By Angie Hilton
Belinda Austin is refreshingly honest. You know when someone is so honest that it makes you sit up in your seat and really listen. Her life is an open book. She’s been through some really tough times and come out the other side, so she is passionate about reaching out to others.
With two beautiful children and a third on the way, Belle and husband Scott Austin are second-generation owners of local wines Austins Wines and 6ft6.
As the daughter of esteemed Geelong Football Club CEO Brian Cook, Belinda has the same fire in her belly for work and a desire to make a difference.
Tell us about your births …
Spencer: Well, I had been practicing hypno-birthing in the lead up. I thought some meditation, a great relaxation music playlist and soothing essential oils would all help in my planned water birth. Well, as soon as I went into labour I was like turn off the music and that oil … and I certainly didn’t laze around in a bath! I laboured for 24 hours before finally having an epidural. After that it was another seven hours. I had a forceps delivery. Spencer was healthy but it was a pretty daunting experience for my first time.
Delilah: Delilah was the complete opposite. She was a big baby as I had gestational diabetes, so I had to be induced. This time I had the epidural straight up so there was minimal pain. It was a great experience.
Baby 3 (aka Gremlin): I’m booked in for an induction. I don’t have any expectations but I just try to control what I can. I’m not anxious about the birth. Because my actual pregnancies are so hard with extreme morning sickness, gestational diabetes and pelvis instability, once I’ve had the baby I get all my energy back.
How do you and Scott find working as a team?
We are actually a great team. We have a daggy name – ‘Scobelle’. At work he’s the level-headed one who knows his numbers. I’m the creative one with a million ideas and naturally little regard for numbers or expenditure. Thankfully, we strengthen each other and we actually get along well considering we live and work together. At home we are a team – I’m definitely the organiser, diary management and on top of school, parties, etc. But he is the ultimate kitchen cleaner, washing man and the fun parent who keeps the kids active.
How do you find juggling motherhood with work?
I must say I love working. I love having daily goals to meet, and I’m very social so I love being around people. However, I’ve accepted that my career won’t officially start until after 40. I still work hard now but I know that mentally I can’t be in two places at once. I’m a firm believer that work/life balance is a myth. I believe there are times when work is a priority and other times family is.
What would you ideally love to do after 40 when career becomes the main focus?
Aside from working with Scott, I would also love to work on some personal projects that mean a lot to me.
One is raising money for Friedreich’s ataxia. My 34-year-old cousin had the rare disease and passed away this week. She had a major stroke, which is a complication of the FA disease. I feel like I won’t stop raising money until they find a cure. The other cause I’d like to raise awareness and funds for is domestic abuse.
How are you feeling about life with Baby 3 (Gremlin)?
Scott’s true strength and support really shone through after I had Spencer and I got diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (following a previous relationship) and also post natal depression.
I remember being in the car one day and I said to Scott ‘I think I’m not well’. He said, ‘It’s normal to feel a bit unsure when you have a new baby’. And I said, ‘no, I’m thinking you and Spencer are better off without me’. That’s when I knew I was at my lowest. I actually convinced they’d be better off without me. I remember lying in bed shaking and Scott would just hold me.
We were living with Scott’s parents at the time. His mum Pam was basically there to help raise Spencer. She would come in each morning, pick him up out of my arms and take him for me for three hours.
It was 12 months before I actually started to feel like Spencer was my own child. I loved him, I was fiercely protective of him and I cuddled him, but I felt disconnected as a parent – like I was outside my own body. We are so close now thankfully.
It was such a dark time, but there were certainly positives that came from it. Like learning to ask for help and creating a community of people who helped raise Spencer. Scott’s mum Pam now has a relationship with Spencer that I can’t even put into words. It’s just so special.
When I fell pregnant with Delilah, I got counselling early to avoid any triggers. But I was fine. I didn’t get any PND or anxiety. I approached parenting Delilah in a very different way. I was much more instinctive – I fed when she was hungry and held her till she slept. I was starting to be a parent in my own way.
Delilah is now really independent. She loves a cuddle but loves to do her own thing.
Six months after Delilah, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which is a thyroid illness that makes you very tired, have sore muscles and gain weight. I put on about 25kgs within three months! So now my biggest trigger is ‘how’s my health going to go?’ I’m no longer concerned about PND as I’ve done so much work on myself psychologically.
My goodness! You’ve really been dealt some challenges. What do you feel like the life lesson has been throughout all of this?
I have learnt how strong I am and that I can get through anything. I’ve learnt to accept my limitations. When we start to think we have to be able to do it all to perfection, we lose out because we don’t let people into our lives. I love the village approach. The pressure on mums to do it all these days is ridiculous.
Is there anything you do now to prevent mental and physical health challenges?
Well, recently I accidentally booked into a ‘silent’ retreat called Nirvana Wellness Retreat. It was a 10-day detox but I didn’t read that five days of that were meant to be silent (laughs).
I didn’t think I’d survive! We meditated six hours a day – lying, walking and sitting, doing it in blocks of two hours at a time. Believe it or not, I made it and after five days I felt absolutely incredible. I was so grounded and peaceful. It really taught how to connect with myself and knowing the power is within me – not externally. It also taught me to think before I speak.
What did you learn from the way your parents raised you that you wanted to pass on to your children?
Mum and dad separated when I was fairly young, but they have both been wonderful parents. Mum was just so dedicated and reliable – physically and emotionally. I remember special moments like when she would take us for hot chocolates after school. Mum and I really became best friends from when I was about 18. We tell each other everything.
Dad has always been so loving. I’ve always been his little princess. We have a remarkable relationship, which I feel really proud of. We also tell each other everything … probably too much sometimes (laughs).
*Your dad has a pretty incredible reputation in the AFL and especially in this town. Are you proud of his achievements?
He is an amazing man in so many ways, but I think his greatest achievement is being our father and being there for us no matter what.
Obviously his work has always had demands, but no matter what he’s been there for us. I know he made career decisions that cost him financially just so he could always be near us.
Just recently I put it out there that I wasn’t coping with this pregnancy and he just dropped everything, came and picked up Spencer and took him for the night. They got up in the morning and went for a sunrise walk together on the beach. I love the thought of him creating memories like this with his grandson.
What’s one of your best parenting memories?
I was watching a TV show with Spencer about families and there was a focus on the different mothers in the show. Spencer looked at me, gave me a hug and said “mum, stay just as you are, I don’t want mums like this… I just want you”.
Would you say Scott is your rock?
Absolutely. He is just so stable all the time. He’s beyond supportive and does so much for all the family. One thing I love about him the most is that he just has a bloody good time. We have a lot of fun together. He’s an excellent dad – really hands on. I love watching them play.
What’s the future of Austins Wines?
Well we’re proud to say 6ft6 is in over 2000 stores Australia wide and we have the fifth highest selling pinot noir and pinot gris in Victoria. We grow 90 per cent of our grapes on site and also make the wine on site. We now sell into the USA and China as well.
Our focus is to try to get a cellar door built over the next year. It’ll be very family oriented. We want a small animal farm and we want to make it somewhere you can bring a picnic rug and just hang out. We love how wines bring people together.
In the meantime, people can still come out on the first Saturday of each month between 11am and 3pm. We do tastings and sales, so if you come out, make sure you say hi!
Well Belinda, I want to say thanks for your honesty and vulnerability. I hope it encourages others to start speaking up and reaching out if they’re in the same position.
My absolute pleasure.
