Transformation and healing with Rebecca Sullivan

PodcastSeason 8
Written By Brooke McAlary

Oooh friends, do I have another cracking conversation for you! If you’ve listened to the poggie for a while, you’ve no doubt heard me talk about today’s guest, Rebecca Sullivan: founder of the Granny Skills movement, co-founder of Warndu native foods, author, cook, activist, advocate, mother, gardener, tree-planter and off-grid-living wonder.

Rebeca and I clicked immediately during our first chat a few years ago, and she is someone I admire enormously, not only for the work she does and the change she makes in the world, but for the way she goes about it too. She is passionate, intentional and deeply thoughtful, and talking with her is such a joy.

This conversation does come with a content warning though. In the first half of our chat we talk in-depth about post-natal depression, trauma and our birth experiences, so if you think you might find this really important conversation challenging to listen to, maybe consider listening with a friend or skipping through the first half of our chat.

Since her own experience with traumatic birth and subsequent post-natal depression, Rebecca has become an advocate for women’s health and, like me, believes that the only way to remove the stigma of both physical and mental health issues is to talk about it, which is exactly what we do.

We also dig into:

  • Rebecca’s introduction to motherhood during the pandemic

  • how she knew she needed to ask for help when her health deteriorated

  • what that help looked like then, and what it looks like now

  • the importance of advocating for your own health (even when you’re exhausted)

  • navigating change and uncertainty as a parent

  • our reasons for giving up the booze

  • delicious alcohol-free options for your end-of-year celebrations

  • why we both need to apologise for being the booze-pushing friend in the past

  • the impact of Covid on Australia’s native foods and food security in general

  • showing up imperfectly as an activist

This is a wide-ranging, messy, human conversation that I’ve found myself thinking about a lot in the weeks since we recorded it, and I hope you enjoy it too.

Head over to iTunes to subscribe to the show and play the episode, or take a listen right here by pressing play on the player below.

Brooke McAlary
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