Zebras Australia

Our intention is to provide our community with a range of products, resources, outreach initiatives and healthcare services that consider the whole person, centre the body and create the conditions for self-enquiry, connection and change 🦓

For change to occur we view feedback as an essential part of the process. Your feedback is our fuel for growth. When we say growth we don’t just mean in terms of numbers, dollars or people - although, we are a team of almost twenty humans these days - but in terms of our personal, professional and organisational development ✨

And that is why for the past two years, we’ve invited our community to participate in our Community Survey 🦓

It’s an opportunity for you to let us know how we’re doing - we love a bit of data - so that we can use this to improve your Zebras experience.

We’ve kept it short and sweet - about 7 minutes - but if this is outside of your capacity right now, you’re welcome to email us at [email protected] with your answers to these three short questions:

✨ What you would like us to keep doing?
✨ What you would like us to stop doing?
✨ What you would like us to start doing?

To give your feedback please follow the top link in our linktree (found in our bio)🦓

On the 28th of March, three lucky Zebras who have completed our survey (or responded to this email) will be drawn at random for a selection of Zebras goodies and a voucher to one of our yoga classes.

As always, we’re so so grateful for your time and energy.

Melissa, Andrew and the team at Zebras 🦓

Some T’s + C’s:
- All survey respondents are eligible for a single entry.
- Respondents outside of Australia at time of survey completion are considered ineligible.
- Entries close on Thursday 28th of March 2024, at which point the recipient will be drawn at random and contacted.
- Prizes will be available for pick up at Zebras Australia in Richmond or alternatively posted to the recipients.
- We reserve the right to amend these terms and conditions.
- In the event of a dispute, all decisions by Zebras Australia are final.

Last week our team came together to celebrate all of the rainbow Zebras in our community with our first ever ‘Wear Your Stripes’ day; a day to step out of our regular neutral colour palette 🌱 and dress in a way that embraces colour and self expression in line with Mardi Gras that took place over the weekend 🌈🏳️‍🌈

Today is not only the rarest day of the year (happy leap year everyone!) but it’s also a wrap on Zebruary for 2024 and Rare Disease Day! 🦓

As our month long celebrations for all Zebras come to a close we wanted to take a moment to reflect and shout out all the members of our community who continue to shine and dazzle not just today but every day!

We see you, we hear you, and you continue to inspire us daily!

Our Zebruary highlights include:

🦓 Relaunching Yoga with and

🦓 In Conversation with and

Zebras Who campaign orchestrated by .manon

Moving Kindly Workshop with and

Our raffle where we raised funds for .danlos society

It’s been a huge month and we look forward to bringing you Zebruary 2025 next year! 🦓🫶🏻

Revealing our second Zebruary event - In conversation with &

Join our co-founder Melissa Williams and renowned movement therapist, author and creator of the Integral Movement Method and The Zebras Club, Jeannie Di Bon for a conversation around their personal journeys with movement and how this has shaped their approach to supporting those who identify as a Zebra 🦓

When and where?
Wednesday February 7th at 7:00pm AEDT (8:00am GMT) here on our page.

Can’t join us live? We’ll be making it available here on the page afterwards.

We’re looking forward to an enriching conversation and if you have any questions you’d like to ask these two you can leave them in the comments below 👇

Revealing our second Zebruary event - In conversation with &

Join our co-founder Melissa Williams and renowned movement therapist, author and creator of the Integral Movement Method and The Zebras Club, Jeannie Di Bon for a conversation around their personal journeys with movement and how this has shaped their approach to supporting those who identify as a Zebra 🦓

When and where? Wednesday February 5th at 7:00pm AEDT (8:00am GMT) here on our page.

Can’t join us live? We’ll be making it available here on the page afterwards.

We’re looking forward to an enriching conversation and if you have any questions you’d like to ask these two you can leave them in the comments below 👇

Happy 1st day of Zebruary! 🦓

Kicking it off this year by introducing Moving Kindly: A self-compassion workshop with and 🦓🍃

🦓 What is Moving Kindly?
This is a two hour experiential workshop that offers opportunities to learn and practice ways of living and moving with more self-compassion.

This workshop is perfect for those seeking to infuse their movement practices with kindness and understanding, as well as a holistic approach to navigating life’s challenges with grace.

🦓 When is the Event?:
Saturday February 24th 2024
10am-12pm

🦓 Where is the Event?:
Zebras Australia Movement Studio
Wurundjeri Country
Floor 1, 369-371 Bridge Road
Richmond 3121

🦓 What can you expect?:
You’ll be introduced to the practice of Mindful Self-Compassion - what it is and what it isn’t.

You will collectively explore accessible means to embody self-compassion day-to-day.

Following a light morning tea (supplied by us), you are invited to open your heart to yourself in a gentle guided yin, before finishing with a short meditation practice, supported by crystal singing bowls.

You’ll leave with real-world techniques that support you to be on your own side (kinder to yourself!).

All practices and teachings are trauma-sensitive and suitable for beginners. All bodies are welcome 🤗

We strive to provide a safe and supportive learning environment so please let us know if there is any way we can make your experience more easeful.

🦓 What do you need to bring?:
Pen and a journal

Loose, comfortable clothing that you can move and stretch in

There will be options to sit on the floor or on chairs

Mats and bolsters are provided, however you are welcome to bring your own

Anything else that feels supportive for you i.e. fidget tools, ear plugs

🦓 Cost:
Tiered Pricing -
$65.00 Support - supports your peers
$55.00 Sustain - covers your place
$45.00 Community - supported by your peers

If you are an NDIS Participant please speak to your local area coordinator, support coordinator or plan manager to find out if your funding allows for this.

Click the link in our bio or give us a call to book in 🦓

We’re so excited for this one 🤗

Today we pause to acknowledge international 🦓

Traditionally, the zebra represents individuals living with illnesses or conditions that the medical community considers rare. Around the world, a beautiful and passionate community, including not just those with lived experience but those who advocate and care for them, has formed around this symbol.

Though this term means different things to different people, we’ve found ourselves wondering whether it truly includes all of those who want to be included. We’ve met many of you who don’t fit so neatly into the box yet so clearly identify with the experience.

It has challenged us to expand our understanding of what it means to be a zebra and today we would like to share some things we have noticed that aren’t always talked about or listed in diagnostic criteria.

🦓 Are you someone from a diverse background who is navigating fluctuations in your capacity to engage in a full life as a result of unwanted bodily pain, fatigue and tension?

🦓 Have you had a long journey with your constellation of symptoms and some less-than-positive experiences with care providers?

🦓 Has your world become quite small though this isn’t always obvious from looking at you?

🦓 Do you disagree with the notion that your body is wrong or broken?

🦓 Are you seeking to surround yourself with a community and a team of informed care providers who honour your body’s unique needs and support you as a whole person?

🦓 Are you motivated to understand and reconnect with your body and from this build a toolkit that invites more ease?

🦓 Are you hopeful to gain confidence to move your body regularly in safe and sustainable ways, return to things you love and explore new interests that bring a sense of joy and purpose?

If you’ve answered yes to any or all of these questions, you’re not alone. And as you can see those in our community have far more in common than their diagnoses.

In our eyes, you are some of the most courageous and resilient human beings we’ve ever met. ❤️

We’re in awe of you and we’re here for you. 🦓😊

Savour your practice 🦓

As the first day of Zebruary approaches, we’re excited to announce the relaunch of yoga at Zebras.

From the first week of February, you’ll see the reappearance of two familiar classes with two familiar faces...

Firstly, we’ll be offering Alpha, our Therapeutic Yoga class with Irene.

✨When? - Tuesdays at 11am
✨Where? - Online

This 50 minute class is inspired by the traditional lineage of hatha yoga and includes a thoughtfully paced mix of movement, mindfulness and breathwork to regulate the nervous system. You can expect to explore a number of shapes against gravity and a whole lot of options offered to suit your unique needs in that moment.

And then we have Theta, our Yin Yoga class with Lauren.

🌟When? - Thursdays at 7.15pm
🌟Where? - In-person or online

In this 45 minute largely floor-based class you will be invited to move towards rest and relaxation. You can expect a slower pace, longer holds in shapes as well as considered propping and transitions for those with orthostatic challenges.

We’ve heard you when you say you’ve enjoyed what we’re offering but sometimes life (or your health) gets in the way of making it to your mat.

That is why going forwards we’ll be recording and making these classes available to you each week for a full week so that you can savour your practice at any time. Can’t attend the live class? You can still purchase access to the recording for the full week too. 🦓

Our hope is that this will make our yoga offering more accessible to more members of our community 🧘

Both classes can be booked and pre-paid online via our website 🌿

Any questions? Please contact our friendly Client Experience Team at (03) 9938 0498 or email us at [email protected] 👋

The woman who wears many hats 👒🎩🧢

Today we’re celebrating the incredible as she steps into her new role (or should we say roles) for 2024.

Ash is an established integrative physio, hunting SIMs and crushing DIMs ( )with the best of them.

You’ve also likely seen Ash’s face and creative genius across our socials for the past few months as she’s been working behind the scenes as a content creator.

And now Ash will be taking on a new challenge of supporting a team of practitioners in their roles at Zebras. Is there anything she can’t do?!

Bravo Ash 👏👏👏

Zebras Australia is officially an Ehlers-Danlos Society Network of Excellence ✨🦓

We are so proud to share with you all that we are Australia’s first multidisciplinary allied health clinic for hypermobile adults to receive this incredible honour!

So what does this mean you ask? To be recognised as a Network of Excellence, we’ve made a commitment to follow the C.A.R.E model.

We cannot wait to partner with .danlos and a growing number of organizations worldwide in our collective mission of reducing the diagnostic odyssey faced by so many hypermobile folks, as well as increasing the availability of clinical services and standardizing communication and care 🦓🌟

Farewell and 🦓👋

With Maddie and Emily stepping away from their respective roles at the end of the year, we’d like to take this opportunity to celebrate their time at Zebras 🌟

Maddie and Emily have brought so much warmth and wisdom to our team; Maddie as our first integrative physiotherapist and team leader based in Naarm, Melbourne, and Emily as our first integrative occupational therapist and fully remote team member based in Meanjin, Brisbane 🥰

We’ve seen both of these women grow into passionate advocates and experts in their disciplines, delivering almost 2,500 consultations between them and welcoming over 250 new individuals into our community. When they weren’t consulting, Maddie and Emily could be found supporting their colleagues and creating opportunities for connection amongst our team, something we truly treasure 🥳

We think ourselves lucky to have worked alongside these two wonderful humans for the past few years. From everyone at Zebras, we wish them all the best for their next chapter 🦓💞

It’s here 🤪

Our ‘Chronic Illness 2023 wrapped’ 🙌

What was on yours? 🫣🦓

New team member alert 🚨

This week at Zebras HQ we welcomed our newest Occupational Therapist, Laurie 🌻

🌱Who am I?
I'm Lauri, your new integrative occupational therapist at Zebras Australia.

🌱What's inspiring me?
Creativity, artists and makers. The warmer weather and opportunities to get outside and enjoy nature.

🌱What practices/supports am I leaning into?
Prioritising rest. Long walks and slow thinking. Reducing screen time.

🌱How can I help?
From December 2023, I'll be offering in-person and virtual occupational therapy consultations in Naarm, Melbourne.

Welcome to the team, Laurie 🙌🦓

If you’d like to know more about how Laurie and Occupational Therapy can support you with your goals, get in touch with our care team 💚

A very happy Zebra-versary to our resident Gen Z (slay) and our ray of sunshine in human form .soph ✨🌞

This week marks 12 months since these two absolute gems started working at Zebras, and we couldn’t be more grateful for them both 🥹

your creativity and passion for all of the work that you do behind the scenes to support our community never goes unnoticed 💖

And anyone who’s had the pleasure of meeting .soph knows that her smile and bubbly energy is always such a joy to be in the presence of 🥰

We appreciate these two very much, and can’t wait for many more stripey 🦓 adventures to come 🤸‍♀️

A friendly reminder that we will be closed on Tuesday 7th November for the Melbourne Cup Public Holiday 🐴

We look forward to seeing you again on Wednesday 8th November 🦓

Throwback to a seriously proud moment for and team Zebras, presenting to the hypermobility community at the .

Recordings from the conference are now live, the link in our bio will take you there 📺


Image ID: Mel is  standing behind a lectern to the left of screen, with her cover slide displayed on the right.

Today is our wonderful Integrative Physio & Client Experience Team Officer Claire’s Birthday 🎂🎉

Claire is such a kind and caring soul which can be seen across both her roles at Zebras!

From everyone at Zebras Australia we wish you a year of prosperity and happiness 🦓🎂

We're growing | Are you our next integrative practitioner?

We are... a passionate group of allied health professionals based on the east coast of Australia offering tailored whole-person support to those enduring unwanted pain, fatigue and tension.

You are... an experienced physiotherapist, occupational therapist or psychologist looking for a full or part time role with flexible working arrangements.

We believe... in sustainable business practices, person-work fit and practitioner care.

We offer… a comprehensive and fully remunerated induction and training program delivered over a minimum three month period.

You'll receive... regular one-on-one mentoring, invitations to team case conferences and support from our leadership team.

Expressions of interest and applications to… [email protected]
Image ID: A carousel featuring images of Australian flora, peach and white coloured zebra print, the team and space at Zebras and copy for several practitioner roles now available.

A few weeks ago we were fortunate enough to have the wonderful present to the team on Sexology and Sexual Medicine.

It’s a taboo conversation that many practitioners and clients alike often don’t feel comfortable discussing. But we know that living with an invisible or chronic illness can have a significant impact on relationships and intimacy.

Meg shared with our team common unhelpful beliefs about s€x, normalising conversations about s€x and intimacy with our clients, and when a Sexologist referral is appropriate - because everyone deserves to experience intimacy and pleasure.

Thank you Meg for such an insightful presentation 🙌🤝

September is Pain Awareness Month, and this week also marks the start of Women’s Health Week 🎗️

So today, we wanted to shine a light on Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP) which is estimated to affect up to 1 in 5 women and AFAB folk, making it more common than Asthma in Australia.

It also has a significant impact on physical & mental health, sexual relationships and intimacy, families, work and schooling, and society.

Common CPP conditions include:
-Endometriosis & Adenomyosis
-Vaginismus & Vulvodynia
-Coccydynia
-Period pain

Pain is the most commonly reported symptom of each of these conditions, yet due to its invisible nature 🦓 is often poorly understood and mismanaged, leaving those who suffer from it feeling frustrated and helpless.

Here at Zebras Australia, we support many people with various Chronic Pelvic Pain conditions through a combination of therapeutic neuroscience education, nervous system regulation tools, explicit motor imagery, somatic embodiment practices, health and mindset coaching, and movement.

To all those who experience Chronic Pelvic Pain, we see you 💛🦓🎗️

Pain can be incredibly challenging to experience in the short term, and even moreso when it persists for months or years.

These prompts are created to help you become curious about your pain and investigate the relationship further.

Feel free to share anything you uncover 👇

~ We're Growing | Part-Time Client Experience ~

At Zebras Australia, we do healthcare differently because in our eyes there has never been a greater need for a shift towards body-centred, trauma-informed care when supporting those with invisible illnesses.

We help people to understand their own unique constitution through our three therapeutic pillars; the sharing of knowledge, movement therapies and lifestyle support.

Our hope is to be a catalyst for systemic change that results in...

🦓 Increased collaboration across healthcare sectors and disciplines

🦓 Prioritising sustainable work practices and practitioner wellbeing in healthcare

🦓 Greater appreciation for the complexity of human experience and individual needs through provision of tailored healthcare

🦓 Integration of mindbody medicine into the mainstream

🦓 Restoration of agency through person-centred care

🦓 Raising awareness of invisible illnesses and trauma-informed care by creating opportunities to share knowledge 

We ultimately aspire to touch the lives of as many individuals as we can to improve the health of the collective.

Our Client Experience Officers deliver exceptional client experiences to our beloved community, whilst undertaking administrative duties and supporting the practitioners, client experience and leadership team in the day-to-day operations of the practice.

If you can see yourself joining our team and supporting our community we would love to hear from you. If you know someone who might like to work with us, feel free to tag them below.

Contact Mel at [email protected] for more information including a full position description and applications.

Today, and all days, we aim to support, empower, and amplify the voices of the women, femme, and non-binary people in our community.

Today we celebrate the incredible progress made on the backs of strong women, and contemplate and reflect on this years theme;

So here’s to you, our community, for all the ways you support and uplift each other, for the bravery, the vulnerability, the strength and the tenderness. We see you and we celebrate you!

When you’re stuck in traffic, running late, up against a deadline, triggered, or overwhelmed, our nervous systems tell us about it. Sometimes the danger signals are helpful reminders to find safety and protect ourselves (like when you feel unsafe around someone) and other times they’re overprotective (you’ll just be a little late).

Supporting our nervous system is easier when we already feel safe and at ease, but what can you do when it’s *in the moment*, you’re feeling the sweaty palms, shallow breath, jitters or hot rage?

Pick a pebble or work your way through all of them. These can help to signal safety to the body, and move you back towards your ventral vagal state (rest and digest).

Today is not a day of celebration, but a day of mourning. This land is now, always was, and always will be Aboriginal land.

Today we reflect and pay tribute to the millions of Aboriginal people who have taken care of this beautiful land we now live on.

Sensation is such a simple yet powerful doorway into our moment to moment experience.

The mind has a tendency to time travel into the future or the past…especially when we feel challenged.

The body and the breath are always here in the present moment and provide a pathway back to the now.

Try this simple experience:
* close the eyes and draw your attention inward away from the distractions of the world around you
* become aware of your body breathing.
* sense the rise and the fall of the natural rhythm of your breath
* every inhale an expansion
* every exhale a release
* how does the body feel?
* are there any areas of contraction or holding?

Emotions and sensations are our inner messengers.

Becoming aware of how you feel is the first step to learning what you need.

🌻🌻🌻

Shemozzle: a state of chaos and confusion; a muddle (aka this time of year 😵‍💫🤪)

It’s tricky to navigate, pacing is out the window, emotions are all over the place and you might be feeling your system is overloaded and overwhelmed.

Pick a pebble (or a few) and let it help ground you and bring you towards a calmer place.

Ahh the silly season, it can be tricky to navigate at the best of times, without finishing the year feeling exhausted and run down. So this year, with the addition of two years of COVID related worries and lockdowns, and especially for those also navigating invisible illnesses and chronic fatigue, it can feel like a minefield!

Save and share these tips for pacing yourself during the social season, and send these to a friend who might also like the reminder.

Let’s cruise through this time as best we can, filling up our cup with the things that bring us joy, and honouring our bodies, minds and spirits need for rest. 😴🤲🧘

Zebras Australia updated their phone number.