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Coffee, Coast Walks & Connection: The New Rituals of Sydney Mums
New data shows Sydney mums are more isolated than ever. Thankfully, new community groups are offering small rituals for connection and support
Sydney is a city that dazzles on the surface. The beaches are postcard-perfect, the café culture rivals anywhere in the world, and there’s always something happening. Yet behind the gloss, for many women — especially mothers — it can feel like an oddly isolating place.
According to new research from Peanut, the global app designed to support women through every stage of life, almost nine in 10 mums in Australia say they’ve felt isolated. If that weren’t staggering enough, 93 per cent say their identity has been reduced to “just mum” since entering motherhood. The numbers are stark, but they also underline what so many women already know: that in a city buzzing with activity, connection can still remain out of reach.
Michelle Kennedy, Peanut’s founder, has watched this play out across her community of 5.5 million women worldwide. “Women are searching for support and community in a world that, in many ways, feels very different to the one they were raised in,” she explains. “From feeling unheard in healthcare settings, to carrying the invisible labour at home, to managing the constant mental load that comes with being the default parent. What unites [them] is a deep need to feel seen, understood, and supported.”
For Sydney mums, that longing collides with the city’s sprawling geography and relentless pace. A commute across town can swallow half a day; friends are scattered across suburbs; family support is often interstate. It’s little wonder that the city’s beauty sometimes feels like a backdrop you can’t quite access.
Michelle Battersby knows this tension well. The newly appointed President of Peanut — and soon-to-be mother of two — admits her first pregnancy triggered what she calls “an identity crisis.” “I experienced a lot of fear relating to how I would maintain my career and motherhood at the same time,” she reflects. “But what I’ve realised now that I’m 15 months the other side and pregnant with my second child is that becoming a mother is incredibly powerful… It forces you to get real with your desires, passion, and what’s worth your time.”
Her experience reflects something women in Sydney — and around the world — are slowly putting words to. Motherhood changes you, sometimes in uncomfortable ways. And yet, as Kennedy notes, that isn’t the end of the story: “Being seen as more than a mother is about recognising that all of those identities can coexist. Motherhood can be central without being singular.”
This is where the conversation in Australia is starting to evolve. Women are increasingly carving out their own micro-rituals: small but powerful ways of reconnecting with themselves and each other. A coffee at Theeca in Darlinghurst, where you’re greeted like a regular even if you’re running on two hours’ sleep. A yoga class at Humming Puppy that carves out an hour of calm in the middle of chaos. A book club catch up that reminds you your brain still craves stories beyond Peppa Pig. These are the spaces where women are rediscovering themselves.
“For too long, women were expected to sacrifice themselves for motherhood. Now we’re seeing a shift — toward recognising that being a mother is part of your identity, not the whole of it.”
That shift is still fragile, and the loneliness of modern motherhood is real. But the answer, at least in Sydney, lies in those micro-moments of connection — the conversations in café queues, the quiet solidarity on the coastal walk, the digital communities like Peanut that spill into real life.
Small Rituals That Make a Big Difference
Coffee First
A simple morning ritual can anchor the whole day. Spots like Genovese Coffee House in Alexandria or Bourke Street Bakery in Surry Hills are more than cafés — they’re neighbourhood meeting points perfect for long catch-ups. Here are our picks for Sydney’s best cafes where little plus one’s are always welcome.
A Club of One’s Own
From Better Read Than Dead’s book club in Newtown and Bondi’s Literary Salon to intimate mum-led collectives, literature is creating quiet but meaningful communities across the city.
Midweek Mindfulness
A coastal walk from Bondi to Bronte or a Mums & Bubs yoga class at Mothers Club in Paddington can feel like both a reset button and gentle social outing. As the weather warms up, there’s something about being near the water to reset the soul (especially after a long, restless night). Hit up one of Sydney’s best kid-friendly beaches.
Creative Reawakening
Workshops at The Pottery Shed in Surry Hills — from pottery to painting — offer a playful way to rediscover passions beyond parenting.
Peanut App is a digital community connecting women in a safe space to share the unfiltered realities of womanhood. It’s both a social network and a shoulder to lean on — with women who just get it.
If you loved this article on how mum’s are seeking connection in Sydney, be sure to check out our round up of Sydney’s best kid-friendly pubs and also our edit of the best indoor playcentres in Sydney.
