When Asher Keddie began filming her latest television project, Fake - in which she both stars and produces - something unusual happened.
It wasn't her first producing role that had happened the previous year with mega-hit Binge series Strife.
Nor was she a stranger to being the central character in a show that demanded long hours on set: Offspring (which ran from 2010-2017) had seen to that. She was used to juggling constant travel with kids, home, husband and the minutiae of maintaining all aspects of life beyond the set on a multitude of jobs. But for the first time, Asher found herself uttering three words that she'd never thought would leave her lips: "I need help".
For decades she'd bare-knuckled her way through the demands on her time and attention, and felt proud of herself for doing so. Like many women, she'd felt there would be a sense of shame in asking for external help to lighten her load - especially when it came to her home life.
"But I stretched myself too thin," she tells The Weekly of her tipping point. "I got to the point where it was getting silly trying to manage everything, and the pressure on us [as a family] was too much and just not necessary.
"So, I finally got some help at the end of last year and I have to say it's been a game changer - to have someone assist myself and [husband] Vincent, and the family as a whole.
I'm breathing a bit more and feeling so much more energised by what's ahead.
"This year is feeling like there's more room for everybody to enjoy each other and less running around. Vincent [Fantauzzo, an artist] can still work the hours he wants to.
"I feel lucky that it doesn't have to be a strain to want to work but also be with your children and each other.
Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes - could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
Take me to the river
With a slew of new schedules and excursions to explore, the latest river cruises promise to give you experiences and sights you won’t see on the ocean.
The last act
When family patriarch Tom Edwards passes away, his children must come together to build his coffin in four days, otherwise they will lose their inheritance. Can they put their sibling rivalry aside?
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Jenny Liddle-Bob.Lucy McDonald.Sasha Green - Why don't you know their names?
Indigenous women are being murdered at frightening rates, their deaths often left uninvestigated and widely unreported. Here The Weekly meets families who are battling grief and desperate for solutions.
Growing happiness
Through drought flood and heartbreak, Jenny Jennr's sunflowers bloom with hope, sunshine and joy
"Thank God we make each other laugh"
A shared sense of humour has seen Aussie comedy couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall conquer the world. But what does life look like when the cameras go down:
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of Australian apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the midwinter blues away.
Budget dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of low-cost recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
