Majellan Media Podcasts

Research shows that financial hardship is the biggest cause of family breakdown.Many families have gone backwards during the pandemic and people feel embarrassed if they have money issues and this could happen to anyone and people should not feel shame but seek help. Serina talks about what to do if you have financial issue, how to identify the causes and talks about the types of things that lead to financial hardship.She also shares some simple tips for families if they feel like they’re going backwards.#familyfinances #moneyAuthor, podcaster and blogger Serina Bird, a former diplomat who has worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, offers her expertise to assist families who are struggling with financial problems. Serina provides advice and tips to help others on her own podcasts titled The Joyful Frugalista at:https://joyfulfrugalista.com/about/

Interest rate increases and the rising cost of living are making life much more difficult for families. In this latest Financial Series podcast featuring Serina Bird she discusses ways families can survive the tough times. Serina says with inflation pushing up prices for things such as groceries and petrol, many people understandably are feeling powerless but it’s not all doom and gloom and there are things families can do to insulate themselves from the rising cost of living.In this very important podcast, Serina provides some terrific tips on how families can make it through the rough and tumble of the next few years.

In the final session of our marriage preparation series Andrew and Veronica wrap up the key points couples need to consider when preparing for the 'big day'.Marriage preparation is not about having all the answers but exploring the differences and having an opportunity to talk about these differences. Veronica and Andrew share some of the many varied situations they have come across in their 16 years of being with couples preparing for marriage and outline the key points all couples should be aware of when in a relationship.Listen to the Podcast then get the book!The book Your Wedding offers useful advice to engaged couples who want to marry in the Catholic Church. There is information on discussing future expectations with your partner, how to plan your wedding and what to expect on your wedding day. There is also a section with answers to questions that you may have wanted to ask but didn’t feel you could. Suitable for Catholics, those planning a mixed marriage and those wanting to get married in a Catholic Church. Click here for more information

In the third session of our marriage preparation series Andrew and Veronica outline how to identify and address the differences couples may have coming into a relationship. Some differences of opinion are small while others may be more impactful. The usual areas of difference are financial views, culture, religion and beliefs and family backgrounds. Identifying the potential problem areas are important to ensure harmony in the relationship is maintained.Listen to the Podcast then get the book!The book Your Wedding offers useful advice to engaged couples who want to marry in the Catholic Church. There is information on discussing future expectations with your partner, how to plan your wedding and what to expect on your wedding day. There is also a section with answers to questions that you may have wanted to ask but didn’t feel you could. Suitable for Catholics, those planning a mixed marriage and those wanting to get married in a Catholic Church. Click here for more information

We continue our Marriage Preparation sessions with Veronica and Andrew Schoenmaekers. In Session 2 we cover key issues that couples need to consider and discuss prior to their marriage.Topics covered include dealing with extended family, traditions, finances and the importance of communication. In particular Andrew and Veronica explain how couples should approach differences in opinion and values.A must listen for those preparing for marriage and a great refresher for all couples that have been together for some time.

Dr Robyn Mills talks about the benefits of positive thinking and how to free ourselves from the shackles of past negative influencers. Robyn has worked in the health field for 47 years in areas such as psychology, nursing, and natural medicine and is a grandmother of six. She says some people spend a lifetime thinking they are hopeless at certain tasks, but it doesn’t have to be this way.Robyn says it’s important for people to take on a different mindset and set challenges for themselves. She says if a particular family member’s behaviour is such that it affects the whole family, there are things that person can do to improve themselves which will lead to a more harmonious household.She reminds us we can achieve anything we set our minds to.

Rounding off Rachel's sessions on building sibling relationships and strengthening family bonds in this session she provides more great ideas to help siblings grow and thrive together. In the podcast Rachel explains practical strategies and practices that every family can use. Rachel Schofield is a Parent Coach, Professional Member of the Australian Association of Family Therapists, and Mum of two boys.You can let Rachel know how you go in the Sibling Challenges she offers in each session on her Facebook page – look for the Challenge posts.Download Rachel’s free pdf Siblings Guide & Workbook that accompanies these Sessions. It gives you the key points from the podcasts, explains strategies and offers you reflection questions so you can figure out how to build better relationships between your kids.

n this latest Parenting Session podcast we talk to Robyn Mills about the special love grandparents have for their grandchildren and how they can teach a child about love. Robyn, a grandmother of six who has worked in the health field for 47 years in areas such as psychology and nursing, says grandparents can teach children from a young age to show love: respect, compassion, sharing and kindness.Robyn also provides tips on the fun ways love can be taught to young people and how a grandparent can prepare a child for the arrival of a new sibling into the family.

Give your kids the best start in life.In this Parenting Session Dr Rosina McAlpine explains how a child can function more effectively through diet and exercise and how they play crucial roles in the physical and mental wellbeing. These are very valuable life skills for your child.The benefits of the Health and Well-being life skills for kids are that they increase a child's knowledge of nutrition and exercise and reduce the likelihood of childhood obesity and ill health.After listening to the podcast find out more at Dr Rosina’s website here

In this Session Rachel explains how to use Giggle Games. These are games to help a child adjust to a new sibling, games to help with sibling squabbles and games to build lasting sibling bonds. The session is filled with great ideas on what games to use, how to use them and how effective Giggle Games are in helping children in dealing with many issues.Rachel Schofield is a Parent Coach, Professional Member of the Australian Association of Family Therapists, and Mum of two boys.You can let Rachel know how you go in the Sibling Challenges she offers in each session on her Facebook page – look for the Challenge posts.Download Rachel’s free pdf Siblings Guide & Workbook that accompanies these Sessions. It gives you the key points from the podcasts, explains strategies and offers you reflection questions so you can figure out how to build better relationships between your kids.

n this Parenting Session Rachel Schofield discusses tensions and issues amongst siblings and helps parents identify the issues that lead to most disagreements and tensions.She then explains practical strategies parents can put in place to assist their grumpy, tense children.Another important topic she covers is problems that arise when one child feels they’re not being treated fairly because an older brother or sister appears to have privileges that the younger child doesn’t because of the age difference.This Parenting Session is sure to offer relief to parents having to deal with conflict in their family.Rachel Schofield is a Parent Coach, Professional Member of the Australian Association of Family Therapists, and Mum of two boys.You can let Rachel know how you go in the Sibling Challenges she offers in each session on her Facebook page – look for the Challenge posts.Download Rachel’s free pdf Siblings Guide & Workbook that accompanies these Sessions. It gives you the key points from the podcasts, explains strategies and offers you reflection questions so you can figure out how to build better relationships between your kids.

Pre-marriage education programs aim to help couples build stronger relationships as they prepare for marriage – and a lifetime together!They are designed to help couples to put relationship theory into practice andlearn how to:explore their relationship’s strengths and differencesfind ways to grow their friendshipbuild skills to navigate and manage conflictdiscuss the challenges that they may face and plan positive ways to respondthink creatively about a vision for their future and the marriage they want to buildIn these Preparing for Marriage Sessions Andrew and Veronica Schoenmaekers who have been married for 42 years share their experience as facilitators of the FOCCUS marriage preparation program for over 16 years.These podcasts are a great resources for anyone considering marriage.You can also view a great pre-marriage resource here

The teenage brain is an interesting topic of discussion as most parents would agree. Author, parenting expert and CEO of Win Win Parenting, Rosina McAlpine says teens tend to be socially and emotionally immature during their teenage years.And because of this, teenagers and their issues can be problematic for parents, teachers and carers. Rosina has some tips for parents who may have one or more teenagers at home who maybe going through a rebellious stage. This podcast provides a fascinating insight into the teenage brain and despite what many teenagers believe, parents are not trying to curb their fun. Rosina says it’s all about love and connection.

In this Parenting Session on Sibling Struggles, Parent Coach Rachel Schofield talks about sibling rivalries and what leads to conflict in the home. She says some families experience more problems, but there are some simple things parents can do to assist their children. Rachel, who is a professional member of the Australian Association of Family Therapists and mum to two children, provides tips on what parents can do to ease the tension in their household.Rachel Schofield is a Parent Coach, Professional Member of the Australian Association of Family Therapists, and Mum of two boys.You can let Rachel know how you go in the Sibling Challenges she offers in each session on her Facebook page – look for the Challenge posts.Download Rachel’s free pdf Siblings Guide & Workbook that accompanies these Sessions. It gives you the key points from the podcasts, explains strategies and offers you reflection questions so you can figure out how to build better relationships between your kids.Learn more about Rachel on her Facebook page and websitehttps://www.facebook.com/RachelSchofield.au/

In this important parenting session we welcome Rachel Schofield who talks about the positive results that can come from a solid relationship between siblings. She also explains why so many siblings struggle to connect and provides handy tips on what parents can do to encourage a more harmonious relationship between their children.Rachel Schofield is a Parent Coach, Professional Member of the Australian Association of Family Therapists, and Mum of two boys.You can let Rachel know how you go in the Sibling Challenges she offers in each session on her Facebook page - look for the Challenge posts.Download Rachel's free pdf Siblings Guide & Workbook that accompanies these Sessions. It gives you the key points from the podcasts, explains strategies and offers you reflection questions so you can figure out how to build better relationships between your kids.Learn more about Rachel on her Facebook page and websitehttps://www.facebook.com/RachelSchofield.au/ rachelschofield.com/siblings

Reflect on your family, in particular your grandparents influence in your life.For many of us grandparents have had a big influence on our lives. But this can often be tricky in families as role modelling is an important way for children to learn. But where values may be different grandparents need to honour their children’s way of parenting, while at the same time honouring the grandparent they want to be.In this most informative Parenting Session, Psychologist, Lecturer and Grandmother of six, Dr Robyn Mills explores the role of grandparents today and how they can truly enrich the lives of their grandchildren.

In this Parenting Session on Bullying we introduce Dr Robyn Mills, a grandmother of five who has worked in the health field for 47 years in areas such as psychology, nursing and natural medicine. She’s also a co-founder of Win Win Parenting along with Dr Rosina McAlpine.Robyn says the introduction of new technologies has made bullying worse because it can now occur 24/7. She says bullying occurs amongst all age groups and if it’s not tackled when children are young, it can continue well into adulthood. Robyn also says bullying takes many forms but has some handy tips on how to ‘bully proof’ your child.

In this Figuring Out Families podcast we talk to Dr Rosina McAlpine, who’s an author, parenting expert and CEO of Win Win Parenting which supports parents on how best to navigate through the ups and downs of everyday family life. Win Win Parenting also provides practical strategies for parents on how to manage the challenges of raising their children. In this first episode of our new Parenting Sessions, Dr Rosina explains in simple terms what emotional intelligence is and the five aspects of emotional intelligence including empathy and managing your emotions.

In this Majellan Parenting Session with Dr Rosina McAlpine we explore Win Win Parenting and how it supports parents to successfully navigate through the ups and downs of family life and learn practical strategies to manage parenting challenges.Dr Rosina’s Win Win Parenting program provides parents with an effective step-by-step practical approach to managing day-to-day parenting challenges without requiring discipline, punishment and rewards. Teaching children life skills to become successful, cooperative and caring members of your family and society.

In our podcast series, Parenting Sessions, we interview Dr Rosina McAlpine, who is an author, parenting expert and CEO of Win Win Parenting. Win Win Parenting supports parents to successfully navigate the ups and downs of family life. Dr Rosina believes managing home life more confidently leads to less stress and better outcomes for children and a more harmonious family life. Parents learn practical strategies to manage day-to-day parenting challenges such as struggles with technology, emotional outbursts and keeping calm even in the most volatile situations. Dr Rosina appears regularly in the media and her innovative evidence-based parenting programs support parents locally and internationally. In episodes to come Dr Rosina discuses Win Win Parenting and understanding the teenage brain and why teenagers can seem ‘erratic’.

Having a strong loving relationship usually means you have a good understanding of what is important to your family members. In this Focus Session we explore Love Maps and how they can help to gain a deeper knowledge of the people we care most about and therefore build stronger relationships.Understanding Love Maps gives us a valuable means of getting to know and appreciate our partners and children better to help avoid conflict, and most importantly build strong, loving bonds.Derek and David discuss what Love Maps are, how to grasp them and how to apply the knowledge to make our relationships the best they can be.This is a fascinating session

n this session we explore how faith and spirituality effect relationships in the pressure of daily life.Derek and David are joined by special guest Karen (Derek’s wife) to explore the importance of taking time to strengthen our ‘spiritual being’ and how in doing so we build closer more loving relationships.Topics covered include:The meaning of spiritualitySpirituality, faith or religion?How we experience spirituality in the day-to-dayness of life.Learning to see our family members with new eyes. How to behold them.Opening space in your family for spiritual conversations to occur more naturallyThinking about what you’d like to pass onto your children and how to be intentionalFinding people your family can journey in faith with.First steps if you’re very new to this but want to explore faith and spirituality more.

All relationships are tested at one time or another and there is nothing wrong with a good argument. In fact, it can be healthy.Arguments in a relationship are inevitable! Even if we had the best communication skills in the world there are still going to be times when we have different expectations or goals or values which can to lead to a disagreement of some sort.In this session we explore the steps to help address problems when they arise and how disagreements and arguments can in fact enrich a relationship.Join David and Derek to find out more.

What are love languages? Put simply, they are the ways we show love and interpret love back.It is the language we speak when expressing love. And it is important to know that your love language may be different to that of your loved ones. This means there is room for misinterpretations and can be a cause for lack of connection.In this Focus session Derek describes what the five love languages are and shows us how we can express our love more deeply – to our partner and our children in their love language.If you have or haven’t heard of love languages before you will enjoy the way Derek presents this most interesting topic

In the latest focus session of Figuring out Families with Derek Boylen, we explore community. The current pandemic has revealed much about society today and how we live in community. When we are deprived of communion with our neighbours it can impact on our mental health, and test the sturdiness of our social fabric.Derek explains how a strong sense of community is vital for the wellbeing of our relationships with loved ones.

Continuing our Focus Series of Figuring out Families, marriage counsellor Derek Boylen speaks about the importance of work/life balance. Never has this been so important, especially due to the difficulties we are experiencing with coronavirus. Work/life balance can lead to all sorts of stresses on families, financial and otherwise. Derek provides tips on what couples and families can do to ease these pressures and believes organisation and setting goals are key to a more harmonious family home.

In this Focus Session of Figuring out Families, marriage counsellor Derek Boylen talks about what to do when there appears to be no hope in a relationship.The types of pressures on families today are far greater than ever before so Derek discusses what can be done to ease the pressures and puts forward a number of suggestions on how to seek professional help if the family situation is deteriorating. He adds that if the relationship breaks down without hope of resolution, there are things couples can do to protect themselves and their children.If you feel the relationship is ending this episode is for you.Derek Boylen is an experienced relationship counsellor and Lecturer in relationships at the University of Notre Dame

Intimacy plays an important part in all relationships. However, we tend to think of intimacy in terms of emotional or physical connection. In this session Derek explains what intimacy means and shows us that there are actually twelve facets of intimacy.As you listen, you will discover what these 12 facets are, how important it is to share intimacy in family relationships, how to expand a couple’s capacity to experience closeness and how we can overcome the vulnerability that we sometimes feel during ‘intimate’ moments.This is another valuable episode to help you make your relationship and your family the best it can be.Your host is David Ahern

Infidelity is more common than we think and often it is painful and hidden for couples; 25% of couples will experience infidelity and it’s a problem equally for both men and women. However, there are more ways people can be unfaithful beyond physical or emotional infidelity.When there has been emotional or physical infidelity it can be difficult, and a big part of the challenge will be the emotional imbalance within the relationship.In this Focus Session, Derek covers some basic principles about how to first start talking about it as couples and how they can recover and build an amazingly strong relationship, deeper than they imagined possible, even after infidelity, if they are willing to work on it.For more great resources on relationships and family visit majellan.media

There is no perfect way to parent and sometimes we are going to get it wrong!As we know children are constantly growing and developing and it is important that our parenting also needs to be open to change and development. Research tells us that healthy parent child relationships require both connectedness and flexibility and importantly parenting needs to be balanced. In a healthy parenting relationship children also need boundaries and lots of love and a wonderful sense of connection.We’ve been entrusted to a special relationship with our children. Derek explores parenting and reminds us to stop and cherish what’s before us as parents.At whatever stage of parenting you are this Focus session is not to be missed!Need more?Derek Boylen is an experienced relationship counsellor and is available for private consultation.

Family finances is one of the most difficult things to talk about and less than 10% of families have a budget. Finances can also be one of the biggest relationship breakers – especially when money gets tight or we get into difficult times.Different ideas or –‘habitudes’ - about money can create unnecessary stress on relationships and because there is no romance in speaking about finance most of us don’t cover the topic with our loved ones.Derek explains how to have conversations about money, how to be aware of the different views each of us may have about money and describes how we can budget in a positive way.Regardless of your financial position this Focus Session will be of value.

One of the most common challenges for couples, especially younger couples is where the extended family interferes with relationships and it can feel like you are the 'meat in the sandwich' dealing with conflicts between your partner and your extended family. Derek explores the many reasons for meddling and shares ways to deal with an extended family member who may be causing issues. Another issue Derek covers is having to set boundaries with extended family members. He provides some great strategies on how to set boundaries which is one way of strengthening relationships between all concerned. Need more? Derek Boylen is an experienced relationship counselor and is available for private consultation.

The brain loves novelty but what's novel today is boring tomorrow. Setting goals is a great way to help keep relationships fresh and continue growing. In new or old relationships, goals help families to stay excited about the future and give a sense of purpose and direction. Goals help us to prioritize the use of our time, money and resources. They give families a common purpose and they become milestones on the journey. In this Focus Session Derek describes how goals work to strengthen families and explores how to set goals as a family. Need more? Derek Boylen is an experienced relationship counselor and is available for private consultation.

In part two of our Communications session we take a closer look at how emotions impact on our relationships and how we communicate. We are also joined by some special guests to get children's perspective on communication. We suggest you listen to part one first. Click Here to go to Part 1. Communication is the theme of the second session of our focus series with Marriage Counselor Derek Boylen. As much as good communication can build positive bonds and mutual respect, so can poor communication remove trust and break down the foundation of a relationship. An entire series could be focused on this topic alone. However we have condensed the subject into two incredibly informative sessions, with part I & II.

Join us in this engaging discussion as we explore the essential role of communication in nurturing healthy family relationships. Together with our guest, Derek Boylan, we shed light on how communication serves as the bedrock for expressing needs, conveying information, and solving problems between partners, parents, and children. We reveal the surprising insight that habitual avoidance of conflict is a significant predictor of divorce, often more so than constant arguments. By addressing the silence and lack of communication that often precede a breakup, we aim to empower listeners to foster open dialogues in their relationships.Discover the nuances of effective communication, where tone and body language can significantly influence interactions. We discuss the common challenges couples face, especially in the early stages of their relationships, such as negotiating household responsibilities and making joint decisions. Miscommunication can lead to defensiveness, but with patience and a flexible approach, couples can navigate these challenges more successfully. By sharing personal anecdotes, like adjusting roles in managing household finances, we illustrate how treating negotiations as experiments can enhance understanding and cooperation.Majellan MediaBecause Families matter Most