I used to think being strong meant coping no matter what.
Keeping everything going. Holding the family together. Staying calm (or at least looking like it).
But behind the mask of coping, I was quietly falling apart.
Most days I felt like I was treading water, barely keeping my head above the next meltdown, the next therapy email, the next school call.
There was no pause button. No space for me.
Just a constant, exhausting rhythm of “what needs to be done next?”
I’d wake already tense, move through the day on autopilot, and collapse into bed feeling guilty that I’d snapped at my kids again. Then I’d lie awake worrying that I was failing them.
It’s a cycle so many parents live in, exhausted, reactive, stretched thin but we call it normal. There is a better way. A better ‘normal’. It ain’t perfect. But that’s part of it too. Learning to be okay with the imperfect. It’s bloody freeing and I’m so excited to share with you for FREE.
👉 1 hour FREE breathwork
✨ Breath As Your Blueprint ✨ Parents of Neurodivergent Kids to Build Lasting Regulation
📅 28th October 2025 – 10am AWST (Replay available – BONUS available for those attending LIVE only)
🎥 Watch the video version here
📖 Or read below
The Truth About Coping
This week reminded me of something I’ll never forget. How easy it is to look fine on the outside while quietly falling apart inside.
In just a few days, one friend told me she’d started antidepressants. Another shared how anxiety had taken over her sleep. Then a close friend messaged to ask which antidepressants I’d tried because her friend was struggling to find one that worked, while another was dealing with side effects like weight gain.
On the outside, these women look like they’re holding it all together.
They’re running households, raising kids, working, juggling therapies and school drop-offs, all while being there for everyone else.
But underneath, they’re exhausted.
Not broken. Not weak. Just done.
And what I learned this week is that so many parents are really struggling but on the outside, they look fine.
They’re doing everything they can to keep life moving, but they’re running on empty.
It reminded me so much of where I used to be, constantly pushing through, believing that being strong meant holding it all together.
But I know now it doesn’t have to stay that way.
When we live in a constant state of stress, the body learns to stay there. It runs on adrenaline and survival energy, and when that becomes the baseline, even small things can feel huge.
That’s why parents can know all the strategies, read all the books, and still find themselves shouting in the kitchen at 6 pm because someone refused to brush their teeth.
It’s not that they don’t care. It’s that their nervous system never gets the chance to exhale.
That’s Normal for Parenthood Isn’t It?
I would have kept going like this too.
Thinking it was normal. Expected.
It’s just what you’re meant to do, right?
But thanks to chronic fatigue, I had to learn the hard way.
I was stopped in my tracks.
I had to actually face everything that had led me to this point, the pushing through, the trying to do it all, the lack of caring for myself, and the constant overwhelm, worry, and exhaustion that came with raising neurodivergent kids.
All of it had caused my body, my nervous system, to get stuck in sympathetic activation. You know the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn states (hello, people pleasers).
And boy, did I try meditation!
The frustration of constantly trying to bring my mind back to whatever voice on the recording told me to focus on… I was dedicated. I’d commit to a program and stick with it, thinking it would finally help me feel more peaceful, present, and calm in my life.
But then I’d lose it at the kids so quickly.
I’d feel guilty and angry.
I’m doing the work, why is this not working?!
I honestly believed breathwork would be the same. But by that time, I didn’t have much choice. I was couch-ridden and barely getting through the day.
No Need to Still Your Mind!
One of the first things they said was, “You don’t have to still your mind in this practice.”
I was so relieved. Finally, a practice that wasn’t trying to force my mind to do something that felt completely out of reach.
But that wasn’t even the best part.
In just 15 minutes a day (even with the kids around, sometimes crawling all over me), I could feel a change in myself.
I could actually find space to enjoy my kids again.
It wasn’t just about managing meltdowns, routines, and therapies anymore, there was laughter, connection, and play woven back into our days. Even the messy moments felt more manageable because I knew how to return to connection.
The funny thing is, I only started breathwork hoping to get more energy and heal from chronic fatigue.
I never expected it to help me feel better in every area of my life, especially parenting.
My life might still look similar on the outside, still juggling all the things, but geez, it feels different on the inside.
And of course, I still have bad days.
But now, I just go back to the breath.
I have this tool I can use any time.
An Invitation
If you’ve been coping for so long that you’ve forgotten what “space to think” feels like, you’re not alone.
This month, I’m hosting a free online workshop called Breath as Your Blueprint, a space just for parents like you.
No expectations. No rules. Just simple, guided breathwork to help you reset, feel more space, and be the person and parent you truly want to be. You get to choose.
Because you don’t need to keep holding everything together alone.
Sometimes, all you need is a breath.