About Jo
I have been teaching HypnoBirthing since being trained in 2009.
It all started with my own pregnancy in 2008 when I first heard about HypnoBirthing. Although that pregnancy unfortunately ended in a miscarriage, my interest in HypnoBirthing continued to grow. I got pregnant again soon after and took HypnoBirthing classes. That same year when I was heavily pregnant, I had the opportunity to attend a HypnoBirthing Mongan method instructor training and utilised this training along with the classes taken earlier to birth my daughter. The obstetrician, the midwife and nurse were amazed at how calm the birth was. At that that stage, living in Turkey (which has extremely high intervention and caesarean rates), I really found my calling to help women become empowered to birth in the way that they wanted and not what was convenient for their caregivers or the hospital, so I enlisted the support of a now well-known naturally oriented obstetrician (who was present at my birth) in Istanbul and proceeded to train many parents to make better choices, be better prepared for a natural birth and to be more empowered during their births. It all started with my first student in 2010, a mum who was birthing her second child, determined to have a natural vaginal birth after her first birth had ended in a ceasarean section (VBAC). Her second birth was a very successful natural birth and she and her partner felt very empowered & satisfied.
Since then I have continued my training in childbirth education (CAPPA) and teaching active birth (Janet Balaskas) but I have stuck to teaching HypnoBirthing, just because it is so life changing.
I have trained many parents in HypnoBirthing both in Istanbul and in Melbourne in both group classes and private sessions. I am also a certified EFT practitioner and I integrate this into my HypnoBirthing classes as well, using EFT as a way to empower mums and dads in the birth process as well as previous birth experiences.
As well as teaching HypnoBirthing, I am also an aromatherapist and I formulate natural aromatherapy and skincare products as well as mum & baby & birthing oils at soularoma.com.au. I am also a qualified remedial massage therapist specialising in pregnancy massage (nurturedbirth.com.au) and I teach baby massage, because I love supporting mums with natural nurturing practices.
Training and certificates
Current Member of IFPA (International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists)
2020 EFT (tapping) / Matrix reimprinting - EFT/Matrix Reimprinting Academy- Karl Dawson
2020 Birth Trauma Training for Birth Workers - Dr Erin Bowe
2013 Teaching Active Birth- Janet Balaskas
2013 CAPPA Childbirth educator- CAPPA
2012 Reiki 1&2
2012 Koshi balancing & Sei tai Shiatsu- Jeffrey Dann
2012 Diploma in kid's yoga- Rainbow Kids Yoga
2011 Baby yoga certificate- Birthlight
2011 Massage & pregnancy diploma- Well mother
2011 Aromatherapy in pregnancy- Penny Price Aromatherapy
2011 Aromatherapy for babies and children- Penny Price Aromatherapy
2009 Certificate in Hypnobirthing -The Mongan Method
2009 Diploma in remedial massage - Australian College of Massage
2008 Certified infant massage instructor- International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM)
2008 Certificate in massage- Australian College of Massage
2007 Diploma in Thai massage- Thai Massage School of Chiang Mai
2006 Diploma in aromatherapy in pregnancy - aromatherapy-studies (Gabriel Mojay)
2006 Therapeutic massage- The SEED institute
2006 - Diploma in aromatherapy & IFPA conversion -The SEED institute
2006 Diploma in Aromatherapy- Westcoast Institute of Aromatherapy
2006 Diploma in Indian Head Massage - Institute of Indian Head Massage
2002 Master of Linguistics
1997 Certificate in Teaching English language to Adults
1995 Bachelor of arts- English & Film