Parenting Collective

What happens when a parent loses their child? How do you keep going, navigate grief, and find a way to carry your child’s memory forward?
In this deeply moving episode of the Parenting Collective Podcast, host Donna Moala sits down with Jess Yugovich, Founder and CEO of The Aliyah Mae Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation established following the tragic and unexpected loss of her daughter, Aliyah Mae, in 2024 at just three years old.
Jess shares her deeply personal journey through child loss, grief and healing, including the story of Aliyah, the special meaning behind Bunny, and how she continues to honour her daughter while supporting other families experiencing unimaginable loss.
The Aliyah Mae Foundation was created to support families navigating the paediatric healthcare system and families experiencing child loss, helping provide connection, advocacy and support during some of the most difficult moments a parent can face.
In this conversation, Donna and Jess talk about:
• The unimaginable grief of losing a child
• Parenting and living through profound grief
• Keeping a child’s memory and spirit alive
• The importance of support after child loss
• Navigating the paediatric healthcare system
• Turning personal grief into purpose and advocacy
• How Jess transformed her experience into support for other families
This is a powerful conversation about motherhood, grief, love, loss, resilience and hope — and a beautiful reminder that a child’s impact can continue long after they are gone.
Follow The Aliyah Mae Foundation:
Website: https://thealiyahmaefoundation.com.au/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/thealiyahmaefoundation
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thealiyahmaefoundation/
Follow Jess Yugovich:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-yugovich/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessyugovich
I would appreciate it greatly if you could please LIKE and FOLLOW this podcast and if you are not following me over on instagram, head over there for all of my top tips and advice around sleep and parenting @parentingcollective.au.  I also offer a free 15 minute phone chat to run through all your questions CLICK here to book your FREE 15 minute chat
Much Love 💞
Donna Moala 
Parenting Collective              
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What if the signs your child is struggling with speech, breathing, sleep, or development are easier to miss than you think?
In this episode of The Parenting Collective Podcast, host Donna Moala sits down with Luba Patlakh, a passionate child and family advocate, dedicated Speech-Language Pathologist, Myofunction Therapist, and Founder & Director of Kidology, Inc.  Luba is also the host of The Growth Lab Podcast, where she has real conversations about speech delays, feeding, IEPs, sensory processing, and everything in between.
Together, Donna and Luba explore:
✨ Speech delays and when parents may want to seek support
✨ How to advocate for your child when something doesn’t feel quite right
✨ The connection between mouth breathing, sleep, speech, and development
✨ Tongue ties and myofunctional therapy
✨ Why some children may struggle with feeding, breathing, or articulation
✨ The importance of early intervention and getting the right support
✨ How parents can move beyond “wait and see” when they have genuine concerns
✨ Creating supportive communities where parents don’t have to navigate these challenges alone
Luba also shares how her personal experiences as a mum helped shape her work and her passion for helping families understand their children’s needs without fear, shame, or judgement.
This is an important conversation for parents wondering, “Is this normal?”, “Should I be getting help?”, or simply feeling that something isn’t quite right with their child.
Because asking for support doesn’t mean something is wrong with your child. Sometimes, it simply means you’re giving them the tools and support they need to thrive.
Follow Luba Patlakh:
Personal Website: https://lubapatlakh.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lubapatlakh
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=18908878
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lubapatlakh
Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@thegrowthlabpodcast
 Kidology Website: https://kidologyinc.com/

Buy the book- Bobo Wears a Bowtie: https://amzn.asia/d/09bwEFDT

I would appreciate it greatly if you could please LIKE and FOLLOW this podcast and if you are not following me over on instagram, head over there for all of my top tips and advice around sleep and parenting @parentingcollective.au.  I also offer a free 15 minute phone chat to run through all your questions CLICK here to book your FREE 15 minute chat
Much Love 💞
Donna Moala 
Parenting Collective              
                                 SLEEP & PARENTING ESSENTIALS
🩷  For your daily walks, coffee's & travel
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🩷  Favourite room darkening product
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    CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE LITTLE OAK FORMULA.
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Kids, smartphones, social media and AI are changing the world our children are growing up in. But how do we help our kids navigate technology safely without parenting from fear?
In this episode of the Parenting Collective Podcast, Donna Moala sits down with Kirra Pendergast, Founder and Chief Strategist of Safe on Social and Ctrl+Shft, and one of the world's leading voices on digital safety, online harm and AI-era risk.
Kirra has spent decades working in technology, cybersecurity and digital safety, helping families, schools and communities understand the risks and opportunities of our digital world. She recently co-authored Digital Freedom: A Guide to Less Screen Time for Safer, Happier and Healthier Families with Maggie Dent.
 In this episode, Donna and Kirra talk about:
When is the right time to give your child a smartphone?
Kids, social media and online safety, what every parent needs to know.
How algorithms work and why algorithmic literacy matters for children.
The impact of technology, AI and digital risk on our kids’ mental wellbeing.
Cyberbullying, online harm and the importance of creating a safe space for children to ask for help.
How parents can guide their children through technology without needing to be a tech genius.
Why connection, communication and learning alongside our kids matter more than fear-based rules.
The positive side of technology, from creativity and learning to citizen science and environmental innovation.
Kirra’s incredible personal journey from experiencing online bullying to building a career helping millions of people navigate digital safety.
This conversation is about more than screen time. It’s about raising confident, safe and resilient kids in a world where technology isn’t going anywhere.
As Kirra shares, we can’t stop technology, but we can help our children understand it, question it and navigate it with confidence.
And as parents, we don’t need to know everything. We just need to stay curious, keep the conversation open and walk beside our kids.
If you’re a parent navigating smartphones, social media, screen time or the digital world, we hope this conversation helps you feel more informed, supported and confident.
💛 Calmer homes. Stronger connections.
Follow Kirra Pendergast:
Website: http://www.safeonsocial.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirra-pendergast-2938361
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/this_is_kirra/
Substack: https://substack.com/@kirrapendergast

Buy The Book:
Digital Freedom: A guide to less screen time for safer, happier and healthier families - Maggie Dent, Kirra Pendergast: https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781761902871/

Downloadable Resources: 
Image Guidance for Schools Australia and New Zealand
The Smartphone Readiness Project

I would appreciate it greatly if you could please LIKE and FOLLOW this podcast and if you are not following me over on instagram, head over there for all of my top tips and advice around sleep and parenting @parentingcollective.au.  I also offer a free 15 minute phone chat to run through all your questions CLICK here to book your FREE 15 minute chat
Much Love 💞
Donna Moala 
Parenting Collective              
                                 SLEEP & PARENTING ESSENTIALS
🩷  For your daily walks, coffee's & travel
     CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE COZIGO  
🩷  Favourite room darkening product
     CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE SLEEPY SUNDAYS
🩷 Favourite Goat's Milk Formula
    CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE LITTLE OAK FORMULA.
🩷 Favourite Rice Milk Formula
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How to be a better dad, become a more intentional father, and balance fatherhood with a successful career — what does modern fatherhood really look like for ambitious men?
On this episode of the Parenting Collective Podcast, host Donna Moala sits down with Jeff Hittner, leadership expert, executive coach, and founder of Ambitious Dads, for an honest conversation about modern fatherhood, parenting for dads, fatherhood and career, emotional regulation, intentional parenting, and becoming a better dad.
After interviewing more than 200 fathers, Jeff noticed a pattern: ambitious men often feel pulled between the career they’re building and the family they don’t want to miss. Many dads know exactly what they want to achieve professionally, but have never stopped to think about what kind of father they want to be.
In this episode, Donna and Jeff explore:
• Why successful men often struggle to define their goals as fathers
• The biggest challenges modern dads face, from time and confidence to connection
• The difference between being a present dad and an intentional dad
• How to stop being the “default dad” and become a more conscious father
• How emotional regulation can help dads respond rather than react
• How your own childhood experiences influence the way you parent
• Why so many fathers experience a dad confidence gap
• Why dads need more honest conversations, role models and community
• How becoming a better father can make you a better leader
• How to balance fatherhood, family and career without feeling like you’re failing at one of them
• Why Jeff sees fatherhood as the ultimate leadership lab — and ego detox
If you’re a new dad, ambitious dad, working father, first-time father, or a dad trying to balance career and family, this conversation will give you plenty to think about — without the pressure to be a perfect parent.
Follow Jeff Hittner:
Website: https://www.ambitiousdads.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhittner/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ambitiousdads
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ambitiousdads
Substack: https://ambitiousdads.substack.com/
I would appreciate it greatly if you could please LIKE and FOLLOW this podcast and if you are not following me over on instagram, head over there for all of my top tips and advice around sleep and parenting @parentingcollective.au.  I also offer a free 15 minute phone chat to run through all your questions CLICK here to book your FREE 15 minute chat
Much Love 💞
Donna Moala 
Parenting Collective              
                                 SLEEP & PARENTING ESSENTIALS
🩷  For your daily walks, coffee's & travel
     CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE COZIGO  
🩷  Favourite room darkening product
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    CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE LITTLE OAK FORMULA.
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What if being a good parent doesn’t mean being a perfect parent?
In this episode of the Parenting Collective Podcast, Donna Moala is joined by Monique Cohen, a Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist and Play Therapist, and author of Planet Parent, for a warm and honest conversation about playful parenting, parent-child connection, emotional regulation and the pressure to get parenting “right.”
Together, Donna and Monique unpack the myth of perfect parenting and explore how play can help children feel connected, safe and understood. They talk about child-led play, emotional regulation, anxiety, school refusal, neurodiversity, strong-willed children, parenting guilt and why children need more downtime and unstructured play.
They also explore the importance of recognising when a child may need additional support, why asking for help doesn’t mean you’re failing as a parent, and how parents can break cycles of guilt and perfectionism.
Most importantly, this conversation is a reminder that your child doesn’t need a perfect parent. They need a connected, loving and present one.
If you are a parent who wants less guilt, less pressure and more connection, this episode is for you. 💛
Follow Monique Cohen:
Website: https://www.journeypsychology.com.au/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/planet_parent_mc/

Buy the book, Planet Parent - https://www.harryhartog.com.au/products/planet-parent-monique-cohen-9781398461192?_pos=1&_sid=f88099366&_ss=r

I would appreciate it greatly if you could please LIKE and FOLLOW this podcast and if you are not following me over on instagram, head over there for all of my top tips and advice around sleep and parenting @parentingcollective.au.  I also offer a free 15 minute phone chat to run through all your questions CLICK here to book your FREE 15 minute chat
Much Love 💞
Donna Moala 
Parenting Collective              
                                 SLEEP & PARENTING ESSENTIALS
🩷  For your daily walks, coffee's & travel
     CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE COZIGO  
🩷  Favourite room darkening product
     CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE SLEEPY SUNDAYS
🩷 Favourite Goat's Milk Formula
    CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE LITTLE OAK FORMULA.
🩷 Favourite Rice Milk Formula
    CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ...