Please, Ask Mikki Podcast

Elle is an integrative counsellor, psychotherapist and yoga facilitator. She's been the healer for most of her adult life. When she was diagnosed with an eating disorder two years ago, she was shocked. It never occurred to her that her relationship with food was so toxic. We delve deep into diet and wellness culture! What is it doing to us? How many of us don't even realise we have a bad relationship with food? How does the wellness industry contribute? You can find Elle at @anandi.therapies or www.ananditherapies.com Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review this podcast for more goodness!

How does somebody go from cleaning bed pans and administering fluids to self publishing a cookbook with a penis glossary? Shannon Kelly-White is a rare, vulgar blemish in the cookbook world. Or, the world in general. She is arguably one of the funniest people on the internet and as I've now experienced, also in real life. In this episode we chat all things self publishing, self worth and self deprecating humour. This episode is NOT one to be missed (but also, how dare you miss any episode). If you've been living under a rock and don't know where to find Shannon you can follow her at @shannonskitchenaustralia or check out her website www.shannonkellywhite.com Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the Please, Ask Mikki podcast IF YOU'RE A LEGEND. 

On this week’s podcast I have a chat with the inspiring Danielle Reed, host of the Mummy Republic podcast. At her 20-week pregnancy scan, Dannii was told that something was wrong. An expecting parent’s worst nightmare became her reality. Her pregnancy, birth, delivery and the life of her baby was not going to be straightforward. Although she kept the details from the world, she shared her emotional journey with us. How do you deal with the anxiety that comes with a high-risk pregnancy? How do you navigate it? What’s involved? How do you stay sane? We don’t get to choose what happens to us in this life, but we do get to choose how we react. Dannii and I talk about the emotions and feelings that surround a high-risk pregnancy. What do you do when trauma strikes? How do you respond? I’m beyond happy to announce that the beautiful Archer Fox made his way into the world on the 28th of February! To read about Archer’s condition you can check out Dannii’s Instagram at @mummyrepublic. And if you’re obsessed with the Please, Ask Mikki podcast then I guarantee you will feel the same about the Mummy Republic podcast! Collaboration over competition, always.  We’re just over here fixing eachothers crowns. Don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review this podcast BECAUSE YOU’RE A BLOODY LEGEND.

TRIGGER WARNING: For anybody who has been a victim of DFV So far this year in Australia nine women have been murdered by a man they loved. The statistics say that in Australia one woman a weekis murdered by a man due to a domestic violence related incident. So far we’ve lost nine women. And we’re only seven weeks into the year. Jackie Lachmund, CEO of Australia’s CEO Challenge joins me on the Please, Ask Mikki podcast to educate us on everything Domestic Family Violence. As a survivor herself, Jackie is so damn passionate about educating people about DFV. Australia’s CEO Challenge is a non-for-profit organisation that has been partnering with Australian businesses since 2001 to raise awareness, provide training and teach workplaces to recognise the signs of DFV and respond appropriately. Jackie is an absolute wealth of knowledge. I finished recording this episode and just cried for an hour. This issue is so dear to so many women’s hearts. Most of us have lived in fear of the man we loved at one point in our lives. Something needs to be done. You can check out all of the amazing things that Jackie and her organisation are doing at https://australiasceochallenge.org/ If you or somebody you know is in a DFV situation and looking for help, call 1800RESPECT for assistance. 

She has been an inspiration to many. Sharing her completely raw, honest and unfiltered IVF experience. From the procedures, medications, negative pregnancy tests, positive pregnancy tests and heartbreaking miscarriages- Bron has shared it all. For those that live the world of TTC and IVF, she is a breath of relatable fresh air. And for those of us who have no understanding of that world, she teaches us compassion. This episode is for everyone. Bronwyn takes us through the technicalities of her IVF journey, how she looks after her mental health throughout the process, what it feels like to experience a miscarriage, what she’s learnt about Spirit Babies, how she has come home to herself spiritually throughout this journey and so much more! LISTEN NOW and don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review this podcast if it fills your damn cup.

I created this series because I felt like yelling at the world after giving birth to my son. After what felt like ten thousand weeks of pregnancy, almost a month of pre-labour, hours upon (f-word) hours of active labour and two minutes of pushing- I had my new human and I was ready to go home six hours later. Except that I wasn’t ready at all. I was still trying to mentally comprehend the fact that a human had just exited my body.   Birth is a lot of things and there are so many variables. This season taught me so much, not just about birth but also about life in general. In this episode I (and a bunch of you legends) discuss what we learnt during this season.  

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt whilst recording this Birth series and during Motherhood in general, it’s that good support can make all the difference. On this weeks episode I had the pleasure of chatting to the beautiful Bronwyn from Kindred Birth on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Bron is a Doula! I personally thought a Doula was a medical term before I fell pregnant with my first baby. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who has wondered what the hell they are. You can find Bronwyn at www.kindredbirth.com.au and on Instagram at @kindred_birth. 

Most of us all plan on having a natural vaginal birth. We dream of meditating our way through labour, going within ourselves, riding a freaking dolphin in our mind until all of a sudden we sneeze and a baby flies out. You might do all the hypno-birthing classes, you might eat all the right things, you might get acupuncture four times a week leading up to the main event and you might still end up having an emergency C-section. Sheridan never expected to have the birth story she did. She did everything right! Everything! But it is the story that so many women share, the story of an emergency C-section. We spent this episode crying, laughing and crying of laughter. You can find Sheridan at www.sheridanjoy.com or follow her on Instagram at @sheridanjoyaustin.

Sarah's story is not a nice story. It’s traumatic, it’s unfair and it’s still raw. Her story is like The Series Of Unfortunate Events, if the events are the most traumatic thing you could possibly imagine. When I first read Sarah’s story it was in dot point form on an email. How can you possibly tell the story of five very different, but very traumatic births in under 200 words? You can’t. 

When Anthea emailed me with her birth story I knew that I had to have her on the podcast for a chat. I was obsessed with her passion! She felt so empowered! So in control! So in LOVE with the experience! Her perception of birth is so beautiful and inspiring. We chatted all about her birth and how our birth experience can translate into Motherhood. We also spoke a little about her asshole. But it wouldn’t be a Please, Ask Mikki episode without a bit of butthole chat. 

We idolize women who ‘bounce back’ and ‘do it all’, instead of acknowledging the woman who simply rests and heals. I had the pleasure of chatting to the brilliant Brooke from Bouncing Back From Birth!

Nine months, you’re told. Nine months for your baby to grow, nine months for you to do up the nursery, nine months to make sure the car seat is installed properly and nine months to mentally prepare yourself for Motherhood. Nine months that you expect you will get, a countdown with an estimated end date to work with. But what if you only got seven months? This was the case for Laura.

Birth is freaking hard. I should know because I’ve recently-ish endured it for the second time. My son is now six months old BUT it is still fresh in my mind/I’m still recovering from the mild PTSD that comes with having a human exit your body. I gave birth for the first time to my daughter almost three years ago, and I think I was too distracted by the fact that I didn’t have a SINGLE EFFING clue what I was doing to even think about what it took for her to come into the world.

Sex is the most natural thing in the world! We literally owe it our life. And yet we don’t talk about it as though it’s a beautiful thing. We don’t teach our children to own their bodies sexually and to create a relationship with their bits and pieces. I had the absolute PLEASURE of talking to the wonderful Nadia Bokody who is a sex-positive journalist, mental health advocate and just a bloody unreal cheerleader for women. We spoke about owning our sexual power, regaining control in the bedroom (and our lives) and how we can raise our children to have a healthy sexual relationship with themselves and others.

I had the pleasure of talking to the beautiful Emma Nevison, a woman passionate about creating change around our perceptions of menstruation. In our chat she talks about our cycles relationship with the moon and how much we can learn about ourselves by learning about our cycles. I learnt so much during our conversation and I guarantee you will too! LISTEN TO IT NOW! And check Emma out (and purchase her Moonstration Calender) on Instagram at @emmanevison. PLUS don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the Please, Ask Mikki podcast (because I’ve got my 10 year school reunion this year and I plan on turning up with an obnoxious attitude and my middle fingers in the air).  And follow me on my socials (what a wanker-ish thing to say) @pleaseaskmikki.

Have a listen to our incredible chat! Where we get juicy about the world of Influencers, discuss where we are taught self-hate and chat about how even us plebs (me, I’m a pleb) can be a huge part of the change. Also, make sure you check out what Brooke Styles in up to at @brookestyles and keep up to date with the Full Of Love Club and it’s upcoming events at @fullofloveclub.

This conversation is for everybody. As consumers we have the ability to make a difference. It’s less about what we do and more about our intentions and our mindset. We have the chance to not only educate ourselves but also our next generation! Plus learn how to make this Christmas (and every Christmas from now on) less about over-consumption and more about quality time with those you love. LISTEN NOW AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO OUR WORLD! And don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review my podcast so I can tell my Grandfather that I’m topping the charts (and he can continue to nod and smile and have no idea what I do for a living).

Sooo I’m Up The Duff at current, which means that unfortunately (or fortunately?) for you I’m biased about topics. By that I mean if I get a nutrition in for a chat- I want to talk about what I should be eating- because I’m selfish and it’s my show. I asked the beautiful, amazing, incredible (and also pregnant) Sheridan Joy Austin to have a chat with me about ALL things nutrition. Everything from what we should be eating before we fall pregnant to what our children should be eating now (that they’re assholes and only want to eat cheese out of a bag).

It turned out that when you get one (the) Lauren Dubois together with one (not the) Mikaela Burnett and play a drinking game that (sadly) doesn’t involve drinking but DOES involve a lot of questionable parenting skills- sparks fly. So pour yourself a glass of wine, a cuppa tea or a plastic cup of Fruity Lexia and play along with the Shitty Parents Edition of Never Have I Ever.

I invited my sister-in-law to come into the studio so we could chat about those post-baby relationship hardships. Full disclosure, the conversation took a bit of a wild turn and at some point somebody (maybe me) began comparing post-baby vaginas to the thing that dangles off a turkey neck. I’m not saying IT DID happen, but it may have. Either way, have a listen and find out just how much of a turn the chinwag took.

how can we as women help these men of ours? How can we encourage them to express their emotions? How do we raise young men and women who aren’t afraid of their feelings? Well I had a chinwag with Dr Sammy Parker himself and asked ALL of these questions (and more! Amazing!). If we can learn how to hold space and encourage our men to share their emotions with us honestly- imagine how different our world could be! This isn’t just about them, this is about all of us. If they (da boiz) can learn to express their emotions, perhaps they won’t be so afraid of ours (da gurls). So whether your balls live inside of your body OR outside of your body this podcast is for you! (You don’t even have to have ANY balls). And be sure to check out the Grab Life By The Balls Movement! And grab life by the balls, I guess?

I asked (begged) my beautiful friend Elle Anandi to sit down with me and have a chat about energies. Elle is a yoga teacher, Holistic Counsellor, psychotherapist (almost) alongside a bunch of other things. Essentially, she knows her shit. She’s passionate about all people BUT especially women (yasss the girls). Elle’s perspective is beyond her years and she is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom (I’m assuming this is how people also describe me- so knowledgeable, so full of wisdom).  But my chat with Elle really blew my freaking mind. Because we have the chance to create a different world! A world with a new perspective. A world with an open, playful mind. A world with more wine! (YAS) And as parents and future parents we have the chance to create this from an empty canvas (our children, the children are the canvas’). SO have a freaking listen already! And prepare to have your mind blown into tiny little pieces (I’m still picking mine up).    

I got my sister in law to interview me... We spent most of the time laughing about how much of a loser I was at school and wondering how I wasn’t bullied mercilessly. But we also covered things like… My drunk alter-ego (Spoiler: She slut-drops) Whether or not I’ve ever dipped my toes in the lady pool (See: Drunk alter-ego) Why I grew up in a family of five girls and zero boys (bar one gay-as-Christmas dog) What happened to my missing fallopian tube (this is the kind of goss old school friends would LOVE) Whether I had any infertility issues (Spoiler: Yes) How I met Chris (No, it was not love at first swipe) This episode had me in tears of laughter and I absolutely weed myself a little bit at some point. So download it now, have a listen, have a laugh, have a little wee and get excited for the goss of the century! (Ha! Mikaela, you’re not Beyoncé. Sit down).

I learnt so damn much from Lisa! Her passion is inspiring and this interview is something that EVERYBODY can learn from. Everybody knows a Mum. Whether you’re a friend, husband, daughter, sister or brother- being aware of this illness could truly save someone. If you know somebody or you yourself feel as though you may be suffering from this illness then please listen to this podcast and get in contact with any of the organisations down below. You deserve to love yourself. You deserve to enjoy this time of your life. Your child chose you as their Mother for a reason, because you are the PERFECT Mother for them. Never compare yourself to anybody else.  So long as you love your child, you are an amazing Mother. The dishes will get done eventually. Your boobs will never return to normal but your butt might! Your child will eventually sleep and you will eventually get to that yoga class. Just cut yourself some slack Mumma. And feel free to tell the judgey Mums to suck a fat one. Lisa Lindley’s clinic - http://sunshinecoastpnd.com.au/ PANDA organisation - https://www.panda.org.au/

I had huge plans of meditating through my labour. Hahaha I know, right? What a classic Hypothetical Parent thought/wanker. In my mind I would be connecting with some higher spirit of baby-getting-out-er-ing whilst I swam through the oceans of Atlantis with a freaking mermaid tail, humming the tune of the Water Gods and drinking from the Fountain Of Fertility. Obviously none of that happened. Instead I actually transformed into Satan himself and screamed explicits (that were honestly, even new to my dictionary) at everyone who even dared to look at me. I was an actual dragon. Even I was scared of me. Probably the reason that my baby took so damn long to leave my cosy insides was because it feared to meet the Satan-like creature waiting for it on the other side of the light. In my first ever podcast I'd love to tell you what I never expected... after I expected!