MESS MAKERS
Welcome to The Mess Makers Series, where we take an intimate look inside the lives of Aussie creators, inspirers and side hustlers.
Vol.6 Louise East
Leaving the corporate world behind after 15 years, Louise decided to take a different path to help women cope with the overwhelming ideal of being a perfect mother. Louise is a Mindset and Life Coach for Perfectionistic Mums, a Matrescence Facilitator, a Speaker & Blogger.
Hi Louise! Thanks for being this month’s Mess Maker. Could you tell us a bit more about what you do as a Women’s Mindset & Life Coach?
As a certified Mindset and Life Coach I work with overwhelmed mums who are ready to release guilt and perfectionism and start listening to their inner voice that is calling them to the life they really want. I support them in rewriting the beliefs that create perfectionistic thinking and behaviours, uncovering their own truth, strength and grace, and rediscovering themselves so they can live with more intention, freedom, ease, confidence and self-love.
I also help mums understand their matrescence – the complete transformation and identity shift that a woman begins when she becomes a mother. It’s a truly wonderful job and I believe that when a mother thrives, her family and community are impacted in a really positive way.
The ripple effect is beautiful.
What was the driving force for you to move into your current field, supporting women through matrescence?
I have always loved helping people learn and grow. After 15 years in the corporate world supporting employees at all levels in their personal and professional development, it was a natural progression to bring my coaching and teaching skills and experience to a new community.
After becoming a step mum to three teenagers and then having a son of my own, I realised that mums everywhere were struggling to deal with the changes that were happening both in their lives and to them personally. There is an immense amount of pressure on mothers in modern western society and because the unrealistic expectations are so deeply embedded in our culture, mothers think that they themselves are the problem when they can’t meet the standards. But this is not true. Women are so capable and stronger than they realise and matrescence is our invitation to release the beliefs and strategies that may have worked before but no longer serve us, and evolve.
It’s a journey to becoming more whole and confident than ever before.
With all this in mind, more than anything I wanted mums to know that there is nothing wrong with them, and that they are going through something very real and significant, so that they can start to believe in themselves again and have the confidence to redefine what motherhood will look like for themselves. We all deserve to have a rich and fulfilling life that is aligned to our values and desires.
You have put a lot of work into your online resources for women, how do you know what topics to address?
I never run out of things to address! My own experiences, plus the common threads that I observe in my conversations with clients, friends and women in the More to Mum community inspire my resources.
I like to shed light on topics that may not be openly discussed all the time so that mothers feel less alone in their experiences.
We tend to think that it is just us that is struggling and so we don’t talk about it, for fear of being judged or being seen as a bad mum. The more we normalise the struggles, challenges and difficult feelings the more confident women will be to cope with whatever comes their way and seek help and support.
If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, what would it be?
Learning to trust my own intuition has been a long process for me, and I resisted it at first. I really hadn’t ever entertained the idea that I might have the answers inside me. I thought that I needed to look to experts and others to help me make decisions. I really believe that our lessons are given to us in the way we need them to be, but if I was to go back and give some advice to my younger self, it would be to really tune into my inner knowing and trust it. It never fails me and would have saved me a lot of mistakes and heartache.
What is your favourite room/favourite area in your home?
My favourite area in my home is the corner of my bedroom. It has a big, comfortable purple armchair next to the window and a little table to put down my cup of tea. I’ve spent many hours there feeding and cuddling my son, chatting to my husband and reading. It’s the place I go when I need a moment of calm or just want to relax. I love that there’s so much sunlight streaming into the room during the day.
What is your favourite thing about Scrub Mommy & The Pink Stuff?
Scrub Mommy is a great sponge! I love that it cleans so easily without scratching surfaces and that you can soften it with warm water. The dual sides are very useful and cleaning it in the dishwasher is easy. It’s also really important to me that it is non-toxic. The only problem is that when the sponges are new, my son thinks the faces are so fun that he wants to take them to play with!
Share a favourite recipe/hot tip/local café.
My favourite local café is Blackwork, Croydon. Their house made chai is amazing and they have plenty of delicious vegan options for those who prefer plant based options.
You can find more info on matrascence and managing the stresses of motherhood on Louise's website www.moretomum.com.au
Follow Louise on Instagram @moretomum for updates on coaching sessions, free support options, blog posts and more..
Look out for our next Mess Maker!
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