The Sacred Space Storytelling Podcast

Christie-Lee is a multifaceted woman's facilitator who works in many realms of community support, She runs a youth work and disability business named Wild Sol as well as a self development and energy healing soul passion called Well and Balanced. She has delved into the depths of herself through grief and listening/understanding and is here to share her purpose with the world through leadership and education. Delivering all her work in an authentic way that aims to not be scary or overwhelming. Attracting a holistic approach to all things and coming at life through the lens of reality and humour.Want to connect with Christie? Find her on instagram as @wellnbalanced or @wildsolmentoring

Amy is a mama of three beautiful humans, a birth keeper, unschooled, artist and content creator. She is working a lot at the intersection of Free Birth and unschooling at the moment. She is dedicated to supporting families claim the life they truly desire through deschooling and connecting to their authentic self expression.In this episode we dive into Amy's three birth experiences and how birthing her last baby in sovereignty led her to the School Free Life.Want to connect with Amy?Find her on instagram:@amy.lou_@the.school.free.life

Romi is a daughter, sister, wife and mother to three beautiful children aged: 7, 3 and 3 months old.She is a crafts woman by trade and an advocate for beauty as a form of self love and in all aspects of life.The birth of her third baby at home in water with her family and midwives as witnesses only, after 2 caesareans, has been one of herbiest revolutions and has given her more than she could have ever imagined.Want to connect with Romina?Find her on instagram as: @romina_alessandra

In this episode we had the absolute privilege of speaking with Maha Al Musa.Maha is first and foremost a mother to three beautiful children (now 27, 24 and 15) a doula, birth mentor, international educator and the founder of EmbodyBirth and Bellydance For Birth® since 1997. She has released two award-winning resources—a world first book on Bellydance for birth, entitled Dance of the Womb, endorsed by Sheila Kitzinger, Dr. Michel Odent, Dr. Sarah Buckley and NACE (Aust.) and a follow on video series voted by about.com readers choice award for Best Pregnancy Fitness Product. She was presented with the One World Birth Hero National Award in 2011.Maha has been a keynote speaker at many birth conferences worldwide including the Shandong Midwifery Conference China, Human Rights In Childbirth Conference India and Birth Keepers Summit USA.She also offers her online wise conscious birth preparation program and her highly acclaimed EmbodyBirth teacher training certification as well as other powerful resources.All of Maha's teachings are supported by the Universal truth that birth is a sacred portal that has the potential to raise human consciousness and that every woman and baby has the freedom to choose and the right to be supported and born into the hands and arms of Love.Want to connect with Maha?Website: www.mahaalmusa.comInstagram: @embodybirthinternational

In today's episode we hear Amanda's story..Amanda is a mother of 3, a wife, a healer, a psychic mentor, therapist and soul guide.She works with women all over the world supporting them to deeply heal and transform their lives.In this episode she shares the lessons she has learnt from walking through the shadow that is path of life's journey.From these experiences she has been able t0 alchemise the darkness into light and bring depth and awareness to her work, Mothering and third birth.She felt her third baby calling out to her for years before he was concieved. When she was finally ready to welcome him she entered a deep and embodied journey.Amanda's entire pregnancy was conscious and ignited something within her. She was in tune with her baby and body which led to her feeling strongly in how she needed to birth him.She took up space and used her voice when faced with doubt and obstacles from the system. She stayed true to her instincts and intuition which led to her birthing her baby on HER terms, in HER own timing.This birth has set off a ripple effect out into the world, teaching the system what a strong birthing woman looks like and how they need to support birth.Want to connect with Amanda?Find her on Instagram as: @Amandaharrishealingor Facebook as: Amanda Harris

In this episode we hear Jem's story.....Jem is a Mother of three, creative director, student of metaphysical healing.She has been on a life long journey of what it means to be here, to be present, to be human, to be in connection with others. Why do we connect? Why are we here?Since she was very young she always witnessed and observed, she soothed situations and was able to tune into and connect with a range of people. Her fascination with people led her into studying theatre & performance and film making, She started training in drama when she was a young kid and made her first film when she was 16... always trying to capture and keep moments in everything she did.In her work she practices the approach that 'in everything is everything' so in the very form of what she creates she places the concept and the essence. This could be said for all of life.She has been on an ultimate unravelling, letting go of everything 'learnt'. She is on the path of reconnection with her own being, her basic human essence, her absolute potential.She is forever deeply feeling and thinking about life, philosophising on every element of everything.She is an artist in many ways, and a cliche of all things Pisces.The three births of her children were all wildly different and completely necessary for her journey home to herself. Her children continue to teach, challenge and define herMore than anything she has learnt that everything she seeks is within herself... her wisdom is infinite and beyond what she can even grasp and looking back at her journey as mother, all she can do is hold compassion and understanding for herself at every stage. Every decision, every consequence.For a long time she wanted to live life on her own terms, that has evolved to become a commitment to living life intentionally. She continues to journey everyday.Want to connect with Jem?Find her on instagram:@cloudherdfilmco and@cloudherdcommercial

In this episode we hear Anni's Story. Anni is a Mother of 2, based in Victoria, Australia.Since childhood she had been fascinated by birth. She began formal midwifery training in 2014 only to find the system to be unsupportive of women, babies and midwives and so made the decision to leave university.After unexpectedly falling pregnant at a young age she engaged privately practicing midwives and pursued a homebirth. The birth lead to the realisation that any form of registered midwifery is contradictory in its nature.The next 5 years brought many lessons of ceremony, life, death and birth and in July 2023 I birthed a baby boy at home in the sole presence of myself and partner.The birth was carnal and celestial, calm and wild all at once and with it I birthed confidence in motherhood and womanhood.Want to connect with Anni? Find her on Instagram as: seasons_of_anni

In this episode we have a conversation about 'holding space' and unpack what this truly is. This term gets thrown around a lot these days, but what does holding space really entail and how can we ensure we are consciously creating safe spaces for people to heal and grow.

In this episode we hear the birth story of Lucy's fourth baby.In the years leading up to Finn's birth she had gone through massive transformations and initiations in her life. Diving deep into her belief systems, the conditioning and stories she held around birth, womanhood and herself... this all led her to leave a career that she had always believed was her dream.After walking away from her employment and moving through the grief that midwifery was never going to be what she had hoped, and processing the trauma that she had experienced (and witnessed working as a midwife, she soon came to the conclusion that she no longer wanted to hold a midwifery registration at all and handed in back to AHPRA. It was the first of many, radical actions she made to take ownership over her life and time line.Finn's pregnancy and birth was the last piece of the puzzle and the embodiment of everything leading up to this point.Lucy chose not to have a 'care provider' in this pregnancy and birth and instead focused her energy and time on tuning into her own intuition and inner knowing. In this space she was forced to face fears head on and break generational and personal cycles. It was liberating for her to step out of her "midwife" brain and BE the pregnant woman. She faced the rawness that is growing and birthing life and chose to take radical responsibility for her whole experience. This decision led to an extremely healing and ecstatic birth, at home, in water, with only her partner and other children present.We hope you eniov this episode!Want to connect with Lucy? Find her on instagram as: mama_of_luna

In Episode 14 we hear Athena's Story.Athena Maroulis is an RTT clinical hypnotherapist and coach with a background in business and advertising. She changed careers a few few times but knows her work is about lifting humanity one person at a time from within. She was born in Australia but lived in Denmark and Guatemala where she fell in love with studying the spiritual practices of shamanism, indigenous spirituality and various other mystery school paths which enables her to integrate a deep spiritual knowledge into her work with clients.In this episode we hear the story of Athena's journey of integrating Business and Motherhood.When she found out she was pregnant with her son, she was living in Denmark at the time and shares how she had to navigate a foreign system and language, and how her experiences in her travels before her pregnancy shaped the way she chose to birth and then Mother her son.She shares how she struggled to integrate her new role as Mother with the expectations held by society to return back to work before she felt ready. This experience was the catalyst that led her down the path of discovering Hypnotherapy and creating her own business, so that she could Mother AND work in her a passion.Want to connect with Athena? Find her on Instagram as: @estate_of_being or wwww.estateofbeing.co

In episode 13 we hear Sarah's story...Sarah is a qualified Naturopath trained in Herbal Medicine, Nutrition and Homeopathy. She found her way to Anthroposophic Medicine through her Steiner school community, and completed post graduate training in Germany and Switzerland. This deepened her understanding of growth, healing, illness, and the healing plants a thousand fold. Her work has always led her into the orbit of children, families and personal growth. She has worked in Steiner early childhood education, and has training in Rebirthing Breathwork Mastery. She currently lives with her son and practices on Bundjalung land, in the Northern Rivers on the East Coast of Australia.In this conversation we dive deep into how Sarah became the beautiful and knowledgable practitioner and teacher she is today! From humble beginnings working in her local food co-op as a teenager, (surrounded by herbs and alternative ways of healthy living), to birthing and mothering her son, to diving deep into naturopathy and health and development through the lens of Steiner - she shares her beautiful unravelling into the world of holistic health.We hope this conversation inspires you to feel empowered in your health journey, your Mothering journey and to connect more deeply in with your innate wisdom.Want to connect in with Sarah? Find her on Instagram as @sarah.mann.naturopath where she has all her links to her amazing offerings and services!Anthroposophic Medicine resource list http://anthroposophicnaturopaths.org/anthroposophic-medicine-resources/Film the Art of Healing https://en.kunst-des-heilens.de/film (use the subtitles for English)

In episode 12 we hear Denya's Birth Story, a homebirth in water, of her first baby Sunny. She tells us of the generational healing that occurred during her daughter's pregnancy and birth and how her little girl divinely led the way from the moment she was conceived. Denya followed in her Mother's footsteps choosing to birth at home and stood in all her power as she walked this sacred path of initiation: Maiden into Mother.Denya is of Polynesian and European decent. She was born and raised on Durug and Gundungara land being very involved in the community through drumming, dancing and transpersonal development work. Denya now continues to reside in the beautiful Blue Mountains with her partner, daughter and soon to arrive, second baby.Denya is multitalented; she is a visual artist, graphic designer, singer, dancer, drummer, barista, mother and more!Want to connect with Denya?Find her on instagram as @denya_arohaOr on her Art Instagram as @art.by.denya

In this episode we hear Karuna's story. She dives deep into the moment that first cracked her open and awoke an innate power within her, the birth of her first daughter, Moana. She takes us through her experience of postpartum and the first early months, as she walked over this sacred threshold of Maiden to Mother.She shares how a few significant and heartbreaking moments in her life allowed her to connect once again with her strength and was an opportunity for her to begin creating a life where she could truly thrive!The birth of her second daughter Grace, was a beautiful reclamation of her body and where she was able to receive from the abundant community surrounding her. After completing Jane Hardwicke Collings Four Seasons Journey she found herself craving to live on the very land where she had been sitting in circle over the past year. So this is where she landed, living amongst the trees in the Blue Mountains, nurtured and held in the arms of Mother Nature, living and thriving in her local community! She has curated such an abundant and beautiful life for herself and her girls. Modelling how when we are tapped into our innate feminine flow we can truly have it all and THRIVE. This episode was raw and such a beautiful conversation to have. We hope you enjoy it!Want to connect with Karuna? Find her on instagram as: @karuna_ofthemountainsWe also wanted to give a huge shoutout to @studiooffduty that we mentioned in this episode.

Welcome to episode ten! Today we hear Kristy's birth story of her third baby Primrose. Leading up to this conception Kristy had embarked on deep inner work whilst attending Jane Hardwicke Collings Four Seasons Training. It was during this time that she felt a baby calling out to her, a daughter. As her pregnancy unfolded she continued to dive deep within herself following her intuition and connecting deeply with her baby. Her pregnancy was cosmic and spiritual and a profound awakening. As birth neared Kristy created a safe space in her home, a sanctuary, where she felt supported and held. Her birth was gentle and everything she had called in. Her baby "eased her into the birth portal" where, when she was ready she powerfully birthed her third baby, her daughter into the birth pool.We hope you enjoy this episode!Want to connect in with Kristy?Find her on Instagram as: @queenof_thebanchees

On today's episode we hear Tessa's story.Tessa is an Indigenous Women Entrepreneur who thrives in heart-led spaces. Her works encompasses supportive healing work as a Doula for Mother's, providing emotional, wisdom and education on birth and motherhood. As a mother herself, this work is close to her heart in providing the foundation of love, security and informed empowering knowledge for families and women on their motherhood journeys. As a space holder, Tessa is passionate about brining women together to invoke remembrance on the importance of grounding, rest, reflection and nurturing firstly of ourselves, and then each other and the communities we place ourselves in. Tessa's wisdom within honouring the sacred rites of passage that women traditionally paid homage to is steeped with empowering knowledge and gently held spaces that holds us and creates a deep sense of self and community. Her work in the plant medicine realm weaves her Indigenous knowledge, community values, self-honouring practices and passion within women's health and wellbeing into a space of ritual, ceremony and nourishing knowledge where we are embraced with tender care, empowered with depth within our self-healing and tended to in a sensory journey of tonics, intuitive massage and detoxifying steam sessions for our whole selves to heal and integrate.Want to connect with Tessa?Find her on instagram: @yoniherbsaustraliaa@pulse_of_the_womb

In this episode Kristy and Lucy have a raw and candid conversation about 'Postpartum Being Forever' and what this actually means! Our conversation then dove into being human, being woman, being Mother in this modern world. Rites of Passage lost and the impact this has on society, death, embodiment practices and so many more topics unpacked! This conversation really did go into alllll the realms! Yet, all of these topics really are all deeply intertwined. We hope you enjoy this super real conversation. Want to connect with us? Find us on Instagram: @thesacred_space_Or our personal pages: Kristy - @queenof_thebancheesLucy - @mama_of_luna

Today we hear Juliet's Story...Juliet grew up in an off-grid home along the Meroo River outside of Mudgee. In her mid 20's to early 30's, she backpacked solo, with her best friends and also her mum around Europe and England, walked as a pilgrim along the Camino de Santiago and lived in England, where she would teach in primary schools. Juliet is a nature lover, down to earth wild child at heart who is passionate about nature connections with children and so studied to become a forest school leader in 2020 and has been creating Greenheart Forest School over the past 3 years. She recently moved back to her hometown of Mudgee, a nest in the hills, with her partner. This is where she free birthed their first born, a waterbirth, in the safe comforts of their home, the Buddha Barn on a farm with her loving man by her side.Want to connect with Juliet? Find her on instagram as: @greenheartforestschool or @makinmagicalmemories

In today's episode we speak to Sarah.Sarah qualified as a Registered Nurse and Midwife in 2014. She worked in a tertiary hospital from then on. When she was on maternity leave after her second baby, she decided to become a Hypnobirthing Australia practitioner and teach parents about birth and how to connect with their bodies. Whilst teaching, along with her personal and spiritual growth, she become less and less attached to mainstream Midwifery and the medical maternity system, and decided to not return to working within the hospital system.During her pregnancy (and then Free birth) with her third baby, she decided to deregister from Midwifery and wholeheartedly commit to supporting women more authentically.Want to connect with Sarah? Find her on Instagram as @the.midwifemummy

In today's episode we hear Lizzie's two beautiful birth stories. Her first, a land birth, at a free standing Birth House in Melbourne. And her second, a wild Pregnancy, Free Birth and Lotus Birth in Northern QLD. Lizzie followed her deep inner wisdom that called her to birth in the way that she did, drowning out any outside noise and following her bliss. Lizzie is a solo Mama to her two wild daughters, passionate about living a sovereign life in alignment with desire, passion and devotion. Want to connect in with Lizzie? Find her on instagram: @lizzieruddle

In this episode we hear Sarah's story.Sarah is a midwife who has worked across many settings and countries. Pursuing a passion of connecting with and learning from women, midwives and traditional cultures. She has never been one to take the road most travelled and her midwifery career and how she supports women reflects that. She works with plants, nutrition and body work to provide women holistic healing along the childbearing continuum and shares this knowledge with other birth workers through her events and mentoring.We dive into her experiences working overseas alongside (and learning from) traditional Birth Workers, and how she has has folded in so many beautiful practices through her care she gives to women. We unpack how women can connect back into their innate wisdom (source) to empower themselves in all of life's Rite's of Passages and how stepping up into their power as women would radically change the face of birth and the experience of Motherhood. Sarah has truly made the work of a Midwife her own and stayed true and authentic to herself in all of her journeys. She is such an asset to have in this time where women are craving and seeking MORE!Such a beautiful episode full of potent story medicine.We hope you enjoy. Want to connect with Sarah? You can find her on instagram: @down_to_birthOr on her website: down birth midwifery.com

In episode 3 we unravel Kristy's raw, deep and emotional story of how she became the woman she needed when she was younger.Kristy's journey is one of deep and intense initiations and hard lessons as she found herself coming full circle in a beautiful healing way to be able to guide and help others see their inner light and true essence.She unpacks her experiences working on the ground in community services as a support person with postpartum mothers, mental health, homeless youth and those experiencing trauma and disconnect - to fighting her own Inner demons, her own disembodiment, addiction and sadness.A journey with a deeper meaning, one of the wounded healer, a discovery of joining the dots to truely find her inner purpose, light and ways to uplift humanity.Want to connect with Kristy? Find her on Instagram as: @queenof_thebanchees

On today's episode we hear Carla's story working in the birth realm, providing holistic and traditional pregnancy, birth and postpartum care.We speak about our current birth culture and dive deep into how we can better support the Birth Space, Women and their families. Carla is mother of 2 young children, Birthkeeper and Postpartum Care giver. She supports mothers in her community through the full spectrum of the birth continuum. Her invitation to this work came through her two contrasting experiences of birth and postpartum with her babies. Carla has a background in Shiatsu bodywork, yoga, meditation and slow herbalism. She is a rewilding and revillaging enthusiast. Carla's offering is a blend of these modalities as well as wisdom that has been passed to her under the guidance of an elder birthworker in her community.Want to connect with Carla?Instagram: Traditional.healingWebsite: www.traditionalhealingbirthwork.com

In our first episode we discuss Lucy's journey of becoming a Midwife in the modern day Maternity System of Australia.She unpacks some of her personal experiences as she battled to find her footing as a young Midwife in a very broken system, and then went on to struggle to be able to juggle the demands and unrealistic expectations of workplaces once she became a Mother herself. After years of battling up hill and experiencing burn out (trying to find an authentic way to practice) she had the wake up call that Midwifery was never going to look the way that she hoped in such a broken and backward system.Want to connect with Lucy? Find her on Instagram as: @mama_of_luna