21. The Art of Becoming with Kim Cousins

In this special cross-podcast episode, Yana is joined by parenting mentor and registered nurse Kim Cousins, host of the Baby It’s You podcast. Together they explore Yana’s unfolding journey as a woman, mother, and creator — from the early shaping of her identity to building Oak and Haven, a much-loved community store in Melbourne’s east. The conversation moves through creative expression as a pathway to self-discovery, the impact of diagnosis and self-acceptance, and the ways motherhood can both crack us open and invite us into deeper truth. Kim and Yana also speak candidly about mental health, pregnancy, self-care, relationships, and how our own upbringing inevitably shapes the way we mother. At the heart of the conversation is Yana’s newest project, Blood to Bone magazine — a printed publication honouring women’s lived stories, creativity, and wisdom across the seasons of maidenhood, motherhood, and matriarchy. This is an honest conversation about becoming, shedding old identities, telling the truth in partnership, and choosing empowerment even when it feels uncomfortable.