Strengthening Families Australia

30/12/2025

I walk this path everyday and when I get to this point I wonder what’s ahead….

The calm, the rough seas, the wind in my face or at my back, my friends or my solitude, a bit like life really.
We can never really know what’s ahead.

What I know and trust is that I am exactly where I need to be that the calm and storms are both gifts for me to grow.

I wish for you all a new year filled with love, love for yourself first. You are enough and you are beautiful, exactly as you are. ❤️

22/12/2025

Heartprints are the emotional imprints we carry from our earliest relationships.
They shape how we respond - especially with the people who know us best.

Christmas doesn’t create heartprints.
It simply brings them closer to the surface.

This year, notice the pause.
Am I responding to the person in front of me, or reacting to the child within me?

Awareness is the beginning of choice.

15/12/2025

When something frightening happens in the world, it doesn’t just live “out there.”

It lands in our bodies.
In our homes.
In our children.

And in those moments, fear moves fast.

One of the most important things we can do - for ourselves and for our kids - is pause.

In my upcoming book The Perfect Parent Trap (out in April), I talk about The Courage to Pause.
Not as a technique to get it right, but as a way to come back to ourselves when everything feels shaky.

Here’s a simplified version you can use today:

1. Breathe
Take three slow breaths.
Even this tells your nervous system: We’re safe. We have time.

2. Notice
What’s happening in your body right now?
Tight chest. Clenched jaw. Heavy stomach.
Nothing to fix, just notice.

3. Wonder
Gently ask:
“Am I responding to the child in front of me or reacting from something old inside me?”
This question creates space.

4. Choose
From here, choose how you want to respond, from your adult self, not fear.
You can still be firm.
You can still hold boundaries.
But now you’re choosing, not reacting.

This is what courage looks like in everyday moments.
Not being calm all the time.
But being willing to pause, feel, and respond with care.

Our children don’t need us to be fearless.
They need us to be steady.

And steadiness begins with a pause. 🤍

15/12/2025

Like many families today, mine feels quieter, heavier.

What happened in Bondi is heartbreaking.
Lives lost. Families forever changed.

Moments like this ripple through all of us especially our children.

If you’re a parent, a gentle reminder:
• Limit how much footage is playing in the background
• Be available for questions without overwhelming detail
• Offer reassurance, not answers to everything
• Let feelings be felt - fear, sadness, confusion

Our kids don’t need us to be fearless.
They need us to be steady.

And as a community, I don’t want anger or fear to be what takes root next.
We are deeply connected - what impacts one of us touches us all.

So today, let’s lead with compassion.
For the families grieving.
For the children trying to make sense of it.
For ourselves as we hold it all.

Love is still stronger than fear.
And staying human matters most in moments like this.

🤍

05/12/2025

If you’re heading to a Christmas party or family event this weekend and you’re already feeling tense…
Please know this:
It’s not because you’re failing at being festive.

It’s because certain people, places, or moments can brush up against old emotional imprints - the patterns we learned growing up about how to stay safe, liked, helpful, quiet, or “easy.”

That familiar tightness?
The pressure to keep the peace?
The urge to shrink or avoid?

These are old patterns waking up, not new problems appearing.

✨ Some gentle things that help before you walk in:
1. Name what’s coming up.
“I feel pressure.”
“I feel on edge.”
“I’m worried about being judged.”

2. Remind yourself:
“I’m allowed to show up as who I am now.”
Not the child or younger version of you who had to perform, please, or hold it all together.

3. Plan one simple boundary.
It can be internal: “I don’t have to answer every question.”
Or external: “I’ll take a breather outside if I need to.”

4. Ground your body before you ring the doorbell.
Two slow breaths. Shoulders down. Feet on the floor.
Let your body arrive before your emotions do.

It’s okay if this season activates you.
Awareness and compassion soften everything 💛

02/12/2025

30/11/2025

December isn’t hard because of one thing.
It’s hard because of all the things.
School events.
Work deadlines.
Shopping.
Emotional load.
Sensory overwhelm.
The pressure to “make it special.”

Trying to hold everyone together.

Your nervous system isn’t failing - it’s responding exactly as it should.
And here’s something most parents don’t realise:
When you’re stretched thin, the whole family feels it.
Stress shifts the whole system.
December doesn’t need perfection.
It needs presence.
And a little compassion for your overloaded heart.

03/08/2025

What a wonderful afternoon with and .coghlan celebrating Own your Story at gorgeous .
We all have the opportunity to explore the parts of us that create the stories in our lives if they don’t serve us. This book is a beautiful way to start that. ❤️

07/07/2025

I'd love for you to join me for a wonderful 3 hours together, talking about the most important role in your life.

Here is the link https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/1383488644779?aff=oddtdtcreator

29/05/2025

Tonight!
I’ll be at Queenscliff Primary School running a free interactive workshop for parents and carers: Raising Resilient Kids.

We’ll explore what resilience really looks like, how to support your child without rescuing them, and practical tools to help them cope, grow and thrive — especially when life gets tricky.

✨ It’s warm, real, and grounded in everything I know as a therapist, parent, and educator.

🗓️ Thursday 29 May
🕖 7:00 – 7:45pm
📍Queenscliff Primary School
🎟️ Free event – bookings essential: https://www.trybooking.com/DBRVP

If you’re a parent or carer feeling a little stuck or a little stretched — I’d love you to join us. 💛

We invite parents and carers to this valuable interactive workshop with Child and Family Therapist - Lisa Taylor to learn practical skills to support your child to thrive and build resilience!

We have spots available for tomorrow night's session, so would like to open this up to our community.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday 29 May at 7PM - 7:45 PM

Where: Queenscliff Primary School

Register prior to attending via Trybooking Link: https://www.trybooking.com/DBRVP

05/05/2025

To the mothers doing the invisible work… we see you.

You’re not just raising children...

You’re calming storms, picking up pieces, whispering hope, and holding everything together.

Others don’t see the extra things you do, think about, organise and orchestrate because you do it without complaint, without reward, just because it needs to be done.

It’s a tough job being a parent, working, running a household, while trying to be the best version of yourself for your colleagues and family. The version that remains calm, kind, loving and present for your kids.

In my upcoming book The Real Parenting Revolution, I speak to this quiet strength.

The work of connection, courage, and curiosity doesn’t often get applauded, but it’s changing lives every day, in living rooms and families across the world.

💕 This week, as we lead into Mother’s Day, I’m honouring the strength, sacrifice and soul of mothers everywhere.

04/05/2025

This day always catches my breath.

21 years ago, this Sunday, I lost my mum.

It’s hard to put into words how much she shaped me, how much of what I teach, write, and speak about began with her love, her presence, her values.

She was warm, funny, kind, and quietly fierce.

She taught me about connection before I had the language for it.
She showed me the kind of strength that isn’t loud, but lasting.
She gave and shared her love in ways I still feel.

I miss her every day.
And on this day, the ache is a little sharper.

If you’re grieving your mum right now too, I want you to know: you’re not alone.

Your love and your loss are deeply felt. And it’s important to honour that sadness alongside the celebration.

💔 May we all find ways to honour the women who raised us, loved us, and made us who we are.