The end of the year is nigh, and I know I’m not the only one wondering, “how did we get here so fast?”
The past few months have been wonderfully full, with the Birth Wellness Festival, new practitioners joining our community, new classes beginning, and some exciting events and conversations beginning to take shape.
Reflecting on the Birth Wellness Festival
We are still carrying the warmth of this year’s Birth Wellness Festival.
What began several years ago as a small gathering at Heart & Soul has continued to grow into something much bigger ; a community coming together around pregnancy, birth, postpartum, parenting and family wellbeing.
This year’s festival brought together families, midwives, doulas, practitioners, speakers, stallholders and volunteers for two days of education, conversation and connection.
A huge thank you to everyone from the Birth Wellness team who contributed, attended, volunteered, donated, shared the event or simply stood behind the vision.
The festival could not exist without that community support.
When Birth is Well, We are all Well.
New faces at Heart & Soul
One of the things I love most about Heart & Soul is watching the community of practitioners continue to grow.
There is something very special about having different practitioners working alongside one another under the same roof — massage, acupuncture, bodywork, women’s health, counselling, birth support, yoga and other forms of care all contributing to the wider wellbeing of our community. This Spring we were delighted to welcome some new practitioners into the space, bringing their own experience, skills and ways of supporting health and wellbeing.
Luke Rose
We’re delighted to welcome Luke Rose to the Heart & Soul community.
Luke is a qualified Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine who brings together acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, Qi Gong, Reiki and his background in martial arts and exercise therapy to support the whole person.
His work is grounded in helping the body return to greater balance, ease and vitality, with areas of focus including musculoskeletal pain and mobility, rehabilitation, anxiety and stress, fatigue and low energy, women’s and men’s health, digestion and sleep.
Luke brings a calm, thoughtful and holistic approach to his work, and we’re very happy to have him practising from Heart & Soul.
Find him on our website www.heartandsoulofwellness.com.au to book your appointment.
Sarah Dwyer
We are also delighted to welcome Sarah Dwyer, who has been offering Hypnobirthing classes at Heart and Soul. Sarah is the founder of Birth in Love, a Doula and Hypnobirthing practitioner who offers both Birth and Postpartum Support. She has such a lovely energy and is dedicated to co-creating a beautiful + positive birth experience for mamas and their partners.
Laura Williams
Laura is a holistic counsellor who supports people through trauma, emotional overwhelm, relationship challenges, life transitions and recurring patterns that can leave them feeling stuck or disconnected.
With a Bachelor in Counselling and training as a Reiki Master, Laura brings together evidence-based counselling with a holistic, trauma-informed approach that supports the mind, body, emotions and nervous system.
Laura brings warmth, authenticity and genuine care to her work, creating a space where people can feel supported, understood and able to reconnect more deeply with themselves.
We have a wonderfully diverse group of practitioners, who each bring their own skills, experience and personality to Heart & Soul.
I am in awe of what we are able to offer under one roof and of the care each practitioner brings to the people who walk through our doors
One of the things I really value about these amazing humans is their ongoing commitment to learning, upskilling and keeping their knowledge current.
Tania Llanes has recently completed further training in Maya Womb and Abdominal Massage, adding another layer to her already extensive experience as a massage therapist, womb whisperer and traditional women’s medicine practitioner.
Steph Banks has also completed her Breathwork Facilitation training, adding this to her work as a Birth Imprint Practitioner, speaker and author, and continues to be passionate about supporting people through nervous system regulation, emotional awareness and embodied healing.
And good news for mamas-to-be is we now have another nurturing offering for them. Monica Casu, who already offers ZenThai massage has now completed her pregnancy massage training. This week, four of the women from our pregnancy group were treated to a complimentary massage from her as Monica completed the practical requirements for her accreditation.
Dance at Heart and Soul Another exciting new event at Heart & Soul is a monthly Free Flow Dance class with Cat Bednarski, held on the third Friday of every month.
Cat Bednarski is a woman of many talents. Some of you may know her through her work as a Vision Quest facilitator, or through her dedicated work as a gardener and land whisperer.
We’re thrilled to welcome Cat into the Heart & Soul space and to bring more movement, expression and dance into what we offer here.
These monthly classes will be an opportunity to move, connect, express and simply enjoy being in your body - no dance experience needed.
Our Heart & Soul Community
And while we’re celebrating our new practitioners and recent trainings, I also want to acknowledge the wonderful team of people who make Heart & Soul what it is.
Sonia Barton offers Bowen Therapy, while Christa Macdonald brings her specialised work in pelvic floor repair and support. Ingrid de Lacey offers individual and couples counselling, and Allie supports clients through acupuncture, herbs and Chinese Medicine. Lana brings creativity and expression into the space through Art Therapy. We were sad to say goodbye to Karlyn Boyter when she moved to Tasmania, but we're delighted that she returns to the Northern Rivers each year to reconnect with her clients and offer her Yoni Mapping sessions.
Our beautiful massage therapists, Nicola Maffei, Monica Casu, Christina Cruz and Lu Cork continue to provide nurturing hands-on care, while our yoga community is held by Anatelya Harari, Joy Ross and Kim Graves, each bringing their own style and experience to the mat. And I continue to offer Pregnancy Yoga, which remains very close to my heart.
We’re also so grateful for Belinda Talbot, our much-loved chiropractor, who, besides seeing her regular clients, offers a monthly Pregnancy and Postnatal Community Clinic, providing gentle and accessible support for women through pregnancy and after birth.
The Birth Wellness Podcast has been another exciting development this year. I've had the pleasure of sitting down with some wonderful people to explore pregnancy, birth, postpartum, relationships and the many ways our early experiences shape our lives. If you haven't had a chance to listen yet, you'll find the Birth Wellness Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. And if you would like to be a guest on the show, please reach out.
What’s Coming Up
Although we’re winding down towards the end of the year, there is already plenty beginning to take shape for 2027.
Birth Stories on Stage is returning for its third year, and preparations are already underway. Once again, we’ll be bringing real birth stories into the spotlight: stories that are powerful, moving, funny, challenging and deeply human.
The Birth Wellness Festival will also return in 2027, continuing to grow the conversations, education and community around pregnancy, birth and family wellbeing.
Birth Stories on Stage is stirring again…
We are also beginning to turn our attention towards the next Birth Stories on Stage. There is something incredibly powerful about hearing birth stories spoken aloud; not only the beautiful or uncomplicated stories, but the complex, surprising, funny, challenging and transformative ones too.
Birth Stories on Stage was created to give those stories a place to be heard without judgement and to remind us that there is no single birth story.
We are starting to gather ideas, voices and possibilities for the next event, and we’ll be sharing more as it begins to take shape.