Hi, I’m Lila. Partner, Mother, storyteller, crafter, community creator, seasonal celebrations lover, trauma survivor and advocate for attuned, connected parenting, Village support, mental health and social justice.
I grew up in a dysfunctional, unstable blended family in a country with high levels of crime and violence, meaning I spent my early years, teenagehood and early 20’s in a constant state of fight/flight/freeze/fawn. When I became a parent at 22, my world came to a halt. I had been running on adrenaline, living in constant fear and now had my own little bub to love, keep safe and nourished, and wanting to follow a completely different path than my parents with no role models I could look up to. I graduated from Uni when our first born was 8 months old and my partner and I welcomed our second bub a year later. Since we were so young and none of our friends had children, we lacked feeling part of a community, felt very lost and lonely and to make things more challenging, I suffered from PND with no support. We moved to Sydney in 2002 with our 2 toddlers to start a fresh life. It took our nervous systems a good couple of years to down regulate to a healthier baseline, where we felt safe and more at ease. We came across Steiner Education by chance and felt like I was coming home for the first time. The nourishing, beautiful environment and steady daily rhythm really held me as a parent, and the warm, welcoming community became our chosen family and I am forever grateful for the healing power of safe relationships. After working in preschools for a few years, I realized my life’s purpose is working with parents too. So I decided to do further studying and became a Steiner educator. I know how healing it can be to have someone holding space for parents as they navigate what can be some of the most beautiful, yet stressful years of parenthood. Having survived family violence as a child, I am all in for the gentlest, most caring, thoughtful, involved parenting possible, for a predictable routine (so healing!) and I know from experience that for this to happen, mothers and fathers need to be at their best, and this is possible through connection, in a loving, supportive, caring community, where everyone belongs. I have been working with parents and their young ones for 20 years, both in Australia and in the USA. I am also a trained Forest Kindergarten teacher and Shamanic Craftswoman. I have lived in 3 countries, currently living in Sydney with my partner of 25 years and our four amazing and unique children who are our greatest teachers. My purpose is to guide families with young children in a supportive and nurturing environment where love, diversity, community, sense of wonder, gratitude and reverence for nature are key elements. Thank you for taking the time to know a little about me and why I do what I do. Love, Lila |