The Art of Connection

In this episode, Yana reflects on two years of Oak & Haven and what success truly means beyond numbers and productivity. She shares the quiet wins that shaped the past year; sustained energy, mental wellbeing, present motherhood and creative expansion, and invites you to pause and honour your own journey.

A reminder that success can be spacious, nourishing and deeply human.

In Part 2 of a conversation recorded in 2023, we return to where we left off with Yaz Del Mar of Tiny Cupboard Creatives.

This episode explores creativity as a lifeline through change. We reflect on art as a place of safety, self-trust, and resilience, and on the natural cycles of destruction, maintenance, and creation that shape our lives.

Yaz shares openly about navigating separation, cancer survivorship, single motherhood, neurodivergence, and building a creative life that remains aligned and regenerative. This is a conversation about choosing yourself, staying in motion, and letting art carry you home, again...

In this episode, Yana invites you into a gentler and more grounded approach to the holiday season. From her cosy “car office,” she reflects on the unseen labour women often carry at Christmas and offers tender, practical ways to return to presence, equity and joy.

She explores how to ease the mental load, ask for support, honour your limits and reshape traditions so they feel aligned with your values. Through stories from her early years of motherhood to the more balanced home life she has created today, Yana shares six guiding principles for a softer and more spac...

In this gentle solo episode, Yana reflects on the void; the quiet space before something exists, where ideas rest in the dark soil of possibility. She shares how Oak and Haven grew from a personal longing for connection during early motherhood, a time marked by isolation, anxiety, and a deep need for community and softness.

This episode is an invitation to notice what is missing in your life and to trust the first spark of an idea before there is proof. Yana explores how creation begins in places of unmet need, how tending to a vision transforms...

In this solo episode, Yana offers an honest look at the realities of running a heart-led business. She speaks to the parts we celebrate and the parts we often keep to ourselves. Yana explores three of the hardest aspects of business: juggling multiple roles, dealing with uncertainty, and experiencing the loneliness that can come with leading something of your own.

She then turns to the three things that make it all worthwhile: creative freedom, meaningful connection with community, and the personal growth that naturally unfolds along the way.

This episode is a warm reminder that...

In this solo episode, Yana reflects on the fullness and chaos of life, learning to “let it be hard” instead of resisting it. She answers listener questions about imposter syndrome, self-forgiveness, and knowing when it’s time to start anew; sharing her own journey of leaving teaching, rebuilding life, and returning to what feels true. A gentle reminder that growth often lives in the messy middle, and that softness can exist alongside strength.

In this episode of The Art of Connection, Yana sits down with women’s embodiment photographer Sophie Spencer for a conversation that began before the podcast itself had even taken shape; a story of creative trust and saying yes before knowing how it will unfold.

Sophie shares her journey from photographing pizzas to capturing the essence of women through intimate portraiture; a transformation born from her own path of self-discovery and courage. Together, Yana and Sophie explore what it means to be seen, to come home to the body, and to honour womanhood as art.

Th...

In this episode of The Art of Connection, Yana records from her “mobile office” and offers a tender life update on moving from her beloved Croydon home to a little cottage in the hills. She reflects on the house that held early motherhood and the seed of Oak & Haven, and how transition can hold grief and gratitude in the same breath. With gentle rituals; early nights, incense, pink paint for Daisy’s “Marshmallow Magic” room; and a commitment to ask for help, she shares what it takes to land softly. Back in the shop, she looks toward summer and Christmas...

Reporting poolside from Tugun on the Gold Coast, Yana is joined by poet, mentor and “word florist” Sophie Rowlands for a spacious conversation about creativity that grows like a garden; seasonal, cyclical and deeply human. They explore the language of intuition, the “fertile dark” that precedes new work, and the tender link between pleasure and expression. Sophie shares the story behind her hand-typed Poetry Posies (crafted on her beloved green typewriter, Alice), and the heart of her offerings—The Hive, Honeycomb and The Secret Garden—where women are witnessed without fixing and encouraged to create from their own rhythm. Together the...

In this episode of The Art of Connection, Yana sits down with Mikka Richter, founder of The Hearth Café & Providore in Mudgeeraba, QLD. What began as a dream and an online offering has become a soulful bricks-and-mortar space where food, family, and community weave together. Mikka shares how her maternal line of women shaped her love of cooking, why food is more than fuel, and what it takes to follow a dream that carries both risk and profound reward. Together, they explore nourishment as an art form, the courage required to create something bigger than yourself, and the magic o...

In this episode of The Art of Connection, Yana explores the fertile, surprising relationship between early motherhood and creativity. She shares how the rawness of postpartum life; its sleepless nights, shifting identity, and moments of deep presence can awaken a powerful surge of inspiration and ideas. What might seem like a season of loss can also be one of self-discovery, where dreams, artistry, and even new businesses are born from the same life force that nurtures our children. With warmth and honesty, Yana offers gentle encouragement to honour these sparks, however small, as part of the transformation of becoming...

Lately I’ve had so many conversations with friends about the fear of letting go — of relationships that have run their course, of clothes or things tied to a past self, of identities that don’t feel right anymore. Here’s what I’ve come to believe: letting go creates space for life to surprise you. The void never stays empty. This week on The Art of Connection, I’m sharing my own story — from leaving behind a 13-year relationship and a teaching career, to releasing old versions of motherhood, to now packing up my home and stepping into a new chapter...

In this episode of The Art of Connection, Yana reflects on the unexpected parallels between strength training and working with clay. At first glance they seem worlds apart; one rooted in sweat, movement, and resistance, the other in earth, stillness, and form. Yet both invite us to centre ourselves, breathe with intention, honour good form over force, and embrace the steady rhythm of learning through repetition. From the kiln’s slow transformation to the body’s response to resistance, Yana explores how strength and softness coexist, reminding us that growth comes not from rushing, but from showing up, listening deep...

In this episode of The Art of Connection, Yana reflects on the toll of busyness and the reminder of why she chose to step away from the fast-paced, burnout-driven way of working. From the hum of overfull weeks, she contrasts her past life as a teacher with the slower, intentional rhythm she has designed now; one that honours rest, motherhood, creativity, and nervous system care. She shares candidly about boundaries, letting go of hustle culture, and the deep value of building a life that fits your energy rather than forcing yourself to fit a system. This episode is a...

In this heartfelt episode of The Art of Connection, Yana reflects on turning 34 and the gratitude she feels for motherhood, partnership, creativity, and community. She shares tender moments from her birthday celebrations, alongside the bittersweet process of farewelling her beloved honey-bricked home. Through poetry and reflection, she honours the space that nurtured her healing and creativity before stepping into a new chapter with her partner and daughter. With Oak & Haven entering a new season, this episode offers a gentle reminder of the beauty in transition and the joy of trusting what unfolds next.

After a two-year pause, Yana returns to The Art of Connection with a heartfelt reintroduction, honouring the vision that first sparked this podcast and the journey that’s unfolded since. She reflects on the opening of Oak & Haven and the immense growth of her business over the past year, while candidly sharing the fears that once held her back from fully stepping into her creative path. This episode is an invitation into Yana’s renewed devotion to the podcast as both a creative outlet and a space for deeper conversations—beyond the confines of social media squares. With plans for so...

I’m here today with Yaz Del Mar of tiny cupboard creatives, the most effervescent and bold creator, art teacher and mentor, sole business woman, mother and absolute powerhouse I have the honour of knowing. Yaz is not like any other woman I have met before, and our chance meeting was written in the stars in 2021, connecting us through another artist and creator, which we’ll get into. Yaz teaches art on a term by term basis to adults and children alike in her tiny cupboard, which is now a shop! Today we sit down to talk about our conn...

In episode two of The Art of Connection, I share the deep and nourishing impact travelling to the seaside surf town of Bermagui (Yuin country) has on my creativity and connection as a result of consciously and intentionally making time to spend with my family. I hope this episode guides you towards satiating and soulful connections with loved ones in your life, and reminds you to take inspired action to continue to thread enjoyment and curiosity into daily practices and connections in the tapestry that is your reality. With love, Yana xx

Welcome to The Art of Connection — a space created to explore true connection with the arts and conscious creators in our community.Thank you for being here. I’m Yana — host, conscious creator, teacher, mother and founder of Oak & Haven ceramics. TAOC explores how art led connection guides us to satiating, soulful fulfilment, and welcomes us home to ourselves.I can’t wait to unravel and discuss the vast tapestry of connections life brings us, alongside insightful guests who are recognising the same in their own lives. Thank you for being here — it’s a pleasure to have you.With love, Y