Meet Fiona and her team
The sharing of this body of knowledge was driven by a growing demand from women to understand and heal their pelvic space.
The Internal Pelvic Release Work Mentoring Program was born, and warm-hearted women practitioners emerged from the learnings.
Each of them comes with a collection of knowledge and wisdom. Each of them knows how to nurture.
And Fiona is always in the background mentoring...
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Fiona Hallinan
Founder, Educator and Midwife of 30+ years
Fiona Hallinan is an expert in women's health.
Fiona's passion for women's health care began in 1989 when she started her midwifery training, and despite her initial hesitation to become a midwife, day one on the job turned her viewpoint around. She instantly felt at home and has loved being a midwife every day since. Fiona has spent the last 30 years dedicated to women's wellness, with 20 years working in a hospital environment.
Qualifications:
Registered Midwife
Registered Nurse
Spinning Babies® Approved Trainer Training
Grad dip. Nursing (Child, Health, Community)
Diploma of Holistic Bodywork
Grad dip. Adv Nursing (Women's Health)
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Agia Nenke
Practitioner
Agia is a skilled Registered Midwife, who brings extensive expertise as a practitioner and educator in internal pelvic release. With her participation in the renowned Internal Pelvic Release Work Mentoring Program, Agia has honed her abilities since 2021.
Whether you're anticipating a pregnancy, are already pregnant, are recovering from injury or trauma, or are seeking to enhance your pelvic health and overall well-being, Agia provides a secure and nurturing environment. With her wealth of experience as an educator, she will tailor her approach to your unique strengths, empowering you on your journey towards lasting health.
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Cathy Penrose
Practitioner
From the moment Cathy began doing bodywork in 2009, it felt like she had awakened a sixth sense that could help people rest in their bodies in an intuitive, tender way.
From remedial massage, osteopathy, internal pelvic work, and as a doula, She has always felt deeply connected to the power of intentional touch. Working in pelvic health brings together all of her passions in bodywork.
Her focus is on helping you feel more grounded in your body and particularly helping you adapt to pregnancy and prepare for birth and postpartum.
Whether you’re pregnant, a parent, or simply seeking a holistic approach to bodywork, you can count on your treatments being coupled with intentional conversation, education and manageable post-treatment advice.
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Ruby Kennedy-Mayne
Practitioner
Ruby is highly qualified in her space holding degrees in both nursing and midwifery. Since 2014 she has worked in regional and tertiary hospitals in Victoria. Most of Ruby's career has been in midwifery group practice and homebirth, where she provides continuity of midwifery care to families in Melbourne’s west. After having her baby in 2022 and returning to work in the broken hospital system, she knew she needed to join Fiona in providing this amazing work. Ruby is passionate about supporting families to prepare for birth, providing individualised care and helping people understand their bodies better.
In her free time, you can find her wrangling a dog and a toddler at the park or heading out to brunch.
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Lani Merrick
Practitioner
Lani is a midwife and mother, experienced in continuity care of midwifery, homebirth, and hospital birth. She is passionate about sharing education with women and birthing people throughout their life spans, whether it is with painful sex and sexual health, birth preparation, post birth, or menopause. Promoting the autonomy of women and birthing people in their bodies, especially when receiving health care, is an equally important passion for Lani.
The variation of labours she has witnessed inspired her to step into internal pelvic release work so that she could better support and understand challenging births, as well as develop more creative ways to support her clients throughout their birth journey. The lack of sex education and women’s health guidance offered in her schooling and even midwifery training has led her to seek further understanding of sexual health issues and the journey through menopause. Lani holds a safe space to allow for debriefing, discussion, and education to empower and support you.
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Kirstyn Perret
Practitioner
Kirstyn is a registered midwife, nurse and bodyworker. She became a midwife specifically to help educate and support women in understanding and trusting their bodies. Women’s bodies and their capabilities constantly leave Kirstyn in awe of our strength and power.
Kirstyn started internal pelvic release work with Fiona and found a new understanding and respect for the pelvic space.
Kirstyn grew up in Geelong and spent time living and working along the east coast of Australia. More recently she has settled back into Melbourne, where she has found grounding in her beautiful family and home.
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Janine Shifman
Practitioner
Janine has over 17 years of experience and holds a master’s degree in musculoskeletal physiotherapy with a particular interest in spinal and pelvic physiotherapy.
Janine has also trained as a birth doula, supporting women through their pregnancy and birth, and understands the importance of being physically and emotionally prepared for birth.
After completing Fiona Hallinan’s mentorship in internal pelvic release work, Janine has integrated this powerful modality into her practices.
Janine advocates to improve care for women and understands the importance of research informing practice. Her research through Latrobe University is currently exploring how women plan to cope with labour pain and their planned birth strategies.
Janine’s extensive experience allows her to support women in a systematic and also very caring way.
When she is not working, Janine enjoys her time with her husband and three young children.
Our Services
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All organs in the body are supported by soft tissue connections. The pelvis being the bony guardian of a woman’s reproductive organs, also has a multitude of ligaments, fascia and muscles supporting the bladder, bowel and womb. The intention of these fibres is to hold the organs in a balanced, suspensory fashion. The capacity of these fibres to accommodate changes within the pelvis, most notably pregnancy, is extraordinary.
As in any other area of the body, soft tissues can hold tension.
Tension can be conscious or unconscious.
Tension can stem from injuries, postural habits, trauma, surgery, hobby or lifestyle choices.
Tension can restrict movement, flow, expansion, space of the bones and of the organs.
Tension in soft tissues can hold memories and emotions. We can hold ‘issues in the tissues’.
During an internal pelvic release session tension can be identified and invited to release with tender direct touch, so allowing the tissues to sigh.
When tissues sigh, space is created.
The vagina is a stretchable tube. Its ability to transform is gobsmacking. Women are usually only familiar with vaginal examinations that explore the top wall – as in a cervix check when in labour or for a pap smear. But the vagina has a back wall through which contact can be made with the soft tissue connections that provide stabilisation to the bones and to the organs.
It’s through the back wall of the vagina that we can use tender touch and directed breathing to free tension in the ligaments and muscles and fascia.
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Directed Breathing
Employing the breath appropriately will amplify any touch/bodywork and birth preparation. It enables presence, supreme focus, tension release and an increase of circulation and function to pelvic structures and systems.
Working with the Pelvic FloorUterine Ligaments - “The Pelvic Clock Exercise” is a way to connect with the uterine ligaments that attach into the cervix and mastering release of tension in these powerful fibres.
Bum Jiggling - Jiggling is a highly effective and recommended way to release tension, synchronise body systems, prepare for birth, make more space for the baby and activate the parasympathetic nervous system. It is also a highly enjoyable and easy to learn practice for couples preparing for birth
Psoas ReleaseThe psoas is the body’s flight/fight/freeze muscle and it passes through the pelvis. When holding tension, the psoas muscles can influence a baby’s position in the womb, and generally affect pelvic balance.
Pelvic Balancing
When the pelvis is in a state of balance, all pelvic organs & tissues have effective nerve and blood supply.
Pelvic Balancing is a gentle practice, based on Orthobionomy principles to bring the pelvis into a state of balance.
Scar Release Work
Caesarean Section scars and vaginal scars benefit enormously from gentle release work. Tender, deliberate touch brings about a softening of scars, so improving blood flow and nervous innervation.
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Birthwork Workshops
These Workshops are taught with my friend and colleague, Jenny Blyth.
These workshops are 4 full days of sharing a collection of knowledge and skills that we have learnt and implemented in our birth and bodywork practices.
The information we teach is based on techniques and principles of urogenital osteopathy and ortho bionomy. The focus of the workshops is on the internal and external female pelvis, the changes it is capable of, the stories it holds, the habits and conditions that affect it. Our approach creatively weaves complex anatomy and soft tissue knowledge into easy yet highly effective hands-on body skills and internal bodywork that significantly support mother and baby through the journey.
Spinning Babies® WorkshopsAs a Spinning Babies Approved Trainer, I can deliver 1 day or 2 day Workshops to midwives, doulas, birth educators, and all health professionals involved in the care of pregnant women.
Spinning Babies
‘What is Spinning Babies’?
Spinning Babies® is a physiological approach to pregnancy and birth.
It begins with the baby’s position as a clue, rather than a cause, to the needs of the mother’s anatomy. Knowledge is shared about the influence the pelvic soft tissues’ alignment and condition have on birth.