If your Christmas looks more beige safe foods than glossy adverts… if your tree is covered in cheap unbreakable baubles instead of heirloom ornaments… if your child hates the school concert and the holidays feel more exhausting than “magical” — this episode is for you.

In this gentle, honest conversation, Kirsten explores the grief and guilt that can surface when Christmas doesn’t look how we imagined, especially for mums of neurodivergent or disabled children. Together, we’ll name the pressure of the “perfect Christmas,” soften it into our kind of Christmas, and imagine a season that is small, soft, and still deeply meaningful.

Expect real-life stories, nervous-system-aware reflection, and practical ideas for:

• Designing a Christmas that fits your child’s needs

• Letting go of traditions that no longer work

• Navigating family expectations and comparison

• Finding quiet moments of magic in the mess

You don’t have to save Christmas. You’re allowed to survive it — and let that be enough.

What does hope look like when you’re exhausted, grieving, and doing everything you can for a child who’s not getting what they need?

In this raw, reflective solo episode, I explore the tension between despair and hope — not the fluffy kind, but the grounded, gritty kind that keeps you moving when the systems fail and the load feels too heavy.

We’ll talk about:

• Why hope isn’t a feeling — it’s a choice

• What it means to “kick at the darkness”

• Tiny moments that carry you through

• The grief that lives under the surface

• What to do when you can’t keep fighting

This one’s for every parent raising a neurodivergent or disabled child who’s been told to “stay positive” — when what you really need is someone to say: I see you. I’m here. You’re not alone.

What if being a “good mum” was never meant to mean being perfect?

So many of us—especially mothers of neurodivergent or disabled children—carry the quiet belief that if we just tried harder, stayed calmer, did more, we’d finally be enough. But the truth is, the “good mum” ideal we’ve inherited is not only unrealistic—it’s harmful.

In this episode, Kirsten unpacks where that myth came from, how it keeps mothers trapped in exhaustion and guilt, and what it really costs us when we try to live up to it. With warmth, honesty, and insight, she explores:

• The roots of the “good mother” and “supermum” ideals

• Why striving to do it all leads to burnout and shame

• How cultural systems—from patriarchy to capitalism—benefit from our self-sacrifice

• What it means to embrace “good enough” mothering instead

• Practical reframes to help you rest, set boundaries, and rediscover your worth

Because your best isn’t what you achieve by ignoring your limits—it’s what you do while honouring your health, your humanity, and your heart.

You were never meant to be a superhero. You were meant to be real.

When governments draw lines between “high support needs” and “low support needs,” families get pitted against each other — and everyone loses.

In this episode, Kirsten Killoran, matrescence coach and mother of a nonspeaking autistic child, explores Ireland’s proposed shift toward dividing autistic children into categories of need — and the devastating ripple effects that follow.

From history’s old labels of “deserving” and “undeserving” to modern austerity politics dressed up as reform, Kirsten unpacks how these divides harm families, fracture advocacy, and erase invisible struggles. Drawing on voices like Audre Lorde, bell hooks, Nancy Fraser, and Tom Shakespeare, she reveals how “divide and conquer” has long been used to silence care — and why solidarity between parents is the only way forward.

Raw, political, and full of heart, this is a call to unity for every parent raising an autistic or disabled child — no matter how your child’s needs are described.

Because autism isn’t high or low.
And neither are we.

Caution: This episode includes mentions of self-harm and suicidal thoughts. If you need support, contact Pieta House (1800 247 247), Samaritans (116 123), or your GP.

Every few years, a new headline claims to have found “the cause” of autism. This time it’s Tylenol (paracetamol). Before that, it was vaccines, diets, or even parenting styles. These stories grab attention, but they also leave parents carrying a heavy weight of guilt, shame, and anger.

In this episode, I unpack the latest Tylenol announcement in plain language, place it within the long history of blaming mothers for autism, and explore why science keeps chasing causes instead of focusing on what really matters: supporting autistic people to thrive.

Most importantly, I talk about what these headlines do to us emotionally as parents — and how we can release the blame that doesn’t belong to us. Because you are not broken. Your child is not broken. And you are not to blame.

You’re tired. You’re irritable. You can’t remember why you walked into the kitchen.

Is it burnout? Chronic stress from being a carer? Perimenopause? Or are you just… falling apart?

In this episode, Kirsten unpacks the perfect storm so many mothers face: the identity shift of post-diagnosis matrescence, the relentless mental load of raising a neurodivergent child, and the hormonal upheaval of perimenopause.

With personal reflection, expert insight, and plenty of validation, we’ll explore:

• Why burnout, stress, and perimenopause can look and feel the same

• How medical gaslighting leaves mothers unsupported

• The biology, the systems, and the cultural silence keeping us stuck

• Practical ways to care for yourself when you can’t change the storm

You’re not broken. You’re living through more than anyone should — and you still show up.

What if your need to control everything — the routines, the therapies, the endless meetings — wasn’t just about being prepared… but about being afraid?

In this raw and reflective episode, I explore how the urge to manage every detail of our child’s life is often rooted in fear: fear of judgment, fear of failing them, fear of what might happen if we don’t get it exactly right. I open up about my own journey through post-diagnosis matrescence, emotional burnout, and the slow, painful realisation that all my striving was leaving me disconnected from myself and my child.

Together, we’ll unpack:

• Why control often masks deeper fears

• How matrescence amplifies anxiety for mothers of neurodivergent children

• The emotional and physical cost of trying to “get it all right”

• What happens when we start to loosen our grip

• Real-life reflections on trust, presence, and letting go — without giving up

This one is for every mum who’s ever felt like she’s the only thing holding it all together — and is quietly falling apart in the process.

July 19th was International Self-Compassion Day — and this episode is a soft place to land.

If your inner voice has turned harsh… if you’re exhausted from trying to be everything for everyone… if you wouldn’t speak to anyone else the way you speak to yourself — this is for you.

Together we’ll explore:
💬 Where our inner critic comes from
🧠 The real cost of self-criticism (emotionally, physically, and socially)
🌿 A guided visualisation to meet yourself with tenderness
🧘‍♀️ A somatic reset to soothe the nervous system
🛠 Four practical tools to help rewrite the script — gently

You don’t need to be fixed. You need to be spoken to like someone who matters.

And that includes by you.