Episode Details

What happens when the motherhood you pictured meets the reality of anxiety, exhaustion, and doing it without enough support?

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of mental health challenges and references to suicidal ideation.

This week, I’m joined by Shani Connard, a holistic life coach.

She supports men and women to be happier parents, live healthier lives, and show up in their relationships with courage and authenticity. She also hosts monthly women's gatherings and potluck dinners where the focus is on being real, authentic, and navigating the ups and downs of life.

Shani is also a voice for women who feel unseen and overwhelmed in the early years of parenting.

After experiencing debilitating panic disorder and the crushing weight of feeling unsupported, she now speaks openly about the realities so many mothers quietly carry.

In this episode, we chat about:

• Shani’s early challenges in the birth of her son and the first years of motherhood
• The importance of evaluating your support network before becoming a parent
• Handling divorce, selling a house, and organising custody and finances while her mental health was at its lowest
• Receiving a diagnosis of panic disorder and how gradual exposure therapy, medication, and support meetings helped reduce her panic triggers
• Experiencing a near-death anaphylactic attack, suppressing fear and grief for six months, and how this may have contributed to the onset of panic attacks
• Why mums often minimise their own needs until reaching their breaking point due to fear of judgement
• What she wants every mother who feels scared, overwhelmed, or alone to know

This episode is a reminder that behind the highlight reels of motherhood are real women navigating fear, identity shifts, and invisible emotional loads; and how transformative it is to have the right people and support around you.

Connect with Shani:

Websites: www.reconnect2life.com.au & www.hertribe.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reconnect2Life & https://www.facebook.com/her.tribe.gatherings

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reconnect_2life & https://www.instagram.com/her.tribe.gatherings/

Gift vouchers for Shani's offers

Christmas vouchers are officially live -  and if you’re looking for a gift that feels meaningful, supportive and actually helpful… this is it. Vouchers can be used across all Reconnect2Life and Her Tribe offerings in 2026 - workshops, coaching, women’s gatherings, and more: https://www.reconnect2life.com.au/gift-vouchers 

Free Strategy Call with Shani

Unsure? Totally get it… Book a free 20-minute strategy call to feel things out and see if I’m the right fit for you: https://www.reconnect2life.com.au/book-a-session

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