More than a decade after Australia fell in love with her on The Voice, Rachael Leahcar is embracing what she describes as her most meaningful role yet, motherhood.
Now 32, Rachael, who is legally blind, is happily juggling life in Adelaide with husband Chris, energetic two-year-old son Eli and 11-week-old baby Indiana, while continuing to perform and advocate for disability inclusion.
But her journey to motherhood wasn’t without heartbreak.
The Voice’s Rachael opens up about motherhood and grief
After months of trying to conceive, Rachael discovered she was pregnant with Eli on her mum’s birthday – news she describes as the perfect gift.
Unable to read traditional pregnancy tests because of her vision impairment, she’d become all too familiar with photographing the results and sending them to friends to check whether there was a second line.
“I need to invent a talking pregnancy test option!” Rachael laughs.
She hid the positive test inside the dog food cupboard, knowing Chris, 37, always gave the dogs a treat when he arrived home from work.
When he found it, she says he was overwhelmed with joy.
Not long after welcoming Eli, Rachael fell pregnant again during an incredibly difficult period marked by the death of her father.
Weeks later, her guide dog, Ella, passed away, too, before she miscarried her pregnancy at nine weeks.
“Losing three important parts of my world in such a short period was devastating,” she tells Woman’s Day.
After a period of healing, she fell pregnant with daughter Indiana, describing the experience as one that taught her “joy and grief can coexist, and that some of life’s greatest gifts arrive after seasons of waiting and loss.”
Rachael went through some hurdles during pregnancy.
She developed gestational diabetes and encountered accessibility barriers many people would never experience.
“It still amazes me that there is only one talking glucose monitor available in Australia,” she says of her obstacles at the time.
But it has only strengthened her passion for advocacy, especially around parenting with disability.
Rachael still vividly remembers walking backwards while carrying newborn Eli through their home – a simple adaptation that helped her navigate safely.
It was one of many creative ways she found to parent independently.
Another clever solution is Eli’s backpack, complete with a long tail Rachael can safely hold while they’re out.
Some have likened it to putting her son “on a leash”, but she says she’ll never apologise for choosing safety over appearances.
“If Eli suddenly decides to run, I know I can’t chase after him,” she explains.
“The backpack gives him the freedom to explore while giving me the confidence that I can keep him safe.”
Rachael’s treasured connection with Delta
Whether it’s carefully organising the family home or encouraging early verbal communication, Rachael approaches parenting with creativity rather than limitation.
“My methods as a mum might be different,” she says, “but blindness doesn’t diminish the love and care I have for my children.”
Not every challenge had an easy solution, though. Learning to breastfeed proved particularly difficult because so much of the advice relied on visual demonstrations.
“I did figure it out for myself eventually,” she says.
“But it took many weeks of awkward positioning and painful feeding. Dealing with that on top of the sleep deprivation was definitely challenging.”
These days, the Leahcar household is filled with equal parts chaos, laughter and toddler-sized surprises.
Eli proudly introduces baby Indiana to strangers on their walks and insists chickens say “toot toot”.
Meanwhile, little Indiana has slipped effortlessly into family life, happiest curled up on her mum’s chest.
Rachael credits much of her happiness to the life she has built with Chris, whom she met more than a decade ago.
“We agree on the things that matter most,” she says.
Although music remains a constant, these days her audience ranges from sold-out theatres to two very sleepy little ones.
Her biggest dream now is to record an album of lullabies. “If it helps even one exhausted family get a little more sleep,” she laughs, “I’ll consider it a success.”
Reflecting on The Voice, Rachael says she’ll always be thankful for her former coach.
“Delta Goodrem was one of my musical heroes long before I ever stepped on stage,” she says.
“She took me under her wing and invited me to tour with her as a support act. Those experiences were beyond anything my younger self could have imagined.”
The pair recently reunited backstage when Delta performed in Adelaide, giving Rachael the chance to tell her just how much her music and mentorship had meant.
“It was the first time I was able to properly thank her,” she says.
“It was a simple conversation, but one I’ll always treasure.”
