My full name is…
Yahna Jeong Soon Fookes.
But my friends call me…
Yahna.
I grew up…
Everywhere. My father was in the airforce so I went to 6 different primary schools. I lived in London, returning to Australia just before starting high school.
My cultural background is…
South Korean.
Sunday’s name came from…
A strong feeling. It’s also inspired by the great female artist Sunday Reed.
I feel at home…
When I am with Sunday and Michael.
My favourite place in the world is…
Seoul in the summer.
You will usually find me…
At a local playground playing chasey with my daughter.
How I find balance…
Through accepting that it simply doesn’t exist anymore.
I find comfort in…
Community, tasty slow-cooked dinners, music and deep connection.
The soundtrack to my life is…
Four Seasons by Vivaldi, recomposed by Max Richer, Limerence by Yves Tumor and Tears in the Pool by Broadcast.
I am where I am today because of…
A generous Australian family brought me from Korea to Australia, adopted me and brought me up as one of their own. In Seoul in the late 80s nearly a thousand babies per year were being adopted and given homes; that number has now dwindled to less than a hundred. I am the lucky one.
Before my pregnancy, I was…
A dancer and yoga teacher.
Right now I am…
Exactly where I need to be.
In the future I hope to…
Become a grandmother.
Dancing is…
My first love. It’s how I express myself and my body.
My first memory of dance…
Three years old, a chiffon skirt, pink tights and a head full of bobby pins.
I move my body because…
It feels necessary.
Radiant Birth is…
A holistic birth education course that prepares mothers for both birth and postpartum with an integrative lens and approach.
I feel womanly when…
I am in the birth vortex, on the verge of transition.
I feel safe when…
I am tuning in to myself.
The perfect scent is…
The back of her head.
My favourite body part is…
My spine.
My favourite colour is…
Deep Purple.
A tradition I hope to pass down…
A meal that she can cook for her kids. Good food should feel familiar, healing and nostalgic.
I am moved by…
People raising kids.
I am hopeful for…
Women entering motherhood with greater rates of empowered births, stronger intuition and less noise to navigate.
I am looking forward to…
Watching her grow with confidence and pure joy as my daughter and friend.
Photographed by Annika Hein in Glen Iris, Victoria.