ME + MOTHERHOOD with Benita Bensch

I was asked recently what it's like raising four boys. It definitely got me thinking.

They’re about to celebrate their birthdays in the next six weeks – the twins will turn nine, our eldest is almost 11, and our youngest will be seven. And while there’s a bit of rough-and-tumble going on that usually comes with the territory, raising sons has been an eye-opening experience and completely different to what I expected. 

Today, I’m...

As we step into 2025, my life has been swirling with change – not just with a new home, but with a shift in my career as well. Recently, my family and I embarked on a significant move that upended our surroundings and challenged us to settle into a new rhythm. Alongside the chaos of relocating, I’ve also closed a chapter as an accountability coach with the Farm Owners Academy, leaving me with a clean slate to explore new ventures. 

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I find myself in the thick of school holidays and I imagine many of you, much like myself, are navigating the highs and lows that accompany this somewhat haphazard time of year. Whether you have kids at home from primary school, kindy, daycare, or even boarding school, the change in routine can feel both liberating and overwhelming. Some days, it feels like we’re swimming in flexibility and fun, and other days, it feels as if our n...

As we usher in 2025, I find myself deeply reflective and excited about the year ahead. Whether you celebrated New Year's Eve by turning in early or dancing the night away, I hope your festivities were wonderful. I’m writing this with a sense of fresh beginnings and anticipation, and I wanted to share some of the goals I've set for this year. 

Embracing New Beginnings

As many of you know from previous episodes, we have embar...

This episode is inspired by our family's significant move from our beloved farm near Moonie to the lively border town of Goondiwindi, and my reflections on living in a rural town compared to life on the farm. After spending decades mainly on the land and out of town, this transition brought its share of revelations, and I'm eager to share the highs and lows.

When we decided in 2022 to live in town during the school terms o...

In this episode I’m talking about a topic that I know many of my rural and regional listeners who are involved in farming businesses will resonate with. That said, I think there's a good message in here for everyone as we discuss the labels we put on ourselves and finding our place in the stage of life we’re in. 

In this conversation, I’ll explore taking a stand for what we want for our lives and making conscious choices that s...

We talk a lot about mental health these days which I’m so grateful for. It’s brilliant that we as a society are more aware of this topic and it’s no longer taboo to talk openly about things like anxiety and depression.

While I believe these conversations are extremely valuable, we often place the focus on mental illness as opposed to mental health itself.

I’d like to open the discussion on how to recognise the me...

Moving away from the familiar is generally very uncomfortable. 

As someone who has experienced a lifetime of perfectionism and people pleasing, I know just how hard it is to let go of control and branch out into something beyond my comfort zone. 

But what if discomfort is actually the best thing for us?

At the time of recording this, I found myself reflecting on the story of Australian man Nedd Brockmann, who embarked on what he calle...

I’ve been feeling different in the past few years. There has been one internal shift, big question and hard decision after another to contend with. I’m thinking more deeply about what I want to do with my life, and who I want to surround myself with.

I’m referring to the midlife unravelling. Notice how I specifically didn’t use the term 'midlife crisis'? That’s because, for many of us, the experience of reaching our 4...

Sometimes, we prefer to stay in our suffering.

The pain we’re familiar with can be a lot less scary than the unknown - which potentially comes with rejection, failure or even success (yes, that can be scary too!)

This could be relationships, habits, friendships, old beliefs… and sometimes they’re paralysing to let go of, even when we know in our hearts that we should.

So how do we find the courage to rele...

A lot of us would never call ourselves creative.

We think that if we can’t paint, write or draw, then we’re definitely not creative.

That was me for many years. At a young age, I decided that because I was the academic one in the family and not good at art like my sister, I wasn’t and never would be creative. 

Thankfully, I no longer believe this lie. I now recognise the unique ways in which I create and ...

Life comes with its fair share of ups and downs, but there are moments when the downs can feel overwhelming - insurmountable even. 

Personally, I’ve had a few episodes of poor mental health in my lifetime - patches of anxiety and depression that I’ve learnt how to manage. However, in 2022, I got to my lowest point with it, even experiencing symptoms of psychosis. 

When I first considered going on antidepressants d...

Do you ever feel like a doormat? You spend all day pouring out love, time and energy into meeting everyone else’s needs and by the end of the day, you feel like you’ve been walked all over.

Your needs go unnoticed. Your needs don’t matter. It’s no wonder so many of us struggle with feelings of resentment and anger. A lot of the time, it all comes down to a matter of boundaries.

For many women, boundaries is an un...

I’m tackling a bit of a sensitive topic today and if you’re currently relying on that nightly glass (or two) of wine to unwind after a long, stressful day, it may even hit a raw nerve to hear me talk about why, and how, I gave up wine o’clock.

In Australia, we have such an alcohol fueled culture, which makes it harder to recognise the dangers of wine o'clock in mummy wine culture. It’s become normal to reach for a dri...

A question most mothers will ask themselves at one point or another is, "Can I really do this?" Balancing motherhood, work, personal growth, and other responsibilities can feel overwhelming, so today I want to share some strategies that have helped me navigate a challenging few months.

I recently went through 9 weeks of solo parenting while my husband was away, during which time I also had multiple gallbladder a...

Motherhood is a profound experience that brings about countless changes. For many women, it comes with a huge identity shift, sometimes even an identity crisis. Before having children, you might have felt like a confident, capable individual with a strong sense of self - but the transition into motherhood can come as quite a shock. A lot of women feel out of control, overwhelmed, isolated and like they no longer have a sense of sel...

Words are not just sounds; they are vibrations that shape our entire world. Believe it or not, the stories you tell yourself are ruling your life and these stories can either empower you or hold you back. The choice is completely up to you. 

We all have those repetitive stories - the ones embedded in our minds from past experiences, conditioning, and the environments we grew up in. These narratives feel so true because they've ...

As I celebrate my 43rd birthday, I find myself reflecting on the journey of the past year. It’s been a period filled with growth, challenges, and ultimately, a great deal of personal development. 

From Farm to Town Life

One of the most significant changes in the past year has been our move from the farm to town life in Goondiwindi. For almost a decade, our family lived on a farm near Moonie, engaged in a agricultural business we ran ...

What does it mean to be the “perfect” mother? 

And is this a standard that we should even remotely be trying to live up to?

For some background, listen to episode 26 where I chat with Dr. Sophie Brock, a mentor of mine who specialises in this area and with whom I completed my Motherhood Studies Practitioner Certification. She has a fantastic podcast called "The Good Enough Mother" that you should definitely check out.

Firstl...