In today’s episode of the Hidden World of Women, Emma is joined by Sherrie. Sherrie is sharing her experience with preventative breast cancer care. Sherrie’s family has a history of aggressive breast cancers caused by the BRCA gene. After Sherrie’s mum’s own cancer and positive test for this gene, Sherrie knew she wanted to minimise her own risk. A decade ago, Sherrie got a referral to Fiona Stanley’s High Risk breast ward. Until her 40th birthday she had yearly mammograms and MRI’s on her breasts. Emma had many questions about what these are like, as they are under discussed and often only available when you’re over 50. Who would have known that breast MRI’s have a space to put your boobs in? After her 40th birthday, Sherrie was given further options on ways to manage her breast cancer risks. One of her options was a double mastectomy with reconstruction. Her mum had had a reconstruction with implants and Sherrie had seen the long-term impacts that implants had and knew they weren’t for her. Instead, Sherrie chose to have a DIEP Flap reconstruction. This procedure removed her breast tissue and used fatty stomach tissue to reconstruct the breast. Due to this procedure not being motivated by a preexisting breast cancer diagnosis Sherrie was able to spend four years thinking about her options and what would allow her the greatest quality of life. Her eventual surgery ended up being quite spur of the moment due to a cancelation, Sherrie went from not knowing if she would be able to get it done at all to being booked in next Wednesday. While there were concerns around how that would impact her life in the short term, she took the booking and went into surgery. The surgery has a 12–18-month recovery time, at time of recording Sherrie is 7 months out and is able to begin thinking about final steps and cosmetic choices. Breast cancer often starts at the nipple, so the surgeons took her nipples and replaced them with skin from her stomach. She is now on a weighting list to get realistic nipple reconstruction surgery and then eventually she will get them tattooed. With the procedures complete Sherrie now has no breast cancer risk because she has no breast tissue! The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au  Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/

In today’s episode of the hidden world of women, Emma is joined by Hollie to share the story of her first child Logan. Hollie’s first pregnancy gave her no warning that her child would be born with a fatal genetic condition which affected his mitochondria. Hollie shares her birth experience, her son’s short life and the experience of grieving him afterwards. She also was kind enough to share how it felt going through her second pregnancy with her second child and the fear of losing her baby again. Hollie has said she is consistently surprised by the effect her story has on other people when they hear it. This episode comes with the trigger warning that it is a candid and in-depth discussion of child loss. Hollie hopes that by sharing her story other parents who are having the same experience won’t feel so alone and isolated in their grief. No one thinks that in 2020 (and 2025) that there would be mothers and fathers leaving the hospital without their babies. It felt like an oxymoron, how could she be a mother without a child? Hollie had her second baby more recently and discussed the fear that came with knowing that her first pregnancy had shown no signs of anything going wrong. No number of tests could take away the fear that her baby wouldn’t survive despite it being unlikely her second child would have the same genetic issues. Hollie chose to return to the hospital she had Logan at to give herself a sense of familiarity, she received good care there and decided it was one decision she could make to have control over the situation. We thank Hollie for her vulnerability and willingness to share this story with us. The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au  Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/

In today’s episode of the Hidden World of Women, Emma is joined by Nina. Nina is a dietitian who specialises in working with people in eating disorder recovery. She recovered from her own eating disorder alone and uses the experience to help other people, so they don’t have to do it alone. This episode will cover: What a dietitian is and how they can help in eating disorder recovery Nina’s experience with her eating disorder and what encouraged her to recover What the recovery process can look like How you can support someone you love in recovery Despite the heavy topic in today’s episode, Emma and Nina keep the episode light and approachable. Through talking about Nina’s experiences, we hope people feel seen and less alone. One aspect of Nina’s recovery was rescuing her dog. Her dog gave her love and a reason to keep getting better even when it was hard. You deserve to recover and build a positive relationship with your body and food. The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au  Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/    

In today’s episode Emma chats with, Teresa from Kiind. Teresa is the Peer Navigation Lead at Kiind. Her job is to provide a space for families of people with disabilities the space to take first steps in accessing support and knowing they’re not alone. Her lived experience in navigating the world of diagnosis as a family member of a disabled person allows her to better connect to the people she’s working with. No one has been in your shoes, but having support from professionals who have walked a similar path to you is so important to feeling heard and validated. This episode covers: Post diagnosis grief Advice on ways you can access support as a family Feeling frustrated by the way society, treats disabled people and their families Reminding carers to care for themselves As always Emma and Teresa go off on some tangents and winding thought trails. If you’re the parent or family member of a newly diagnosed person know that you’re not alone and this episode isn’t here to shame you for however you might be feeling right now. It’s ok to not be ok. Some resources listed in the episode Down Syndrome WA: https://www.downsyndrome.org.au/wa/ Heart kids: https://www.heartkids.org.au/ Siblings Australia: https://siblingsaustralia.org.au/ Relationships Australia: https://www.relationships.org.au/ Carers WA: https://www.carerswa.asn.au/ Carers WA Young Carers program: https://www.carerswa.asn.au/our-services/young-carers/   The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au  Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/  

March 31st is Transgender Day of Visibility. This is a day to show love and support to the Trans community. In honour of International Transgender Visibility Day, this special episode of Hidden World of Women, Emma speaks with Josey about her experiences raising her transgender child.  This heartfelt conversation explores the emotional journey of parenting a trans child, navigating change, and ensuring they feel unconditionally loved and supported. Topics covered include: Josey’s initial response and emotional journey Grieving the imagined future, you had for your child and the evolution of parental expectations How to show up for your trans child with love and affirmation Social transition vs. medical transition – what’s the difference? The positive impact that being gendered correctly has on trans children Josey talks about her child’s experience with the medical system and the lengths she would have to go to allow her child to access hormone replacement therapy or puberty blockers. To access medical intervention before adulthood, it would be a judge making the final call. That is a bridge she says she’ll deal with when she gets there and for now is doing everything, she can to affirm her child’s identity socially. This episode is a must-listen for parents, allies, and anyone seeking to understand the lived experiences of trans young people and their families. In WA a good starting point for accessing supports if you or a loved one is transgender is Trans folk of WA: https://www.transfolkofwa.org/   The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au  Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/  

In this episode of The Hidden World of Women, host Emma chats with the incredible Allison Davies—a former neurologic music therapist, speaker, and advocate for neurodivergent individuals. Together, they dive into a wide-ranging conversation covering everything from: What is music therapy, and how can it support neurodivergent brains? Being diagnosed with AuDHD (Autism + ADHD) and what that journey looks like Do you need a formal diagnosis, or can self-identification be enough? Finding spaces and strategies that work for your unique neurotype And because this podcast can never run without one or two tangents: How many cats is too many cats? As part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, this episode is all about embracing your brain, understanding how it works, and discovering tools to create a life that supports you. Allison was kind enough to shares personal insights into the experience of her own diagnosis and the experience of her kids diagnosis. She describes it as an incredibly vulnerable experience. Allison does highlight that is it worth doing the work to understand your neurotype because through the experience it allows people to live better and more affirming lives. Allison talks about the science of music and the ways it can help people feel calmer and safer to myth-bust the idea that Music Therapy is unscientific. She emphasises that for patients it can help build their tolerance for other medical procedures because people don’t associate the concept of music with potential traumatisation.  Resources Mentioned: Learn more about Allison Davies: allisondavies.com.au Australian Music Therapy Association: austmta.org.au The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au  Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/

In this episode, Emma is joined by Fiona MacPherson to talk about her experiences with Lipoedema. This is a common connective tissue disorder that causes an abnormal buildup of fat that cannot be removed without surgery. Despite affecting 11% of women, Lipoedema remains underdiagnosed, often mistaken for obesity, and is not recognised by Medicare in Australia—leaving many women struggling to access affordable treatment. Many people live undiagnosed for years due to the lack of conversation and awareness about this condition. Fiona was kind enough to share her personal journey with us, from living with Lipoedema unknowingly for years to finally receiving a diagnosis in 2022. She talks about the relief of understanding her condition, the emotional process of forgiving herself, and the importance of raising awareness so that more women can access the diagnosis and care they need. What You’ll Hear in This Episode: What Lipoedema is, how it progresses, and its connection to hormonal changes. Fiona’s experience navigating the healthcare system and the emotional impact of diagnosis. The financial reality of treatment, from preventative care to surgery costs. The urgent need for greater awareness, funding, and recognition of Lipoedema in Australia Why self-compassion is key, and how to move forward without shame or stigma. Our goal with this episode is to shed light onto a condition that is rarely talked about and misunderstood. We always aim to provide a space for women to tell their stories without shame or fear of judgement. Through this episode we hope more people can identify a potential cause of their struggle with their body and begin working towards self-acceptance. If you’ve struggled with similar symptoms, you’re not alone and there are ways to manage lipoedema. If you’d like to learn more visit Lipoedema Australia Foundation: www.lipoedema.org.au If this feels relevant to people in your life, please share it with those around you. Awareness changes lives.   The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au  Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices   We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ   WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws   Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/  

We’re back for another year, and in our first episode, Emma wanted to talk about transitions. As schools, unis, and TAFEs go back, how do you cope when your baby isn’t a baby anymore? When your child starts kindy, there’s an outpouring of support. But when they finish primary school, high school, or even uni, no one really talks about how scary change can be. In this episode, Emma McLarty joins the conversation to unpack these transitional moments—why they can hit harder than we expect, why it’s OK to not be OK, and how to navigate the emotional rollercoaster of letting go. We do want to give a little warning: we might make parenting sound really scary and overwhelming in this episode, but we promise—it’s not as bad as it sounds! This is just a space for parents to feel overwhelmed, teary, and to acknowledge that sometimes, change just feels like it’s happening way too fast.   Tune in as we explore: The unexpected emotions of your child growing up Why these transitions can feel so big and isolating The importance of finding your village and normalizing these feelings How to balance “letting go” with celebrating growth Practical ways to support yourself (and each other!) through these big milestones If you're feeling daunted by school starting back this week, this episode is for you. You’re not alone—we’re in this together.   Read the blog post that inspired this episode: It's OK to Not Be OK: https://wacpps.org.au/when-older-kids-go-back-to-school-its-ok-to-not-be-ok/   Let’s keep the conversation going! Share your experience with us—how did you feel when your older kids started a new chapter?   You can find Emma McLarty: www.emmamclarty.com.au or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-mclarty-a9a8735a/  or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emmamclartycounselling The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au  Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices   We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/

May is Ehlers-Danlos Syndorme (EDS) and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders (HSD) Awareness Month. During this month, people worldwide show their support for those with complex, multisystemic conditions. The awareness ribbon is black and white zebra striped pattern and zebra are used throughout the awareness campaign with phrases like #dazzletogether (a group of zebras is call a dazzle which I did not know and I LOVE!). In this episode Emma speaks with Phillipa about what it is like to live with EDS and include discussion on why people with EDS are called zebras, at Med school doctors are taught that if you hear hoof beats think horses not zebras (why there is a horse in a hospital only John Mulaney knows apparently 😊) but the saying is supposed to encourage med students to look for the most obvious cause rather than jumping to the obscure and unlikely but guess what, sometimes those hoof beats are zebras and sometimes the diagnosis is the rare and complex condition like EDS – although Emma and Phillipa do questions just how rare EDS actually is! It wouldn’t be a Hidden World of Women episode without tangents and the odd soapbox thrown in here an there, Emma and Phillipa discuss mobility aides and I am reminded of the meme that says that ‘people who don’t need mobility aides don’t fantasize about having one’, the importance of finding community and surrounding yourself with people who can show kindness, empathy and compassion and the need to advocate for yourself. We encourage you to be your own advocate and listen to your body because more often than people realise, there’s a zebra in the hospital too! The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au  Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices   We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/

The latest instalment of The Hidden world of Women is a two part episode with Penny focusing on living as a visually impaired person. Penny is a mother of 5 children who doesn’t let having been blind since birth stop her doing anything! This is Part two of the episode, for part one follow the link at the end. While being blind in a world made for sighted comes with its challenges Penny shares with  Emma how she tackles those challenges and Emma had a lot of questions - there were just so many things that Emma had never considered and as a result the huge episode became two long episodes! How do you parent five children? Seriously, how do you change a nappy when you can’t see what you are potentially about to put your fingers in? How do you travel as a blind person - is it REALLY safe for you to ride a push bike? What’s it like being the only blind person in the room? How can organisations make themselves more accessible to blind and visually impaired people? What technology and skills do you use as part of your everyday life? Penny looks at life with an upbeat attitude and as an adventure which helps given she’s been in some interesting situations. She thinks that for all a situation which might feel daunting and impossible, there is a solution to it or at the very least a funny story to be had!   Part One can be found here: https://hiddenworldofwomen.podbean.com/e/e64-whats-it-like-being-blind-part-1-the-hidden-world-of-women/   The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/  

The latest instalment of The Hidden world of Women is a two part episode with Penny focusing on living as a visually impaired person. Penny is a mother of 5 children who doesn’t let having been blind since birth stop her doing anything! While being blind in a world made for sighted comes with its challenges Penny shares with  Emma how she tackles those challenges and Emma had a lot of questions - there were just so many things that Emma had never considered and as a result the huge episode became two long episodes! How do you parent five children? Seriously, how do you change a nappy when you can’t see what you are potentially about to put your fingers in? How do you travel as a blind person - is it REALLY safe for you to ride a push bike? What’s it like being the only blind person in the room? How can organisations make themselves more accessible to blind and visually impaired people? What technology and skills do you use as part of your everyday life? Penny looks at life with an upbeat attitude and as an adventure which helps given she’s been in some interesting situations. She thinks that for all a situation which might feel daunting and impossible, there is a solution to it or at the very least a funny story to be had! The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/  

It’s International Women’s Day today! This years theme is ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’ (find out more here https://www.un.org/en/observances/womens-day)As we’re a women’s organisation and gender based service we had to take the time to focus on acknowledging the 8th March.This year we struggled to come up with a topic for conversation particularly relating to accelerating progress until a post acknowledged Iris Apfel as a ‘she-ro’.In this episode Emma is joined by Lacey Filipich, a chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, and advocate for women in stem to discuss words like SHEro, SheEO and girl boss. They discuss not only the messages they are sending to  young women but also discuss if these terms are working for or against accelerating progress.As with all our episodes Emma and Lacey went on many tangents, talking about being a woman in engineering, how exhausting it is to be the educator, being a “token” hire and more.To find out more about Lacey you can visit www.moneyschool.org.au The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/

In this weeks episode of the Hidden World of Women, Emma is joined by Serena.Serena is one unit away from completing her masters in counselling and was diagnosed with ADHD when she was 54.While this episode was going to focus on studying and careers with ADHD, in true ADHD fashion we went everywhere!This episode talks about Serena’s path to diagnosis, her experiences as a child of a mother with ADHD and what it’s like starting a new career pathway in your 50’s.One subject Serena talks about in depth are the ways in which women are often more expected to mask and hide their ADHD symptoms due to the societal expectations on how a woman “should” behave.At 57 Serena is still unlearning those masking behaviours and marvels at her youngest daughter who doesn’t seem to have learned them while she and her eldest daughter learned ways to modify her behaviour to fit within a the expected mould.Young boys are expected to be hyperactive, fidgety, athletic and to take part in risk taking behaviour and it’s theorised this is why young boys are less likely to hide their ADHD traits. It’s the disruptive nature of external ADHD symptoms that get children diagnosed early, while Serena internalised her symptoms and got comments on her report like “Serena needs to focus more but she’s a pleasure to have in class” which resulted in her learning to look like she was listening rather than actually developing the skills to listen and learn.Serena talks about her academic career and the ways it has been shaped by her ADHD. In her life she’s jumped from passion project to passion project and had found she often wouldn’t work within the area afterwards. It’s only now she’s diagnosed and treated her ADHD that she feels like counselling will stick for her and that she’ll continue doing it after she graduates.   The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/

In this week’s episode of the hidden world of Women we are joined by Ginger. Ginger has been in the adult industry for the last nine years and shared her experiences as a stripper and skimpy worker. She started stripping after returning from the UK and needing a job and source of income fast.The social expectation of a stripper is that they’re people who have “gone off the rails.” (A real thing people have said to Ginger!) in Gingers case however it was her motivation to get and stay sober, her way to pay to go back to university to study Law and her way of travelling the country.This episode talked about the experience of men trauma dumping on dancers. It’s not uncommon for people (typically men) to book a room to sit and talk saying ‘this will be the easiest money you make all night!’ The reality is the dancers are left with the pain and trauma that they have just heard with no time to process it before having to go back out with a happy smile to entertain the other patrons. Emma had expected stories of drunk men behaving inappropriately and was shocked to hear the high incidence of vicarious trauma.Having stripped before and after Covid, Ginger has perspective on the way the industry was impacted by the pandemic, including stories of having to strip and give lap dances while still wearing a mask (which sounds so very sexy).If you want to support people in your life who are thinking of this profession, remember to keep an open mind and be supportive! It’s hard work that takes skill. Find Ginger on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gingerzephyr Find Ginger on Instagram: @highvibehustler Find Ginger on Tiktok: @gingerzephyr   The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested.   And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au   Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices   We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ   WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws   Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/

In this weeks episode of the hidden world of women we continue the “Working Women” series. We’re joined by Kiah, a professional declutterer and organiser. Kiah started her business in 2019 after her husband suggested that she use her skill set and passions and start Declutter with Kiah. With the support of her friends and family she started helping people make their spaces enjoyable to live in. In this episode Emma and Kiah talk about shame, shame around not being able to do it alone, shame in asking for help. So many people are wrongly led to believe that being unable to keep their home organised without hiring external help is the sign they’re failing. Emma shared how she decided to start reframing the way she thought about asking for help, pointing out that when she hired someone to clean her home she was employing another woman and giving her the ability to provide for her family. Kiah talked about the shame some people feel about having their clutter seen and the perception of judgement from other people. With all her clients she wants to make sure they know that she has seen it all. There is nothing embarrassing about needing help learning a skill. Decluttering and organisation is a skill. People aren’t born innately understanding how to put things away, sort, organise and dispose of their possessions. Kiah’s father instilled in her the ability from a young age. Like you would hire a plumber to fix your sink you should think about hiring the right professional to help with your home. To find Kiah on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/declutterwithKiah To Find Kiah on Instagram: @declutterwithkiah To find her website: https://declutterwithkiah.services/   The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/

October sees the celebration of Frocktober for ovarian cancer awareness. As we’re a women's health organisation we had to do an episode talking about it. In this episode of The Hidden World of Women, Emma is joined by former host: Melanie Brown! Melanie shares her story losing a friend to ovarian cancer and caring for someone who was dying. This experience prompted her to start participating in Frocktober, a month long event of wearing dresses every day to raise awareness and funds for ovarian cancer research. This year Melanie is spending the month wearing her wedding dress. She talks about the experience of doing something so outrageous as a generally introverted person. As Melanie and Emma are both passionate about healthcare, self advocacy and women's health they talked about the experience of being a patient and caring for a patient and as always the episode goes places that were unexpected and unplanned 😀   Here are the links Melanie mentioned in this episode: Understanding ovarian cancer booklet (PDF): https://www.cancer.org.au/assets/pdf/understanding-ovarian-cancer-booklet Latest research on a potential new blood test for ovarian cancer: https://www.ocrf.com.au/news/107/melbourne-team-on-the-verge-more-accurate-ovarian-cancer-test Link between ovarian cancer & endometriosis: https://www.ocrf.com.au/news/108/ovarian-cancer-versus-endometriosis The Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation: https://www.ocrf.com.au/ Frocktober general info: https://www.ocrf.com.au/get-involved/fundraise-for-ovarian-cancer-research/frocktober My Frocktober fundraising page:  https://www.frocktober.org.au/my-fundraising/3516/melanie-brown Instagram:  @meljrobson   The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested.   And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/

September is the month with the highest rate of births in Australia! In episode of Hidden World of Women we’re asking the question “what is a doula?” Emma sat down with Michelle to find out. Michelle talked about how she felt like she’d been an unofficial doula for the last 20 years after helping advocate for her friends and family within the hospital system. She became a doula officially after she realised how difficult the medical system is to navigate alone and she wanted to do something to help people. Often, when we think of a doula, people think of a hippy woman who’s job is alternative medicine or we think they’re some sort of midwife. For Michelle, she views her calling as filling in the gaps to support people in the birthing space, from fulfilling physical needs like bringing someone food or drinks to doing emotional support work reminding women in labour they have options and a voice that should be listened to. Michelle and Emma are both passionate advocates for supporting families in the perinatal period and so they also discuss mental health, lowering standards, the importance of setting realistic expectations, as well as covering how to become a doula and the pros and cons of the role.   In the episode Emma spoke about the Preparing for Parenthood course, more info is available here: https://wacpps.org.au/preparing-for-parenthood/?fbclid=IwAR2ycKswp-MXi5PQVCgOW8534xX7VfcalHvD3PXR1bGzAngFtOL_ip2tBBE   Michelle spoke about Vicki Hobbs - Doula Training Academy, more info available here. https://doulatrainingacademy.com.au/?fbclid=IwAR0a7O-ulSVS79784z0Nkfb6Zn3dUVmUKKTZVBCeiAqR50xATRgcIN_KEOs   If you want to find Michelle her business is Perth Doula Services and you can find her website here: and her Facebook here: https://perthdoulaservices.com.au/?fbclid=IwAR2_hLsmBKt1poD3uwLc5P-8QjrH30uw_VUUKj3uCn-0AGVMcyUxIjpFe4Y https://www.facebook.com/PERTHDOULASERVICES   The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested. And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/

It’s women’s health week! Given this podcast is brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services (https://whws.org.au ) we couldn’t let it pass without a podcast episode related. This year’s theme is Grow Your Knowledge. As always there is a different prompt for each day and Monday is Check Me Out – women’s health checks including cervical screening self-collection, heart health and vulval self-checks. As we are still trying to focus on our theme of different occupations Emma was a little bit creative and spoke with Kath Mazella OAM who is a multi-award recipient gynaecological health advocate.The episode covers Kath’s career and the personal story that led her here and it’s done in the usual Hidden World of Women meandering way. Kath is a survivor of vulva cancer and uses her experience to motivate her activism for women’s health. In today’s episode Kath speaks about her experience recovering for cancer, the search for community, her experiences entering the women’s health field including some of the barriers and the progress that has been made since she started working. Kath said that a big motivator for her to start working was hearing the stories of other women who had suffered like she had. Recently the Australian government put out a call asking people to share their stories. This call aims to provide information that would guide positive change. If you have a story you’d like to share please click the link below. https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-ged-kearney-mp/media/call-for-women-to-share-their-stories Kath also speaks about wearing vulva socks as an easy way to support gynaecological research. Today the staff at King Edwards memorial hospital are wearing them to help destigmatise and start conversations about vulval health. https://agcf.org.au On the 10th of September at Kings Park Kulbardi Pavillon, there is a picnic being hosted to help raise awareness for gynaecological and vulva health. Bring your picnic gear and celebrate a great cause. If you want more information on Women’s Health Week you can check out the Jean Hailes site https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/womens-health-week with information about each day’s prompt. If you want to get in touch with Kath you can find her website here https://www.kathmazzella.com/  The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/

In this week’s episode of Working Women, Emma spoke with Kitty Woodhouse, The Maiden of Metal. Kitty shared her experience as a professional metal artist. Emma asked about what drew Kitty to metal art (a broken gate that will one day be fixed….maybe) her experiences learning the craft (spite is apparently a good motivator) and the impact it has on Kitty’s mental health. In te episode Kitty spoke about having PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and agoraphobia (https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/agoraphobia?fbclid=IwAR0wrC63VXhtFNtU4CD75RGpiZo80EvN3Epn3vLjzElZN2kP-2ezpUtuh7E) . She describes her work teaching metal workshops as “intense exposure therapy” that forces her to face her fears head on. When asked about how to start metal work Kitty gave a list including TAFE courses, YouTube or you could learn from Kitty herself in one or the workshops she runs for “Women on the tools.” You can follow Kitty on socials Instagram: @the.maiden.of.metal https://www.instagram.com/the.maiden.of.metal/?fbclid=IwAR0JK2ALs9uOtOmVEOKINCx-Ymc6T0gl9UVrDBP64N53IxHjYAOEAA4YusI Facebook: @themaidenofmetal https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100083096270970 Check Out Women on the Tools: @WOTTPerth https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100077399405954   The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/

In this second episode of the ‘Working Women’ series Emma spoke to Linda Gerwar. Linda is a truck driver on the mines in Western Australia. Mining is something people talk about a lot but you don’t necessarily hear about the specific jobs on site.In this episode they talked about Linda’s career change later in life and the motivations for it, what drew her to the mining industry in particular and the parts of fly in fly out (FIFO) work that you wouldn’t expect.Linda has spent 4 years on mine sites and started working on sites with her husband (which is one of her favourite parts of the job!) in that time she has been both trainee and trainer driving the big trucks. She started driving them when she was 57 with no experience driving big trucks and perhaps even a more than healthy dose of fear of them, proving it is never too late to try something new that excites you and it doesn’t matter if you’ve never done it before!Throughout the episode Linda stresses that if FIFO or mining work interests you that you should give it a try for 3 months. In that time, you’ll have the opportunity to try it fully and get a feel for the routine.For Linda and her husband the routine works well.   The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/