with Yahna Fookes of Raidant Birth
Today’s guest is Yahna Fookes, founder of Radiant Birth, a birth workshop known as an immersion for mothers in waiting, based in Victoria.
Yahna began dancing when she was 3, which moved to something serious, studying as a Junior Associate with The Royal Ballet at just 9 years old. As an adult she had a volatile but fruitful career as a dancer at VCA, a choreographer & independent artist, doing commissions for Sugar Mountain Festival and touring with Sydney Dance Company. She later went on to be a yoga teacher and work in the digital creative industries.
Yahna was adopted as a baby, and always knew that she wanted to have children to start her own blood lineage, which came to fruition with her beautiful daughter Sunday. During her postpartum period, she paid homage to her Korean ancestry by doing a month in sitting, with the help and support of her loved ones.
“I have created boundaries and parameters with my time
so that I am using the time the way that I want to use it.”
Yahna + I discuss the invisibility that we can feel during motherhood (especially after the first 6 weeks post-birth), Maternal mental health and seeing a perinatal therapist, to help work through the big emotions that motherhood can bring. Motherhood bringing on a whole bout of new friendships, when we feel like we’re past the age of making new friends, the surge of inspiration that was born for each of us with the birth of our children, writing, and how important that became to each of us during that process. Maternal drive and how Matrescence has pushed each of us deeper creatively. The importance of being able to separate our career, success, and goals from our identity and not let them define us.
It’s a juicy one.
Enjoy!
Images by Ilsa Wynne-Hoelscher Kidd
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SHOW NOTES:
Radiant Birth Website
Radiant Birth Instagram
Original Music by J. Dale Pearson.
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