Several years ago, I came across Courtney Adamo and was immediately captivated by her and her husband's approach to life with their five children. Their transformative journey began with the sale of their home in London, followed by leaving their jobs and most of their belongings to embark on a year-long adventure with their family. Learning about their subsequent decision to relocate across the world to Byron Bay, Australia, a place that had deeply resonated with them during their travels, was equally inspiring. Courtney now operates her own business, offering a range of e-books, courses, and a membership platform focused on embracing motherhood in a mindful way. Her work is characterized by honesty, grace, warmth and authenticity—and I truly recommend following her work.

1. What is your favorite time of the day and why?

I’ve always been a morning person. Even as a teenager I loved mornings! 

I love the feeling of fresh starts. I love snuggles with my kids. I love seeing sleepy kids in pyjamas sitting at the kitchen island. I love classical music on the radio. I love stirring my porridge and slicing fruit while Michael makes coffee. I love pancakes on weekends. I love sipping coffee and playing backgammon at the kitchen table. All of it! 

2. What are your daily rituals to feel grounded and create space for yourself as a mother of five?

Now that my kids are older and we no longer have babies or toddlers, there’s definitely more space (and time) for myself. All of our kids are in school now, so I try to squeeze in a morning yoga practice after they’ve all left for the school bus. Even if it’s just 15 minutes of stretching, it’s a wonderful way to start the day. I also try to walk everyday, even if it’s just taking the dog for a walk around the neighbourhood or to the shops for groceries. And my favourite way to feel grounded and calm is to go for a surf — it’s the ultimate form of meditation for me. 

3. How was it to take the leap of moving across the world? How does your life differ from the life you were living in London?

We lived in London for twelve years and had four babies there. London is a wonderful city and we loved living there, but we also felt the financial pressure to work really hard, and our lives were quite busy. We wanted to slow things down and spend more time with our children, so we made the decision to sell our home and most of our belongings to travel with our kids for a year. It was the best year of our lives! 

While we were traveling, we spent six weeks in Byron Bay. We knew we loved it immediately. The community here is so friendly and creative. The food is great and there’s a collective appreciation for eating locally and sustainably with beautiful farmers markets and good cafes and restaurants. The weather is sunny, the surfing is great, and life is just pretty easy here. We spend a lot of time outside, and most importantly, a lot of time together as a family. 

4. In what ways has becoming a mother transformed you? Did you always dream of having many children?

I always knew I wanted to be a mother. I’m the eldest of five kids, so I’ve had a mothering role for as long as I remember. Parenting has always felt quite natural to me in many ways. 

Saying that, of course motherhood has transformed me and continues to do so. With each new stage of motherhood, I continue to learn, to be challenged and to grow as a person. I used to think that my job as a mother was to mould and shape these little people, but the more babies I had and the longer I’ve been a mother, the more I’ve realised that my job is really just to support them along their own individual journey to be the best version of themselves. And also to enjoy the developing relationship I have with each of my kids — to see it less as a job and more of a joy. 

5. How do you keep connected with your partner through parenthood?

Again, this is something that has gotten easier as our kids have gotten older. There was a time where we had lots of little kids who were demanding of our time and attention, and Michael and I weren’t even able to prioritise our relationship. We were solid and we got along, but it wasn’t a deeply connected or passionate relationship at that busy time. Over the years, this has definitely become a much bigger priority for both of us, and we work on it regularly. I’m very aware of when I’m feeling connected to Michael and when things feel less good between us, and I’m always trying to work on it. Now that the kids are older and we don’t need babysitters, it’s much easier to spend time together. 

5. What is the best advice you got from your mother? And what values would you like to teach your children?

My mother has always emphasised the importance of raising kids who like each other. She really encouraged us to enjoy our time with our siblings and to embrace family time together. This is definitely something I’ve tried to instil in my own family. Of course my children will argue with each other, but we really encourage our kids to have compassion for their siblings, to be supportive and kind and to enjoy being with each other. 

In lots of ways I think having siblings teaches children important life skills like how to compromise and share, how to resolve conflict in a loving and compassionate way, how to appreciate a difference of opinion while at the same time being true to yourself and embracing your individuality. 

6. How do you stay inspired in your life and your work?

I always think it’s good to be challenged and to try new things. You’re never too old to try new things, to learn a new skill, to change your mind or to take risks. I think being receptive to change is important. Changes bring new opportunities and open new doors.

Last year I was feeling a bit uninspired and ‘stuck’, so I’ve decided to make some bigger changes in our life to see where that takes us. I’m inspired by people who live like this too — who have an ‘everything is possible’ kind of attitude. 

7. What does “Birthspace” make you think of? Have you birthed any creative projects lately?

I guess ‘birthspace’ makes me think of newness and beginnings. It’s an exciting space of opportunity. 

Michael and I wrote a book last year (The Family Home) which will be published this year. It was such a fun creative project to work on, the writing flowed so easily and the process of getting photography for the book was so fun and extremely inspiring. We can’t wait to share it with everyone later this year! 

8. What advice do you give other women dreaming of creating a sustainable and authentic work life?

I’d recommend doing something that you love, that really lights you up, and makes you excited to wake up in the morning. And also I’d share some advice that was once given to me, which is that ‘done is better than perfect’. Basically, doing something is better than not doing it for fear that it might not be perfect or that someone might do it better. Giving something a go is always better than not doing it because you learn and grow from every step (even mistake) you take. And then… check in with yourself constantly to make sure the balance is right and that you’re doing something you love.