Mom Life in Luxembourg

Diane Elsen is a certified menopause coach specialising in menopause education. Susanne Folschette-Tomaszewski is a GP, certified menopause coach, mother of two and just recently finished her specialisation in Menopause Medicine at the University of South Wales (UK) . She is convinced that understanding hormonal changes is key and that women must actively engage in their own care, working in partnership with their doctor to find the best solutions. Her own perimenopausal experience, along with seeing how hormones impact women, led her to deepen her knowledge in menopause medicine. As President of the Luxembourg Menopause Society, Lëtz Menopause, she and her team are contributing to raising awareness about the menopausal transition across Luxembourg, hoping to improve women’s healthcare during this important phase of life.

With nearly 30 years of professional experience across the private sector and European public service, she has balanced a full-time career with family life, gaining first-hand insight into the challenges women face throughout their lives.

Her own experience with perimenopause—marked by unrecognised symptoms, burnout, and depression—became a turning point. This led her to deeply explore the science of menopause and the neuroendocrine changes involved, giving her the clarity she had previously lacked.

Today, Diane supports women in understanding menopause, making informed lifestyle choices, and navigating this life stage with confidence. She is also co-founder of Lëtz Menopause asbl, working to raise awareness and improve education on menopause. Dr. Susanne Folschette-Tomaszewski is a GP, certified menopause coach, mother of two and just recently finished her specialisation in Menopause Medicine at the University of South Wales (UK) . She is convinced that understanding hormonal changes is key and that women must actively engage in their own care, working in partnership with their doctor to find the best solutions. Her own perimenopausal experience, along with seeing how hormones impact women, led her to deepen her knowledge in menopause medicine. As President of the Luxembourg Menopause Society, Lëtz Menopause, she and her team are contributing to raising awareness about the menopausal transition across Luxembourg, hoping to improve women’s healthcare during this important phase of life. To learn more, please visit: LetzMenopause.lu or visit her on Instagram @letzmenopause Dr. Folschette also reccomends: The Balance App, The New Menopause Book, Estrogen Matters Book, The Menopause Brain

Carmen Baustert is originally Luxembourgish and a mom of two boys. In addition to her corporate job, Carmen runs the Instagram accounts @lazyperfectionistmom and @mom_luxembourg. She has always been interested in nutrition and has been making sugar-free food a big pillar of her content over the last year. To learn more about her, visit her Instagram profile.

Victoria Wells-Wei, is a Strassen resident and passionate foodie who turned the daily "mission" of toddler mealtime into a vibrant community celebration. Like many parents, Victoria found that despite her love for cooking, putting healthy meals on the table for a three-year-old was a constant challenge. This sparked a simple but powerful question: What are other families cooking, and how can we share those ideas? Victoria Wells-Wei, a Strassen resident and passionate foodie who turned the daily "mission" of toddler mealtime into a vibrant community celebration. Like many parents, Victoria found that despite her love for cooking, putting healthy meals on the table for a three-year-old was a constant challenge. This sparked a simple but powerful question: What are other families cooking, and how can we share those ideas?

What started as a personal curiosity blossomed into a major community initiative through the Strassen Commune’s Budget Participatif Initiative. After winning a grant in early 2025, Victoria launched a project to collect family recipes and transform them into a kid-friendly cookbook. Drawing on her 20 years of media experience, she teamed up with Ti Photography to go beyond the page—venturing into the homes of 10 local families to film their cooking processes and capture the beautiful stories behind their favorite dishes.

This project is a true "by mums, for mums" collaboration. Victoria is joined by two talented friends and fellow Strassen residents: Karla Stauffer, an art teacher and designer who managed recipe collection and book layout, and Liza Escudero, a social media expert and early childhood educator who brought the project to life online.

While the cookbook is currently in production, with an exciting launch planned for Mother’s Day 2026, you can get a taste of the magic right now. Head over to Instagram and follow @strassenrecipes to watch the video series and find your next family favorite meal.

Patricia is the wife to a very understanding husband and proud mom to an energetic 8-year-old. Originally from South Africa, now happily rooted in Luxembourg. She's an educator, psychologist and works as the Assistant Principal for Students at the International School of Luxembourg. She ‘balances’ motherhood, work and life by rotating crises and is fueled by strong coffee, good humour and cake.

Beth is a parent to two teen daughters and wife while loving her work as an Academic Leader and School Psychologist at the International School of Luxembourg. She is originally from the United States and has lived and worked across the world. She most recently spent 4 years in India. Prior to working in the schools, she worked in clinical practice with families. Outside of work, she enjoys coaching and playing sports and cheering on her family in their various activities. The resources mentioned in the show include: Serivice Impuls https://www.solina.lu/fr/facilities/impuls/

Office national de l’enfance (ONE)

https://www.officenationalenfance.lu/

Service national de psychiatrie juvénile (SNPJ)

https://www.hopitauxschuman.lu/fr/specialites-maladies-traitements/service-national-de-psychiatrie-juvenile

Société Luxembourgeoise de Psychologie

https://www.slp.lu/en/

Service National de Psychiatrie Infantile déménage de la Kannerklinik:

https://kannerklinik.chl.lu/fr/service/pedopsychiatrie

Polina is a mother of two, both born in Luxembourg, a postpartum doula, and an avid birth enthusiast. With a background in marketing, her own transition into motherhood led her to focus on supporting mothers locally. For the past four years, she has been running birth circles and mama meets in Luxembourg. To learn more about Polina, please check her out on Instagram @mama.leopard.

Below are some of the books she mentions on the show:

Safe Infant Sleep: Expert Answers,

The First Forty Days,

Hunt, Gather, Parent,

The Fourth Trimester