Sustaining Ourselves as Parents
with Julie Frew
How do we sustain ourselves as parents when the demands are so high? In this course, Julie offers practical, nurturing ways to care for ourselves. She draws on Rudolf Steiner’s picture of the 12 senses to help us understand how to support the whole human being - our physical body, our feeling life, and our spirit.
Julie shares simple, practical tools you can begin using right away. Using the 12 senses as a guiding framework, she leads us through the lower senses (touch, life, movement, balance), the middle senses (temperature, sight, taste, smell), and the higher senses (language, hearing, thought, ego), giving a holistic picture of why nourishing every part of ourselves matters. When all aspects of our being are tended to, we are better able to meet our children with presence, steadiness and warmth.
Drawing on mindfulness practices and insights from other professionals, Julie helps us make sense of ourselves from the inside out. This inner understanding is essential in parenting, as so much of the journey invites us into re-parenting ourselves and engaging in our own inner development.
What You’ll Learn
This course is ideal for parents who:
Feel stressed and struggle to prioritise their own wellbeing
Live a fast-paced life and are experiencing burnout
Find themselves frequently overwhelmed
Want simple tools and practical strategies to reconnect with themselves
Wonder how to juggle parenting, work, and the many tasks of daily life
Comes with your own
downloadable e-book journal.
Once purchased,
work at your own pace.
Program Structure
This program is delivered over 12 lessons, ranging from brief bite-sized segments to sessions around 20 minutes. You’ll also receive a downloadable e-book journal for reflection or to work alongside as you move through the lessons.
Ideal For
This course is suited to parents and teachers of children of all ages. Parenting and teaching are always evolving, and the needs of both our children and ourselves shift over time. Wherever you are on your journey, this course will offer fresh perspectives and practical ways to care for yourself - whether you’re holding space for a classroom of 20+ children or parenting one child or many.
Programs you may wish to follow on with…
Embrace the heartbeat of your home and empower your parenting journey with mindful rhythms.
To be able to have true connections with our children means being able to truly listen. Learn all about the art of listening with Anne and Chris.
Through Adam’s course, he gives an authentic and compassionate perspective on interacting with children, navigating the dynamics between parents and children. He also holds an inner development picture.
These courses build on the foundations you’ll gain here and offer deeper insights and practical tools to support your parenting journey.
Julie Frew: Sustaining Ourselves as Parents
Program Structure
Lesson 12Lesson 10Lesson 11Settling Practice (16:11)
Lesson 1
The Lower Senses (15:48)
Lesson 2The Middle Senses (6:50)
Lesson 3The Higher Senses (7:33)
Lesson 4
Felt Safety as a Springboard (3:14)
Lesson 5
A Trauma Sensitive Practice (5:58)
Lesson 6
Regulate, Release and Restore (4:50)
Lesson 7Practices for the Sense of Touch (4:35)
Lesson 8
Practices for the Sense of Life (11:55)
Lesson 9Integrating the Practices into your Daily Routine (4:12)
Closing Poem (1:49)
Movement Practices (20:46)
Meet the Instructors
Julie Frew
Paediatric Occupational Therapist
Julie has worked in the field of child development for over 17 years. Her practice is grounded in postgraduate study in sensory processing for diverse populations, alongside additional training in attachment, psychosensory trauma interventions, neurobiology, and polyvagal theory.
Her professional understanding of the human being is also deeply shaped by a Steiner/Waldorf worldview. As a mother of two young children, Julie weaves both professional expertise and lived experience into her work with families.
She is passionate about helping parents understand their children’s sensory and emotional needs, offering practical tools that support resilience, regulation, and secure attachment. Julie’s compassionate, research-informed approach empowers parents to create nurturing, connected environments where children can truly thrive.
Adam Blanning
Anthroposophical Doctor
Dr. Adam Blanning, MD, is an integrative and Anthroposophic Family Physician who established his holistic medical practice in 2003. He lectures and teaches both nationally and internationally on holistic medicine and human development, with a particular passion for supporting children.
Dr. Blanning has served as president of the Anthroposophical Health Association (AHA), the umbrella organisation representing therapeutic fields that bring Anthroposophic perspectives into Medicine, Nursing, Naturopathy, Bodywork, Artistic and Movement Therapies, and Counselling.
He also leads the Postgraduate Physician Training programs in Anthroposophic Medicine in the United States and is the author of Understanding Deeper Developmental Needs: Holistic Approaches for Challenging Behaviours in Children.
Anne De Wild & Chris Burke
Anne: Naturopath and Biography Worker Chris: Psychology Professor and Biography Worker
Anne de Wild is a Naturopath and Biography Worker based in Basel, Switzerland. Her work centres on artful listening, uncovering personal stories, and finding moments of humour. She lectures widely and teaches Biography and Social Art across a range of themes.
Chris Burke is a Psychology Professor and Biography worker in Pennsylvania, USA. He has a gift for leading rich conversations, working with folk tales, and asking the kinds of questions that open pathways into deeper stories. He enjoys bringing biography and social art practices into his university teaching.
Together, as The Hummingbird Principle, Anne and Chris have led biography and social art workshops across three continents, exploring themes from ‘The Art of Listening’ to ‘Intergenerational Collaboration’.
Frequently Asked Questions
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We understand - sometimes it feels like there’s absolutely no space left for yourself, and the only quiet moments are in the shower or when you finally fall asleep. The beauty of Julie’s course is that the exercises and tools are intentionally simple, brief, and truly achievable. They require only small pockets of time, yet they can make a meaningful difference in how supported and resourced you feel.
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Absolutely. These courses are intentionally short and designed to fit into a busy schedule. Each one is broken into brief, easy-to-watch clips, so you can view one or two in the evening without feeling overwhelmed. A downloadable e-book is also included, so you can follow along without needing to take notes and revisit the material whenever you need.
Ultimately, by the end of this course, you will have practical tools in place that help regulate and restore your system, making your load feel more manageable. You’ll also gain a clearer understanding of what truly nourishes you as a parent, and how small, consistent practices can create a steadier, more grounded foundation for your daily life.
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No, we have a range of educators on this platform, some with waldorf training and others who have mostly been in mainstream education settings. In the descriptions of each course, it will say whether it is waldorf inspired or not.
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Yes. For us as parents to feel like we can cope with the demands of parenting, our nervous system and mindset needs to be in the right place. This course provides strategies and tools with exactly this.
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This course is offered through a direct enrolment process to ensure care around access and support for each participant.
If you’d like to take part in Sustaining Ourselves as Parents with Julie Frew, please register your interest using the button below. A member of the Taruna team will be in touch within 24 hours with payment information and instructions for accessing the course materials.
Course fee:
$120 NZDOnce payment is confirmed, you’ll receive access to the full course content.
Contact & Course information
Thinking about enrolling? Curious which program might be the right fit? Whatever you’re looking for, we’re here to help.