Emma Gilmour’s Story of Self-Discovery and Self-Compassion
I’ve known Emma since our days living in Melbourne’s West. I’ve always admired her strength, her ability to self-reflect deeply and take the big leaps that so many of us only dream of. Next week, Emma is speaking at our lunch event in Selby, and I can’t wait for more people to hear her story.
One of the most unexpected gifts she’s discovered in giving up drinking? Being taken seriously about her health.
“For years, every time I brought up a health concern: bloating, fatigue, sleep issues, I was told the same thing: ‘Well, you should probably stop drinking.’ And that was the end of it. No curiosity. No deeper look. Just dismissal.”
For Emma, removing alcohol wasn’t about being perfect; it was about being heard. Her story speaks to something many of us feel but don’t always name: how quickly women, especially those navigating perimenopause, complex lives, and neurodivergence, can be dismissed in medical settings. “Taking alcohol out of the equation,” she says, “removed one of the easiest excuses for people not to listen.”
Emma is a licensed counsellor and psychotherapist, an alcohol coach, a neurodivergent mum of neurodivergent teens, and a fierce advocate for women’s wellbeing. With over 20 years in corporate marketing, she knows how easy it is to fall into “mummy wine culture” just to survive the everyday load of motherhood.
“I’d have a couple of wines, be masked up to the nines… It wasn’t just a drink. It was a tool, a costume. Especially for those of us who’ve always felt too much or not enough.”
For Emma, alcohol dulled the edges of sensory overload, softened fear, blurred the rules of social performance, and for a while, it felt like the perfect fix. But what it really offered was relief, not joy. Camouflage, not connection.
Now, she’s helping others reconnect with themselves, without needing a glass of wine to take the edge off.
Emma’s talk next week is for anyone curious about their relationship with alcohol, especially mums carrying the invisible weight of the world. It’s not about quitting, but about asking: Is there another way to feel good? And the answer is yes, there are many.
This isn’t a lecture. It’s a light-hearted, relatable, and compassionate conversation. Emma will explore:
Mummy Wine Culture and how to navigate it
The emotional weight of The Mother’s Load
How to unwind without wine (and actually enjoy it)
The impact of alcohol around kids and teens
The powerful shift from needing wine to take or leave it
Her message? You don’t just get to matter. You HAVE to matter.
Join us for a moving, funny, and affirming afternoon with someone who truly walks the talk. Emma’s story might just help you hear your own voice a little clearer too. This is Emma’s second time speaking at a MotHs event after the wonderful feedback we received from our Warburton event last year.
Don’t miss out this time. Join us at Selby Community House, next Sunday July 6th at 12:30pm for lunch.
Learn more about Emma through her links:
Website: https://www.hoperisingcoaching.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hoperisingcoaching