About
Nina Isabella
Holistic Counselling, is a natural progression following two decades of compassionately supporting women and gender diverse folk through their fundamental life transitions as mamashanti.
I am a mama; yogini; birth attendant and somatic pelvic floor practitioner. Moving and breathing with hundreds of women since 2005 for enhanced fertility; peaceful pregnancy; positive birth; nourished postpartum; inspired parenting; healthful and vital menopause and through it all - lifelong pelvic floor integrity.
In moving through careers from landscape architecture to establishing mamashanti in 2005 and now as the Womanly Counsellor, the unifying thread has been my abiding commitment to honouring the common humanity of my clients.
What I can bring to support you in your process, is the warmth of intuitive therapeutic presence that I have honed for the past 25 years of being in service to hundreds of birthing women and their partners. Bearing witness to the raw and magnificent vulnerability of humanity time and time again, has opened me to the healing that can be experienced when one is held in another's unconditional positive regard.

A Lifetime of
Lived Experience &
Professional Development
I bring breadth of professional perspective and depth of life experience. I have experienced the ache of thwarted fertility; the anguish of prolonged misdiagnosed conditions - PCOS (10+years) and endometriosis (25+ years); living with chronic pain and inflammation and the impacts on my sense of self, self-purpose and self-worth.
I am grateful to have been supported through my significant life transitions, career changes and health challenges. I've mined the gold hiding in the depths of these experiences and have arrived to be of service.
My counselling practice is inclusive, trauma informed and person-centred, this means I regard you as sovereign - the expert in your life and circumstances. I will meet you where you are with empathy; offering wholehearted connection; supported by evidence based, culturally sensitive counselling and psychotherapeutic interventions to support you to love living in your beautiful skin.
Qualified & Registered
Master of Counselling
University of Canberra
Australian Counselling Association
Registered Member L2
Yoga Australia
Registered Senior Yoga Teacher L3
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As Well As......
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture - University of Canberra
Bachelor of Applied Science - Environmental Design - University of Canberra
Advanced Diploma of Yoga Teaching 1000hr+ - Australian Institute of Yoga Therapy
Certificate IV Workplace Assessment Training - Melbourne College of Advanced Education
Certificate IV Small Business Management - RMIT University​
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and because I am a constant gardener to my personal and professional development, here's a bit more of what I've been up to:
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Compassion Focussed Psychotherapy:
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) - ACT Mindfully
Trauma Focussed Somatic Psychotherapy:
Trauma Focussed Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (TFACT) - ACT Mindfully
Perinatal Mental Health:
Perinatal Mental Health Training Courses - COPE and PANDA
Abortion, Contraception & Sexual Health: Supporting Client Access - Royal Women’s Hospital
Pre and Post Abortion Practice & Counselling - Children by Choice
Diversity & Inclusion Practice:
LGBTIQA+ Inclusive Practice
Trans Vitality Trans Affirming Practice
Somatic Awareness Training:
Psoas Savvy Somatic Movement Professional Application Course - Liz Koch Core Awareness
Loss & Grief Training:
Grief & Family Work - Bouverie Centre LaTrobe University
Death Doula Training - Opening to Life
Childbirth Education & Doula Training:
Certified BirthSkills™ for Mind; Body & Baby Practitioner with Dr Shari Read
Trauma Informed Birth Attendant Training with Rhea Dempsey Birthing Wisdom
Childbirth Educator Training Course for Health Professionals - NACE
Prenatal Yoga:
Awakened Woman - Conscious Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training
Family Violence Training:
Protecting Vulnerable Children & Responding to Vulnerability
MARAM Training
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I continue to pursue specialist training and personal research to enrich my capacity to mindfully support women and gender diverse individuals through their life transitions:
Somatic awareness; applied polyvagal theory; applied neurobiology; Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupressure, shiatsu, reiki.