So much of women's lives and so many of our experiences are hushed up, not spoken about and hidden. The Hidden World of Women is focused on bringing awareness to the experiences of women. There is no shame, no secrecy. Just women talking openly about their and our experiences. We want to let women know that you aren't alone, we want to bring awareness and shine hope for women.
Episodes
Monday Sep 04, 2023
Monday Sep 04, 2023
It’s women’s health week! Given this podcast is brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services (https://whws.org.au ) we couldn’t let it pass without a podcast episode related. This year’s theme is Grow Your Knowledge. As always there is a different prompt for each day and Monday is Check Me Out – women’s health checks including cervical screening self-collection, heart health and vulval self-checks. As we are still trying to focus on our theme of different occupations Emma was a little bit creative and spoke with Kath Mazella OAM who is a multi-award recipient gynaecological health advocate.
The episode covers Kath’s career and the personal story that led her here and it’s done in the usual Hidden World of Women meandering way. Kath is a survivor of vulva cancer and uses her experience to motivate her activism for women’s health. In today’s episode Kath speaks about her experience recovering for cancer, the search for community, her experiences entering the women’s health field including some of the barriers and the progress that has been made since she started working. Kath said that a big motivator for her to start working was hearing the stories of other women who had suffered like she had. Recently the Australian government put out a call asking people to share their stories. This call aims to provide information that would guide positive change. If you have a story you’d like to share please click the link below. https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-ged-kearney-mp/media/call-for-women-to-share-their-stories Kath also speaks about wearing vulva socks as an easy way to support gynaecological research.
Today the staff at King Edwards memorial hospital are wearing them to help destigmatise and start conversations about vulval health. https://agcf.org.au On the 10th of September at Kings Park Kulbardi Pavillon, there is a picnic being hosted to help raise awareness for gynaecological and vulva health. Bring your picnic gear and celebrate a great cause.
If you want more information on Women’s Health Week you can check out the Jean Hailes site https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/womens-health-week with information about each day’s prompt. If you want to get in touch with Kath you can find her website here https://www.kathmazzella.com/
The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested
And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au
Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices
We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ
WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws
Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/
Tuesday Aug 22, 2023
Tuesday Aug 22, 2023
In this week’s episode of Working Women, Emma spoke with Kitty Woodhouse, The Maiden of Metal. Kitty shared her experience as a professional metal artist.
Emma asked about what drew Kitty to metal art (a broken gate that will one day be fixed….maybe) her experiences learning the craft (spite is apparently a good motivator) and the impact it has on Kitty’s mental health.
In te episode Kitty spoke about having PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and agoraphobia (https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/agoraphobia?fbclid=IwAR0wrC63VXhtFNtU4CD75RGpiZo80EvN3Epn3vLjzElZN2kP-2ezpUtuh7E) . She describes her work teaching metal workshops as “intense exposure therapy” that forces her to face her fears head on.
When asked about how to start metal work Kitty gave a list including TAFE courses, YouTube or you could learn from Kitty herself in one or the workshops she runs for “Women on the tools.”
You can follow Kitty on socials
Instagram: @the.maiden.of.metal https://www.instagram.com/the.maiden.of.metal/?fbclid=IwAR0JK2ALs9uOtOmVEOKINCx-Ymc6T0gl9UVrDBP64N53IxHjYAOEAA4YusI
Facebook: @themaidenofmetal
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100083096270970
Check Out Women on the Tools: @WOTTPerth
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100077399405954
The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested
And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au
Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices
We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ
WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws
Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/
Tuesday Aug 08, 2023
Tuesday Aug 08, 2023
In this second episode of the ‘Working Women’ series Emma spoke to Linda Gerwar. Linda is a truck driver on the mines in Western Australia. Mining is something people talk about a lot but you don’t necessarily hear about the specific jobs on site.
In this episode they talked about Linda’s career change later in life and the motivations for it, what drew her to the mining industry in particular and the parts of fly in fly out (FIFO) work that you wouldn’t expect.
Linda has spent 4 years on mine sites and started working on sites with her husband (which is one of her favourite parts of the job!) in that time she has been both trainee and trainer driving the big trucks. She started driving them when she was 57 with no experience driving big trucks and perhaps even a more than healthy dose of fear of them, proving it is never too late to try something new that excites you and it doesn’t matter if you’ve never done it before!
Throughout the episode Linda stresses that if FIFO or mining work interests you that you should give it a try for 3 months. In that time, you’ll have the opportunity to try it fully and get a feel for the routine.
For Linda and her husband the routine works well.
The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested
And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au
Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices
We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ
WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws
Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/
Monday Jul 24, 2023
Monday Jul 24, 2023
Welcome back people! After a hiatus we return with a new series “Working Women.” This series was created after numerous conversations with women saying they don’t know what they want to be when they grow up (some of these women were in their 40s, 50s and 60s and some were in their teens and 20s) and one of the reasons; they just don’t know what’s out there. To try and shed some light on different employment options, this series will talk to women from all walks of life.
Our first episode in this series is interviewing Delza Skye. Delza is a beautician and burlesque dancer, performer and teacher. In this episode we talk about what drew her to the world of beauty (who knew you could enjoy giving pedicures?) and the ways her career has changed throughout the years she’s been doing it. She also talked about how she started burlesque dancing and the ways it has changed her self perception, body confidence and bravery. She went from a very shy woman who wouldn’t go to the beach in a bikini to confidently getting down to pasties in front of an audience (with her mum watching!)
Delza also runs a burlesque school in Perth “Skye high burlesque” for more information on the classes she offers check out her website:
https://delzaskye.com/workshops-shows/
Or find her on Facebook (Skye High Burlesque) and Instagram (@delzaskye or @skyehighburlesque)
The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested
And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au
Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices
We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ
WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws
Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Monday Nov 28, 2022
November is PRIDE month in Australia. Pride month provides an opportunity to celebrate the impact that LGBTQIA+ community has had on the world. For many in the Pride community it is a chance to celebrate how far we have come as a society (while still recognising that we have a long way to go!)
In this episode I spoke with Emma Atkinson about her experience living in a heterosexual marriage with two children and then, after divorce, exploring her sexual identity and questioning who she is attracted to. We touched on ‘coming out’ to her mum and children, what it was like to not only navigate dating after years of marriage (when the internet wasn’t even invented the last time she was dating, let alone internet dating!) but dating in a same sex relationship for the first time, we talk about labels, acceptance and the celebration that Pride can be as well as so many other topics in between.
In the episode Emma spoke about a TV show but couldn’t remember the name, it was It’s a Sin.
I am always grateful that people agree to be guests and they are so open with sharing their experiences. This interview is Emma’s public ‘coming out’ so I am beyond grateful that she trusted me enough to participate in the podcast episode. Thank you!
The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested.
And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au
Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices
We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ
WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws
Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/
Monday Nov 14, 2022
Monday Nov 14, 2022
Every year, twice a year in fact, we put out a service evaluation asking people what they would like to see us cover. Every time people say ‘menopause’ but when we offer information sessions people just don’t come. Whether that is because of the stigma that still surrounds talking about menopause or it is because women in perimenopause years are ‘busy’, maybe they are stressed or maybe they just forget (turns out they are both symptoms of perimenopause, who knew?) but, in an effort to give information on a topic that has been requested this episode is about menopause and perimenopause.
In this episode I chat with Lisa Saunders from Own Your Health Collective about all things menopause and healthy aging in general.
If you want to find out more Lisa and her business partner Natalie have information on their website www.ownyourhealth.com.au as well as a podcast specifically focused on perimenopause called Peri Menopause Power (available on all good streaming sites but here is a link to make it easier https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/peri-menopause-power/id1588187655).
In the episode Lisa spoke about stress and the benefit of mindfulness to your health in menopause and in healthy aging. If you want to find out more about mindfulness we have a course on our sister organisation The Hidden World of You https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/courses/introduction-to-mindfulness/
The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested.
And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au
Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices
We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ
WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws
Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/
Monday Oct 17, 2022
Monday Oct 17, 2022
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. In this episode I spoke with Richelle, an absolutely glorious woman who is a devoted mother, loving wife and dedicated tribal belly dancer and tribal dance teacher, she also happens to be a breast cancer survivor.
In the episode Richelle speaks about her experience with diagnosis, the importance of early detection (the power is in your hands), how other people’s reactions impacted her, what not to say (note to self; do NOT say ‘you’ll be fine’), and ways to support self.
Richelle spoke about how breast cancer made her re-evaluate her life and her priorities and how important it can be to positively reframe and see the silver lining in situations.
I could have gone on talking to Richelle for hours and I would have loved to explore more about how she re-evaluated her priorities and shifted focus and careers but sadly we ran out of time so I hope Richelle will join me again to dig into that further!
In the episode we spoke about the importance of getting to know your own breasts, checking them regularly and knowing what is normal. You can check out this link for information on how to perform a breast self exam https://www.breastcancer.org/screening-testing/breast-self-exam-bse and Richelle also spoke about Breast Cancer Care WA who have a range of different information on breast cancer, self exams, what next etc https://www.breastcancer.org.au/
The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested.
And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au
Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices
We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ
WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws
Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/
Monday Sep 19, 2022
Monday Sep 19, 2022
This is our 50th episode (and between the last episode and this we celebrated our second birthday!).
50 episodes seems like a milestone so I posted on socials to ask listeners what we should do to celebrate and it was suggested we talk to someone about turning 50. In the episode I spoke with Pip Brennan, author, independent lived experience advocate, and passionate women's health advocate about her experiences of turning 50. We talked about the fears that many people have around milestone birthdays, the reality of turning 50, the 7 year cycle, societies perceptions of aging women, embracing the grey, claiming your power and oh so many more things.
In the episode Pip recommended The Light Makers Manifesto and The Artist's Way as great starting points for journaling and finding stillness and all things Brene Brown.
Thanks so much Pip for interrupting your holiday to join me. I appreciate your time, energy and story.
The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested.
And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au
Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices
We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ
WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws
Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/
Monday Sep 05, 2022
Monday Sep 05, 2022
It’s Women’s Health Week! A few months ago I was approached by Megan from Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing about co-hosting a podcast for Women’s Health Week focusing on women in sport. The idea being that we would shift away from some of the more standard topics that are covered for Women’s Health Week. We had a couple of chats about it. We hoped to talk about the benefits of sport, physical, emotional, mental, look at how sport can be a connection point. Sport facilitates belonging and community.
Megan invited Kate Fielding to be our guest. Kate has played Basketball at local, state and national levels and now she plays AFL (Australian Football League) at a local level. Kate was a part of a local women’s AFL team that brought home 3 premiership trophies. We thought Kate could speak about her experiences in sport and the exciting changes to women’s sports that Kate has seen from the limited number of sports available to girls when she was growing up to the options for girls now.
I hadn’t expected to here about the systemic barriers to diversity, equity and inclusion that Kate experienced in her previous football club. No change facilities for the women’s teams, no toilet paper in the women’s toilets, having a ‘women’s rep’ on the board, a board member comparing their appearance to performers at a local strip club, and not even hanging their premiership flags or photos!
It is 2022, I was not expecting to hear these stories.
Despite all of this Kate still loves sport and her passion is infectious.
Thank you Kate for sharing so openly and thank you Megan for co-hosting (especially the parts where you asked the sports questions that were WAY out of my scope of knowledge!)
I really enjoyed this episode and, as a result of the conversation I just had a conversation with the chair person of our board about DEI and ways we can do better.
If you want to find out more about what Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing are up to you can find them here https://cwsw.org.au/
The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested.
And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au
Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices
We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ
WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws
Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/
Monday Aug 29, 2022
Monday Aug 29, 2022
Speaking with many women, it seems that incontinence, light bladder leakage etc is something that they feel like they need to just live with after having a baby or as they age. So many times I have heard ‘I can’t jump on a trampoline’ ‘don’t make me laugh, tears of laughter will run down my legs’.
Whether it is the advertising for incontinence pads in the mother to be or new mother bags or the television advertising for incontinence products as women age it seems that women accept this as ‘normal’ and just the way it is now.
As we are a week out from Women’s Health Week I wanted to take this opportunity to address this issue that impacts so many women. In this episode I spoke with Women’s Health Phsyio Stephanie from Lion Rocker Pysio https://lionrocker.com.au/ about incontinence, continence, what a women’s health psysio consult might look like and how women’s health physio can make a real difference to a woman’s continence.
The Hidden World of Women is a podcast brought to you by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services. Help us get the word out about the podcast by hitting subscribe and sharing it with people you know who may be interested.
And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with what we are offering at Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services www.whws.org.au
Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthandwellbeingservices
We also continue to add content to our Youtube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCju-8oH3lDHZYi18wvgSJTQ
WHWS (and this podcast) rely on donations to support our community. If you would like to make a donation you can head to our Give Now page. https://www.givenow.com.au/whws
Or check out The Hidden World of You our online learning platform https://hiddenworldofyou.com.au/