She also talked about how she gained the courage to leave him, though it was the first of many attempts she

This week on the show, single mum Kimberley shares Part 3 of her story. In Ep 263 - Part 1, Kimberley talked about growing up in a single mum household and the relationship she had with her own father, the night she met her husband, and how (what she thought was going to be) a one night stand turned into a very toxic and abusive. She shared the story of the early days of their relationship, up until the birth of her daughter, and the red flags and abusive tendencies that started appearing. In Ep 264 - Part 2, Kimberley's story continued. She talked about how the abusive tendencies started escalating and she shared her experience of what she would later find out was known as the cycle of domestic violence. She also talked about how she gained the courage to leave him, though it was the first of many attempts she made to leave the relationship, and how six months later he wormed his way back in. In this episode, Kimberley shares the further violent and abusive outbursts of her ex, and the safety measures she st

This week on the show, I have Simon Favorito joining me. Simon's passion for cooking began at an early age captivated by the art and alchemy of food. In his early 20's and several years into his food career, Simon's life took an unexpected turn when he became unwell and was burdened by chronic health issues leaving him feeling unwell, in pain and constantly exhausted. After several years of treatments and procedures there seemed to be no helpful solutions in sight. It was at this time Simon was guided to explore whole foods medicine and traditional healing practices leading him on a path to wellness, and ultimately regaining his health. Since then, Simon's passion for natural healing and food has led him to study and work in a variety of healing modalities and integrate principles of natural healing and wellness into his cooking and teaching. Today Simon is a whole foods chef and holistic nutrition coach. He shares the life-enhancing potential of plant-based whole foods through cooking classes, wellness retre

This week on the show, I have Heidi Hadley joining me. Heidi originally trained in mainstream medicine as a Medical Technical Officer in Neurophysiology at the University Hospital (formerly the Queen Elizabeth) Birmingham, UK. It was whilst working there that a number of her patients suffering from side effects to their anti-epileptic drugs informed her that they received regular complementary/natural therapy treatments to alleviate the side effects of their pharmaceutical drugs. After thorough research, Heidi decided to study and train in Natural Therapies. Heidi has also completed a Phytotherapy course with Bioforce UK, studying the use of herbs with health. Heidi has a holistic approach to her treatments. Rather than deal with the symptoms of a problem, she aims to deal with the root cause. Treating the whole person is Heidi's objective. Heidi started her career in natural therapies in 2001 and has acquired many different techniques over the years to bring greater choice to her clients. She ran clinics in

This week on the show, single mum Kimberley shares Part 2 of her story. In the last episode (Ep 263 - Part 1), Kimberley talked about growing up in a single mum household and the relationship she had with her own father, the night she met her husband, and how (what she thought was going to be) a one night stand turned into a very toxic and abusive. She shared the story of the early days of their relationship, up until the birth of her daughter, and the red flags and abusive tendencies that started appearing. In this part, Kimberley's story continues. She talks about how the abusive tendencies started further creeping in, and how she ended up in a situation where walking on eggshells and being on alert at all times were the norm. Her partner started being very nasty to her, saying horrible things to her, mocking her, and gaslighting her - even trying to convince her that she had postnatal depression. He also started drinking a lot more and became more controlling and abusive about their finances. His needs alw

This week on the show, single mum Kimberley shares part 1 of her story. In this episode, Kimberley talks about growing up in a single mum household and the relationship she had with her own father. Never did she expect to have a similar situation as she grew up and had her own children. In Part 1 of this series, Kimberley talks about the night she met her husband, and how (what she thought was going to be) a one night stand turned into a relationship. She didn't know it at the time, but this relationship would last many many years and turn very toxic and abusive. Kimberley shares how there were some jealous tendencies and red flags during the early days of her relationship, but overall it wasn't too bad until they moved in together. Then things changed.  She fairly quickly found out about his debts, and soon became unexpectedly pregnant. It was at this stage that things took a turn for the worse. She started seeing some strange behaviour from her partner. He had a very nonchalant reaction to the pregnancy and

In this episode, we celebrate the Single Mother Survival Guide podcast turning five years old. That's five years of recording, editing, and producing weekly episodes, and speaking to AMAZING women. I’m really proud of this accomplishment and the ripple effect it’s had on women, and I'm so appreciative of the entire Single Mother Survival Guide podcast community - those who listen, those who share, and those who contribute.  In this episode, I share the journey that I've been on in the last five years, and the great things that have come from it. Six of my Thrive Tribe members also share what they love about the community, and what the community has done for them. Thanks for being a part of the ride! Love, Julia Links mentioned in the episode: Blog post - FIVE CHOICES WE HAVE THAT IMPACT OUR MINDSET. Jump on the waitlist for Thrive Tribe HERE. To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com. Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too. Or connect with Single Mother

This week on the show, I have Nikki Knieriem joining me. Nikki is the owner of Mum-Me Fit Time, a mother of two young boys, a part-time primary school teacher and a lover of all things health. Nikki is passionate about helping women to optimise their health by focusing on four main pillars; exercise, nutrition, sleep and stress reduction. Through her own experiences as a mum, she understands that time is limited, the to-do list is always long and often your own self-care practices fall further down the priority list. Nikki loves helping women to unlock barriers and practice self-care without adding overwhelm or one more thing to the to-do list.  In this episode,  Nikki shares: How the four pillars of health all interlink. How to increase movement in your day even when there is no time to exercise. How to overcome exercise mindset barriers.  Links mentioned in the episode: Find out more about Nikki, and download her 7 days of 5-minute workouts here. Connect with Nikki on Instagram and Facebook, or email her

This week on the show, I have a single mum, Lucy Kippist, sharing her story. It was three years ago, that Lucy was blindsided and told her marriage was over. Her boys were five and almost three years old. What ensued was 8 months of trying everything she could to make things with her husband work. When that failed, Lucy eventually moved out and began the process of healing and moving on with her life. In this episode, Lucy talks about: The trauma she experienced. How she healed. Why accepting her part in something she didn't want to end was the most healing thing she could do. The importance of making a decision about the way she wanted her life to be and how she wanted to see her separation, and moving forward from there. How work played a pivotal role in changing her life and recovery. Girlfriends and how important they were. And SO MUCH MORE! Lucy also shares some amazing words of wisdom and is a true inspiration. She has a really positive attitude and is now even able to look back and be grateful for th

This week on the show, I have Alena Turley joining me. Alena is a Sydney-based community founder, podcaster, and Hapkido instructor. Founder of the Soul Mama Hub, Alena helps home-based mothers who feel lost find their way back to themselves and become better custodians of their bodies, their families, and the environment.  In this episode, Alena shares her story of single parenthood and a host of challenges that left her homeless and hopeless. After five years of deep healing and re-evaluation, life led her in exciting directions. In this session, she shares where her interest in an ethical lifestyle came from, and the simple changes we can make to help take care of the earth. Links mentioned in the episode: Jump on the waitlist for Thrive Tribe HERE. To learn more about Alena and what she does, visit https://soulmamahub.com/. Get your FREE one-page checklist of simple actions you can take today to live in a more eco-conscious way HERE. You can also connect with Alena on Instagram here, and on Facebook here.

This week on the show, I have Carrie Ibbetson joining me. Carrie Ibbetson believes healing of the mouth comes from multiple aspects, with one of the biggest challenges being the time it takes people to learn why things are breaking down and motivating themselves to make changes in their habits or products. Her 25+ year career in dentistry allows her to understand oral health challenges and see solutions from multiple facets. Recognizing this challenge early in her dental hygiene career she started coaching her patients into healthier mouths with great success. In 2010 she took that knowledge and insight online where she has been successfully motivating people globally to make a change and see results with her online course and membership community. Her community of over 30k help her gain insight and see the many challenges the consumer is facing daily. Her passion drives a high success rate that helps both professionals and consumers see what is possible when people become empowered and motivated about their

Homeschooling whilst in lockdown... is there anything worse? In this week's episode, I chat about what worked for us last year, and how things have changed this year. Links mentioned in the episode: Jump on the waitlist for Thrive Tribe HERE. To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com. Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too. Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Small constructive actions taken on a daily or routine basis can quickly give you a sense of accomplishment, forward momentum, and literally change your life. This week on the show, I share some ideas for daily habits to implement in your life.  Links mentioned in the episode: Jump on the waitlist for Thrive Tribe HERE. To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com. Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too. Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

This week on the show, I share some tips to look after yourself as a new mum. When I became a new mum, I remember feeling incredibly overwhelmed. I was in this beautiful love bubble with my new baby, and I’d never felt happier, but my relationship with my partner was suffering and I felt like a wreck.  Our relationship ended two months after our daughter was born, and it meant that a lot of things I had planned for didn’t happen. I was in survival mode. But it also taught me about what was important, and how to look after myself as a new mum. Here are my top tips to look after yourself as a new mum, newly single or not. Links mentioned in the episode: Jump on the waitlist for Thrive Tribe HERE. To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com. Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too. Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

This week on the show, I chat about ten of my favourite (and unexpected) perks of being a single mother. Links mentioned in the episode: For a limited time only, join Thrive Tribe HERE. To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com. Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too. Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.