Women's Wellness encompasses physical, mental, social, financial and emotional well-being throughout a woman's life. We recognise the health and wellness challenges that women often experience, but we also know how hard it can often be to find the right information, support and guidance amongst the myriad of information out there, to enable women to feel confident, well informed and empowered with their decision making regarding their precious health and wellness.
Our online resources, workshops, retreats and support groups provide invaluable information and community support details including fun and engaging activities and events to build connection.
Our upcoming events
We invite you to join our newsletter and stay connected
Our Ambassador and Panel Members
The Women's Wellness Hub is delivered in collaboration with the following amazing ambassadors and panel members who provide invaluable services to women in our community. Each of these women have their own personal practices, so you can reach out to them at any time for additional support.
Ambassador - Dr Sharmila Kumar
MBBS (USyd), FRACGP, Dip Derm (Wales), FPA, Cert RANZOG, Cert Med Ed , AMS, MEG
Director of Menopause, My Way
Dr. Sharmila Kumar graduated from the University of Sydney and is a fellow of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners with more than 20 years of clinical experience in all aspects of General Practice.
Her special interests are women’s health (peri/menopause and antenatal shared care) dermatology, ophthalmology, aged care and social prescribing. Sharmila is a AMS (Australasian Menopause Society) doctor, licensed champion MEG (Menopause Experts Group), medical educator for the RACGP and is an adjunct lecturer of University of Sydney Medical School.
Ambassador - Dr Jodie Carter
General Adult Psychiatrist
Dr Jodie Carter graduated from the University of Qld in 1992 and has been working in the field of Psychiatry since 1996. Dr Carter is a General Adult Psychiatrist with interests in Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Psychotic Disorders, Intellectual Disability Psychiatry, Chronic Pain and Adult ADHD.
Jodie's incredible experience combined with her generous, kind and empathetic nature makes her a wonderful ambassador for our women's wellness.
Claire Kelly
Claire is a very well regarded and highly skilled nurse consultant, educator, and health and wellness coach, specialising in oncology/cancer and peri/menopause wellness. She has an extensive background in practice, education and training, program development and care coordination - working with women, workplaces and health professionals to support them with their unique menopause, cancer and midlife health needs.
Claire also works as a menopause trainer for various organisations including
Corporate Wellness Solutions.
www.middlehealth.com.au
Katie Young
Katie is a certified menopause support coach and founder of The Mid Shift, who can be booked for face to face or online coaching support. With a background in psychology, mental health, pharmaceuticals and crisis support, Katie offers specialised one-on-one, or small group support for her clients to assist with their holistic wellness during their midlife.
Susan Crain
Susan has a background in law, counselling, separation & divorce coaching and family and domestic violence assistance. She works with women to help them deal with not only the financial and legal challenges of separation, but also the emotional wellness aspects.
As CEO of Women's Wellness Warriors and supporting businesses,
Separation Support Network, Family Counselling Support Network and Corporate Wellness Solutions, Susan is very passionate about providing this collaborative women's hub guidance to her clients and the wider community.
Helen Baker
A qualified, highly experienced award-winning financial planner, speaker and author, and founder of On Your Own Two Feet, a financial advice service that specialises in helping women across Australia gain and retain their financial freedom.
Helen regularly appears in the Australian media as a finance expert, sharing her practical financial advice.
Helen is soon releasing another book and financial wellness course which aims to help women in particular improve their overall financial education and potential. "Women need to plan, and not react."
Sherry Bell
Sherry is a registered psychologist, former educator, deputy principal, mother of 3 boys and widow, who has worked with children, teens, women and families for many years to help guide and support them through their various life challenges. Her personalised, practical, dedicated and positive style enables her to connect beautifully with her patients.
Sherry has also just completed her menopause coaching certification.
Sherry offers sessions in person in Brisbane and on-line
Rachel Baldock
Rachel is a former nurse with 15 years experience in nursing and has a deep understanding of how the body works and that every body is unique. As a breathwork and mindset coach and yoga teacher, Rachel's passion lies in supporting women to create safety within themselves, so that they can thrive in life and be the fullest expression of themselves.
She focuses on the mind, body and spirit, promoting wellness in all areas of life through breath, movement and the mind.
Rachel offers sessions in person and on-life.
www.restorativerach.com
Georgia Marrion
Georgia is a well known naturopath and nutritionist with a Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy, Bachelor of Health Science in Complementary Medicine and Masters of Human Nutrition, who has worked for the last 20 years supporting women's health, in particular in the areas including re-conception, fertility support and hormone balancing and perimenopause and menopause. She offers clients support particularly menstrual cycle irregularities, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, pre-menstrual syndrome, mast call activations, digestive issues, Although with her extensive clinical experience, Georgia is also an experienced writer and well regarded speaker.
www.fertileground.com.au
Dahlas Fletcher
Dahlas has been working for over 20 years with women helping them gain the confidence, strength, support and results they deserve through the various chapters of their life including pregnancy, post natal, parenting years, post injury or surgery, perimenopause, menopause and post menopause. Her training methods include, functional movement, resistance based training and modern core and pelvic floor training (beyond sit ups and Kegels) to produce excellent results. Her training is available in person and online through her programs, private virtual zoom session and easy to follow videos.
www.bodyfabulous.com.au
Women's Wellness Hub -
Finally the Support You Need All In One Place!
Women's Wellness Hub Directory
Physical and Emotional Health & Wellness
Peri Menopause & Menopause
Social Wellness
WWW: Women's Wellness Warrior Events Retreats
Join our FREE
Konnect online bookclub
Financial, Legal and Safety wellness
Separation and Co-parenting assist
Women’s Physical Health and checkups
As women, our bodies are challenged, intricate, unique, everchanging and need our attention and care. We need to stop and know our body and where it is at!
Too often we put ourselves last in the pecking order, which at the time we often validate, but deep down we know that neglecting ourselves can come back to haunt us in many different ways - mentally, physically and socially. Physical wellness in the form of periodic and age based health checks, regular exercise, a balanced diet, hormonal management, self care, stress reduction and sufficient sleep, are all keystones of physical well-being.
We know all that! But are we doing that?
We know you are probably laughing and saying - as if and when do I have time?
We offer some great, easy to follow tips, that won't have you feeling overwhelmed. We are also not shy in having some courageous and genuine conversations about topics which were hushed or which women unnecessarily associated with sense of shame or stigma. We tackle all the 'taboo' topics without any judgement.
Peri/ Menopause Support
Menopause, for some very lucky women, comes and goes relatively uneventfully, with perhaps just the obvious physiological changes, but for many women 'the pause' can sneak up and slap you when you least expect it, or can hit you like one gigantic tidal wave seemingly affecting every aspect of your wellness and life. We validate your experience no matter what age, what symptoms you get and provide you with some helpful wellness education, support and solutions to assist you to become more meno-wise and less meno-impacted.
We will assist you to understand the biological, emotional and mental impacts the 'pause' can have from peri to post pause. We can help you identify the key indicator and provide key strategies to help you. We share stories from many of our clients, real women, with real stories and how they have survived to thrive! Some are understandably difficult to hear, some emotional, and others well...........they will put a smile on your dial.
We try to answer your questions from - what is happening to my hair (on my head and face!), my sleep, skin, weight, brain, libido, moods, periods........it might all sound a little overwhelming but as we collaborate, share and encourage, there is a lot of connection and support that comes from it all. Trust us, we have all been on the journey too.
The more we share and care, the better 50% of the population will fare!
Fertility, Pregnancy & Post Natal Support
Feminine reproductive wellness covers the intricate balance of hormones - menstrual irregularities, hormonal imbalances, the reproductive system and the unique challenges women face during with their fertility, endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, pregnancy and peri and post natal wellness, incontinence and prolapse. These issues can significantly impact the quality of life of a woman - physically, mentally, socially and can have in turn an impact on their relationships and ability to work.
Women’s Mental & Emotional Wellness
No two women are the same and their experiences with mental health may be determined by a number of factors including culture, genetics, biology, age, environment, lifestyle, relationships and life experiences.
Women however do account for higher occurrences of some mental health concerns such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, non-suicidal self injury and depression. Our bid to 'juggle the load' by balancing work, education, family, social commitments, finances, household duties, providing caring assistance for elderly parents - can have a serious impact on our mental and emotional health and physical wellness.
Dealing with the ebb and flow of emotions is part of being a human and as women, we are often having to navigate many emotions. Emotional wellness includes learning how to understand, express and effectively manage emotions. It includes finding things we love to do, reconnecting with ourselves, examining our triggers, setting our boundaries, practicing self-compassion, building our resilience, and support networks.
It also includes how we manage our professional lives - balancing career goals with personal values - maintaining the healthy work-life balance so we can thrive both personally and professionally without jeopardising our mental and emotional wellness.
WWW - The Women's Wellness Warriors
WWW (The Women's Wellness Warriors) are made up of a number of incredible specialists who provide women's wellness guidance, support, resources and host a number of National events, retreats, conferences and webinars across Australia.
Our WWW specialists include:
fitness experts, nutritionists, nurses, menopause experts, post oncology support, financial advisors, career advisors, psychologists and counsellors, separation/divorce coaches, domestic and family violence experts, life coaches, mindset coaches, doctors, breath work, yoga and Pilates experts and rural women's support.
We also work in conjunction with Corporate Wellness Solutions to provide small to large corporates businesses with the opportunity to raise awareness and support of key women's wellness issues. www.corporatewellnesssolutions.com.au
Financial Wellness Support
Whether you are in a relationship, divorced, widowed, or are single and just want to better understand your financial situation, how to get help to save, budget, plan, access financial resources we provide you with some excellent, credible and reliable guidance from experts.
Raising Strong Women,
Our Girls Rites of Passage &
The 'Respecting You' programs
Female adolescent rites of passage provide young women with the ability to be seen, heard, respected, on their important transitional pathway to womanhood.
We provide guidance on the importance of these opportunities, how we can all work together to raise strong women and young women who respect themselves, and deserve full respect in return.
We provide details on courses, programs and events.
Women Building Connections
Women are inherently social beings and our connections and social networks play a really important role in our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. The support we get from friends, family and our community offer us emotional resilience and an important sense of belonging. Since covid 19, we have found that society, and in particular, workplaces have increasingly disconnected for a variety of reasons - possibly due to our concerns about keeping distance due to health issues, flexible working hours and work from home opportunities, financial hardship reducing social attendances, hiding behind social media and Netflix.......?
Recent studies have shown that isolation and loneliness are causing mental health issues to rise to incredibly concerning levels to the point that in 2022 loneliness was described as one of the most pressing Australian public health priorities in Australia and was the key variables causing a reduction in peoples life satisfaction. Social isolation causing loneliness has been linked to mental illness, emotional distress, development of dementia, premature death..
Our upcoming webinars, podcasts, online activities, events and Konnect bookclub are just the beginning to improve connection whether in person or at least online.
You are not alone x
Separation, Divorce, Single Parenting, and Co-Parenting support
These can all be extremely difficult, frustrating, overwhelming, scary and lonely times!
We provide you with tips and advice from the experts to get you through these challenges and to help you emerge more confidently, educated, supported and less stressed.
Podcasts, Courses & Webinars
We have a number of fabulous in person and online courses, workshops, webinars and events launching soon.
PODCAST SERIES
Join us from in November with the launch of our podcast series, 'KEEPING IT REAL WITH SUSAN & FRIENDS', we interview an awesome group of humans, including all things women!
THE BOOKCLUB IS COMING
As requested by our clients, KONNECT ONLINE BOOKCLUB, will launch in January 2025 in conjunction with the amazing 'Book Doula,' Vanessa Barrington of Healing House Publishing. The bookclub will have a realistic monthly book read requirement for our clubbers and will also have a library of books you can purchase anytime that offer great insight into women wellness, parenting, co-parenting etc. All the resources have been handpicked by our specialist team.
Join Konnect Bookclub now to go into the draw for a gorgeous prize from one of our sponsors @inspirational tea company.
Go to www.konnectbookclub.com
Women's Wellness Blog
Economic Abuse Awareness Day
Economic and financial abuse is a form of domestic abuse in Australia.
It often occurs in the context of intimate partner violence, and involves the control of a partner or ex-partner’s money and finances, as well as the things that money can buy.
Economic abuse and financial abuse involve similar behaviours, but it can financial abuse is often thought of as a subcategory of economic abuse. Economic abuse encompasses the many ways that an abuser may control someone’s economic situation, including employment, food, basic necessities, medication, transport and housing, for example. Financial abuse can often be thought of as controlling the actual money by stealing, gambling, coercing someone into taking on debt, controlling their allowance each week,
1 in 6 women in the Australia have reportedly experienced economic abuse by a current or former partner.
Economic abuse can include exerting control over income, spending, bank accounts, bills and borrowing. It can also include controlling access to and use of things like transport and technology, which allow a person to work and stay connected, as well as property and daily essentials like food and clothing. It can include destroying items and refusing to contribute to household costs. Gambling away your financial security and destroying your credit rating.
Refusing to pay child support and not financially disclosing assets and debts during financial property settlements are also a way of economically abusing a person and intentionally controlling them.
This type of abuse is a form of coercive and controlling behaviour. Economic abuse rarely happens in isolation and usually occurs alongside other forms of abuse, including physical, sexual and psychological abuse. 95% of cases of domestic abuse involve economic abuse. It can continue long after a leaving and can have lifelong effects
This type of abuse is designed to create economic instability and/or make one partner economically dependent, which limits their freedom. Without access to money and the things that money can buy, it is difficult to leave an abuser and access safety. Someone experiencing this type of abuse can become trapped in a relationship with the abuser, unable to resist the abuser’s control and at risk of further harm. In this way, economic safety underpins physical safety.
The impact of economic abuse makes leaving and rebuilding lives more challenging for survivors and their family. Many victim-survivors leave with large amounts of debt and poor credit ratings, affecting their long-term economic stability.
Red Flag (warnings) of economic/financial abuse
Economic abuse can take many forms. The perpetrator/abuser:
Sabotages your income and access to money:
prevent you from being in education or employment
limit your working hours
takes your pay
refuse to let you claim government payments/ benefits or take all the benefits
take children’s savings or birthday money
refuse to let you access a bank account
making you work in a family business without pay
give you a small allowance for necessities only
takes any windfall you get such as an inheritance
Restrict how you use money and the things that you own:
control when and how money is spent
dictate what you can buy
make you ask for money
give you a small allowance to cover necessities only
check your receipts
make you keep a spending diary
make you justify every purchase made
control the use of property, such as a mobile phone or car
insist all economic assets (eg savings, house) are in their name
keep financial information secret
Exploits your economic situation:
steal your money or property
steal your identity or inheritance
cause damage to your property
refuse to contribute to household costs
spend money needed for household items and bills
misuse money in joint bank accounts
insist all bills, credit cards and loans are in your name and make you pay them
build up debt in your name, sometimes without your knowledge
destroying your credit rating affecting your future financing ability
There is help
If you have experienced economic or financial abuse, you are not alone. There are people and organisations that can help .Refer to www.dvsupporthub.com for information on various services that can help as well as ways to help you financially get back on your feet.
Call 1800RESPECT for immediate assistance
This site is brought to you by Family Counselling Support Network
Book in directly with one of our professionals today
We are committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy. This website uses cookies to analyze website traffic and optimise your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.
DISCLAIMER: The material contained on this website is for general educational and information purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, medical or psychological advice or care. While every care has been taken in the information provided, no legal responsibility or liability is accepted, warranted or implied by the authors or Family Counselling Support Network and any liability is hereby expressly disclaimed. For specific advice please contact us at [email protected]. All information contained on the website remains the intellectual property of Family Counselling Support Network and is for your personal educational use only. The information must not be reproduced or distributed without the express permission of Family Counselling Support Network.
Family Counselling Support Network acknowledges and respects the First Nations Custodians of the land where our offices stand, and where we work to help Australians. We pay respects to their Elders, past present and emerging, lore, customs and creation spirits. We recognise that these lands have always been places of ceremony, teaching, research and learning, and we acknowledge the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples play in our community.
We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible environment where people and communities of all identities and backgrounds are accepted, safe and celebrated.
Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions