Are you tired of searching high and low for genuine, reliable and consolidated women's wellness support?
Our clients have complained for years about this...So, we decided to help!
Women's Wellness is not just about health. It 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, safe, secure and empowered with their decision making regarding their precious health and overall wellness.
Our online Australian resources, referrals, workshops and support groups provide invaluable information and community support details (including fun and engaging activities and events to build invaluable connections for women). Reach out if your organisation would like to be discuss inclusion in our hub.
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Women's Wellness Hub -
Finally the Support You Need All In One Place!
Have you had your health checked lately?
Are you really aware of what you need to check?
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 starts with having your health regularly checked. The more you are educated on what to look for, and what is particularly relevant to your age, the more you will get out your GP appointments and identify potential risks before it is too late. You need to advocate for your own health, so getting educated on the basics is critical. You have time....if not, you need to make time. You and your family are counting on it.
We provide you with the overarching information and links to service providers who can support you all the way.
Realistic nutrition
Sick of fad diets, weighing your food, etc etc.... us too! We are busy, sick of gimmicks and hard sells and just want quick and super easy suggestions to get our health back on track.
What many of us want now is very easy and practical ways to improve our nutrition and overall wellness and improve our intake of certain key nutrients our bodies are likely missing which in turn is having a real impact on other aspect of our emotional, physical and mental wellness.
Exercise for the super busy woman
Don't have a lot of time, not a real gym gal, but know that exercise is really good for the mind, body and soul... We hear ya sista!
We have touched base with some exercise experts who specialise in womens exercise regimes particularly for effective stretches, post natal support, pelvic floor/incontinence and light weight training.
I just want to sleep.......
Sleep deprivation can be bloody cruel.
A woman's sleep patterns can be significantly influenced by her stress levels, workload, illness, hormonal fluctuations, menopausal night sweats, post partum recovery, children and general lifestyle. Sleep deprivation occurrs when a woman fails to get the amount of sleep they need. Not enough sleep can have a major impact on daytime functioning including poor concentration, reduced reaction times, driving and workplace safety, work performance, anxiety levels. It can metabolically affect your weight, affect your immunity and ability to recover from illness. It can affect our level of tolerance, mood and place pressure on our relationships.
Proper sleep hygiene, hormone management, stress and workload management, lifestyle adjustments and even counselling, can help significantly reduce your sleep disturbances. Chronic sleep issues may require additional medical and/or medication support.
We explore the ways we can get sleep help, provide you with the overarching information and links to service providers who can support you all the way to get you back into better sleep patterns.
Perimenopause & 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.
Our hub provides you with the overarching information and links to service providers who can support you all the way - The more we share and care, the better 50% of the population will fare!
Bone
Meno-rage (dealing with the big emotions)
Sleep
ADHD and Menopause
Fertility, Pregnancy & Post Natal Support
Being a woman is a blessing but it does come with some added challenges....
Feminine reproductive wellness covers the intricate balance of hormones. Unfortunately when women's reproductive wellness is poor, it can significantly impact the quality of life of a woman - physically, mentally, socially and in turn can impact their relationships, confidence and ability to work.
Our hub explores periods, the latest in period support and products for women, general guidance on menstrual irregularities and where to get help if you are concerned, pregnancy challenges and support and when and how to get support for post natal concerns.
We provide you with the overarching information and links to service providers who can support you all the way.
Breast checks and Breast Cancer support
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian women. If you’re a woman, your risk of breast cancer increases greatly after the age of 50. Nine out of 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of breast cancer.
Finding breast cancer early means there are more treatment options available to you. Regular self breast checks and GP checks can improve your chances of detecting changes that need further examination. Breast screening can find breast cancer early, often before it can be seen or felt by a woman or her doctor.
We provide you with the overarching information, suggested tools to assist, and links to service providers who can support you all the way from checks, to diagnosis, treatment and recovery (including genuine post treatment support -physically and emotionally).
Your 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.
We provide you with the overarching information, suggested tools to assist your wellbeing, and links to service providers who can support you.
It's not all woo woo after all...
Woo-woo -- dubiously or outlandishly mystical, supernatural, or unscientific....
For many of us the concepts of breathwork, yoga, kinesiology, acupuncture, grounding, may have fallen into the woo-woo basket...
And yet, the more we research these methods, the more we were are surprised by their genuine wellness benefits....
We provide you with the overarching information, suggested tools to assist your wellbeing, and links to service providers who can support you.
I want to cut down on cigarettes and alcohol but...
It can be super tricky to cut back on an addiction like nicotine but with the right support and commitment, it can be life changing. For many of us, we are not aware of the amount and impact alcohol is having on our life.
In Australia, we live in a culture when alcohol has almost been seen as a social necessity, but the impact it can have on our health, weight, mental state, safety and relationships can be really far from helpful...
We provide you with the overarching information, suggested tools to assist you, and links to service providers and products which can support you to cut back on your habits.
Financial wellness - securing your future
Whether you are single, in a relationship, divorced, or widowed - if you want to better understand your financial situation, how to get help to save, budget, plan, and access financial resources, we provide you with some excellent, credible and reliable guidance from the financial experts.
Let's work together!
Raising Strong Women - 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.
Email us at [email protected] for details of these courses or sign up to our newsletter.
Your Social Wellness- 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.
Isolation and loneliness are causing mental health issues to rise to incredibly concerning levels and are now described as one of the most pressing Australian public health priorities in Australia. Social isolation causing loneliness has been linked to mental illness, emotional distress, development of dementia, premature death.
We provide you with details of upcoming webinars, podcasts, online activities, events and invite you to join the free Konnect bookclub to improve connection whether in person or at least online.
Legal Support - Separation, Divorce and beyond
Going through a separation and divorce can be extremely difficult, frustrating, overwhelming, scary and lonely! 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.
Parenting, 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.
Returning to the dating scene..
After years (or decades!) of being in a relationship and matrimonial life, it can be difficult for newly single women (and men) to get back into the dating game. It can seem daunting, scary, all too hard,.... So how do new singletons go about dating, particularly after a long break?
Our experts give some great tips, we explore different ways to potentially date, dating apps, how to be safe, have fun but choosey!
Relationship Safety
There is never any excuse for any form of abuse. Australian women have had to ensure domestic and family violence for too long and we have all had enough. Our #enoUgh movement is all about joining forces across Australia to increase awareness of Domestic and family violence but to also shake up the system and really assess what is working and what isn't.
We provide you with guidance on how to remain safe in home, prepare an exit safety plan, be financially and technologically safe, to access emergency support (accommodation, food, financial, medical and counselling).
We provide guidelines, details of services and products to assist you to be better educated, informed, supported and safe. We help you identify what amounts to abuse, coercive control, stalking and provide checklists of types of abuse as well as relationship RED FLAGS to help us identify warning behaviours in our partners or our family members partners, before it gets worse.
Getting back my Grove!
We are often mothers, daughters, carers, wives, employees, bosses, sisters, daughter in laws, sister in laws, attentive friends, a pet parent......
But as a result, we are often on the verge of mental and/or physical burnout, and have lost ourselves in the process. If you have gone through a relationship breakdown, lost a partner, are single parenting, a carer, grieving a loss, experienced domestic and family abuse or other trauma, the impact can be really detrimental to your overall wellness and the need to find ways to escape but to self heal, and find the joy again is really important.
Many women we talk to are looking to find ways to get back their grove, either through courses, programs, events, retreats etc. We will provide information on how you can access some of the better ones out there....
Rural Women specific support
There is never any excuse for any form of abuse. Australian women have had to ensure domestic and family violence for too long and we have all had enough. Our #enoUgh movement is all about joining forces across Australia to increase awareness of Domestic and family violence but to also shake up the system and really assess what is working and what isn't.
We provide you with guidance on how to remain safe in home, prepare an exit safety plan, be financially and technologically safe, to access emergency support (accommodation, food, financial, medical and counselling).
We provide guidelines, details of services and products to assist you to be better educated, informed, supported and safe. We help you identify what amounts to abuse, coercive control, stalking and provide checklists of types of abuse as well as relationship RED FLAGS to help us identify warning behaviours in our partners or our family members partners, before it gets worse.
OUR PODCAST SERIES - Keeping it Real with Susan and Friends
We have a number of fabulous in person and online courses, workshops, webinars and events launching soon.
Season 1: #enoUgh - We interview experts and survivors of domestic and family violence.
Season 2: Women's Wellness - We interview experts
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
Our Ambassador and Panel Members
Discover the heart of expertise and influence! Learn why exploring Our Ambassador and Panel Members is your gateway to visionary leadership and impactful insights.
Top Tips for Blended Families
Blended families
If you are part of a blended family, you know that whilst it can be so wonderful, it can present a unique set of legal considerations and potential relationship challenges.
In family law, a 'Blended family', also known as a stepfamily, is a family unit where at least one child is the biological or adopted child of only one parent, and not both. This usually happens when two separate families come together, often through marriage or de facto relationships.
Approximately 12% of couple families with dependent children were classified as either step-families or blended families in the 2021 Australian Federal Census.
Of these, step-families comprised 8% of all couple families with dependent children (182,229 families), while blended families made up 4% (99,564 families).
Legal tips to consider for Blended Families
When families merge through new relationships, forming a ‘blended family’, a range of unique legal scenarios can arise. Understanding these can help ensure everyone’s rights and responsibilities are upheld.
In Australia, The Family Law Act 1975 sets out the rights and responsibilities of parents and step-parents, including matters related to children’s living arrangements, financial support, and decision-making.
Additionally, state and territory laws may also apply in specific situations.
While the fundamental principles of family law remain consistent between a traditional and blended family, their application can vary in blended families:
- Step-parent generally don’t have the same automatic parental rights as biological parents. However, if you live with your stepchildren and their parent, you have a responsibility to care for them as you would your own children. This includes providing for their basic needs, ensuring their safety and well-being and contributing generally to their upbringing. It may, in some instances, also include financial obligations.
- Parental rights in a blended family are usually primarily based on what is in the best interests of the child (as required for a traditional family).
- While biological parent’s parental rights and responsibilities are clearly defined under The Family Law Act (custody, decision making and financial support) these rights can be recognised by the Family Courts if the step-parent has been a very significant caregiver or if there are formal agreements made between the biological parents and the step-parent through court orders or agreements.
- Step-parents may need to seek court orders for parental responsibility or establish their standing through de facto relationships.
Child Support Payments and Blended Families
- In most cases, the amount of child support that a person or their former partner is liable to pay will not change if they remarry or enter into a new relationship. You should however carefully check with child support as it is a complex calculation.
- A parent can successfully change their child support assessment by showing special circumstances for example if they are supporting other children (it will potentially reduce their capacity to pay child support).
- If you have an existing child support agreement and your family situation changes due to a new relationship, it’s important to review and potentially update the agreement.
- If the child's birth mother remarries and her new partner wants to adopt the child, the birth parents are usually responsible for raising the child. The new stepfather is not liable for children who are not his biological children, and the biological parent may still be required to make regular child support contributions.
Adopting a step-child
- One of the most significant legal steps that a step-parent can take is to adopt their step-child. This is a complex process that involves a number of legal steps, but it can provide many benefits for both the child and the step-parent. Adoption gives the step-parent legal recognition as the child’s parent and provides them with the same rights and responsibilities as a biological parent.
- There are different laws and rules of eligibility that need to be complied with in order to adopt. You should seek legal advice.
Wills & Estates for Blended Families
When someone with a blended family passes away and leaves their entire estate or a large part of it to some family members, but not to others, it can put their estate at risk of an excluded family member(s) can legally challenge the distribution of the deceased person's assets.
Family members who are not adequately provided for in a Will are often entitled and eligible to make a claim against the deceased person's estate, even if they are not blood related.
Custody when a blended family relationship breaks down
Custody arrangements in blended families usually rely on the existing custody agreements or orders from previous relationships. The child’s biological or adoptive parents usually hold primary custody rights, determining where the child lives and making major decisions about their upbringing.
However, step-parents can obviously play a significant role in a child’s life, and arrangements for visitation or shared care can still be negotiated or ordered by the court.
These arrangements are often made with the child’s best interests as the paramount consideration. Factors like the child’s age, their relationship with each parent and step-parent, and the stability of each household are all considered. Communicating openly with all parties involved is crucial to create a plan that works for everyone.
We recommend you seek legal advice in relation to any of these more complex 'blended family' issues.
Key Emotional Challenges of blended family
The first step to improving your blended family problems is to identify if things aren’t blending well. Here are some signs to look out for:
Step-siblings don’t get along and there is a lot of fighting or lack of any communication/interraction
When jealousy rears its head between the children or even partners and their step child
Family gatherings and meal time are tense and uncomfortable
When parenting styles don’t align and you cannot agree on rules for the household
When the children develop new behavioural issues
Your step children wont listen or respect your authority.
Your step-children only ask their biological parent for permission and help and don't come to you - or vice versa with your partner.
When there is an obvious split in the household rather than a ‘blend’
Tips to Resolving Blended Family Problems
Don’t panic. It can take some time and there are strategies you can you take to address the issues you may have mixing your families.
Show a united front
Children will usually be led by their parent’s example and if you and your partner aren’t completely unified, chances are the kids will follow. Make sure that you and your partner put in the effort to stay consistent and act together. Don’t contradict each other’s rules or negate each other’s parenting styles.
It may take a lot of long, even difficult, conversations to get on the same page about the rules and standards you want to put in place for your household. This is an effort that is not only worth making but is absolutely critical to make in order to allow your blended family to truly blend.
Respect the old ways
Transitioning to a blended family can feel very threatening for children who may fear the loss of a previous life that they were attached to. Respect the traditions that you had before to give them more comfort.
Start new family traditions
Find common ground between what both sides of the family like for example pizza night Tuesday and BBQ Sunday. Let your kids take an active part and even lead the way forward so they feel invested in and excited by their family’s future instead of alienated by it.
It won’t just happen overnight
Change takes time. Respect and validate each others feelings, especially the children. Try to have really calm open communication - talk things out openly instead of sweeping them under the rug. You’re all in this together, and the process may understandably take some time to get a happy rhythm.
Family Counselling help
Sometimes family problems go beyond what you can be addressed at home. A Family Counsellor can really assist families to find strategies to work together to resolve issues and find ways to work together and better communicate.
Utilising family dispute mediation services can also be beneficial. These services provide a supportive and neutral environment for families to discuss and resolve conflicts, with the aim of reaching a mutually agreed outcome.
This site is brought to you by Family Counselling Support Network
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