Hayley Ryan · Occupational Therapist
Become the fun mum your daughter brags about…and secretly wants to grow up to be.
Give her something to cheer for. Have a go, be terrible, laugh it off. Let her see you living, not just watching from the sidelines.
Fun IS fuel. Come find yours.
The power of play, for adults
Something you do. Not something you watch. Not something you organise for someone else.
For mums of tween & teenage daughters
You’re together every day. But you miss her.
You can spend half the afternoon together and barely have a conversation that isn’t about homework, lifts or putting the phone down.
Then she wants to talk just as you’re trying to finish something, and you hear yourself saying “in a minute” again. Other days, you’re ready to listen and all you get is “fine”.
You miss laughing together. You’d love her to tell you things without having to ask so many questions. And somewhere amongst looking after everyone, you miss having something of your own to talk about too.
Fun Mums is about reconnecting with yourself, so you can reconnect with your daughter.
You want enough energy left to listen when your daughter starts talking. To enjoy being together without every conversation turning into something she needs to do.
You want to make a decision for yourself without first working out whether everyone else will be happy with it. To have plans you’re excited about, opinions you trust and something to share over dinner beyond what needs doing tomorrow.
And you want your daughter to see that being a grown woman can include all of that.
The idea
Fun is Fuel.
You don’t have to be good at it to have a good time.
You’ve spent years helping her find the things she loves. Somewhere along the way, you became the one holding the bags instead of having a go.
Remember laughing so hard with a friend you could barely finish telling her what happened? Or coming home from something you’d been nervous to try, still talking about it an hour later?
Maybe it’s your first netball game in twenty years. You miss the shot, your daughter cheers anyway, and you’re already asking when training is.
Maybe it’s going for a swim with a friend and staying for a chat, instead of rushing home to get ahead on the washing.
Something you look forward to. Something you come home with a story about. Something that’s yours.
At some point you have to put the drink bottles down and go and play. Especially now.
Who’s behind this
Hi, I’m Hayley.
I’m an occupational therapist and a mum of three teenagers. And yes, that’s me on the surfboard.
As an occupational therapist, I look at how your nervous system, energy, daily demands and relationships affect your ability to do the things that matter to you.
That includes being there when your daughter needs you. It also includes having interests, friendships and choices of your own. Both belong in the life we’re working towards.
We look at what’s getting in the way, what you miss doing and what you’d like to change. Then we work out how to make it happen in the life you actually have.
The method
The Fun Mum Formula™
Reconnect with your daughter by reconnecting with yourself first.
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01
Regulate Nervous system & energy
Where your energy actually goes, and why it may not be what you’d blame. Understand your nervous system and uncover five everyday energy leaks, so you can begin addressing what keeps you on duty—even when the day is supposed to be done.
What your daughter gets to see:
When your daughter starts talking, you want enough left to listen. Regulate helps you recognise your stress responses and explore what helps you settle, so a small interruption doesn’t always feel like one demand too many.
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02
Reclaim Identity
You were someone before you became everyone’s everything. This is where you stop asking permission and apologising for taking up room in your own week. Your wants, opinions and decisions deserve your own trust.
What your daughter gets to see:
Your daughter gets to see that Mum has interests, friendships and ambitions too. She sees you making choices for yourself, and you have more of your own life to share with her.
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03
Reconnect Relationships
Some people make your shoulders drop the moment you walk in. Others leave you feeling on duty. Recognise the difference, make room for mutual support and change the patterns that ask too much of you.
What your daughter gets to see:
With your daughter, you want more than reminders, lifts and disagreements. You want her to tell you things, feel comfortable coming to you and enjoy spending time together. Reconnect focuses on how you listen, communicate and connect, while making room for your needs too.
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04
Rediscover Fun & fulfilment
It’s not about what you feel you “should” enjoy at your age… it’s full permission to let your hair down and find fun again. The kind that leaves you smiling, with something you can’t wait to do again.
What your daughter gets to see:
Let your daughter see you being a beginner, missing the shot and laughing anyway. Maybe she joins you. Maybe she’s the one cheering this time—and you’ve got a story to tell together on the way home.
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05
Redesign Your rhythm
You get to be someone with plans again. Someone with things of her own in the diary that the family learns to work around. Bring those choices into your everyday rhythm, so your interests don’t disappear the moment everyone else gets busy.
What your daughter gets to see:
“Mum’s netball” written on the calendar alongside her plans. Some weekends she comes to watch; other times you each head off to your own thing and swap stories over dinner.
Your next step
Start here. Or let’s work together.
The Fun Prescription masterclass
Not sure what you’d enjoy anymore? Explore what you’re craving and choose one thing to try in your own week.
Free masterclassFun Mum Activation
Reconnect with your daughter by reconnecting with yourself first, with personal support to work through what gets in the way.
Access the Fun Mum Formula course and work through the modules, with unlimited access to me for one-to-one coaching by message as questions and challenges come up.
By applicationSomething of your own
What would you love to come home and tell her about?
There’s something you’d love to try. You might have saved it on your phone, sent it to a friend or said, “One day.”
Imagine your daughter asking about your weekend plans—and this time, you’re telling her yours.
You want her to grow up believing she can try things, take up space and have a life she loves. You get to want that for yourself, too... with her right beside you.
Fun IS fuel. Come find yours.