Reclaiming Childhood and Re-Writing the Rules: Why We Should Learn to Let Go of Timelines and Expectations with Hollie De Cruz

In this episode of The Raise Podcast, Coral and Natalie are joined by author and conscious parenting advocate Hollie de Cruz for a powerful conversation about navigating motherhood in today’s modern world. Together, they explore what it means to raise children, and ourselves, in a society that often prioritises productivity, perfection, and pressure over connection, presence, and play. Hollie speaks passionately about reclaiming childhood for what it’s meant to be: a time of curiosity, creativity, and freedom. She challenges the societal expectations that push children to grow up too quickly and invites parents to create space for their children to be exactly who they are, without rushing and without pressure to meet arbitrary milestones.

This conversation is an invitation to slow down and embrace motherhood in all its messy, magical moments. They discuss balancing self-care with parenting, and why Hollie chose an alternative education path for her family. Expect real talk on navigating guilt, creating strong family bonds and finding joy in the simple, everyday connections that truly matter.

Hollie's book recommendations:

The Element Book by Ken Robinson - https://amzn.to/4iBCnKp

Dumbing Us Down by John Gatto - https://amzn.to/4kS5sCV

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Thanks to our sponsors of this season:

Healf Bloods — comprehensive at-home blood testing that turns guesswork into a clear picture of your health. https://healf.com/WEARERAISE

Epetōme — leading market synbiotic to properly care for your gut health. 30x more effective than a standard capsule And the only probiotic we take. Use code RAISE10 for 10% off at epetome.com/Raise

Sweet Bee — beautiful organic wellness products for the whole family, including their cult-favourite Sweet Sleep Magnesium Butter. Use code RAISE for a discount sitewide at sweetbeeorganics.com

JS Health - the Australian wellness brand, including our favourite scalp serum, creatine and metabolic supplement - use our code RAISE and this link for a discount https://bit.ly/jsraise

Past sponsors we still swear by — codes included:

Alba Health — at-home gut health testing that helps parents understand their child's microbiome. Code RAISE for 10% off at albahealth.com/RAISE

GlycanAge — an advanced biological age test that reveals how your body is really ageing. glycanage.com

Bon Charge — science-backed wellness tools for better sleep, recovery and energy. Code RAISE for 15% off at uk.boncharge.com

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