Meet the Founders
Mums. Advocates. Wildflowers.
The Wildflower Network was created by a group of mums who know first-hand what it means to navigate the highs and heartbreaks of parenting children with complex medical needs, disabilities, or neurodivergence.
We came together not just as caregivers, but as women seeking connection, community, and moments of softness in a world that often asks, and expects too much.
What began as quiet conversations and shared cups of tea grew into something more - a movement to make sure no mum walks this path alone.
We’re not experts or polished professionals, we're just mums who get it. We’ve sat in waiting rooms, read reports through tears, and celebrated milestones the world doesn’t always see. And we’ve bloomed, even in hard places.
Esther Baxter
Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director
Esther is a writer, advocate, and mum of two. One of her children is Neurodiverse, while the other lives with a rare genetic condition that causes medical complexities, cognitive delays, and disability.
Diagnosed with the same condition, along with Autism and ADHD as an adult, Esther understands the layered realities of caring, grieving, celebrating, and persisting.
She co-founded The Wildflower Network to create the kind of gentle, supportive space she longed for early in her journey. With a background in journalism and storytelling, she believes in the power of connection and shared experience.
Esther lives on the east coast of Australia with her children, a tiny sausage dog, a Siamese cat, and far too many cups of tea.
Sammie Middleton
Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer
Sammie is a mum of two boys and step mum to one girl. With a 13 year age gap between her boys, life is always busy!
a Neurodiverse woman herself, Sammie is “a dog with a bone” when it comes to advocating for her boys.
Her eldest has ADHD, while her youngest is medically complex, diagnosed with ASD3, Global Developmental Delay and respiratory issues.
Working full time in a busy operations role, with a background in leadership, project management and end to end to end business Sammie is “the brains” behind The Wildflower Network, ensuring everything runs smoothly.
She co-founded The Wildflower Network with the aim to support other mums “treading through the same shit show” and to be a voice for those that are still finding their own.
Rachel D’Acquisto
Co-Founder and Chief Programs Director
Rachel started young as a carer, stepping into a parent role for her siblings with complex needs after her stepfather's stroke.
She is a stay at home mum of one, an almost 3 year old girl with a complex medical history that started in pregnancy.
Her daughter has multiple diagnoses but is classified as a ‘Syndrome without a Name’ (SWAN) child as she has no overarching diagnosis to explain everything.
Some of the things Rachel and her daughter navigate daily are Global Developmental Delay, nonverbal, wheelchair user. Her daughter is strictly fed via a feeding tube.
With lived experience as a carer for the majority of her life and now as a parent, Rachel has thorough understanding of what being a carer is and the complexities that come with balancing being a parent, a partner, a therapist, a carer and fierce advocate.
Rachel has a desire to create a supportive space for other mums to create connections, celebrate all the ‘little’ milestones and empathise with one another when things are hard. This is what prompted her to co-found The Wildflower Network.
Outside of being a parent, she likes spending weekends with family and baking French pastries.