Tomorrow is Not Today

This episode of Tomorrows Not Today podcast, Eslana Lower, a Gold Coast nurse, midwife, mother, business owner, and author, shares the story of losing her 15-year-old daughter Riley to suicide on Nov 17, 2022, after Riley jumped from their 33rd-floor balcony while Eslana and Riley’s sisters were home. 
Eslana found her and describes the aftermath, including trauma, anger, and learning to “say yes” to grief and life. 
She explains how childhood abuse and neglect shaped her, how parenting taught her, and why vulnerability is strength, emphasising conscious communication to avoid shame. 
Eslana discusses resilience “born of gratitude,” the danger of self-isolation, and the need for connection and specialised support. She describes factors behind Riley’s death, including Snapchat-based bullying and alleged grooming by an older supervisor, and shares how her surviving daughters are thriving, finding community through youth group and church. 
She promotes her book, “Resilience After Great Loss: Learning to Live and Grieve Simultaneously,” and offers copies to those who can’t afford it.
00:00 Riley Lost
01:11 Podcast Welcome
02:14 Vulnerability Strength
03:32 Childhood Trauma
06:18 Raising Open Kids
09:05 Parenting Lessons
12:05 Midwife Mindset Work
14:58 Purpose After Loss
17:12 The Day She Died
19:25 Saying Yes to Grief
20:58 Not a Victim
26:10 Resilience and Gratitude
31:13 Choices in Darkness
37:51 Connection Over Isolation
41:47 Help Through Technology
43:02 Conscious Parenting Shift
46:12 Fear Fight Or Flight
49:21 Bullying Grooming Story
56:04 Grief Kindness Lessons
01:00:10 Thriving After Loss
01:10:32 Girls Find Community
01:17:03 Book Legacy Closing

What happens when success leaves you empty, angry, and barely holding your marriage together?
In this episode of Tomorrow's Not Today, host Kingsley Colley sits down with Mariana Lennert — Brazilian-born feminine leadership mentor, entrepreneur, and founder of Empower Her — now based in Australia after a life-changing move 19 years ago.
Mariana opens up about leaving a law career that no longer aligned with her soul, navigating motherhood as a single mum in a foreign country, building multiple businesses — and still hitting rock bottom with depression, panic attacks, an eating disorder, and a marriage on the brink of collapse.

This is a raw, honest conversation about what it really takes to heal, lead, and live with purpose.
In this episode you'll discover:
Why high-achieving women often mask deep pain behind outward success
How childhood safety patterns fuel control, resentment, and relationship breakdown
The LSD experience in Brazil that convinced Mariana she was "here for something"
Why small, courageous actions — not giant leaps — create lasting transformation
How to follow signs, build intentional legacy, and lead from authentic power
Listen now if you're ready to stop surviving and start leading.

Timestamps: 
00:00 Breakup and New Start 
01:08 Meet Mariana Lennert 
03:02 From Brazil to Australia 
04:25 Law Career Wake Up 
06:56 Learning English Fast 
08:05 Motherhood and New Marriage 
10:30 Success but Depressed 
13:51 Control and Resentment 
17:07 Childhood Roots of Control 
21:43 Healing and Asking Help 
25:26 Turning Pain into Purpose 
28:20 Helping Women Change 
31:16 Courage Over Fear 
32:59 Start Small Actions 
35:10 Brazil Family Breakdown 
36:55 Highway Wake Up Call 
40:29 Purpose After Survival 
44:21 Small Kindness Big Impact 
48:36 Saying Yes To Signs 
51:05 Service Over Self Doubt 
53:58 Legacy And Leadership 
55:44 Connect And Next Steps 
56:26 Final Thanks And Wrap

On the Tomorrow’s Not Today podcast, Kingsley interviews Sally Jones about her lived experience of child abuse, complex PTSD, addiction risks, and the ongoing work of healing, and how she turned that trauma into a child protection education program after 20 years as a teacher. 
She describes gaps in school-based prevention, lack of repetition, unsustainable one-off visits, and outdated “stranger danger” messaging and argues kids need skills for real-life encounters with perpetrators, who may be family, peers, or anyone. 
Grounded in attachment theory, her online, interactive program teaches grooming behaviours, boundaries, and self-trust by noticing body signals, and includes “champions” (trusted adults) plus an in-program “switch” that alerts a designated school contact to support mandatory reporting. The conversation also addresses adult recognition of abuse, trauma’s effects on relationships and emotional regulation, imposter syndrome, and seeking professional help and trusted support.
00:00 Trigger Warning and Reality
01:29 Podcast Welcome and Purpose
03:04 Why Schools Need Better Protection
04:57 Attachment Theory and Safety
06:21 Her Story Childhood Trauma
08:15 Nursing Forensics and PTSD
11:26 Choosing Change Drugs and Alcohol
15:12 Moving to Australia and Healing
16:55 Program Teaches Grooming and Boundaries
19:35 Champions and The Safety Switch
23:23 Trauma Informed Schools and Policy
24:37 Adults Healing and Recognition
28:03 Living With Trauma Daily
29:00 Trauma Never Leaves
30:55 Choosing Your Next Step
31:25 One Small Action Daily
32:05 Legacy And Overwhelm
33:26 Beating Imposter Syndrome
36:07 Trauma Informed Practice
37:40 Tenacity And Setbacks
39:25 Retraumatization And Memories
40:26 Reach Out For Help
44:20 Masking And Fear
49:13 Understanding And Body Memory
51:54 Create Life And Legacy

On the Tomorrow’s Not Today podcast, Kingsley interviews Kerrie Atherton—wife, mother, grandmother, jazz musician, mental health advocate, addiction counsellor, author, podcaster, board director with Mentoring Men Australia, and ambassador for Fearless PTSD—about how childhood trauma and addiction shaped her purpose. Kerrie describes growing up with alcoholism, bipolar disorder in her mother, early traumatic events, bullying by a teacher, sexual assault by a pedophile, later rape, substance misuse, suicidality, and a near-fatal overdose. At 18, after planning to end her life and hearing a voice telling her not to, she returned to Alcoholics Anonymous and has been sober for 44 years. She discusses acceptance, delusion/denial in addiction, “54” negative consequences across love, livelihood, liver, and law, and the need for families to detach without enabling. She founded Stories of Hope events, published three books featuring nearly 50 speakers, hosts Inspirational Humans, and offers coaching for burned-out leaders.
00:00 Abuse and Fear
01:12 Meet Kerry Atherton
02:31 Many Hats and Mission
04:49 Family Addiction Roots
08:02 Childhood Trauma Begins
10:05 Assault and No Justice
11:48 Bullying and Breakdown
12:50 Alcohol as Escape
17:10 Spiral Toward Rock Bottom
22:20 Turning Point to AA
25:25 Recovery and New Purpose
30:26 Acceptance and Practical Steps
32:07 Pain Drives Change
33:57 Rock Bottom Varies
34:22 The 54 Consequences
36:09 Four Ls Warning Signs
39:00 Delusion And Denial
40:21 High Functioning Secrets
43:13 Helping Loved Ones
44:27 Detach With Love
48:19 Tough Love Boundaries
52:17 Stories Of Hope Mission
56:40 Leaders Under Pressure
01:02:17 Programs And Resources
01:04:15 Redefining Success

This spoken word metaphor of a seed becoming a flower to argue that what feels like an ending may be the beginning. It describes being buried in darkness and loneliness, then breaking through to light and encountering cycles of storms, heat, and wind that strengthen roots and growth. 
The pain of change, including “pruning” and shedding old protection, is framed as preparation rather than punishment, creating space for new buds and a greater purpose. 
The message emphasises trusting the process of life’s seasons, enduring hardship, and recognising that suffering can shape strength and beauty that impacts others—sometimes immediately, sometimes years later. It concludes that even the end of a season returns to the ground not in defeat but as nourishment for future generations, forming a lasting legacy.
00:00 Buried or Planted? Reframing the “End”
00:26 Life as a Seed: Alone in the Dark Soil
01:11 The First Shoot: Pain, Shedding, and Breaking Through
02:46 New World, New Tests: Storms After the Sunshine
03:33 Heat, Wind, and Growing Stronger Through Pressure
04:20 The Bud Opens: Realizing Everything Shaped You
04:59 Trust the Seasons: Pruning as Preparation
05:49 Your Beauty & Impact: The Legacy You Leave Behind