TONTS. - Matrescence Festival with Mandy Hose

Episode Date: October 19, 2025

Welcome to seventh episode of TONTS Season 5 Matrescence Festival edition, join us as we look back through our Melbourne festival from March 2025.In this episode you'll hear from Mandy Hose, a sleep and settling consultant as well as the co host of the Too Peas podcast to help all parents of multiples who live with disabilities and additional needs. Mandy wants no one to feel alone anymore, parenting on the road less travelled and has also co-authored a book called 'The Invisible Lives of Us' discussing the surprises, challenges and sheer delight of parenting twins with additional needs.As well as hearing from Mandy, you'll get to hear us close out Day One of the festival with gratitudes and words of wisdom and affirmation, as attendees discuss what they have gotten out of the festival so far. And please let us know what you've gotten out of the series so far at @tontspod on instagram. For more from Mandy you can head to: https://mandyhosesheknows.com/ or https://toopeasinapodcast.com.au/For more from Claire you can head to: https://www.clairetonti.com/ or her instagram @clairetontiFor more from Lizzy you can head to: https://www.lizzyhumber.com/ or her instagram @lizzyhumberAnd to keep up to date with past and upcoming Matrescence festivals you can follow @matrescencefestival on instagram or go to https://www.matrescencefestival.co.ukOriginal theme music: Free by Claire TontiEditing: Maisie JGSocial Media: Surabhi Pradhan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which I create, speak and write today. There are Wondry people of the Kulin Nation and pay my respect to their elders past, present and merging, acknowledging that the sovereignty of this land has never been seeded. I want to acknowledge the people who have given birth on this land, raised children on this land for generations connected to country and spirit. Hello, welcome back to this very special edition of Tons. This is the last episode of Day 1 of Matresson's Festival. I'm Claire Tonti.

And I'm Lizzie Humber and we are the co-founders of Metrescent's Festival. So listen along with us today as we share live episodes from day one of the Metrescence Festival that took place across two days in March 2025. I have the absolute joy of introducing the speaking. for today's episode. She's a very dear friend of mine. I met her, actually, when I was very new to podcasting at a podcast festival in the Luz with her dear friend Kate, and she is just a wonderful advocate, warm and funny, and her name is Mandy Hose. So let me tell you more about her. She's a podcaster, author, mother of three daughters, and a fierce advocate for all families.

As a sleep consultant with over a decade of experience, she has supported countless parents, especially those navigating prematurity, multiple births and disabilities, to find new ways to approach sleep and settling with compassion. She is also the co-creator of Two Peas in a podcast and co-author of The Invisible Life of Us, sharing raw, real, funny and deeply moving insights into parenting kids with disabilities and the unspoken challenges of motherhood. This is a really beautiful interview between Claire and Mandy. So Mandy shares some writing from her book and Claire interviews her as well.

Just so you know, Mandy references being in the NICU, which is the neonatal intensive care unit. For us, it was very, very important to make sure that we represented mothers' voices of disabled children. When we were planning the Exeter Matressents Festival, we had a really very valuable and supportive conversation with our writer, an arts consultant called Kirstein McNish and Kirstein is a mother to a disabled child and she really highlighted the importance of us hearing from mothers who are also carers of children with disabilities. In Exeter we invited the author Penny Windsor who has a child with disabilities and also experience as a young carer to her mother who had mental health challenges. So when we were talking about who to have in the Australian version of Metrescence Festival, Mandy Hose was a no-brainer. We were so

excited that she said yes and I know she really valued the conversation as well. So at the end of this day one, we also include some sharing from the audience at the end. So it gives you a space to also reflect on what you've heard over these last seven episodes and be part of the audience as they go about their evening. It would have been their Saturday evening. But so wherever you are in the world and whatever time of day it is, make sure you take a moment to reflect on what you've heard too. Okay, over to Claire and Mandy. I have the absolute privilege of introducing our last speaker for this session and then we're going to have some lunch. A dear, dear friend, Mandy Hose. Mandy, would you like to come up and join us here? Mandy Hose is a podcaster, an author, mother of three

daughters and fierce advocate for all families. As a sleep consultant, With over a decade of experience, she has supported countless parents, especially those navigating prematurity, multiple births and disabilities, to find new ways to approach sleep and settling with compassion. She is also the co-creator of the wonderful podcast, Two Peas in a podcast, and co-author of The Invisible Life of Us, which is for sale today in the bookshop, where she shares with Kate sharing raw, real, funny and deeply moving insights into parenting kids with disabilities and the unspoken challenges of motherhood.

I'd love to invite you to give her another round of applause, Mandy Hose. Thank you, Claire. You're welcome. Thank you for having me, everyone. What a powerhouse room. Oh, my gosh. Absolutely. So Mandy and I are going to have a conversation.

But I thought I'd start just by inviting you to read a piece from your book. Okay. Yeah. It's hard to find something that you think, what will, you know, because I'm bringing out snippets. But I thought maybe I'd start with a little bit about time that I, my twins are 19 now. They're fraternal girls and I also have a 14-year-old daughter too, which we call singletons in the multiple birth community, which I never knew until I became a twin mum. and then everyone else has singletons.

And I was like, okay, that's what we say. So, and I had the girls, I went into spontaneous labour at 31 weeks. So, and I will cry about that until the day I die, actually. But they're okay, they're fabulous, right? But the girls, both my twins have diagnosis of hemipleger, cerebral palsy. So one has a right hemipleger and one has a left hemipleger. And my daughter with a right hemipleger also has a right hemipleger also has an intellectual disability.

And so she is the world's greatest teacher. And she said to me yesterday when I said, I'm coming to the metrescence festival, and she said, is that a festival for women with saggy boobs? And I said, well, yes. Sorry to say. Yeah, why don't mine sags more than the other, actually?

They're looking at me, perhaps. But she is the greatest teacher in the land. Oh, I wish you could all know her. she's wonderful and she teaches me something new every single day so I just want to talk to you a little bit about and read a little bit about the experience of having the twins in NICU and special care nursery and so one of the places that many people don't know exists is the expressing room a room just off to the side of the NICU cold stiff couches and chairs a coffee table a bench for a place to put your water bottle or if you're lucky, maybe a cup of tea.

Pumps are expressed with disinfectant to spray on the couches and chairs and then wipe down with a paper towel. What an unexpected room of shared pain. It is a most profound space that actually needs to be treated like a palace. The tears, the grief, the fear, the smell of breast milk, the smell of soaked pads of blood from the birth. Women bravely trying to sit on an uncomfortable chair after tears and episiotomies and cesareans, slowly putting their bodies down on the seat,

pulling open a t-shirt or a jumper. Not easy for us, premature mums, we don't have the right clothes yet. Getting the pump and curling their toes as the machine brutally sucks on their breasts and nipples. Shh, pump, shh, pump, goes the sound. Women try to smile and say hello to other women, some with milk streaming out of their breasts into bottles and others barely getting a drip. The women facing diagnosis, the women who have had babies die, and then are continuing to get milk out for their remaining twins and triplets.

It's a sacred, sacred place. Here in the room I came up with the term prem prejudice, and it's a term I used to explain how I felt talking to the women who had had babies earlier than mine or, in fact, had babies later than mine. And I would refrain from speaking my thoughts. I'd act grateful, be grateful, I'm lucky. Our babies are lucky, they're alive. don't be sad you have no right not here not now

a new mother comes into the room my baby was 39 weeks and he wasn't breathing at birth I don't know what's going to happen and once again I don't know what to say because my babies are well wet little don't say anything don't tell anyone if you have good news this isn't the good news room and some babies are moved from the hospital

where they're born spending beginnings of their lives in Ninnikku in another state in the city from their moms in the country and those moms aren't talking about the express a room. So that's something to say. Oh, thank you, Mani. Thank you for starting there. I want to acknowledge what you've been through to you in the room and I know that there are so many other women in the room potentially who are also carers who've also had experience of Niku and that shared experience of the grief of loss as well and infant death too or miscarriage. So we see you in this

room you are safe here with any emotions that you have and we have a bell tent set up in the garden for you too so if this conversation brings anything up for you that's a space you can go to see it to reflect and place a paper butterfly on the altar there too or anything that you feel called to because we feel through it to break through don't me um i wanted to ask you there's kind of the vision of what we think motherhood is going to be like and the experience that you had. How do you process that? Because what was the vision you had and then what actually happened for you?

Yeah, my dad's an identical twin, and so my grandma was Scottish, and she always used to say to me, you'll have the twins, you'll have twins. and so my whole life I thought I'll have twins and I remember being really sick in the beginning and I said to the obstetrician could it be twins and she's like oh everybody says that and then I came back at 12 weeks and had the scam which is kind of late now and there was the two babies

and I said I knew it and when I went back and saw her and she said I will never say that ever again to anyone so so I guess in the beginning Having two babies, you know, is an amazing thing. And I'm so grateful to have experienced that. And what a magic time, even though it's a little bit frightening. And then, you know, the doctors always, let's just get to 34 weeks and then we'll talk.

And so, no, I did not think I was going to go into labour at 31 weeks. I did not. And I cried the whole way to the hospital knowing this is, what's going to happen? And then them being taken straight away to NICU is a frightening thing. some of you have experienced that. And for our first babies, you know, and I just think about the fear, interrupting my joy, that was the whole thing, actually.

And they were in hospital for seven weeks, and I just felt like they would never come home. And so every time they have a birthday, I think, oh, I can't believe you're here. You know, and so, yeah, and then we get them home, and then, oh my gosh, two babies. Wow. That's so, I don't even know.

when it began. Yeah, well, because I'd worked in early childhood, I was like, I know how to change nappies, I had that muscle memory, I could make bottles, I could set up toys, I was good at all of that, but you know, your heart, you can't explain that, can you? So, and then we realized, and I thought my littlest twin, what is happening? She's so little, right? And then at about four months, I went to the nurse and said, I think there's something happening, and she said, she wrote in the book, Developing Beautifully. And I'll never forget that. because I was like, I knew something was happening. And then at eight months we went in and it was, you know, absolutely she wasn't using her

right side of her body and a twin was. And so I had a compare and contrast right here. And then I went to the maternal and child health nurse and said, there's something going on. And she said, yes, okay. And so that was when my life just changed forever. And it's okay. is a good thing to know, too.

I wanted to ask you, why did you call your book The Invisible Life of Us? In the beginning, before we wanted to do the podcast, and around 2017, I started listening to podcasts, and I have to say, what's it called, the porno one, I've forgotten one. Oh, yeah, I know. My dad wrote a porno. My dad wrote a porno, if anyone knows that podcast is so good. I have never laughed so much in my whole life listening to that podcast. And also the other podcast was talking about grief.

And so I was thinking, there is women's stories to be told in podcasting. So I messaged a couple of, I've got a lot of friends with kids with disabilities, and I said, what should we call the podcast? And we got a whole lot of hilarious ones, which are all written in here. And one of my friends who has twins, one with cerebral palsy, said, The Invisible Life of Us. And so I asked her if we could use that for the book. And she said, yes, go for it.

So I think it's just the stuff that no one sees that we are managing all the time. Yeah. And I think that goes from motherhood in general and parenthood, but particularly for women who are caring for kids with disabilities and parents. Yeah. What do you want us to know about what it's like to parent a kid with disabilities? I want you to know that you and some of you might be, well, we call ourselves a P's when we were in the podcast

because we were called two P's in a podcast. so if you're a P, that we love our kids more than you ever think is possible. And actually, when that diagnosis happens, this extra boost of love. Kate used to say it's like you make room for the dessert. It's this extra room of love for our kids that we're just like, okay, here we go. I'm going to, I have to do an even better job than I thought I was going to do before. So, yeah. Thank you so much.

Can we just acknowledge what that. takes too. I'd love to invite you to read another passage if you like. So there's all sorts of chapters in here and the best part about the podcast is we just started at thinking we I wanted a revolution in the multiple birth world because I found that there was so many families that had a multiple birth that had children with you know either one of the twins or triplets that had just a disability or both as was my case and so I thought we need to start talking about our families. No one's talking about our families in the twin world. So, yeah, so we started it and we just thought, oh, no one will listen.

And then I just pumped it out into every Facebook group I was in. It was like my daughter said, constant self-promotion. Yeah, yeah, important. The other important thing to say, too, is that we kept our children anonymous and we have the whole way through and we gave them pseudonyms. and yeah, we tried as best we could to say, how can we tell our story as the mothers without exposing our children? So that was extremely important to us,

and we did that the whole way through. And you did that so beautifully. If you haven't listened, it's such an incredibly special podcast. It's one of Annabelle Crave's favourite podcast, if anyone knows Annabelle Crave, because Mandy and Kate share their friendship, which is, I think, the thing that drew me to it. So deeply, they laugh so much.

Because we've got funny stories that you don't know about if you don't have a child with a disability and not even funny as in the things that you might think, but just the extraordinary. And then the times that we felt alone in the school system or alone in play groups or those places where we didn't quite felt like we fitted in. And then sometimes, and then what would we do?

We would go out for dinners and we would talk about all that stuff. And then if you don't have a child with disability, you don't know those amazing stories. So when we started putting them out into the podcast, it was also a fantastic place for professionals to listen because there was never any sort of judgment. We weren't going, well, that teacher was a bitch. It was just saying, well, this happened,

and then professionals could listen and not take it personally. Does that make sense? It makes so much sense. Could you tell us a funny story that you have? Is that it be like asking a comedian to tell you? Kind of. From your daughter or one of the stories that you heard on the show that's really stuck with you. Well, Kate always had hilarious ones.

Her boys were neurodiverse and her identical twins. And one of my favourite stories was, you know, they were like four-ish, I think. And they came in with the hose and it's blasting around the house. And she's just, you know, managing all that. She had five kids and the twins were her youngest and the twins were my first. So even just to have that friendship, to have the wisdom of her parenting, and then my first parenting, but to have all these twins together. And we had probably about five or six mums.

One of our most favorite stories is came to my house. The girls were two. Only one of my daughters was walking. And so I made sure all the twins were outside just on the concrete. And so we, and I made nachos for all the mums for lunch, right? So there's like six of us. And the only place I could put the nachos was on top of the bins. And so we just stood around my bins.

And we just ate the nachos thinking we're so happy to eat while we were just spot-firing out all the toddlers. Some walking, some not, some riding bikes over the other people's feet and the chaos. And we stood around the bins. And so we called that nacho bin day. And then in lockdown we had a nacho bin day on Zoom. And so we got everyone in the podcast to make nachos and eat them on their bins.

That was so funny. And so we had the Zoom. but then later a listener read in and said, I didn't realize it was on Zoom and I was just eating the nachos on the bins by myself. That was just magic. And that I think is so it, isn't it? It actually is heart-to-heart connection.

It's laughing with each other. Yes. We don't have to do it alone. No, and because most of early parenting is funny. You know? You've got poo going here and we here and, you know, know, and when we're in the fear, we miss the joy. It's so true. And a lot of fear about having our children, you know, I always say when they're newly diagnosed, I'm thinking, and it was

ridiculous, but will she walk, will she drive a car, will she go to uni, will she have sex? What are the things, and you're thinking with your new little baby? And you can't help thinking about all that stuff, because the world tells you that, you know, that they need to follow these paths. And we had a chapter called Fuck You Milesones. because I said it one day on the podcast, and I didn't realize how many people love that. Yeah, fuck you milestones, for sure. Forget about them.

And then we had a beautiful listener say, what about instead of milestones, we talk about smilestones. And so now that's what we talk about. So my daughter's 19, and she's doing something for the first time, I say, what a smile stone! Because I didn't think you were going to do that. Or, you know, she broke up with her boyfriend last week. oh you know and she was like it's fine what a smile stone yeah but i didn't think she'd ever have a boyfriend

or you know just little things like that so smile stones keep that with you and if you ever you know surrounding a mum that seeing a child that's not doing the things that other babies are doing point out the smile stones instead because they're the greatest oh i love that thank you so much Mandy i have one final question for you and this is about sleep so after this we're going to the lunch break you also have worked with so many new parents about sleep what do you want us to know about little ones yeah sleep well i work with newborns to now 12 year olds because in the pandemic everybody had a tricky time is sleep um i just want you to know that no way that you get your baby to sleep is ever right or wrong we're all just doing our greatest but if you need some help there is ways that we can

you know, work with babies and help them sleep, you know, kindly and responsibly and in an attached way. So I'm super proud of my work. I work with families all the time and I'm almost all really proud of working with families of kids with disabilities because sometimes those moms will put sleep to the absolute bottom. And we need it. We need sleep, right? For our brains. Yeah. Yeah, Winnie would absolutely agree with that, wouldn't you? Yeah, totally. We can do it kindly, but there's no right or wrong way. So, yeah, yeah.

Can I just read something at the end? Yes, yes, I've got time. So this is for the people, we made booklets. These are for free, and I'll have a whole lot you can take if you know anybody that's had a child with a diagnosis. And we had seven of us write a letter to you on the day that you get the diagnosis and two people with a disability. So I just want to read a bit of this.

So my name is Mandy, and I want you to know that I've been, right where you are now, just having been told that my child has a diagnosis. And I remember not being able to read anything clearly at that time, so if you can't read right now, you have my permission to put this down and come back to it, I understand. I know that receiving my daughter's diagnosis at 10 months old was equal part shock and relief. My twin daughters were born at 31 weeks. The diagnosis took time, so you may be at the beginning of this or at the very day the doctor gives you the news. I see you today. And I know the feeling of a knife digging into your heart

and turning it around. And that maybe today you feel like your world has turned upside down. And I just want you to look at your baby or your toddler or your child and I want you to grab them and pull them into your chest right in and squeeze them with as much love as you have. And just kiss them over and over again and smell them and know that they have not changed. You will adopt this position many, many times.

It's the new thing you just don't know it yet. However you process during this time is the right way There is no right or wrong way And you might be someone who is ready to let everyone know today Or you might be someone who's going to keep this very private You may cry on the floor of your bathroom Or you may jump into action You may not be able to get out of bed

Or you may not be able to sleep You may get drive-thru take away many times Or you may not be able to eat And we all take this in different ways And just know that I did all of the above And you are not the only one even though it feels like you are not the same person as you were yesterday. The world looks different now, and in time you'll be grateful for this,

and you don't have to believe me today, but I know this to be true. And the best part of this story is that you don't think you can love your child any more than you do right now, but you will. And your heart is going to explode with love and protection and possibilities. And there will be very tiring days, and days of feeling worn out by the fight for inclusion and understanding and acceptance and hospital admissions and therapies in the school and the future and that's true and we like to tell ourselves just get through today and that's tomorrow's worry

and other days you will be so proud of your gorgeous person or people that you can't hold it in and you will advocate like they're the only child on earth and lastly i want to encourage you i want you to know i see your heart and i recognize your face and i have walked ahead of you on the road less travelled, and I've paved some of the way for you. Pretend I'm holding your hand today. Keep going, Mandy. That was so beautiful. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you for listening. Oh, thank you for being here. Please give her another big round of applause. Thank you for the gift of your presence today. I want you to sit with the feeling that you've held for this day of being your full self, of the emotion that has run through this room like a river, for the permission that you have given each other and yourself

to show up as you are in your fullness, in your heart, in your soul, as a human, as a person, as a mother, as a grandmother, as a daughter. And I want you to take this song, so it's a mantra. And we'll do that tomorrow afternoon as well. Into your life. I use it when I hit overwhelm in my mothering, when I just need to take a minute,

and I sing I'm going slowly for me, because that to me is the revolution. We want women and humans, all of us together, to go slow, you know, and rest. And so this is a gentle circle of kindness just to invite you, if you have something you'd like to share, we're going to open up the mic just for maybe five to ten minutes before we all leave.

And then after this, you're welcome to keep having a look at the books. You can write your reflections on the tags, spend some time having some tea and coffee and connecting with everyone in the space. but if you would like to speak and you have something you'd like to share with the room whether it be or whatever is speaking to you in your heart

just pop up your hand and I'll pass the mic over to you but yeah from my heart thank you for being here are there anyone who'd like to share be brave and go first Even a word, maybe there's a word that's come up for you today that you'd like to say. My word is gratitude.

Deep gratitude. I don't really have a word. I just want to thank you and all the speakers for holding this safe space for all of us to come together. So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Oh, I'm Deb. Thanks, Deb. Thanks, Deb. Would anyone else like to share?

Oh, Nadia. We'll say hi, Nadia. I feel like I'm sitting on a chair, so I'm like, hello, hello, Mrs. Nadia. Firstly, also reflect back, thank you, thank you, thank you. What an incredible space that you guys have created. I don't think I've ever been to such an inclusive, like practically inclusive space that has thought of absolutely everything and considered everything.

So I am just blown away. So thank you. Something that keeps coming up for me today that I thought I might share just because someone might find it interesting or is someone. some of the Moroccan, I'm part Moroccan and some of the Moroccan traditions around birth and post-birth is that there's this saying that says that for 40 days after a baby's born, a woman's grave is open, right? So we know that, and that means like, you know, these are the 40 days that really matter, you know, and I know that that's something that's reflected in a lot of culture,

but those first 40 days are really, really important to protect your space if you're having your brain. baby. And the other thing that I wanted to talk about is there's a festival of the new mother that happens at like, usually seven days after. And I've been to, I've always thought, oh my God, who wants to have a party for you, seven days after you've had a baby? But it's beautiful. She doesn't do anything. She gets rolled, she gets wrapped up. She gets, she gets steamed at the hamamom and scrubbed and, like, really nurtured. The house is cleaned. The place gets ready for her. and the party is really to welcome her as a mother. So it's to celebrate, it's not, it's the festival of the new mother.

It's not a christening, it's not about the, you know, it's not about the baby or welcoming the baby. It's about celebrating this woman's move, you know, move into her new role, which is, you know, as a mother. So anyway, that's, it's a big thing, it's a very important ritual. And I feel like, you know, opportunities like this that allow us to come together and celebrate each other as mothers is, you know, something that we need to create more opportunities for yeah anyway i just wanted to share that

thank you thank you nadia say thank you nadia that's a really taggy teach thing isn't it but i love it would anyone else like to share anyone else have any reflections oh thank you claire i really just want to share i came back to Australia a year ago and I have found it really difficult to connect with my culture of being here and my dear friend Tanya who I've known for many years invited me to help with this event and for me I have a deep gratitude of acceptance and being seen for not being a mother through my own hard story but also being able to be here and share my story and my time for such a great event So I'm really deeply grateful for all the beautiful conversations

and, yeah, smiles today. So I just wanted to say thank you. I would say thanks, Eleonora. Anyone else? We've probably got time for two more, I think. Hi, everyone. My name's Beck. Hi.

I'm a primary school teacher long ago, so I love that. Thanks. I just wanted to share that I had a doctor's appointment yesterday we've been following up on six months of a PMDD diagnosis and I have come out of that with some homeopathic treatment and a lot of love and support and she was really moved yesterday and she actually started to cry and she said,

Like you're like a different woman. And I said to her, yeah, I'm going to celebrate it tomorrow at the metrescence festival. And she said, the what? And I said, metrescence. And she's like, how do you spell it? So she spelled it. She said, I've never heard of that word before. And I got to sit with my GP and share what metrescent.

and share what metrescence is. And so, yeah, pretty fucking cool. And I actually just wanted to thank Claire and all the speakers and all the volunteers and everyone that put this together. And I know that next year, this space won't be big enough. And I just invite everyone who did come here today to share that word out in the world

because we need it. So thank you. Thank you, Beck. Thank you, Beck. One last person. So someone, oh, that's beautiful. I get to run through the space. It's so fun.

Oh, hi. My name is Dixie. And hi. And I just wanted to, first of all, thank Claire for putting this on. I'm sorry, I'm going to cry for sure. What a beautiful space, as you know, and all the speakers. And just, I heard my story so many times today. And I've been here for a while, but I've never really felt as home as I do today in Australia. And not one time, like, I also have my two-year-old here. It was chaos. And not one time that I get like a judgy look or feel like, oh, you know, like just people just pouring out love to me just the whole time. So thank you, all of you.

Thank you. Thank you so much, Dixie. Thank you. All right, Lizzie Humber, that brings us to the end of day one. What did you reckon? I'm exhausted just listening back to all of them. It was such an intense, amazing, uplifting day. I was so proud of everybody that spoke and just hearing some of those audience comments at the end.

It was very affirming and uplifting and just the sense of community was so strong. But hey, if you thought day one was good, wait until you hear day two. which we will be releasing really soon. Who have we got on day two? Oh my gosh, that'll knock your socks off. I mean, day one was also absolutely brilliant. But here's day two.

We've got Jane Hardwood Collings, grand high witch of Instagram. My God, talking about seasons of motherhood. Oh, so amazing. There was a moment I had to lie on the floor and you had to fan me because I just was just so overwhelmed by the things that she was saying. I was so excited to hear Jane.

Oh, she was so good. She did two workshops as well, one on perimenopause and one, which was a drum journey where at some point we were drumming people up their volvers. Yeah, I experienced that. We met our inner goddesses. It was very, very powerful. I'm very excited. I can tell you a bit more about that for day two.

We also have Michelle Hall, who is a theatre maker who does a performance lecture that she created especially for us on maternal rage. Oh my God, it was so powerful. And we've also got a video that we can share with you so you can see what that looked like as well because with a performance lecture, you know, there's some visual aids that you may like to see. Who else did we have? Oh, Natasha Bamblitt, Queen of Acknowledgements, and proud Aboriginal mother came to talk to us about connection, land and culture. And she danced and sang in language and had the whole place up on their feet crying.

She was also eight months pregnant at the time. And she's just had her baby girl, actually. in the last couple of days. So that's very, very special. Also, my dear friend Mietta is singing. She's such a beautiful songstress, that woman. And then we also had Dr. Winnie Orchia come back and talk about queer parenthood.

And Dr. Sophie Brock talking about, you know, she's got, she does academic research into motherhood. It's absolutely stellar line-up for day two. So we can't wait to welcome you back. Keep an eye on announcements of when we're going to be releasing that episode. Correct. Absolutely. So head to at Metrescent's Festival on Instagram. How'd you like me doing that one? That was good. If you want to be updated on when the next episode is coming out. Or you can also follow me at Claretonty on Instagram and Lizzie at Lizzie Humba.

And that's it from us from day one of Matrescent's Festival. Thanks for listening.