Motherland Australia

At 35, Kerry O’Sullivan was busy running her 90,000-acre cattle station near Clermont in QLD. On the surface life was great. Kerry had a successful business, lived next door to her 3 sisters and parents, all on neighbouring properties, and spent her weekends at campdrafts. But Kerry knew deep down that she really wanted to be a mum. The only problem was, she’d never met the right person. At 35, Kerry started the process of doing it on her own, but at a routine doctor's appointment, she was told that her body didn’t produce eggs. And while it was a devastating discovery, it didn’t stop her. Kerry began researching egg and sperm donors and IVF clinics. There was talk of embryos from America, but then COVID hit. Thankfully, she found a way to do it all, closer to home. Now Kerry is a mum to two little kids, Joe, who was born in 2022 and Dulcie who was born in 2023. Kerry sits down with me for a very honest conversation about her journey to motherhood, and what she’d tell people who find themselves in a similar situation to her. This is her story.The Regional Tech Hub has helped more than 300,000 people around rural Australia with free and independent advice on getting connected and staying connected to vital internet and voice services. The team can help answer all your connectivity questions. Visit the RegionalTechHub.org.au to find out more about their FREE and independent service.https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

Since 2018, Michelle Moriarty’s life has been split into two halves. Before the love of her life, Nathan died, and after. Michelle and Nathan were raising their family in regional WA after a romance, Michelle says was for the ages. Michelle was working as a social worker, Nathan and her were a team, and life was pretty good. But on the 10th of June 2018, everything changed. Michelle’s grief was all-consuming and isolating despite the village she had around her. She knew then that she didn’t want any other person to feel that way, so she founded Grief Connect - a Young Widowed Support group, and online hub where widowed men and women could come and have honest conversations about the realities of losing loved ones. And then, four years later after losing her father, she founded a similar group for widowers over 55 .Michelle is a remarkable woman and today she shares her grief, her joy, what it was like learning to love again, and how she’s mothered through it all. This is Michelle’s story. The Regional Tech Hub’s mission is simple: to equip anyone living or working in rural Australia with trusted connectivity advice to help unlock new technologies, boost innovation, and create a connected future.The team can help answer all your connectivity questions. Visit the https://regionaltechhub.org.au to find out more about their FREE and independent service. https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

This month, Motherland celebrates the positive impact our charity partner, the Isolated Children’s Parents Association, continues to make for families just like yours everyday. Their wonderful volunteers together have created branches throughout rural Australia - and their ‘relentless and always on’ advocacy continues to build and grow better educational outcomes for our kids. To bring this incredible work to life, today’s episode features one of their own, Steph Cowper. Steph wears many hats but her commitment to education and dedication to continuous learning shines through. Today you’ll hear about Steph’s own motherhood journey...from relocating from a coastal town to rural Queensland, losing her identity after her two kids were born and throwing herself into study, the realities of being married to a FIFO worker and her daughter’s early anxiety diagnosis. This is her story.If you’re a parent at any stage of the education journey and are keen to make a difference, join the ICPA community today. Head to icpa.com.au to sign up and support their important work and give our kids the opportunities they deserve.https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

Nicole Sandland was about to move to Germany to further pursue her professional dancing career when she fell in love with a bloke from the land. She went away for three months but came home, and what happened next was a whirlwind romance. Nicole and Luke packed up their life in Adelaide and moved to Jamestown in regional South Australia, near Luke’s family farm. The pair opened the town’s first gym, and then moved onto a property out of town, and then COVID hit. But unlike a lot of people, Nic really enjoyed the forced lockdown, because she’s not very good at slowing down and not doing things, and she’ll be the first to admit it. Nic is a mum to 18-month-old Seb, a trainer at Kate Ivey Fitness, and the founder, co-director and PT at her own gym, NicFit. In this very honest episode of Motherland, Nic joins me to discuss the ‘trap’ of trying to do it all, what happens when your husband quits farming to join your business, and the realities of being a mum who wants to work, but also wants nothing more than to be with her kids. If you’re also a mum who’s wearing too many hats and who's struggling with the mental load, you need to listen to this very honest conversation. This is Nicole’s story. The ICPA is here to help you and your children thrive. Through their support, they can connect you with other families who understand your challenges, and can provide you with access to invaluable tools and resources to support your children’s learning at all ages and stages. Head to icpa.com.au — and  join today to give our kids the opportunities they deserve. https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia