In this episode of Nourishing the Mother, Julie and Bridget dive into the invisible labour of advocating for your child inside school and medical systems; especially when your child is neurodivergent, anxious, or simply doesn’t fit the mould.

They unpack how our own history with authority shapes how we show up, why systems can both help and harm, and how constant advocacy quietly erodes mothers’ energy, self-worth, and capacity. This is a raw, practical conversation about choosing your battles, preparing proactively, assuming positive intent where possible, and tending to yourself so advocacy doesn’t consume you whole.

In this episode we discuss:
• why advocating for your child can feel emotionally brutal, lonely, and never-ending
• how your own experiences with authority shape how you deal with schools and professionals
• the difference between fighting a system and learning how to work within it
• why choosing aligned schools and services matters more than trying to change broken ones
• how neurodivergent kids often need proactive planning, not reactive discipline
• why diagnoses can open doors, even when they’re emotionally complex
• the mental load mothers carry when they’re the default advocate
• how to prepare teachers early so the year doesn’t unravel later
• why assuming positive intent can protect your energy (without bypassing reality)
• the importance of decompression, support, and not carrying advocacy alone

Want support on this journey? Come join us inside Honey Club - where we melt these blocks together, one breath, one practice, one deep remembering at a time. Find out more at julietenner.love or visit: https://julie-tenner.newzenler.com/courses/honeyclub


Reach out to Bridget for 1:1 coaching - bridgetwood.life

A simple ask for help on the sidelines becomes a powerful mirror into long-term relationship dynamics. In this episode, Julie and Bridget unpack a very real rupture between Julie and Nick, revealing how moments of overwhelm can activate old attachment wounds, masculine defensiveness, and feminine collapse. Together they explore how childhood patterns quietly replay in adult partnerships, why competence can become a barrier to intimacy, and what it actually takes to keep choosing each other when nervous systems are under pressure. A raw, honest conversation about communication, polarity, and the ongoing work of conscious love.

In this episode we discuss:
- How small moments can activate old relational wounds
- What happens when asking for help is met with defensiveness
- The grief and humiliation that can arise when support isn’t available in panic
- How childhood patterns (especially with our mothers) replay in adult relationships
- The strategies women develop to avoid rejection, and the intimacy cost of those strategies
- The difference between trusting your partner generally and trusting them in chaos
- Masculine and feminine nervous system differences under stress
- Masculine fixing reflexes versus feminine needs for presence and support
- How polarity breaks down in moments of overwhelm — and how to restore it
- Why clear, moment-to-moment communication matters more than good intentions
- How to name behaviour in real time without attack or collapse
- What accountability looks like in a conscious, long-term partnership
- Why healing in love is ongoing, layered, and deeply relational
- How understanding masculine–feminine dynamics changes the way you ask, respond, and repair

Want support on this journey? Come join us inside Honey Club - where we melt these blocks together, one breath, one practice, one deep remembering at a time. Find out more at julietenner.love or visit: https://julie-tenner.newzenler.com/courses/honeyclub


Reach out to Bridget for 1:1 coaching - bridgetwood.life

Back to school isn’t just a diary change…it’s a full nervous system reboot.

In this episode, Julie and Bridget get radically practical about what actually creates calm in the return-to-school season. Not mindset hacks. Not “just be more organised.” But the real, lived strategies that reduce friction, soften mornings, and help both parents and kids land back into rhythm; especially when neurodivergence, sensory needs, or emotional overwhelm are in the mix. This is about removing the predictable stress points so you’re not burning through your capacity before 8.30am… and so you can meet your children with steadiness instead of snapping over socks.

In this episode, we discuss:

- Why back to school dysregulates parents just as much as children, and how to work with that instead of against it
- How small, repeated friction points quietly drain your nervous system (and why it’s never really about the socks)
- Identifying your personal school-morning kryptonite before it takes you out
- Running each child individually, instead of treating the family like one blurred system
- Supporting neurodivergent kids with predictability, sensory-aware systems, and reduced decision load
- How personalised stationery, colour-coding, and clear structure can dramatically lower anxiety
- Why writing everything down actually restores capacity (and isn’t another thing to “get right”)
- Front-loading the obvious — socks, uniforms, lunches — so you’re not regulating chaos later
- The reframe: you don’t need more patience, you need more margin
- How logistics create emotional safety for kids (and parents)
- Streamlining lunchboxes and routines to reduce daily decision fatigue
- Having the conversations early that prevent meltdowns later
- Clarifying assumptions around sleepovers, screens, bedtimes, and flexibility
- Preparing for wobble: school changes, transitions, big feelings…without trying to prevent them
- Why this isn’t control… it’s care
- How planning for reality lets you soften into the year instead of bracing against it

This episode is for the parent who wants calmer mornings, steadier energy, and a school year that feels more doable - not because life is easier, but because you are better resourced.

Want support on this journey? Come join us inside Honey Club - where we melt these blocks together, one breath, one practice, one deep remembering at a time. Find out more at julietenner.love or visit: https://julie-tenner.newzenler.com/courses/honeyclub


Reach out to Bridget for 1:1 coaching - bridgetwood.life