Motherland Australia
Hosted by Stephanie Trethewey. Motherland shares real, raw, and unbelievable stories of motherhood told by women on the land. Each week, a rural mum from somewhere in Australia shares her motherhood journey. You'll hear stories of true grit, resilience, grief, and pure joy. Motherhood is the most life changing and transformative journey a woman can go through, and it's not always easy. No matter where you live or what you do, we're in this together and you're not alone.
Motherland Australia
297: Alison Gossage on Postpartum Rage and the Decision to Leave the Land
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Not long ago, Alison Gossage made a decision that some rural women quietly face… but rarely talk about. She left the land. Ali is a mum of two, who was living and working on a farm in Esperance, WA, building a life in agriculture alongside her husband, raising babies in the bush, and doing everything she could to hold it all together. But behind the scenes… things were not okay. What started as the everyday juggle of motherhood - two under two, long days alone, limited support - slowly became something much heavier. Something that Ali didn’t recognise at first… and didn’t have the words for. Until one moment changed everything. For Ali, that moment led her to a diagnosis many women still don’t talk about… postpartum rage. In this episode, she shares what that actually felt like; the shame, the fear, the isolation — and what it took to ask for help. We also talk about the realities of raising young kids in rural Australia without a village, the pressure of farm life, and the incredibly hard decision to leave it behind in order to survive it. This is Ali’s story.
Motherland is proud to partner with Mums Matter, a bulk-billed psychology service, supporting women through pregnancy, postpartum, and the journey of motherhood. If you’re feeling anxious, overwhelmed, disconnected, or simply not like yourself, you don’t have to go through it alone. Visit mumsmatterpsychology.com to learn more or book a telehealth appointment with Mums Matter.
PANDA National Helpline (Monday to Saturday) 1300 726 306
Lifeline for Crisis Support: 13 11 14
Motherland is proud to partner with Mums Matter, a bulk-build psychology service supporting women through pregnancy, postpartum, and the journey of motherhood. For many mums, especially in rural and regional Australia, accessing qualified mental health support isn't always easy. Mums Matter offers compassionate, evidence-based psychology via telehealth, so you can speak with a specialist from the comfort of your home. If you're feeling anxious, overwhelmed, disconnected, or simply not like yourself, you don't have to go through it alone. Visit mumsterpsychology.com to learn more or book a telehealth appointment. The link is in today's show notes. Hi, I'm Stephanie Trithewey, the founder of Motherland, a national charity that supports rural mums across Australia. Welcome to the Motherland Podcast, where each week I share with you real and raw stories of motherhood told by women on the land. I felt so alone. And I remember sobbing to her as I just said, What have I done? It's a wild roller coaster we're all on. So no matter where you live or what you do, remember we're in this together and you're not alone. So what's it like to raise kids on the land? This is Motherland. Not long ago, Alison Gossage made a decision that some rural women quietly face but rarely talk about. She left the land. Allie is a mum of two who was living and working on a farm in Esperance, Western Australia, building a life in agriculture alongside her husband, raising babies in the bush, and doing everything she could to hold it all together. But behind the scenes, things were not okay. What started as the everyday juggle of motherhood, two under two, long days alone, limited support, slowly became something much heavier. Something that Allie didn't recognize at first and didn't have the words for until one moment changed everything.
SPEAKER_00Harrison was asking for a drink and like he just kept going and going. And I have a screaming baby who needs me. And I just lost it, like absolutely lost it. Just I blacked out, like I knew I knew that I threw something.
SPEAKER_01For Ali, that moment led her to a diagnosis that many mums still don't talk about postpartum rage. In this episode, she shares what that actually felt like the shame, the fear, the isolation, and what it took to ask for help. We also talk about the realities of raising young kids in rural Australia without a village, the pressure of farm life, and the incredibly hard decision to leave it behind in order to survive. This is an honest, raw, and deeply important conversation. This is Allie's story. And just a quick heads up: this episode discusses mental health and anger. If you feel you need support, we've popped some links to support services in today's show notes. Ali, welcome to Motherland. Thank you for having me. So exciting. Very exciting. I saw you only a month ago, a month or so ago, at our national conference. Um, so it was so beautiful. I've yeah, been meaning to hit you up for a while. So you couldn't get out of it. I cornered you. I'm like, you'll be hearing from me. And here you are. So thank you.