Hello there!

My name is Vanessa, and I am so thrilled to have you here. At Sunshine By Vanessa, we are all about creating a safe and supportive space for women to connect with one another. We know that life can be hectic and stressful, and sometimes all we need is a little bit of sunshine to brighten up our day.

As a mum myself, I understand the challenges that come with raising children of all ages. That's why I am committed to providing you with all the important information and resources you need to help make your life as a mum a little bit easier. Whether you're looking for tips on how to manage your time more effectively, how to deal with picky eaters, or how to support your child's learning, we've got you covered.

But we also believe that self-care is just as important as caring for others. That's why we offer a range of beautiful gift boxes that are perfect for gifting to yourself or to a fellow mum who could use a little pampering. Our gift boxes are carefully curated and focus on supporting women and their own small businesses. These products will help you relax, unwind, and take some time for yourself amidst all the chaos of daily life.

So if you're looking for a warm and welcoming community of women who are all about supporting and uplifting one another, then you've come to the right place. We can't wait to connect with you and share a little bit of sunshine with you along the way.

Why I am passionate about this…

When I first heard the loudest scream in my life, I looked down to see my first-born baby. My first thoughts were 'my baby looks like an alien' and 'at least I can have some sleep now the baby was born' Oh how naive I was back then.

My daughter Lucy, who is gorgeous by the way, and looks nothing like an alien, is now 11, and I could never have dreamed the journey my life has taken since then.

My then-husband and I went on to have three more beautiful, but robust boys, and lived on a farm in the beautiful Sunny Coast. Four babies in five years is not recommended by the way I don't remember two years of my life, but I do remember that I had no friends close by, except my mum!

So when Covid hit, my husband and I separated, I over-worked myself as an essential and lost time away from children.

Burning the candles at both ends for such a long period of time produced debilitating migraines and when my prescription medication stopped working, I collapsed and never left my bed for 10 days.

My mum was the reason that I went to a psychiatrist, who then admitted me to a mental health hospital for six weeks, citing extreme prolonged stress, depression and anxiety. Six weeks I was there and my stress didn't reset until after four weeks.

Now tell me, how many mums get six weeks away to look after themselves and get their mental health in the right place? None.

Since then, I've been on a journey of finding out who I am, accepting who I am, accepting that I'm hearing impaired and not trying to hide it, all while loving my beautiful babies, now aged 6-11, working and studying.

I'm still not ok all the time, but it occurred to me that while mums can look perfectly ok on the outside, we can so often be breaking on the inside. Not sure where to go or how to fix it.

So what do we do? We just keep doing. We get the kids sorted, organise the family household, work, finances, organising husbands or partners and whatever else needs doing to keep the household in order.

We keep doing, until we can't. And it all falls over in a heap. Because if we're not mentally healthy or taking care of ourselves, it's not just us it affects, it's the entire family unit.

I decided I wanted to create a safe space for mummas to connect, inspire and educate, so we can work together to build a tribe. To have other women there to encourage you and inspire you and help you through tough times or situations.

This life is hard enough, without having to suffer on your own.

The concept here will be based on a blog that, as a former journalist, I'm really excited about! I want to talk about topics that mummas want to hear about.

I want to interview professionals that can really help us look after ourselves. I want to write so that you know you will never be alone and that we see you and we hear you.

We plan to make this an interactive chat space, so we can share our journeys if we want, build each other up and find connection.

Soon we will be launching a range of self-care products and hampers, that will showcase some of the amazing businesses that are run by mums and women around the Sunshine Coast.

Please join us, as we all catapult through our journeys at lightning speed, trying to keep up. We got you. And you've got this! I can't wait to meet you all!