Meet Sian. She's a founder and brand builder living on the Mornington Peninsula with her partner Paddy and their son Sevi. She's the oldest of seven, a lifelong lover of the ocean and the outdoors, and someone who has spent the last year figuring out what really matters.
Becoming a mum and closing a business she'd spent six years building happened within months of each other. It was a lot to hold at once. But Sian has come out the other side with a clarity a lot of us are still searching for.
Here's what she had to say.
Tell us about yourself.
I'm a founder, brand builder, and mum to my 16 month old boy, Sevi. I'm a big fan of the outdoors, the ocean, and surfing, which is why my little family — my partner Paddy, myself, and Sevi — live down on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.
I'm in a bit of a transitional period of my life. In the last year I've become a mum and then had to shut down a business I spent six years building. It's been a really challenging time, but it was made a lot easier by Sevi's huge smile and his obsession with cuddles at the end of a tough day. Now that I'm out the other side, I'm learning that failures are a necessity. They're an opportunity for growth. The best is yet to come.
As the oldest of seven, I always knew I wanted to be a mum. But having Sevi has blown my world right open. It's given me an incredible perspective shift. Life is so much more beautiful with him in it. I feel incredibly lucky.
Describe motherhood in one sentence.
Motherhood opens you up to what it means to be alive. It strips away ego and shows you a new, deeper kind of love that makes a lot of life's mysteries make a little more sense.
What's one thing motherhood taught you about yourself?
Becoming a mum has really helped me understand myself better. What brings me joy, what calms me, what pushes me over the edge. It's helped me strip away all the fluff and focus on the things that bring me and my little boy joy. That's a much simpler, calmer way to live.
What's a motherhood moment that made you think, "I've got this"?
I have these moments all the time, but just as I do, I feel like everything changes and all of a sudden I'm learning all over again. Parenting feels like a never ending cycle of thinking you've figured it out, and then everything changing again as they grow.
If I had to pick a moment, it would be when he started cuddling me back and really showing that he loves me. That's when I knew that no matter what happens, we'll always be okay.
How has becoming a mother changed the way you approach business and ambition?
I'm still getting my head around this one. But there's been a very clear mental shift. Before Sevi, work and success were really important to me. Now, being a mum is my priority and my passion, and my career is a fun thing I'm lucky enough to be able to do as well. I'm sure this will shift again later in life, but right now I want to really enjoy this early chapter of motherhood while still setting my family up. It's a balance I'm still figuring out.
What does support look like for you in this season of life?
Honestly, I just love getting out of the house at the moment. If we're having a tough day, things instantly feel lighter when we get outside or go meet someone at a cafe. So for me, support looks like having people to catch up with in the morning for a walk, coffee, or play. And nothing is more helpful than someone giving me food. Even this far into parenthood, someone handing me a pre-made dinner is life changing.
If you could go back and give advice to yourself as a first time mum, what would it be?
I wish I'd journaled. I wish I'd written down how I was feeling before having Sevi and afterwards. It goes by so fast, and you're fully immersed in each stage of the journey. So I would have told myself to write it down. I should start now, actually. I would have also told myself not to buy all the baby things beforehand, and instead just buy things as I needed them.
If you had a personal assistant for parenting, what would you ask them to help with first?
Watching Sevi while I went for a surf, honestly. But more practically, it would probably be helping with cooking and meal planning, making sure I'm putting together a broad range of nutritious meals. And making sure I'm across where and when I need to be places. I'm constantly late to things at the moment.
We see you, Sian.
Thank you for sharing your story with us.
Real Mums, Real Stories is a PAM Journal series celebrating the honest, unfiltered experiences of mums navigating this wild, beautiful season of life.