The Creative Mother Podcast

Abbie McCall (Ngāti Apa) is a mother of three and a proud Māori creative whose life has always been steeped in the arts. Born into a whānau of musicians, visual artists, and makers, creativity has been her constant — a natural rhythm that’s guided her through every chapter.

A true jack of all trades, Abbie spent her life joyfully moving between creative worlds — until 2022, when everything stopped. A breast cancer diagnosis brought transformation in every sense of the word. Through the challenge came a deep rebuilding, and it was art-making that became her compass — a way to recalibrate, to find meaning, and to return home to herself.

A chance encounter at a writing workshop introduced her to the world of Creative Arts Therapy, sparking a brave return to academia with renewed purpose. What followed was not traditional study, but a deep dive into identity, healing, and curiosity — a process of carving out, and peeling back. 

Now completing her Master’s in Creative Arts Therapy (Clinical), Abbie brings the healing power of art into schools, kaupapa Māori spaces, and acute care settings. Her mahi is grounded in aroha, wairua, and connection — meeting people where they are, and using creativity as a bridge back to wholeness.

For Abbie, being creative isn’t a verb — it’s an innate devotion. A way of being.
Links mentioned in the podcast:
https://www.instagram.com/abbie.toi.ora.therapy/
https://www.wharehaututu.nz/creativearttherapy
https://www.dancetherapy.co.nz/
https://huiacomehome.co.nz/
Notes on Womanhood - https://sarahjanebarnett.net/

About your host:
Kate Hursthouse is a practising artist and trainee Creative Arts Therapist with over a decade of creative and community experience. She combines her background in design, illustration, and arts education with a growing therapeutic practice centred on inclusion, emotional wellbeing, and creative expression. Guided by empathy and curiosity, Kate supports individuals and groups to explore identity, connection, and growth through the transformative process of art-making.
She started this podcast to try and answer the question: how do we continue to be creative and produce creative work, while raising children? Her goal is to create a little corner of the internet where creative mothers share their stories and gain a feeling of community, understanding and inspiration.
https://www.katehursthouse.com/
https://www.instagram.com/katehursthouse/
https://www.instagram.com/creativemotherpodcast/

A huge thanks to Auckland Council Creative Communities Scheme for supporting this season of the podcast.

Today I am talking to Hannah Jensen Fox, a powerhouse of creativity, who is technically a multidisciplinary artist, with a love of drawing, photography, etching, printing and more. However she is more well-known for her intricate hand carved images into layers of acrylic paint; a technique I created in 2003 while at Auckland University of Technology.
To achieve her bespoke work Hannah applies anywhere between 40-80 layers of acrylic paint to custom made framed ply boards before carving back through the layers, revealing the colours beneath. The results are detailed images rendered in negative relief that emphasise the texture and tonal variations between paint colours in a topographical manner. 
This paint carving discovery in her second year of study has taken Hannah on this wonderful journey that she is still challenged by (in a good way), to this day. Hundreds of litres of paint later, Hannah is still hooked on this technique as she navigates motherhood alongside her creative practice.
https://hannahjensenfox.com/
https://www.instagram.com/hannahjensenart https://www.facebook.com/HannahJensenFoxArt https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahjensenart

About your host:
Kate Hursthouse is a practising artist and trainee Creative Arts Therapist with over a decade of creative and community experience. She combines her background in design, illustration, and arts education with a growing therapeutic practice centred on inclusion, emotional wellbeing, and creative expression. Guided by empathy and curiosity, Kate supports individuals and groups to explore identity, connection, and growth through the transformative process of art-making.
She started this podcast to try and answer the question: how do we continue to be creative and produce creative work, while raising children? Her goal is to create a little corner of the internet where creative mothers share their stories and gain a feeling of community, understanding and inspiration.
https://www.katehursthouse.com/
https://www.instagram.com/katehursthouse/
https://www.instagram.com/creativemotherpodcast/

A huge thanks to Auckland Council Creative Communities Scheme for supporting this season of the podcast.

Welcome back to Season 3 of the Creative Mother Podcast. A huge thanks to Auckland Council Creative Communities Scheme for supporting this season of the podcast.
Today host Kate Hursthouse talks about her struggles with chronic illness and the impact that has had on her creativity and sense of identity. She also discusses her journey towards becoming a Creative Arts Therapist.
Kate Hursthouse is an artist, creative business owner, trainee Creative Arts Therapist and a single mother to one awesome kid. With over a decade of creative and community experience she combines her background in design, illustration, and arts education with a growing therapeutic practice centred on inclusion, emotional wellbeing, and creative expression. Guided by empathy and curiosity, Kate supports individuals and groups to explore identity, connection, and growth through the transformative process of art-making.
She started this podcast to try and answer the question: how do we continue to be creative and produce creative work, while raising children? Her goal is to create a little corner of the internet where creative mothers share their stories and gain a feeling of community, understanding and inspiration.

www.katehursthouse.com
@katehursthouse
@creativemotherpodcast

Today’s episode is with Awhina Murupaenga, a mum of two and founder and director of Whatu Creative.

Awhina launched Whatu Creative as a grief response to losing a best friend to cancer. She started with the intention of growing art exhibitions in Te Hiku, the Far North but, as for so many, Covid had other plans for them and she had to pivot her business. She created and launched her Tukutuku kits which are a contemporary take on a traditional Māori artform. The kits were an overnight success and they have struggled to keep up with the demand ever since.

Whatucreative.com
@WhatuCreative
https://www.facebook.com/whatucreative/

Links from today’s episode:

Selwyn Muru
Claudine Muru
Lenny Murupaenga

Inspired by:

Her mentor, Pareaute Nathan

About your host:

Kate Hursthouse is an artist, creative business owner and single mother to one awesome kid. She has run her own creative business since 2014 and has been involved in a whole range of projects over the years - from commercial illustrations and design projects to contemporary art, children’s book illustrations and hand painted murals.

She started this podcast to try and answer the question: how do we continue to be creative and produce creative work, while raising children? Her goal is to create a little corner of the internet where creative mothers share their stories and gain a feeling of community, understanding and inspiration.

www.katehursthouse.com
@katehursthouse

www.creativemotherpodcast.com
@creativemotherpodcast

If you are wanting to start or grow your creative business I have just the thing for you. I have learned over the years that to succeed as a creative, you must understand business. I wish I had a guide to help me when I got started, and the way I see it the more we can share with each other the better it is for all creatives. So I have created a Free e-book with an overview of some of the things I think are essential to know when starting a creative business. I have included:

5 things you need to get your business started
7 revenue streams to make income as an artist
5 ways to sell and share your work

You can download ‘The Basics of Running a Creative Business’ for free here.

Today’s episode is with Katie Rickson who is a poet, copywriter and editor and mum of one. Katie has had bipolar episodes for most of her adult life, but wasn’t diagnosed until she was eight weeks postpartum, and experiencing insomnia and mania. One thing that got her through this time was the mantra: “something beautiful will come from this.”

Katie now writes about her experiences of hospitalisation, diagnosis and identity, recovery, work, motherhood and more through her website Compassion Poetry. She’s been a guest lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington every year since 2018, a guest on podcasts, and a lived experience speaker at events. She’s on a mission to raise awareness and reduce stigma.

www.compassionpoetry.co.nz
@compassion.poetry

https://www.katierickson.co.nz/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-rickson-writer

Links from today’s episode:

Inspired by:
Andrea Gibson Poetry
Shelly Davies
Dreamers Collective - Michelle Keating

Reading:
Roald Dahl
The Artist’s Way - Julia Cameron
Becoming - Michelle Obama
Atomic Habits
Owning Bipolar - Michael G Pipitch?

About your host:

Kate Hursthouse is an artist, creative business owner and single mother to one awesome kid. She has run her own creative business since 2014 and has been involved in a whole range of projects over the years - from commercial illustrations and design projects to contemporary art, children’s book illustrations and hand painted murals.

She started this podcast to try and answer the question: how do we continue to be creative and produce creative work, while raising children? Her goal is to create a little corner of the internet where creative mothers share their stories and gain a feeling of community, understanding and inspiration.

www.katehursthouse.com
@katehursthouse

www.creativemotherpodcast.com
@creativemotherpodcast

If you are wanting to start or grow your creative business I have just the thing for you. I have learned over the years that to succeed as a creative, you must understand business. I wish I had a guide to help me when I got started, and the way I see it the more we can share with each other the better it is for all creatives. So I have created a Free e-book with an overview of some of the things I think are essential to know when starting a creative business. I have included:

5 things you need to get your business started
7 revenue streams to make income as an artist
5 ways to sell and share your work
You can download ‘The Basics of Running a Creative Business’ for free here.