Episode 67: Rose Irranca (Social Worker and Holistic Therapist): Holistic Kids: Revolutionizing Child Wellness in Australia
Send us a textLooking beyond conventional healthcare for your child can feel like navigating without a map. Where do you find practitioners who understand children need support for their body, mind, and spirit? How do you know which approaches might help your unique child thrive?Rose Irranca, a social worker with over 20 years of experience working with children, faced this exact challenge. After adding neuro-linguistic programming, hypnotherapy, Reiki, and kids' yoga to her professional toolkit, she struggled to connect with families who were open to these powerful but often misunderstood approaches. This sparked her vision for Holistic Kids – Australia's first comprehensive directory connecting families with practitioners who nurture the whole child.The conversation delves into why children's natural intuitive abilities and connection to their subconscious mind often diminish around age seven, and how holistic approaches can help them maintain this powerful self-awareness. Rose shares powerful examples of looking beyond symptoms to root causes – whether for bedwetting, anxiety, or behavioral challenges – and how diverse modalities from child acupuncture to specialized Pilates can address issues conventional approaches might miss.With 33 businesses already registered across Australia after launching just three weeks ago, Holistic Kids is rapidly growing into a movement that normalizes complementary approaches to children's wellbeing. Rose's vision extends beyond creating a directory to building a collective voice that can advocate for children's holistic health needs at policy levels.If you're a parent seeking more comprehensive support for your child or a practitioner wanting to connect with families who value holistic approaches, this episode illuminates the path toward integration, collaboration, and truly supporting children to thrive in body, mind and spirit. Check out holistickids.com.au to explore the growing community and find the support your family deserves. danabaltutis.com, mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services
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Episode 66: Toni Everard (Business and Mindset Coach): Balancing Masculine and Feminine: The Path to Healthy Relationships and Parenting
Send us a textMasculine and feminine energies aren't just abstract concepts—they're powerful forces shaping our relationships, parenting approaches, and personal wellbeing. In this deeply insightful conversation with NLP Master Trainer Toni Everard, we explore how these complementary energies function like a battery within each of us, creating the vital polarity needed for energized, fulfilling lives.Toni takes us on a journey through the foundations of these energies, explaining how they transcend gender while influencing everything from our decision-making to our emotional responses. You'll discover the qualities of healthy masculine energy (structure, boundaries, decisiveness) and feminine energy (intuition, expressiveness, nurturing), along with how childhood experiences shape their development within us.The most transformative part of our discussion examines what happens when these energies become wounded. Control issues, emotional shutdown, people-pleasing, and boundary challenges all signal energetic imbalances that drain our vitality and strain our connections. Through powerful examples—from dinner table battles with children to partner conflicts—Tony illustrates how these patterns play out in daily life and offers practical approaches for healing.What makes this conversation truly special is the emphasis on practical application. Whether you're navigating parenting challenges, relationship dynamics, or personal growth, you'll gain tools for recognizing your energy patterns, taking responsibility for your responses, and creating more balance. Toni's compassionate approach reminds us that healing is always possible when we bring awareness to our patterns and choose alignment over survival.Ready to transform your relationships through energy awareness? Listen now, and discover how balancing your masculine and feminine energies can create more harmony, authenticity, and vitality in every aspect of your life.https://tonieverard.com/The Way of The Superior Man: David DeidaNo More Mr. Nice Guy: Dr, Robert A. Glover danabaltutis.com, mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services
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Episode 65: Judy Au (Occupational Therapist) - Unlocking Sensory Secrets: An OT's Guide to Child Development
Send us a textOccupational Therapist Judy Au explores the holistic approach of pediatric OT, explaining how foundational skills underpin a child's ability to participate in daily activities and engage with the world.• Occupational therapy supports children in all daily activities including play, social interactions, and self-care• The DIR Floortime approach is relationship-based, considering each child's individual differences and developmental level• Foundation skills like sensory processing and regulation must be established before working on specific tasks like handwriting• Children need the right amount of sensory input to feel calm and ready to engage, communicate and learn• Each child has a unique sensory profile that affects how they experience and respond to their environment• Movement before fine motor tasks helps prepare a child's brain for learning and focusing• Sensory-friendly strategies can be adapted based on a child's changing needs rather than following a fixed "sensory diet"• Co-therapy with multiple professionals allows for more comprehensive support for both child and parents danabaltutis.com, mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services
Send us a textWhat happens when you're the only speech pathologist for hundreds of kilometers? Meet Bethany Burrell, founder of Speak To Bee, who travels across 200 kilometers of rural Victoria supporting children and adults with complex communication needs. Her journey reveals the hidden struggle of families in remote communities facing five-year waiting lists, three-hour drives to specialists, and profound isolation.Bethany shares how her own neurodivergence became her superpower, creating therapy sessions that look nothing like traditional table-work. "If they want to be under the table with a blanket over the top, that's completely fine. If we're walking on the beach having fun, that's fine too," she explains. This flexible approach helps her connect with clients who might otherwise struggle in conventional settings.The boundaries between professional and personal blur dramatically in small towns where your GP might also treat your clients, and grocery shopping becomes a therapy reunion. Yet these close connections create rich, meaningful relationships that sustain both therapist and client through challenges. Bethany's candid discussion about burnout—the warning signs, the recovery process, and the boundaries necessary for survival—offers valuable wisdom for any helping professional.For speech pathologists considering rural practice, Bethany paints an enticing picture of professional growth, personal development, and the incomparable reward of helping someone order their first hot drink or say "I love you, mum" for the first time. Her story reminds us that sometimes the most significant impact happens far from the spotlight, where dedicated professionals quietly transform lives one conversation at a time.Ready to explore how you might make a difference in underserved communities? This episode will challenge your assumptions about rural practice and might just inspire your next career move.speaktobee.com danabaltutis.com, mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services
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Episode 63: (Nikita Pinto Speech Pathologist) : The Pre-Linguistic Journey: How Children Master Communication Before First Words
Send us a textSpeech Pathologist Nikita Pinto reveals the critical pre-linguistic skills children need to develop before they can speak their first words. These foundation skills are essential building blocks that support all future communication development.• Reacting to sounds and people in the environment forms the basis of listening and understanding• Responding to people and turn-taking establishes the back-and-forth pattern essential for conversation• Attention span is crucial as children need to stay focused to absorb language information• Joint attention allows children to share experiences with caregivers about objects or events• Playing with toys provides exploration opportunities and contexts for language learning• Understanding familiar words precedes the ability to speak them• Vocalizing and making different sounds develops into first wordsParents often focus exclusively on getting their child to say words, missing the importance of building connection first. Children need to hear words repeatedly in different contexts for approximately six months before they can use them meaningfully. Using facial expressions, animated voices, and body language ("affect") helps captivate children's attention and makes words "stick."Instead of asking lots of questions, provide information by commenting and naming things in your child's environment. Use the "four-to-one rule" - offer four pieces of information before asking one question. danabaltutis.com, mytherapyhouse.com.au, https://mytherapyhouse.com.au/your-childs-therapy-journey/ https://www.danabaltutis.com/services
Welcome to the Empowered Parent Podcast! This is your space to grow your confidence and skills in communicating, interacting, and understanding your children—so you can become the empowered parent you are destined to be.In each episode, I speak with inspiring parents, therapists, and community leaders who truly understand the joys and challenges of parenting. Together, we explore a treasure trove of information and practical ideas for you to try at home.We cover topics like:Celebrating neurodivergenceSchool readinessThe power of playManaging behaviors with compassionDiscovering your and your child’s unique profilesStories of parents finding strength and purpose through their parenting journeyThis podcast is for all parents. It’s a place to build community and a sense of belonging—a space where you can ask questions, connect with others, and learn from experts who work with children every day.Our goal is to empower you to:Learn more about yourself as a parentTake time for your own growth and well-beingDiscover new tools and resources to raise happy, confident kidsNurture your self-confidence in parentingLet’s work together to make the world a better, more understanding, and compassionate place for everyone—young and old!Don’t forget to like and subscribe on your favorite podcast app. I’d love to hear your topic suggestions and guest speaker ideas. Reach out via danabaltutis.com or join my Facebook community: My Therapy House And Friends Empowered Parent Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/583062577433444Let’s connect, grow, and thrive together!
New Zealand