Working Mumma: Recent Episodes
Carina O’Brien
The Working Mumma podcast is for mums looking for advice, inspiration, and support on how you can juggle career, motherhood & life, and thrive.
Each episode we share real-world tips, tricks and advice on topics relating to being a working parent to support you in your journey. Host Carina O’Brien, is a fellow working mum trying to manage the juggle of career and family.
Continue the conversation by joining the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook or Instagram @workingmummacommunity.
Is it possible to absolutely love being a mum... and still feel like something is missing?
For so many women, motherhood brings immense joy—but it can also bring an unexpected sense of loss. The loss of confidence, identity, ambition or simply remembering who you were before everyone needed a piece of you. In this deeply honest conversation, I sit down with author, speaker and coach Benita Bensch to talk about the parts of motherhood we don't often say out loud.
Benita shares her journey through raising four boys on the land, experiencing two significant periods of burnout she describes as "the black hole," and the long road back to reconnecting with herself. Together, we explore why so many mothers feel invisible, how our inner stories can keep us stuck, and why asking for what you need isn't selfish—it's essential. If you've ever wondered, "Who am I outside of being Mum?" this episode is for you.
In this episode we discuss:
- Why it's possible to love motherhood and still crave more for yourself
- Feeling invisible after becoming a mum
- The identity shift that comes with motherhood
- Benita's experience of burnout, anxiety and finding herself again
- Why reconnecting with your creativity matters
- Letting go of guilt around wanting something for yourself
- The power of boundaries, self-awareness and asking for help
- Practical ways to reconnect with yourself when life feels overwhelming
If this conversation resonated with you, I'd love for you to share it with another mum who needs to hear that she's not alone.
Do you feel like you have to choose between being a good mum and having a meaningful career?
Carina speaks with clinical psychologist and executive coach Dr. Anne Welsh, a mum of four who specialises in maternal mental health and works with women in leadership and working mothers navigating exactly this tension.
We talk about why the "escalation of modern motherhood" means today's mums are being asked to do more, emotionally, logistically, and professionally, than any generation before them, and why that's not a personal failing, it's a systemic shift.
Anne shares the research behind why quality time with your kids matters more than quantity, why the mental load is so much heavier than a to-do list, and a simple exercise to help you work out who you are now that you're a mother - not just who you were told to be.
If you've ever felt the ground shift under your identity after having kids, or wondered whether ambition and motherhood can actually coexist, this episode is your permission slip to stop choosing and start figuring out what you actually want.
In this episode we cover:
- Why ambition and motherhood have historically been treated as opposites
- The "escalation of modern motherhood" and why the mental load keeps growing
- The research on quality vs. quantity of time with your kids
- A simple exercise to reconnect with your identity after becoming a mum
- Why naming what you want is one of the most powerful things you can do
- How to give yourself permission to focus on what matters to you, not what you "should" be doing
Connect with Benita Bensch
- Instagram: @benitabensch
- Website: benitabensch.com
- Book: Seen Again: Light on Matrescence
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow Working Mumma podcast on Instagram
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the newsletter
Returning to work after maternity leave is often portrayed as the final hurdle for new mothers, but what if it's actually just the beginning of a much more complex journey?
In this eye-opening episode, Carina challenges the common narrative and reveals why the hardest part of motherhood may not be the leave itself, but the transition back to work.
You'll discover the concept of "matrescence," a term that captures the transformative process of becoming a mother and how it impacts your confidence and career trajectory.
Carina dives into the real struggles many working mothers face, from the anxiety of returning to a workplace that has changed in their absence, to the guilt of wanting to excel at both parenting and career.
We break down essential strategies for rebuilding confidence, understanding your new identity, and setting healthy boundaries at work. Carina emphasizes the importance of recognizing that your value isn’t tied to your availability but to the impact you create. She also offers practical advice on how to find your rhythm and prioritize what truly matters in your life.
This episode is a must-listen for any working mother feeling lost in the transition back to work. Understand that you are not alone in this journey; many women experience similar doubts and struggles. Instead of trying to revert to your old self, Carina encourages you to embrace the strengths and new perspectives motherhood has given you.
Perfect for working mothers, this episode empowers you to redefine what success looks like for you and your family. Tune in for a conversation that not only validates your experiences but also equips you with the tools to thrive in both your personal and professional life.
Do you feel like you have to choose between being a good mum and having a meaningful career?
Carina speaks with clinical psychologist and executive coach Dr. Anne Welsh, a mum of four who specialises in maternal mental health and works with women in leadership and working mothers navigating exactly this tension.
We talk about why the "escalation of modern motherhood" means today's mums are being asked to do more, emotionally, logistically, and professionally, than any generation before them, and why that's not a personal failing, it's a systemic shift.
Anne shares the research behind why quality time with your kids matters more than quantity, why the mental load is so much heavier than a to-do list, and a simple exercise to help you work out who you are now that you're a mother - not just who you were told to be.
If you've ever felt the ground shift under your identity after having kids, or wondered whether ambition and motherhood can actually coexist, this episode is your permission slip to stop choosing and start figuring out what you actually want.
In this episode we cover:
- Why ambition and motherhood have historically been treated as opposites
- The "escalation of modern motherhood" and why the mental load keeps growing
- The research on quality vs. quantity of time with your kids
- A simple exercise to reconnect with your identity after becoming a mum
- Why naming what you want is one of the most powerful things you can do
- How to give yourself permission to focus on what matters to you, not what you "should" be doing
Connect with Dr Anne Welsh
- LinkedIn: Dr Anne Welsh
- Website: drannewelsh.com
- Book: Ambitious Mother
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow Working Mumma podcast on Instagram
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the newsletter
Most conversations about returning to work after maternity leave focus on the return itself: the first day back, childcare drop-off, the mental load of becoming "mum and professional" again overnight. But what about six or twelve months later, when the arrangement you came back on stops fitting the life you're actually living?
In this episode, Carina shares her experience moving from three to four days at work after her second maternity leave and the slow realisation it wasn't sustainable, the guilt that showed up, the conversations she had with her husband, her friends, and eventually her manager, and why increasing her days actually made her a more present, less stretched mum, not a less involved one.
You'll learn:
- The five signals that it might be time to increase your work days
- Why "the arrangement doesn't fit anymore" is a capacity problem, not a time management problem
- How to have the conversation with your partner before you have it with your manager
- A practical script for approaching your manager with a clear ask, not an open question
- Why quality time can increase even as your work days do
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow Working Mumma podcast on Instagram
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the newsletter
Have you ever returned to work after parental leave and found yourself saying: “I should just be grateful I have my job back” even when the role doesn’t fit your life anymore?
That feeling has a name. It’s good girl conditioning. And it’s one of the most quietly powerful forces shaping the lives of working mothers.
In this episode, Carina sits down with Caitlin Judd, a business consultant, coach, podcast host and author of Good Girl, for an honest, deeply relatable conversation about the inherited scripts that keep women small, silent and stuck. And what to do about it.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- What good girl conditioning really is - and why it starts long before you become a mother
- The scripts handed to us in childhood (“be nice,” “don’t rock the boat,” “do as you’re told”) and how they show up in your workplace, your relationships and your return to work
- Why self-silencing and imposter syndrome are not personal flaws they’re patterns of conditioning
- What micro-rebellions are, and how to use them at home and at work (starting with something as simple as a Friday email)
- The three good girl archetypes most common in working mums: the Saint, the Lollipop Lady and the Fortress
- How to do a life stock-take after becoming a parent and ask yourself whether your current role actually still works for you
- Why Caitlin deliberately didn’t tell women what to become beyond the good girl and why that matters
Connect with Caitlin Judd
- Instagram: @itscaitlinjudd
- Book: Good Girl
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow Working Mumma podcast on Instagram
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the newsletter
Missing your baby at work?
Feeling like your heart is in two places at once?
You’re not alone, and more importantly, there is nothing wrong with you.
In this episode, Carina talk's about one of the most common (yet rarely spoken about) parts of returning to work after maternity leave: that quiet ache of missing your baby, the constant mental juggling, and the guilt that seems to follow you everywhere.
If you’ve ever sat at your desk wondering how your baby is doing, felt distracted in meetings, or questioned whether you made the right decision going back to work, this conversation is for you.
You’ll learn:
- Why missing your baby at work is completely normal (and actually a good sign)
- What’s really happening during this transition into working motherhood
- Why the guilt and overwhelm peak early, and how it gets easier over time
- How to gently navigate the emotional stretch of being in “two worlds”
- Practical, real-world strategies to feel more present, at work and at home, without adding to your mental load
This episode is not about “fixing” how you feel; it’s about helping you understand it, permit yourself to experience it, and find your rhythm again.
Because you’re not failing, you’re adjusting to one of the biggest transitions of your life.
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow Working Mumma podcast on Instagram
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the newsletter
Since going back to work after maternity leave, has anyone - a manager, a colleague, a well-meaning relative - implied that you've changed? That you're not quite as driven as you used to be? Maybe your focus has shifted?
Because here's the truth: you haven't changed. Not in the way they think. Your ambition is still there, it's just evolved into something sharper, more purposeful, and more powerful than it's ever been. The problem isn't you. The world around you just hasn't caught up yet.
This week on Working Mumma, I'm sitting down with Kat Francis, a Melbourne-based leadership coach for ambitious women, keynote speaker. Kat spent two decades climbing through creative agencies to Managing Director level, then walked away from equity and ownership to build a career that actually aligned with who she'd become.
This conversation is honest, validating, and deeply practical. Whether you're fresh back from mat leave or a few years in and wondering why your career still feels like it's running in slow motion, this one is for you.
In this episode we cover:
- The LinkedIn post about ambition after motherhood and why it struck such a raw nerve with Australian working mums
- Kat's own pivot: walking away from an MD role with equity on the table, and what that decision revealed about values, identity and what we actually want from work
- The data from The Ambition Report that's hard to hear - only 16% of mums were promoted after returning from mat leave, and only 23% received a pay rise
- Why your ambition didn't disappear after kids, it got sharper, and why that gets misread as "less committed"
- The settling trap: how so many women come back from maternity leave and quietly accept a role that's comfortable but hollow and how to stop
- How to advocate for yourself with outdated managers without burning bridges or losing your composure
- The motherhood penalty vs the fatherhood bonus, what it actually looks like in Australian workplaces right now
- How to have the ambition conversation with your partner and why getting on the same page about success changes everything
Connect with Kat Francis
Website: coachkat.com.au
LinkedIn: Kat Francis
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow Working Mumma podcast on Instagram
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the newsletter
Returning to work after parental leave is already a huge transition. But what if you're going back and you are pregnant?
This week's episode comes straight from a listener DM, and it's one of the most relatable, raw, and important questions we've ever received on the show. In this episode, host Carina O'Brien tackles the fear, the guilt, and the very real practical questions that come with going back to work while pregnant.
In this episode, I share:
- Why the guilt you're feeling is normal, and why you need to let it go
- The truth about how often this actually happens (hint: more than you think)
- Your legal rights under the Fair Work Act in Australia
- Whether you need to re-serve 12 months to access parental leave again
- When to tell your employer and why sooner may be better than later
- Exactly what to say in that conversation (a word-for-word framework)
- How to frame the news in a way that keeps the energy solution-focused
- What to do if your manager reacts badly
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow Working Mumma podcast on Instagram
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the newsletter
If you've ever returned to work after parental leave and thought, "I'm not the same person I was before I went on parental leave", you are not imagining it. And there's actually a word for what you're going through.
In this episode of the Working Mumma Podcast, I sit down with Amanda Jackson, founder of Motherhood and Matrescence and author of the book by the same name, to explore the concept of matrescence, the process of becoming a mother, and why understanding it is one of the most powerful tools a working mum can have.
In this episode we chat about:
- • What matrescence is — and why you've probably never heard of it (even though the word was coined in 1973)
• The 3 stages of matrescence: separation, liminality, and integration
• Why so many women feel like they've lost themselves after having children
• The invisible load: why the work of mothering goes unseen and how that affects our identity
• What really happens to your brain when you become a mum (it's NOT "mummy brain" - it's a neurological upgrade)
• How matrescence affects your return to work and what employers and women themselves can do differently
• Parenting for the audience vs. parenting for your family: how to block out the noise
• Patressence: do dads go through it too?
• Practical rituals and reflections to help you reconnect with who you are
• The powerful questions to ask yourself (and your kids) to understand your matrescence journey
Connect with Amanda Jackson
Website: motherhoodandmatrescence.com
Instagram: @motherhood_and_matrescence
LinkedIn: Amanda Jackson
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow Working Mumma podcast on Instagram
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the newsletter
When you're in the thick of the baby and toddler years, it can feel like that's the hardest it will ever be. But what nobody tells you is that the challenge doesn't disappear as your kids get older - it just changes shape.
In this solo episode, I'm getting real about a phase of working motherhood I didn't see coming: the school-age years. From navigating school hours that don't align with work hours, to managing a never-ending rotation of sports trainings, WhatsApp groups, Compass and Storypark alerts, school events, and the invisible mental load of coordinating everyone else's lives - this one's for the mums in the thick of it.
I talk about:
- Why the transition from childcare to school can actually increase the mental load for working mums
- The concept of cognitive labour (as described by Professor Leah Ruppanner) and why it still falls disproportionately on mothers
- The hidden logistics of school-age sport, and why I wouldn't have it any other way
- The beautiful moments hiding inside the chaos (yes, they're there)
- A few honest things that are helping me survive this season without losing my mind
This episode isn't about complaining. It's about naming something that so many of us are quietly carrying, and reminding you that you are absolutely not alone.
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow Working Mumma podcast on Instagram
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the newsletter
What happens when you return to work after maternity leave… only to be made redundant six weeks later?
In this honest and deeply relatable episode of the Working Mumma Podcast, I’m joined by Natalie McDonald, founder of Working@It, former LinkedIn editor, journalist, content strategist, and mum of two.
Natalie opens up about:
- Returning to work after maternity leave
- Being made redundant during the AI transformation in tech
- The emotional impact of redundancy as a mother
- Identity shifts after motherhood
- Building confidence after career setbacks
- Starting a business after redundancy
- Why working mums need community more than ever
- The importance of personal branding and networking
- The reality of balancing work, ambition and caregiving
This episode is for any woman who has ever questioned:
“Am I still valuable after becoming a mum?”
“Could this happen to me?”
“How do I rebuild confidence and a career after being made redundant?”
Natalie’s story is raw, empowering, practical, and incredibly validating for working mothers navigating change, uncertainty and the pressure to “hold it all together.”
If you’re navigating maternity leave, returning to work, redundancy, burnout, or career transition, this conversation will make you feel seen.
Why does motherhood feel so overwhelming, even when you’re doing everything “right”?
In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I speak with Lisa Taylor, author of The Perfect Parent Trap, about the invisible pressure modern mothers are carrying and why so many working mums feel like they’re constantly falling short.
From unrealistic expectations to the mental load, Lisa unpacks how the idea of “perfect parenting” has quietly shaped how we work, parent, and judge ourselves. We explore why this pressure is hitting working mothers especially hard, and what needs to change.
This is an honest, validating conversation for any mum who has ever felt:
Like she’s failing at work or at home
Overwhelmed by the mental load
Guilty for not being “present enough”
Exhausted from trying to do it all
In this episode, we chat about:
- What the “perfect parent trap” actually is
- Why working mums are set up to feel like they’re failing
- The role of societal expectations and systemic pressures
- How perfectionism shows up in motherhood
- Practical ways to let go of unrealistic standards
- A new way to think about being a “good enough” parent
If you’ve ever wondered “why does motherhood feel so hard?” - this episode will help you feel seen, understood, and less alone.
Connect with Lisa:
- Connect with Natalie on LinkedIn
- Find out more via Natalie's website
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow Working Mumma podcast on Instagram
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the newsletter
Have you ever felt like everything in your life looks fine on paper… but something still feels off?
In this solo episode of the Working Mumma podcast, Carina explores the hidden tension so many working mums experience, the gap between the mother you are today and the mother you want to be.
This episode isn’t about productivity hacks or doing more. It’s about alignment.
Carina shares a practical and deeply reflective framework to help you:
- Define your version of motherhood (not society’s)
- Identify your core values and where you’re out of alignment
- Understand why guilt, burnout, and frustration show up
- Set boundaries that actually protect what matters most
- Take small, realistic steps toward a version of motherhood that feels right for you
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow Working Mumma podcast on Instagram
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the newsletter
Why does motherhood feel so overwhelming, even when you’re doing everything “right”?
In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I speak with Lisa Taylor, author of The Perfect Parent Trap, about the invisible pressure modern mothers are carrying and why so many working mums feel like they’re constantly falling short.
From unrealistic expectations to the mental load, Lisa unpacks how the idea of “perfect parenting” has quietly shaped how we work, parent, and judge ourselves. We explore why this pressure is hitting working mothers especially hard, and what needs to change.
This is an honest, validating conversation for any mum who has ever felt:
Like she’s failing at work or at home
Overwhelmed by the mental load
Guilty for not being “present enough”
Exhausted from trying to do it all
In this episode, we chat about:
- What the “perfect parent trap” actually is
- Why working mums are set up to feel like they’re failing
- The role of societal expectations and systemic pressures
- How perfectionism shows up in motherhood
- Practical ways to let go of unrealistic standards
- A new way to think about being a “good enough” parent
If you’ve ever wondered “why does motherhood feel so hard?” - this episode will help you feel seen, understood, and less alone.
Connect with Lisa:
- Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn
- Buy The Perfect Parent book
- Check out Lisa's website
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow Working Mumma podcast on Instagram
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the newsletter
If you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly behind…
like you’re failing at work, at home, or both…here is an episode for you.
Because here’s the truth: You are not the problem. The expectations of you are.
In this episode, I unpack why so many working mums feel overwhelmed, stretched, and stuck in a cycle of “trying harder”, and why it’s not about better time management or being more organised.
I chat about:
- The viral ABC post "Working mums. The maths ain't mathing" and why it resonated so deeply
- The pressure of the “juggle” and why it’s actually a trap
- The mental load and invisible labour working mums carry every day
- The motherhood penalty and how it impacts careers, pay, and confidence
- Why workplaces, systems, and society haven’t caught up with modern families
- Breaking down what needs to change into 4 key areas and micro actions you can take today to create change
This episode reframes “mum guilt” as something much bigger: a system that was never designed to support working parents.
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow Working Mumma podcast on Instagram
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the newsletter
When we talk about working parents, we often focus on mums. But what if one of the biggest missing pieces in the conversation is dads?
In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, Carina speaks with fatherhood advocate Michael Ray about why working mums cannot carry the load alone, and why fathers need to be seen, supported and expected to be equal parents from the beginning.
Michael shares his own story of becoming a father at 49 and then unexpectedly becoming a solo dad to his daughter Charlie. From being banned from backstage at his daughter’s ballet concert because “no males were allowed”, to speaking out about the lack of change tables in men’s bathrooms and the stigma dads face when asking for flexible work, Michael opens up about the systems that still assume mums are the default parent.
In this episode, you will learn:
- Why working mums burn out when fathers are treated as “optional” parents
- The hidden “fatherhood forfeit” and what dads miss when work comes first
- Why men are more likely to have flexible work requests denied
- How unequal parenting starts in the newborn stage
- Why fathers need more parental leave and support
- How workplaces can better support dads and working families
- Why sharing the mental load at home is critical for gender equality
If you are a new mum, returning to work after maternity leave, or feeling like you are carrying too much at home, this episode will make you feel seen, and remind you that you were never meant to do it all alone.
Connect with Michael:
- Connect with Michael on LinkedIn
- Check out Michael's website
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow Working Mumma podcast on Instagram
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the newsletter
If you're about to go back to work after maternity leave, or you're already back and wondering why it feels so much harder than expected, this episode is for you.
The truth is, no one really prepares you for the emotional reality of the return. The guilt. The overwhelm. The strange feeling of being expected to show up as the same person you were before, when you are fundamentally, beautifully different.
In this episode, I'm walking you through what the first 90 days of returning to work after parental leave actually looks like - the messy, the hard, and what genuinely helps.
Episode resources and links
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn
Podcast ep https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/lighten-your-mental-load-ditch-the-mum-guilt-and/id1495282250?i=1000719634108
You came back from parental leave a different person - more resilient, more decisive, less tolerant of nonsense, and more capable. The question isn't whether you can do your role. It's whether you will give yourself permission to show up as the upgraded version of yourself.
This week on the Working Mumma Podcast, I chat with Rebecca Houghton, founder of Bold HR and author of More Impact, More Easily — a book that started as a guide for middle managers and turned out to be essential reading for every working mum navigating her way back after maternity leave.
Rebecca has over 20 years of experience in leadership, talent, and organisational transformation.
In this episode, we go deep on what the return to work really involves, and why most women are doing it harder than they need to.
In this episode we cover:
- Why returning to work after having a baby is actually one of the most powerful career resets you'll ever have, and how to use it consciously
- The two-part reset every working mum needs: one for your home system, one for your professional identity
- Why nobody does two jobs well and what has to change before you go back (hint: it's not just you)
- The worthiness vs capability confidence model and why your inner critic goes into overdrive when you return
- The difference between input and impact and why your boss is measuring you by a completely different currency than you think
- Why the "let it go" mindset shift is the single most important tool for working mums in their first year back
- How to have a conversation with your inner voice (yes, really) and why Rebecca named hers Desdemona
Episode resources and links
Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn and check out her book "More Impact, More Easily" on boldhr.com
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn
What happens when the job you thought you were returning to after parental leave no longer exists?
In this episode, I speak with executive leader and solo mum Karis Dorrigan, who shares her experience of being made redundant while on maternity leave during COVID, and how that moment became a turning point in redefining her career, ambition, and life.
This is an honest and powerful conversation about the realities many women face but rarely talk about - redundancies whilst on parental leave, job insecurity, lack of support from employer, navigating the return to work, and the pressure to “be grateful” just to have a job.
It’s also a story of rebuilding, advocating for what you need, and designing a career that actually works for you as a mum and senior leader in an organisation.
If you’re returning to work after parental leave, or questioning what you want your career to look like after having children, this episode will leave you feeling seen, validated and empowered.
We chat about:
- Karis's career journey from Qantas to executive leadership, and how becoming a mum changed everything
- Being made redundant on parental leave during COVID, and what employers should do differently
- How getting clear on your values becomes your compass for every big career and life decision
- The systems and structures still holding working mums back (and the small changes that would make a real difference)
- Why Karis works four days a week, rarely goes into the office, and has a no-meeting Tuesday and how she made that happen
- The truth about solo parenting in Australia: 1 in 5 households, high rates of poverty, and why policy needs to catch up
- Why you should stop being grateful for flexibility and start advocating boldly for what you need
- Her call to action for every leader: would a single mum apply for this role? If not, rewrite it.
Episode links
Connect with Karis on LinkedIn
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn
Returning to work after maternity leave can come with an unspoken pressure many women don’t realise they’re carrying - the need to prove that nothing has changed.
In this episode of the Working Mumma Podcast, Carina sits down with Rachel Debeck, former lawyer, tech CEO, and mum of three, to unpack the “prove yourself” trap that so many working mothers fall into when they return to work.
Rachel shares her honest experience of coming back to a senior role when her first baby was just seven months old, the internal pressure to overcompensate, and the moment she received feedback that changed how she showed up as both a leader and a role model for other women.
We explore why pretending it’s “easy” can actually make things harder for working mums and what it looks like to lead, work, and parent more honestly.
This conversation is for any mum who has returned to work feeling like she has to be exactly the same as she was before, or better, while quietly carrying the mental load, guilt, and exhaustion that no one sees.
In this episode, we talk about:
- The invisible pressure to “prove yourself” after maternity leave, especially in senior roles
- Why overcompensating can lead to burnout, and how to recognise when you’re doing it
- Why working mums don’t need perfect role models, they need real ones
- How each return to work can feel different (and why that’s normal)
- The daycare sickness season and why it’s often the point many women consider stepping away from their careers
- How to think about your career as non‑linear with seasons of acceleration and steadiness
- Why motherhood doesn’t end ambition, it often reshapes it into something more intentional and meaningful
Episode links
Connect with Rachel Debeck on LinkedIn.
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn
Have you ever posted your child’s name, birth date or kinder photo online?
Most of us have.
And we did it with love.
But in 2026, the digital landscape has changed.
In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast Carina speaks with Zsofi Paterson, CEO of Tinybeans, about the growing conversation around “sharenting” and why parents of young children need to be more aware than ever.
Following a recent Australian Federal Police warning and a 41% rise in online child exploitation, this episode explores:
- What sharenting actually means
- When and how your child’s digital footprint begins
- The risks of sharing names, birth dates and locations
- AI and image scraping explained simply
- Why consent matters — even for babies
- What to do if you’ve already shared a lot
- Practical boundaries working parents can implement today
- The concept of “digital nesting”
If you’re raising babies, toddlers or preschoolers — and navigating Instagram, Facebook or family sharing — this is a conversation worth having.
Episode links
Discover more about Tinybeans or connect with Zsofi on LinkedIn.
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn
Returning to work after having a baby isn’t just about logistics, childcare, or flexible hours , a big part of it is about identity.
In this Reflect Summer Series episode, Carina revisits a powerful conversation with Laura Stewart, who shares her deeply honest experience of the identity shift that came with motherhood, and how it ultimately led her to redefine success, leadership, personal values, and meaningful work.
While on maternity leave, Laura made the bold decision not to return to her executive role. Not because she lacked ambition, but because the role no longer aligned with who she was becoming as a mother, a leader, and a human.
Together, Carina and Laura chat about:
- The unexpected identity shift that happens after becoming a mum (matrescence)
- Why returning to your “old self” at work can feel impossible
- How values often change after motherhood and why that’s not a failure
- Why feeling supported at work isn’t always enough if the work no longer feels meaningful
- How embracing motherhood as part of your identity can make you a stronger, more confident leader
Episode links
Connect with Laura Stewart on LinkedIn
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn
The mental load is exhausting, and a big issue for many working mothers.
In this Reflect summer series special episode, I speak with Professor Leah Ruppaner.
We delve into the complexities of the mental load for working mums, and explore strategies to help you manage it that works for you. Leah shares the emotional and cognitive aspects of the mental load, the societal expectations placed on mothers, and the importance of creating supportive systems for both parents.
If you liked this Reflect episode, listen to the full episode "Lighten Your Mental Load, Ditch the Mum Guilt, and Rethink Care with Professor Leah Ruppanner"
MORE LINKS
Connect with Leah via her website www.leahruppanner.com or on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/leah-ruppanner-1657a417/
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity and the website www.workingmumma.com.au or connect with Carina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/carina-obrien/
You’ve proven you can do your job — and do it well — while working flexibly. But now that your employer wants more office time, how do you ask for what you need without feeling guilty or being seen as “less committed”?
In this episode Carina O’Brien speaks with Dr. Ellen Ford, leadership expert and author of #WorkSchoolHours, about the art of negotiating flexibility at work. Together, they explore how working mums can confidently start the conversation, use data and outcomes to back up their case, and find a win-win that works for both you and your employer.
You’ll learn:
- How to have a confident, fact-based conversation with your boss about working from home or hybrid work
- The key phrases and language to use when asking for flexibility (without guilt or defensiveness)
- How to show your productivity and value while working flexibly
- Why hybrid work supports better wellbeing, mental load, and family balance
- How to reframe flexibility as a business advantage, not a personal favour
If you’re a working mum who wants to keep your flexibility this episode gives you the tools, confidence, and mindset to do it.
Listen to Dr. Ellen Ford's previous episode on the Working Mumma podcast ep 116 - Removing Barriers to Help Working Mums Thrive
Episode Resources & Links
- Dr. Ellen Ford’s book: #WorkSchoolHours: A Revolution for Parents, Workplaces & the World
-
WorkSchoolHours eBook - 100% discount with code "workingmumma100"
-
WorkSchoolHours Online Courses 50% off with code "workingmumma50" check out Parents course or People manager course click here
- Dr. Ellen Ford’s Website ellenjoanford.com
Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
When a relationship ends, it’s not just the romantic partnership that dissolves - it’s the version of the life you imagined. For working mums, that loss can feel even heavier. You’re juggling career responsibilities, managing the daily needs of your children, and trying to make sense of an entirely new identity.
In this honest and practical conversation I chat with family lawyer, author, and co-parent Gabriella Pomare to talk about how working mums can navigate separation, divorce, and co-parenting with grace and clarity. Gabriella shares her personal story of rebuilding life after separation, whilst raising her son, managing a demanding career as a partner in a law firm, and finding a new identity.
We discuss:
- The emotional reality of separation and identity loss
- How to communicate with your ex without escalating conflict
- Setting boundaries that protect your peace (and your children)
- Strategies for reducing the mental load when co-parenting
- The power of modeling respect and stability for your kids
- When to seek professional help — and why mediation can work better than court
Resources & Links
Follow Gariella @collaborativecoparent and see her website for free resources thecollaborativeco-parent.com.au and check out her new book "The Collaborative Coparent"
Follow Carina and Working Mumma @workingmummacommunity on LinkedIn and sign up to receive the free newsletter.
Are you caught in a constant loop of “I should be doing more”? In this reflective episode, Carina unpacks why the word "should" has become the secret source of guilt for working mums and how to replace it with kinder, more empowering language.
Carina explores how should sneaks into our day through social expectations, “good girl” conditioning, and the mental load and shares a simple mindset strategies to help reframe and let go of guilt and reclaim control of your choices.
You’ll walk away feeling lighter, more compassionate toward yourself, and with a practical strategy to shift from guilt to growth.
You’ll Learn:
- Why “should” fuels guilt and burnout for working mums
- The link between “should” and the mental load
- A simple mindset reframe to reduce pressure
- How to replace guilt with agency and compassion
Follow @workingmummacommunity or @workingmummapodcast on Instagram and follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
What happens when you’re managing a busy job or running a business and quietly going through IVF at the same time?
In this powerful episode, Carina sits down with Marianne Marchesi, founder and Managing Director of Legalite, to talk about the emotional and practical realities of balancing fertility treatment and career.
Marianne shares what it was really like to lead a growing law firm while navigating IVF during COVID - from countless appointments, injections, and heartbreak, to showing up at work trying to keep it all together.
She opens up about being diagnosed with endometriosis, the emotional toll of fertility struggles, and how the experience reshaped her definition of resilience, leadership, and success. Marianne also shares how her journey inspired her to introduce a 12-day reproductive health leave policy at Legalite, setting a new benchmark for workplace support.
If you’ve ever wondered how anyone does it all, or felt the silent weight of trying to balance work and fertility, this conversation will make you feel seen, supported, and a little less alone.
In This Episode, We Talk About:
- The emotional toll of IVF and infertility while working
- Managing the juggle of appointments, deadlines, and hormones
- The power of vulnerability and how it changed Marianne’s leadership style
- Why workplaces must evolve to support fertility and reproductive health
- How IVF reshaped her outlook on success, motherhood, and what really matters
MORE LINKS
Connect with Marianne on LinkedIn or Instagram @mariannemarchesi or via her website legalite.com.au.
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or @workingmummapodcast or on LinkedIn
Have you ever caught yourself saying “I’ll just do it,” or “I don’t want to upset anyone,” or you’re simply tired of trying to do it all perfectly?
This episode is your permission slip to stop being the good girl, and start being YOU.
Dr Michelle McQuaid joins Carina to unpack Good Girl Conditioning, the pressure women feel to perform perfectly, please everyone, and protect others at their own expense. Drawing on her new research across 1,000 Australian women, Michelle reveals the hidden costs of this conditioning - exhaustion, resentment, and loss of self - and offers science-backed strategies to break free.
Together, we explore how this shows up for working mums juggling careers, home, and identity, and discuss practical ways to replace “being good” with being uniquely you.
We chat about:
- What “Good Girl Conditioning” is and why it’s it's showing up more than ever
- The 3 behaviours that keep women stuck: perfection, pleasing, and protection
- How these patterns show up for working mums at home and work
- The powerful antidote: self-compassion, secure attachment, and self-leadership
- Simple nervous system tools to calm your body and respond differently
- Why “you’re not there yet” might be the most powerful mindset shift of all
Links and resources
Take Michelle’s Good Girl Mindset Survey: thegoodgirlgamechangers.com
Follow Michelle on Substack or LinkedIn
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or @workingmummapodcast or on LinkedIn
Are you tired of feeling tired? You get through your workday, juggle drop-offs, dinner, and the endless to-do list - yet your mind never switches off.
You’re not broken, lazy, or failing. You’re just overloaded.
In this powerful conversation, clinical psychologist Dr. Kaitlin Harkess explains what’s really happening in your body when you feel burnt out, anxious, and stretched too thin. She shares the neuroscience behind why so many mums feel “wired but tired” with practical, evidence-based tools to help calm your nervous system and find balance again.
If you’ve been running on empty, this episode will leave you feeling seen, supported, and equipped with simple strategies you can start using today.
In This Episode, We Talk About:
- Why modern motherhood has mums constantly stuck in “fight-or-flight” mode
- How social media fuels perfectionism and guilt
- What burnout does to your body (and how to reverse it)
- How to recognise the signs your nervous system is overloaded
- The role of self-compassion and why mums struggle with it
- Easy somatic tools to calm anxiety and restore energy
- Small daily rituals to reset your body and mind
Connect with Dr. Kaitlin via Instagram @@drkaitlin and website wisdomforwellbeing.au and check out her upcoming book "The Somatic Workbook for Nervous System Regulation and Anxiety Relief"
Connect with Working Mumma via Instagram @workingmummacommunity and the podcast @workingmummapodast or LinkedIn
Why do so many women feel uncomfortable talking about money, and how can we change it? Where does this come from? How can we change this mindset?
Carina speaks with behavioral money coach and founder of Women with Cents, Natasha Janssens. From escaping war-torn Yugoslavia to becoming an accountant, mortgage broker, financial planner, and now a powerful voice helping women shift their relationship with money, Natasha shares her personal journey and how it led her to focus on the psychology of money to support women.
Whether you're returning to work, navigating the cost of daycare, or just trying to stay afloat, remember: this is a season. Give yourself permission to just survive, if that’s where you are. The time for growth will come.
You don’t need to know it all. You just need to take the first step and know your numbers.
We chat about:
- Why women often avoid financial conversations
- How our upbringing, traditional gender roles, and societal norms impact our money mindset
- The emotional drivers behind financial stress and avoidance
- Practical steps to build financial confidence (even if you're not a "numbers person")
- Why understanding your "financial story" is key to making empowered decisions that can also have a positive impact on your children
- Tips for navigating money conversations with your partner
- Superannuation, contribution splitting, and what to know post-maternity leave
This is an episode with great tips and advice whether you’re returning to work, navigating childcare costs, working for a few years, or want to feel more in control of your finances to help you later in life.
Episode links
Connect with Natasha: Women with Cents or @womenwithcents
Subscribe to the Working Mumma newsletter or connect @workingmummacommunity or on LinkedIn
You think the school drop-off is tough in the city? Try doing it with two kids, 170 acres of farmland, no running water from mains, and a 90-minute commute to work.
I chat with Lisa Judson, a working mum of two living in regional Western Australia. Lisa shares what life is really like juggling career, motherhood, and a farm, all without access to city conveniences like town water, rubbish collection, or nearby daycare. As Lisa comments "my parents are only an hour away" - a relative short distance for the country.
Lisa is so well organised, built a great community around her, and she has a great approach to working mum life with so many great tips that are useful regardless if you live in the city or country.
We dive into:
- The logistical juggle of long commutes, limited childcare, and off-grid living
- How Lisa returned to full-time work with two kids under five
- Why community care and asking for help are survival strategies, not weaknesses
- The importance of good communication, systems, and flexibility in rural working motherhood
Whether you live in the city or the country, this episode will leave you with new ideas, empathy, and a reminder: working mums are stronger than we realise – especially when we stop trying to do it all alone.
Episode links
Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn
Connect with Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn and check out the website for free resources.
Is childcare worth the cost when most of your paycheck goes straight to daycare fees?
In this powerful episode, financial advisor and mum of two, Deline Jacovides, opens up about how much she and her husband have spent on childcare over seven years, and why, despite the eye-watering figure, she’d do it all again.
We unpack the true cost of childcare in Australia, the long-term impact on women’s careers and superannuation, and the often-overlooked benefits, like career progression, independence, and child development. Deline also shares how she and her husband juggled part-time work, subsidies, and even brought in an au pair to make it all work.
This is the honest childcare conversation every working parent needs to hear.
Whether you're navigating daycare decisions now or planning for the future, you'll walk away with insights, budgeting tips, and the reassurance that your sacrifices today are an investment in your family's tomorrow.
What You’ll Learn:
- How Deline spent six figures on childcare and what she got in return
- The financial and emotional trade-offs of early childhood education
- How to budget for childcare, including fee increases and cashflow planning
- The career, superannuation, and identity costs of opting out of work
- Why childcare is a family cost, not just a mother’s burden
- How legislation has (and hasn’t) helped affordability for families
Show links:
Connect with Deline on Instagram @maziwealth
Listen to the previous episode of the Working Mumma with Deline "Managing the financial impact of motherhood with financial planner Deline Jacovides"
Connect with Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, Carina O’Brien chats with Beatrice Toh, mother of 3 and founder of Hey Doodle.
Beatrice shares how a career pivot during COVID turned redundancy into opportunity, sharing very openly her experiences of building a global business from her kitchen table, and what it’s really like managing the juggle of entrepreneurship with three young kids.
Beatrice opens up about the raw realities of business and motherhood, between nap times, during night shifts, the skipped maternity leave, and the joy of watching her kids thrive alongside her brand.
Today, Hey Doodle is stocked in over 850 stores and is expanding internationally, all while staying true to the values that matter most: family, creativity, and fun.
Beatrice’s story is raw, real, and full of helpful insights for any mum dreaming of more, whether it’s flexibility, creativity, or starting your own business.
Episode links
Check out HeyDoodle website or connect on Instagram @heydoodle_
Connect with Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn and check out the website for free resources.
Returning to work after maternity leave is a major life transition, and for many women, it’s a moment of hope that quickly turns into disillusionment with their manager and/or employer.
For Elise Slavin, her return came with rigid demands, unrealistic expectations, and emotional burnout. Despite clear communication with her employer, she was expected to ramp up to full-time hours, 5 days a week within three months of returning after parental leave, secure extra childcare in an impossible timeframe, and show up as if nothing had changed.
From feeling invisible and bullied to walking away from a company that didn’t value her as both a professional and a mother, Elise opens up about the burnout she experienced, the boundaries she built, and how she finally found balance in a role that truly supports working parents.
We explore the emotional and practical challenges of the return-to-work period, why part-time work is just as impactful, and how the right manager and mindset can completely transform your career and confidence.
Whether you're preparing to return to work or reflecting on your own transition, Elise’s story will leave you feeling seen, supported, and empowered.
Connect with Elise via LinkedIn
Connect with Working Mumma via LinkedIn, Instagram or connect with Carina on LinkedIn.
Returning to work after maternity leave is a huge transition, physically and emotionally.
Your body has changed, your lifestyle has shifted, and your wardrobe? It probably doesn’t reflect the confident, capable woman you are becoming. In this episode, Carina chats with personal stylist Lisa Stockman about how clothes can influence your confidence, how to rebuild your wardrobe without breaking the bank, and the mindset shift mums need when rediscovering their personal style. Packed with actionable tips, this episode is your style pep talk for your next chapter to help you feel confident and capable in the clothes you wear.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to use clothes as a tool for confidence
- The power of identifying 3 “style words” before shopping
- Why it’s okay to let go of your pre-baby wardrobe
- Lisa’s must-have staples for working mums
- How to avoid common post-baby style mistakes
Resources & Links
Follow Lisa on Instagram: @lisastockmanstylist
Visit Lisa’s website: lisastockman.com.au
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity on LinkedIn or check out the website workingmumma.com.au
Let’s be real, you're not just juggling work and motherhood. You're carrying the mental load too: remembering school events, buying birthday presents, packing lunches, and keeping everything (and everyone) running smoothly.
It’s invisible. It’s exhausting. And it’s not sustainable.
From the silent stress to the constant remembering, planning, and doing, it’s no wonder we feel like we’re running on empty.
In this podcast I cover:
- What the mental load really is, and how it quietly burns us out
- The default parent trap (yep, you probably know it well)
- A powerful 4-step strategy to lighten the mental load and reset your home life
- How to shift from martyr mode to shared responsibility - without the guilt
This isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing less and sharing more. You deserve support. You deserve to breathe.
So if you’ve been carrying it all and wondering why you’re so tired this episode is for you.
Show links
- Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
- Sign up for the Working Mumma newsletter
- Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
From the spotlight of reality TV to the chaos of raising two young girls, Ash Pollard opens up about how motherhood shook her to the core. In this honest and emotional conversation, Ash shares her journey of identity loss, the pressure to keep performing, and how she’s navigating the raw realities of being a mum.
You’ll hear:
- How Ash landed her first role in TV and why it’s not as glamorous as it seems
- What shocked her most about early motherhood and the identity crisis that followed
- Her struggle to reconcile ambition with the unpredictability of parenting
- How becoming a mum shook her to the core, despite years in high-pressure roles, and sought help in her darkest days to navigate her new world
- Her honest take on ambition, identity, and why the transition to motherhood is never as simple as it seems
Whether you're chasing your own goals or adjusting to life as a new mum, Ash’s story is a reminder that we’re all figuring it out as we go.
Show Links
Connect with Ash on Instagram @ashpollard__ and check out the Shaker Bag Mushrooms
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn
Feel like you’re saying “yes” to everything and losing yourself in the process? You’re not alone.
This Juggle Tip episode gives you permission to say no without feeling guilty and gives you strategies to say no with confidence. From work requests to weekend bake sales, I share how to set boundaries so you can reclaim your time and energy and do the things you enjoy.
This episode is your go-to guide for setting boundaries that work for you. When you start saying no to the right things, you create space for the right yeses.
Show links
- Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
- Sign up for the Working Mumma newsletter
- Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
The early years of motherhood aren’t just hard; they completely shake and in many ways change your identity.
In this real and raw conversation, Hatien Van shares her journey through pregnancy during a pandemic, losing her job, experiencing postnatal depression, rebuilding her life and career.
If you've ever wondered why the early years feel so overwhelming, or questioned if you’re doing enough, this episode will feel like a warm, honest conversation with a friend who truly gets it.
In this episode:
- Navigating job loss while pregnant
- Returning to work after maternity leave with no village
- Mental health struggles and the power of asking for help
- Creating boundaries between work and motherhood
- Finding confidence and joy again after the early years
Please know, you are not alone in this journey. Every working mum has a story — and we’re here to share them.
Enjoyed this conversation and interested to share your story on the podcast, apply today to be a guest. Click here
Connect with Hatien on LinkedIn
Connect with Carina O'Brien and Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or @workingmummapodcast and follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. Sign up for the Working Mumma newsletter
What does it really look like to juggle ADHD, two kids, and multiple businesses? Laetitia shares the messy, unfiltered reality of neurodivergent motherhood, and how she stays grounded.
Laetitia Andrac is a mother of two, former corporate strategist, business owner, and a passionate advocate for neurodiversity. When her daughter Zoe began showing signs of being neurodivergent, Laetitia found herself navigating a complex, exhausting system while trying to hold down a senior management role in one of Australia's largest organisations. What followed was a personal journey of burnout, late ADHD diagnosis, and ultimately, a complete career shift.
Laetitia opens up about the emotional toll of parenting a child with high support needs, what it’s like discovering her own neurodivergence later in life, and how she’s now using her experience to help other families through her new business and platform, Understanding Zoe. This is a raw and powerful conversation about identity, motherhood, advocacy, and what happens when the systems we’re part of no longer work for us.
Show links
- Connect with Laetitia on LinkedIn, discover more about Understanding Zoe understandingzoe.com or her business, the Essential Shift essentialshift.co
- Connect with Carina and Working Mumma Instagram @workingmummacommunity or on LinkedIn
Free resources
- Sign up for the Working Mumma newsletter
- Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
Everyone asks you what pram you’re buying, what hospital you’re going to, and if you’ve packed your bag.
But no one asks you the real questions before you become a mum, the ones that will shape your identity, your relationships, your career, and your mental health.
In this raw and reflective 150th episode, I’m sharing the real questions I wish I had asked before I became a mum. These are the conversations no one prepares you for, but every woman deserves to have.
If you're navigating the juggle, about to step into motherhood, or simply want to feel seen and heard, this episode is for you.
From career ambitions and the mental load to the myth of balance and the messy beauty of mum life, I reflect on what I have learned and unlearned in my evolution from a driven professional to a working mum with perspective.
Whether you're a mum-to-be, new mum, or seasoned in the juggle, this episode offers a comforting reminder that it’s okay to evolve — and that version 2.0 might just be stronger than you imagined.
Key Takeaways
- How motherhood shifts your priorities, identity, and definition of success
- Why “balance” is a myth and what really matters instead
- The unexpected strength and resilience you discover in the messy moments
- Why you can still be ambitious and be a great mum
- The importance of finding your own rhythm, not the one society expects
Show links
- Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
- Sign up for the Working Mumma newsletter
- Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
What if trying to be the “perfect mum” is actually what’s holding you back?
I’m joined by Fleur Chambers, a multi-award-winning meditation teacher, best-selling author, and creator of the free meditation app, The Happy Habit. Fleur understands firsthand the challenges working mums face and brings a wealth of knowledge on how mindfulness and self-compassion can transform the way we approach work, family, and personal well-being.
Fleur shares the raw truth behind her early motherhood experience: the unrealistic expectations, the constant guilt, and the turning point that helped her reconnect with herself. If you’ve ever felt like you’re not doing enough (even though you’re doing everything), this conversation will hit home.
During the chat we shared a lot including:
- Fleur sharing her experience in trying to be the 'perfect mother' and what she discovered
- Why we need to normalise the imperfections in motherhood
- How to navigate the 'second shift' after a day in the office when kids are also tired
- How we can take micro-moments to stop and reset to help us be more present for our children
- Allow you to ask yourself - what do you really want
- And so much more
Whether you're juggling drop-offs and deadlines or caught in the burnout cycle, Fleur’s story will remind you: you don’t need to do it all to be a good mum.
Show links
- Connect with Fleur via her website thehappyhabit.com.au
- Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
- Sign up for the Working Mumma newsletter
- Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
Ever feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions trying to navigate motherhood and a career - between work, kids, home, family, relationships, and everything in between? You’re not alone. The pressure to "do it all" is real, but here’s the truth: you don’t have to.
In this episode, I dive into the myth of having it all, why it’s okay to let things go, and how redefining success on your own terms can help you navigating the juggle.
Join me as I share:
- Why trying to do it all leaves us exhausted and overwhelmed
- How to let go of the guilt and focus on what truly matters
- Why asking for help is a strength, not a weakness
- Why it's ok to be like Elsa and 'let it go'
If you’ve ever asked yourself, 'Can I be a mum and still have a career?' this episode is for you.
Let me know your thoughts—DM me on Instagram or share your biggest takeaway!
Links and resources
- Follow on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
- Sign up for the Working Mumma newsletter
- Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
When Porscia Lam received the news that her son Harry was autistic, her world shifted. She put her legal career on pause to become his full-time therapist, diving headfirst into the world of autism therapy and the challenges of raising a neurodivergent child, all during Melbourne’s long covid lockdowns.
Returning to work after a career break is challenging for any parent, but what happens when that break is dedicated to being a full-time carer for a child with autism? In this deeply personal and insightful episode, Carina speaks with Porscia Lam, former corporate lawyer, mother of two, and author of The Unlocking: An Autism Story, to discuss her journey of parenting an autistic child, navigating therapy for autism, and re-entering the workforce after a three-year career break.
In this episode, we chat about:
- Early signs of autism and the diagnosis journey (during Melbourne's record lockdown)
- The impact of early intervention therapy
- The emotional and financial realities of taking a career break as a full-time carer
- Returning to work after a long career gap—what worked, what didn’t
- The stigma around career breaks and how to position yourself when re-entering the workforce
- How to support parents of neurodivergent children
Whether you’re a working mum, a parent of a neurodivergent child, or someone navigating a career break, Porscia’s journey is one of resilience, determination, and advocacy. Her insights provide not only hope, but practical strategies for navigating work and family life.
Links & Resources
Connect with Porscia
Buy Porscia’s book, The Unlocking: An Autism Story
Connect with Porscia: porscialam.com or @porscialam
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
Follow on @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
Returning to work after maternity leave is one of the biggest transitions in your working mum journey. Whether you're excited or feeling overwhelmed, those first 90 days back at work can be an emotional rollercoaster. But with the right mindset, preparation, and strategies, you can navigate this phase with confidence.
In this episode, I share:
- How to prepare before your first day back
- The key conversations to have with your employer
- Managing work expectations and setting boundaries
- Dealing with mum guilt & adjusting to the emotional ups and downs
- Building a sustainable work-life routine without burnout
Whether you're heading back to work soon or in the early days of your return, this episode will give you the tools and mindset shifts you need to navigate this transition with confidence.
Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review or share it with another working mum who needs support in her return-to-work journey!
Links and resources
- Follow on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
- Sign up for the Working Mumma newsletter
- Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
Return-to-office mandates are making headlines across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and beyond—igniting debate about productivity, flexibility, and the future of work. But what do these policies mean for working mums juggling careers and family life? Do they even have a benefit?
In this episode, I chat with Dr. Ellen Ford, leadership expert, author, and passionate advocate for workplace flexibility. We explore:
- Why companies are enforcing return-to-office mandates and what’s driving this push
- The myth of increased productivity in the office vs. hybrid work models
- How forced office work impacts working parents—especially women
- The unintended consequences for businesses—from talent loss to employee disengagement
- How to have a conversation with your employer if you’re being forced back into the office full-time
- Tactics for negotiating a hybrid work arrangement that benefits both you and your employer
If you're navigating a return-to-office mandate, this episode is packed with practical tips and strategies to help you advocate for flexibility and protect your work-life balance.
Listen to Dr. Ellen Ford's previous episode on the Working Mumma podcast ep 116 - Removing Barriers to Help Working Mums Thrive
Episode Resources & Links
- Dr. Ellen Ford’s book: #WorkSchoolHours: A Revolution for Parents, Workplaces & the World
-
WorkSchoolHours eBook - 100% discount with code "workingmumma100"
-
WorkSchoolHours Online Courses 50% off with code "workingmumma50" check out Parents course or People manager course click here
- Dr. Ellen Ford’s Website ellenjoanford.com
Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
Mum guilt—it’s real, it’s something a majority of mums experience, and it can make us feel like we’re never doing enough. But what if you could manage that guilt and start feeling more confident in your role as both a mum and in your career?
In this episode, I'm tackling the overwhelming pressure on mums to ‘do it all’ and why so many working mums feel guilt about balancing career and family.
I break down:
- Why we feel mum guilt (and why it’s not your fault)
- How guilt holds us back from thriving at work and at home
- 5 Practical tips to help you reflect and manage the guilt
- Why you need to focus on what really matters to you and your family - it's much simpler than you may think
Learn how to drop the guilt and reclaim your confidence as a working mum!
Links and resources
- Follow on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
- Sign up for the Working Mumma newsletter
- Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
Returning to work after maternity leave can feel overwhelming—where do you start with updating your resume? How do you explain the gap in a resume? How do you navigate interviews after being out of the workforce for a period of time? What do you do if you’re considering a career change?
In this episode of the Working Mumma Podcast, I’m joined by HR and hiring expert Ash Battye, founder of Career Pursuit. Ash has over a decade of experience in recruitment and HR and is passionate about helping businesses find the right talent while supporting job seekers—especially mums—on their return-to-work journey.
We chat about:
- The biggest challenges working mums face when job hunting after maternity leave
- How to update your resume to stand out (and address career gaps)
- Practical strategies for nailing your job interview
- How to change careers and find flexible, family-friendly employers
Whether you’re job hunting, considering a career change, or just want to feel more confident in your career after having children, this episode is packed with practical insights to support your journey.
Listen now and take the next step in your career with confidence!
SHOW LINKS
Connect with Ash on Instagram or her website careerpursuit.com.au
Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
Subscribe & Review
Loved this episode? Make sure to hit subscribe so you never miss an empowering conversation. And if you found it helpful, please leave a review—it helps us reach more working mums just like you!
As a working parent, trying to navigate the career/parenting juggle is similar to trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. In this episode, I chat with Louise Gilbert, leadership coach, change consultant, and author of Make Work Work for You.
We dive into the reality of juggling work and family life and why the traditional concept of work-life balance sets working mums up to fail.
Louise shares her journey as a corporate leader turned business owner, her passion for systemic change in the workplace, and why her experience as a neurodivergent mum to two children has shaped her advocacy for more inclusive workplaces. This conversation is packed with practical tips and fresh perspectives that will empower you to rethink how you approach work, wellbeing, and family priorities.
We cover:
✨ Why work-life balance is a myth and how to focus on work-life integration instead
✨ How systemic issues – like school hours and workplace policies – are failing working parents
✨ Simple strategies for aligning your values with your work and family life
✨ The power of flexible work and how to advocate for it in your workplace
✨ How to avoid burnout by focusing on community care and real support systems
Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed by the mental load, struggling to make work work for you, or simply looking for fresh insights on how to thrive as a working mum, this episode is for you.
SHOW LINKS
Check out Louise's new book louise-gilbert.com/book
Connect with Louise on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/louise-gilbert
Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
Subscribe & Review
Loved this episode? Make sure to hit subscribe so you never miss an empowering conversation. And if you found it helpful, please leave a review—it helps us reach more working mums just like you!
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the endless juggle of work, home, and family life? You’re not alone. Research shows that burnout among working mothers is at an all-time high, with much of the stress coming from the invisible mental load—the ongoing responsibility of managing it all.
In this episode, we take a moment to pause and reflect on your mental load as the year begins. It’s the perfect time to reassess what’s working, what’s not, and how you can make small but impactful changes to lighten the load. From reviewing routines and delegating tasks to having important conversations with your partner, this episode will help you create a more intentional, integrated year ahead.
What we chat about:
- What the mental load really is
- Why the start of the year is a great time to check in and reset
- The benefits of reflecting on your routines and responsibilities
- A simple framework: what to continue, outsource, delegate, or discuss
- How to design your year with intention, not overwhelm
This episode is packed with practical tips and reflective exercises to help you avoid burnout, reduce stress, and make space for what really matters—both at work and at home.
Links and resources
- Follow on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
- Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
- Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
Transitions are part of every parenting journey, but they can often feel overwhelming—for both parents and kids! In this episode, I sit down with parenting expert Gen Muir to discuss navigating these pivotal moments with confidence and connection for both your child and you.
From starting daycare or school to navigating new situations, we dive into the common challenges children face during these transitions. Gen shares her expert tips on managing big emotions, building resilience, and creating a safe space for your little ones during times of change. We also explore how you can stay emotionally grounded as a parent amidst all the chaos (we know this can be challenging!).
This episode is packed with practical advice and heartfelt insights that every working mum needs in her toolkit. If you’re navigating or preparing for a big change such as starting daycare or school this conversation will leave you feeling equipped, inspired, and ready to tackle those transitions with a smile.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- The emotional impact of transitions on kids and how to support them
- Why connection is key and how to strengthen your bond with your child during big changes
- Simple strategies to help your kids—and yourself—manage those tricky emotions
- How to create "pregame chats" and post-event moments that ease the adjustment process
- Hacks for balancing your own emotions while juggling the mental load with your children
Resources and Links
Connect with Gen Muir on Instagram: @ConnectedParentingAU
Visit Gen’s website: connectedparenting.com.au
Check out Gen’s book: Little People, Big Feelings
Connect with Carina on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
Subscribe & Review
Loved this episode? Make sure to hit subscribe so you never miss an empowering conversation. And if you found it helpful, please leave a review—it helps us reach more working mums just like you!
In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I challenge the widely accepted idea and myth of work-life balance, explaining why it often sets working mums up for stress, guilt, and burnout.
Balance isn’t a destination; it’s not something you achieve and then check off your list. Life is dynamic and constantly changing, especially as a working mum.
I share strategies including boundaries and work-life integration as more sustainable approaches to navigating the demands of work and family life. Tune in to discover practical strategies for prioritizing what matters most and living with greater intention.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Why the concept of work-life balance is unrealistic and unhelpful
- The emotional toll of chasing balance and how it contributes to burnout
- The power of boundaries and how to set them effectively
- What work-life integration looks like and how it differs from balance
- Practical strategies to navigate the demands of work and family without guilt
Let's connect on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
If you have experienced mum guilt, you aren't alone. Over 98% of mothers have experienced mum guilt. In this episode, I speak with mindset coach and mother, Sarah Purins about how to cope with mum guilt.
Sarah and I chat about the triggers and influences of mum guilt, such as societal expectations, personal pressures, and unwanted opinions from others. She discusses two types of guilt and shares tips and strategies on how to navigate mum guilt when it appears using her GUILT method.
Sarah shares practical tips for working mums to balance their careers and family life without feeling overwhelmed by guilt. Sarah's insights highlight the significance of reframing one's mindset to foster a more positive outlook on their dual roles.
This is a great episode that you might want to bookmark and come back to when you experience mum guilt to help you work through the mindset and emotions.
Connect with Sarah via Instagram @sarahkate.coaching
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommuity for regular inspiration and tips on working mum life or connect with Carina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/carina-obrien.
Join the free Working Mumma Community
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
In this insightful episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I chat with Dr. Sophie Brock, a renowned motherhood studies sociologist, to delve into the constant pressure that mothers face in their quest for perfection (secret - there is no such thing).
Sophie has an extensive background and career journey in sociology, focusing on motherhood, sheds light on how cultural and societal norms shape the unrealistic expectations placed on mothers today.
We explored the term "good enough mother," and the social constructs that don't reflect women today, particularly as working mothers. Sophie shared the common myths and misconceptions that fuel the pursuit of perfection in motherhood, revealing the detrimental effects this mindset can have and debunking the 'perfect mother myth'.
Sophie shares practical advice and strategies and provides steps that you can take to begin letting go of the need to be perfect and embrace a more compassionate, "good enough" approach to parenting.
We also speak about social media's role in perpetuating the perfect mother myth and how setting realistic expectations can lead to a more fulfilling and authentic motherhood experience.
Tune in to gain valuable insights and to hear Sophie's vision for what modern motherhood can truly be.
Connect with Sophie via Instagram @drsophiebrock or her website drsophiebrock.com
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommuity for regular inspiration and tips on working mum life or connect with Carina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/carina-obrien.
Join the free Working Mumma Community
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
In this episode, we delve deep into the emotional and mental toll of returning to work after maternity leave. Guests, Clinical Psychologists Kass and Alicia, share their expert advice on overcoming the feelings of self-doubt and imposter syndrome prevalent among working mothers as they return to work after maternity leave. They further question the default narratives about motherhood while stressing the need for understanding, support, and growth.
This engaging conversation challenges the stereotypes around working mothers and highlights how motherhood reveals and sharpens priorities, fostering an unapologetic, more rounded approach towards personal and professional commitments.
In this episode, we also debunk motherhood myths, including the "baby brain" concept, and highlight that motherhood only enhances a woman's capabilities at work, not reduces it. Far from reducing efficiency, parenthood strengthens women's multitasking ability and overall productivity. Kass and Alicia emphasize the need for women, especially mothers, to trust themselves, embrace their motherly lessons, and withstand societal biases.
Join us as we explore the nagging feelings of self-doubt and impostor syndrome - how they impact our daily lives and relationships. We shed light on how to navigate these emotions confidently and reclaim your place in the world of work.
SHOW LINKS:
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Connect with Kass and Alicia on Instagram @tend_women
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Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
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Get the 3 steps to sharing the mental load workingmumma.com.au/mental-load
-
Let's connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
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Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
I speak with Megan Dalla-Camina, a single mother, author, and CEO of Women Rising on how to redefine success for working mums.
Megan shares her career journey, from her early dreams in performing arts to becoming a corporate executive and starting her company after experiencing extreme burnout.
We discuss balancing career and motherhood challenges, including burnout and societal expectations. Megan emphasizes the importance of clarity, self-care, and understanding one's inner critic, providing practical advice and insights from her latest book, 'Women Rising.'
This episode is a must-listen for working mothers seeking to thrive both as a mum and in their career.
Connect with Megan via LinkedIn or her website womenrisingco.com
Check out Megan's latest book megandallacamina.com/womenrisingbook
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommuity for regular inspiration and tips on working mum life or connect with Carina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/carina-obrien.
Join the free Working Mumma Community
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, Carina shares her personal journey navigating the first year of her child starting prep/foundation year at school while juggling work and mum life. From the emotional rollercoaster of the first day to the realities of balancing school hours of 9-3:30 with business hours of 9-5 and a career, Carina discusses the challenges and triumphs that come with this major milestone.
She opens up about the emotional adjustments not just for her child, but for the entire family, and how she’s learned to manage the new set of notifications, school events, and after-school care. Carina also shares insights on how to stay organized with a busy calendar, support a child’s learning journey, and communicate effectively with teachers.
Whether you're a working mum navigating the same challenges or just looking for practical advice, this episode offers helpful tips on managing the complex balancing act of school and work.
RESOURCES:
Previous episode - Smooth Transitions - Easing Your Child’s Journey into childcare, school and beyond
Let's connect on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Join the free Working Mumma Community
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
In this episode of the Working Mama podcast, I speak with Elke Pascoe, founder and CEO of The Little Oak Company. We chat about Elke's inspiring journey of creating a global brand of natural baby formula driven by her own experience (also while a single mum!), the unique challenges and strengths that come with balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship, and the systemic changes needed in workplaces to support working mums, including flexible work arrangements and pay equality.
We also discover what Elke means by the 'Power of Mum' and how women can harness the strength of motherhood to have a successful career.
This chat is full of passion from both Elke and me for improving equality for working mums in the workplace. We are passionate about changing the perception to empower you to navigate your own career and motherhood successfully.
Connect with Elke via LinkedIn or The LittleOak Company website thelittleoakcompany.com.au
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommuity for regular inspiration and tips on working mum life or connect with Carina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/carina-obrien.
Join the free Working Mumma Community
Free resource: 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
In this episode, I reflect on my recent overseas work trip and share some learnings and lessons about balancing professional opportunities with the inevitable "mum guilt." I opened up about the emotional highs and lows of traveling for work, missing my kids and husband, while leaning into the unique experiences and growth that came with the trip.
Key topics I chat about:
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Embrace Opportunities Without Guilt
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Managing Mum Guilt
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Building Emotional Balance
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The Power of Support and Your Village
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Strengthening Family Bonds
Whether you’ve experienced work travel or are contemplating it, this episode provides a fresh perspective on navigating mum guilt and making the most of career opportunities.
NEXT STEPS:
Let's connect on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Join the free Working Mumma Community
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
The statistics don't like on gender equality, especially in male dominated industries such as mining, construction and transport. Change is happening and it is great to see the improvements, but it can still be challenging for women navigating male-dominated industries.
In this episode, I speak with coach, facilitator, podcast host, and mother of 3 boys, Rebecca Bangura who shares strategies for maintaining career momentum, building supportive networks, and advocating for systemic changes within organizations. Rebecca and I also share our personal experiences of being the only females in meetings and being conscious of what we wore that day (hint - no skirts!). She shared her tips on the importance of career planning (think big), the value of loose connections, and the role of male allies in fostering inclusive workplaces.
This conversation will help you navigate and succeed as a woman in a male-dominated industry.
Connect with Rebecca via LinkedIn or her website rebeccabangura.com
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommuity for regular inspiration and tips on working mum life or connect with Carina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/carina-obrien.
Join the free Working Mumma Community
Free resource: 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
This week I speak with Megan Dalla-Camina, a single mother, author, and CEO of Women Rising.
Megan shares her career journey, from her early dreams in performing arts to becoming a corporate executive and starting her company after experiencing extreme burnout.
We discuss the challenges of balancing career and motherhood, including burnout and societal expectations. Megan emphasizes the importance of clarity, self-care, and understanding one's inner critic, providing practical advice and insights from her latest book, 'Women Rising.'
This episode is a must-listen for working mothers seeking to thrive both personally and professionally.
Today you'll hear:
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Meet Megan: A Journey from Arts to Corporate
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Burnout and the Path to Recovery
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The Science and Spirit of Thriving
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The Motherhood Paradox
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Male Allies and Gender Norms
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Untangling the Knots of Women's Progress
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Overcoming the Inner Critic
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Advice for Women to Thrive
Connect with Megan via LinkedIn or her website womenrisingco.com
Check out Megan's latest book megandallacamina.com/womenrisingbook
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommuity for regular inspiration and tips on working mum life or connect with Carina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/carina-obrien.
Join the free Working Mumma Community
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
In this insightful episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I chat with Dr. Sophie Brock, a renowned motherhood studies sociologist, to delve into the constant pressure that mothers face in their quest for perfection (secret - there is no such thing).
Sophie has an extensive background and career journey in sociology, focusing on motherhood, sheds light on how cultural and societal norms shape the unrealistic expectations placed on mothers today.
We explored the term "good enough mother," and the social constructs that don't reflect women today, particularly as working mothers. Sophie shared the common myths and misconceptions that fuel the pursuit of perfection in motherhood, revealing the detrimental effects this mindset can have and debunking the 'perfect mother myth'.
Sophie shares practical advice and strategies and provides steps that you can take to begin letting go of the need to be perfect and embrace a more compassionate, "good enough" approach to parenting.
We also speak about social media's role in perpetuating the perfect mother myth and how setting realistic expectations can lead to a more fulfilling and authentic motherhood experience.
Tune in to gain valuable insights and to hear Sophie's vision for what modern motherhood can truly be.
Connect with Sophie via Instagram @drsophiebrock or her website drsophiebrock.com
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommuity for regular inspiration and tips on working mum life or connect with Carina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/carina-obrien.
Join the free Working Mumma Community
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
This week I speak with Renee Barnes, founder of the People Paradox, and fellow working mum about Superwoman Syndrome and why it is time to let go of the notion. Renee shares invaluable insights into the challenges and growth opportunities mothers face during this transformative journey.
Renee shares what is "Superwoman Syndrome", its origins, and how societal expectations contribute to this unrealistic ideal for working mothers. We discuss the significant mental and physical health impacts of striving to be a Superwoman and how you can redefine this moving forward and break free from the cycle.
Renee and I chat about the critical role employers play in a mother’s return to work after parental leave. Renee highlights strategies for businesses to create a supportive environment and retain valuable talent, helping to let go of Superwoman Syndrome in this critical time. She stresses the importance of employers being proactive in discussing entitlements, flexible work opportunities, and creating a supportive culture.
This is an enlightening conversation with many tools, tips, and strategies to support you to let go of the notion of superwoman.
Connect with Renee via Instagram @found_learningmotherhood or her website peopleparadoxhr.com
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommuity for regular inspiration and tips on working mum life or connect with Carina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/carina-obrien.
Join the free Working Mumma Community
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
When was the last time you had a moment on your own to acknowledge what a great mum you are? No doubt, it has been a while.
In this episode, I want to remind you that you are amazing and not alone in navigating the juggle of motherhood and career. It's not easy, and there are good days and average days, but remember, doing something is better than doing nothing.
It’s okay to focus on what’s best for you and your family without comparing yourself to others.
I discuss the power of community and how connecting with other mums can provide encouragement and practical support. The importance of self-care is highlighted, emphasizing how taking time for yourself benefits both you and your family.
Additionally, I delve into embracing flexibility and setting boundaries to balance work and motherhood, showing how being adaptable and knowing your limits can help manage daily challenges.
As a takeaway exercise, I encourage you to reflect on 10 things you are doing well in motherhood and your career. Keep these visible, especially on those bad days, as a reminder of your strengths and achievements.
NEXT STEPS:
Let's connect on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Join the free Working Mumma Community
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
If you have experienced mum guilt, you aren't alone. Over 98% of mothers have experienced mum guilt. In this episode, I speak with mindset coach and mother, Sarah Purins about how to cope with mum guilt.
Sarah and I chat about the triggers and influences of mum guilt, such as societal expectations, personal pressures, and unwanted opinions from others. She discusses two types of guilt and shares tips and strategies on how to navigate mum guilt when it appears using her GUILT method.
Sarah shares practical tips for working mums to balance their careers and family life without feeling overwhelmed by guilt. Sarah's insights highlight the significance of reframing one's mindset to foster a more positive outlook on their dual roles.
This is a great episode that you might want to bookmark and come back to when you experience mum guilt to help you work through the mindset and emotions.
Connect with Sarah via Instagram @sarahkate.coaching
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommuity for regular inspiration and tips on working mum life or connect with Carina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/carina-obrien.
Join the free Working Mumma Community
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
In this episode of the Working Mumma Podcast, I dive into the often overwhelming feeling of mum guilt that accompanies childcare drop-offs.
I explore why these emotions arise and share practical strategies to manage and alleviate guilt. During the episode, I share practical strategies and tips to help you to reframe the drop-off experience, acknowledge the benefits of childcare for both your child and you, and implement self-care practices.
Please know that if you experience mum guilt, you are not alone - every mum experiences it. But, you can work through the guilt and see all the positives for you both.
NEXT STEPS:
Let's connect on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Join the free Working Mumma Community
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
The topic of 'me time' for working mums is important. Discover why carving out moments for yourself is essential for your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. This episode shares practical tips on managing your time, overcoming guilt, and building a sustainable 'me time' routine.
Whether you’re struggling to find a few quiet minutes in your busy day or feeling guilty about prioritizing yourself, this episode offers valuable insights and encouragement.
Tune in to learn how 'me time' can help you become a more balanced, energized, and happy mum.
NEXT STEPS:
Let's connect on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Join the free Working Mumma Community
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
Are you about to return to work and still breastfeeding and wondering how you will navigate this part of the transition? This episode will help you navigate breastfeeding and return to work.
I speak with lactation consultant, Sarah Thijs-Smit, who shares great tips, strategies, and practical advice to help you maintain breastfeeding and return to work after maternity leave.
It is important to do what works for you and your child, and everyone has different circumstances and preferences when it comes to feeding and pumping. What is important is that you and your child are happy with your situation.
Please know that in Australia, there are requirements for all organisations to provide a suitable space for pumping and if required breastfeeding while you are in the office. Here are some link to support you and give you additional information:
RES-Breastfeeding and Work - Your rights at work
Australian Breastfeeding Association - Pumping at work - what do I need? resource
Connect with Sarah via Instagram @thebreasthelp
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
Follow Working Mumma on Instagram @workingmummacommuity for regular inspiration and tips on working mum life or connect with Carina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/carina-obrien.
I chat with Mark Morris, a husband, father, and advocate for equity and inclusion with a special interest in gender equality.
Mark shares his personal commitment to social justice and gender equality, highlighting his decision to take his wife’s surname and his active efforts to promote fairness in the workplace and at home.
Mark passionately speaks about the importance of challenging gender stereotypes from a young age, sharing insights on societal pressures, the impact of early messaging on children, and what we can do to change the perceptions.
We discuss the importance of having blunt, in-your-face conversations about gender biases to call out bad behaviour, and the need for more visible advocacy in public spaces, from billboards to social media.
Don't miss this episode if you’re passionate about making a tangible difference in gender equality. Mark’s practical suggestions and hopeful outlook will inspire you to take small yet impactful steps towards a more balanced and fair society.
How to Connect with Mark:
- LinkedIn: Mark Morris
- Email: mark@mark-morris.me
Connect with Carina and Working Mumma
Follow us on Instagram @workingmummacommuity for regular inspiration and tips on working mum life or connect with Carina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/carina-obrien.
Join the Working Mumma Village and find your community of support to help you navigate the juggle of work/mum life
Returning to work after maternity leave can be both exciting and daunting. It is important to acknowledge that your return to work will be a transition over several months. Preparing for this transition mentally, emotionally, and physically over some time helps set yourself up for success.
In this episode, I explore practical tips and insights to help you navigate this significant change with confidence and ease, to help you transition from parental leave back to work as smoothly as possible.
From managing mum guilt to defining your "why," and communicating effectively with your employer, we cover all the essential aspects of preparing for your return to work.
NEXT STEPS:
Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
Let's connect on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
Have you considered about the nuances of the mental load and its impact on gender equality? I chat with Maja Paleka, a mum of 2 and consultant, speaker, and advisor and previously held leadership roles in engineering, sales and operations across three continents.
We delve into practical strategies for challenging stereotypes and improving communication within families to achieve a more balanced division of labor, while also discussing tips for managing flexible work arrangements.
Topics we spoke about included:
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Defining the mental load and how it contributes to gender inequality, both at home and in the workplace, affecting women's careers and overall well-being.
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The importance of effective communication and the use of systems and habits to reduce decision points and streamline family responsibilities.
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Tips for managing flexible work arrangements, including setting boundaries, using technology to stay organized, and communicating with employers and colleagues.
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The need to redefine relationships as a balance of deep care and responsibility, emphasizing the importance of accountability within families.
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How to challenge societal stereotypes around motherhood and the mental load, advocating for a more balanced and equitable approach to family responsibilities.
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Maja reflects on her journey in challenging stereotypes, highlighting the discomfort and growth that come with shifting societal norms.
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The ripple effect of change within families and society, highlighting the importance of incremental progress and continuous communication.
This episode offers many great valuable insights and practical tips to help you as a working mother navigate the complexities of the mental load, manage flexible work arrangements, and advocate for gender equality within your family and community.
Connect with Maja via LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/majapaleka
Follow us on Instagram @workingmummacommuity for regular inspiration and tips on working mum life or connect with Carina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/carina-obrien.
Join the Working Mumma Village and find your community of support to help you navigate the juggle of work/mum life
I sit down with Laura Press, a relationship counsellor and mother of three, to discuss how to keep your relationship strong after having a baby and managing the mental load of working motherhood.
Laura shares practical strategies for setting standards and expectations with your partner, effective communication techniques, and the importance of self-care.
Whether you're struggling with balancing work, family, and personal time or looking for ways to reconnect with your partner, this episode is packed with valuable advice to help you navigate these challenges.
- Learn how to establish clear expectations within your family and with your partner to reduce stress
- Discover the significance of regular and clear communication to ensure everyone’s needs are met
- Understand why self-care is crucial for a healthy relationship and personal well-being
- How to resolve conflict with your partner so you can move forward together
- Find ways to reconnect with your partner, even when you both have a busy schedule
Connect with Laura via her website laurapresscounselling.com.au or via Instagram @laurapresscounselling
Follow us on Instagram @workingmummacommuity for regular inspiration and tips on working mum life.
Join the Working Mumma Village
Everyone has their own parenting journey and I had an inspiring conversation with Olympic swimmer Brooke Hanson. She shares her journey from an elite athlete representing her country to a working mum. Brooke has 4 children, 3 earthside and one angel baby, Jack, after he passed away when he was 9 months old.
----more----She has faced my challenges in both her professional swimming career and throughout her motherhood journey, and Brooke shares how she often comes back to her "why" to help her determine what is best for her family at that time, and why we don't need to compare ourselves to others.
[Trigger Warning] Brooke opens up about her experience with infant loss and how it has shaped her perspective on life and motherhood. She shares candidly about the challenges and emotions involved, providing insight and understanding for those who may have experienced similar losses. Brooke also shares how valuable the Starlight Children's Foundation is and the positive impact it has had on her life and family.
Listen to discover how Brooke's story can inspire you to navigate life's challenges with a positive mindset and find joy in the journey.
Connect with Brooke:
- Instagram: @brookehanson_oly_oam
- Website: brookehanson.com
Support Starlight Children's Foundation:
- Visit starlight.org.au to learn more about their work and how you can get involved.
NEXT STEPS:
Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
Let's connect on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Get the free 'How to share the mental load' workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
Many women meticulously plan their childbirth, but what about planning for the long journey of being a working mum? Parenting and balancing work can last 18+ years, spanning various stages from childcare to high school. Each phase brings unique challenges and chances to reflect on your desires for yourself and your family.
In this episode, we delve into the importance of creating a 'working mum plan,' exploring how to uncover your true desires and navigate the complexities of working mum life. Tune in to define your path and envision the working mum life you truly want.
NEXT STEPS:
Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
Let's connect on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Get the free 'How to share the mental load' workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
In this episode, we delve into the challenges and triumphs of being a working mum. Jodie Geddes, the co-founder of Circle In, shares her personal journey from corporate life to becoming an entrepreneur, highlighting the importance of setting boundaries and prioritizing tasks.
We also discuss strategies for managing the mental load of motherhood and the benefits of building a supportive workplace for working parents. Join us for an inspiring conversation that redefines success for working mums everywhere.
Jodie has built Circle In with her best friend and also received VC funding to help grow the business. During the episode, Jodie also shares her experiences of having a business with her best friend and the journey they are on.
We chat about:
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Jodie's journey from corporate life to entrepreneurship
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The challenges of balancing work and motherhood
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Tips for managing the mental load of motherhood
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Building a supportive workplace for working parents
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Strategies for setting boundaries and prioritizing tasks
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Insights into redefining success as a working mum
SHOW LINKS:
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Connect with Jodie Geddes via LinkedIn
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Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
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Let's connect on LinkedIn
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Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
In this episode, we dive into the unique journey of Stephanie-Kate Bratton, a mum, lawyer, and author, who shares her experiences navigating a successful career with motherhood and having her husband as the primary caregiver. From international career moves to redefining traditional gender roles, Stephanie's story offers a unique perspective on the challenges and joys of balancing work and family life.
We chat about:
- The role of her husband as the primary caregiver and the challenges they faced in reversing traditional roles
- Society's perceptions of gender roles and the importance of supporting mothers in their careers
- Stephanie's decision to transition to part-time work and its impact on her family dynamic
- The challenges of juggling career aspirations with parenting responsibilities
- The perception of working mothers and the importance of self-identity
- The value of self-care, including the importance of sleep and family time, in maintaining balance
- The inspiration behind Stephanie's series of children's books aimed at demystifying professions for kids
Stephanie's story is both relatable and inspiring, offering valuable insights for all working parents. Her story highlights the changing landscape of modern families and the importance of support and understanding in achieving work-life balance to do what is best for you and your family.
SHOW LINKS:
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Connect with Stephanie-Kate Bratton via her website to purchase the "My mummy is" book or via LinkedIn
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Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
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Let's connect on LinkedIn
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Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
In this episode, I delve into eight things I wish I had known before embarking on my journey as a mum. While pregnancy comes with its fair share of advice, there's often less guidance on navigating the complexities of balancing career and motherhood.
Join me as I share these personal insights to help you navigate your own journey:
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Understanding why each transition, whether it's returning to work, going on maternity leave, or managing multiple childcare needs, presents its unique challenges.
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Acknowledging the reality of mum guilt and learning to manage it while pursuing a fulfilling career.
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Realizing that achieving a perfect work-life balance is unrealistic and learning to take each day as it comes.
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Embracing the power of mindset in overcoming challenges and staying resilient.
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Increasing awareness of matrescence and its impact on personal identity and career.
No matter where you are on your journey—whether you're pregnant, on maternity leave, returning to work, or navigating the early years of motherhood—this episode is for you. Join me as we explore these insights and reflections on the complexities of being a working mum.
NEXT STEPS:
Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
Let's connect on LinkedIn
Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Get the free 'How to share the mental load' workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/
I chat with Kate Toon, business mentor, digital marketing coach, author, and mother, and dive into the world of raising a child whilst running a six-figure business within school hours (tip - it's not as easy as it looks).
Kate shares her journey of business ownership over the past 15 years, from deciding to become a freelancer when she was 5 months pregnant, and a bumpy first few years trying to run a business whilst caring for a small child. She shares practical tips and inspiring insights for all the mums out there looking to start their own business, or navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship.
We chat about:
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Kat'e advice if she had to start her business today
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How Kate has balanced motherhood and her business
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The challenges and advantages of running your business business
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Tips for anyone looking to start their own business
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Importance of self-care and having fun
Enjoy Kate's honest insights into having your own business that provides valuable guidance for anyone seeking to balance the demands of motherhood with pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams.
SHOW LINKS:
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Connect with Kate Toon on Instagram @katetoon, her website or purchase her book Six Figures in School Hours
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Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
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Let's connect on LinkedIn
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Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Welcome to the Working Mumma podcast! In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Ellen Ford, an advocate for working mothers, award-winning leader, military veteran, international speaker, facilitator, and mum! Ellen shares powerful insights on redefining success, finding harmony between work and parenting, and valuing the skills you have acquired during parental leave.
Hear practical strategies for having productive discussions with your employer about flexible work arrangements, with a strong focus on outcomes and results rather than counting hours. Ellen also opens up about her journey as a working mother, emphasizing the importance of self-care and finding activities that rejuvenate you
SHOW LINKS:
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Connect with Dr. Ellen Ford on LinkedIn, her website or purchase her book #workschoolhours
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Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
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Get the 5 Steps to sharing the Mental Load with your partner workingmumma.com.au/mental-load
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Let's connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
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Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Mothers often respond with "good" when asked how they are, but deep down, many are exhausted. This exhaustion is often due to the mental load they carry. Yet, comprehending this mental load could be an initial step towards managing it better.
My thoughts on how to improve gender equality? It starts in the home.
The more we can rebalance the caring and mental load in the home, it will have a flow on effect to organisations because fathers will need to share more of the caring responsibilities and understanding of female colleagues, especially those that are mothers.
In this episode, I share with you a five-step framework to assist you in rebalancing the mental load with your partner. A resource filled with actionable steps and strategies is available (link below) to begin your journey towards rebalancing the mental load.
I share with you tips for managing the mental load in a relationship, establishing a path towards a harmonious coexistence. It might seem challenging initially, but as the mental load gets rebalanced, it becomes smoother. A little patience can pave the way for an easier, more balanced lifestyle.
SHOW LINKS:
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Free resource as referenced in the podcast "How to share the mental load with your partner" workingmumma.com.au/mental-load
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Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
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Let's connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
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Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
In this episode, I chat with Mia Fileman, a successful businesswoman and military spouse, to discuss her experiences and insights into balancing her career with the challenges of military life. Mia shares her insights and strategies for finding balance and success in the face of constant change.
During this episode, Mia and I chat about:
- Challenges of Military Life: Mia discusses the challenges faced by military spouses, including frequent moves, deployments, and the need for resilience in the face of uncertainty.
- Maintaining Communication: Mia shares her tips for staying connected with her husband during deployments and managing the emotional toll of separation on herself and her children.
- Career and Business: Mia talks about her journey as a campaign expert and how she has built a successful business while navigating the demands of military life.
- Tips for Juggling: Mia offers practical advice for managing the juggle of career and family, including prioritizing self-care, staying active, and involving her children in her work.
- Future Goals: Mia discusses her future goals for her business and family, including plans for a sabbatical year and her ambitions for the growth of her business.
You will gain valuable insights into the realities of military life and the unique challenges faced by military spouses. This will help you discover practical strategies for managing the demands of a career and family in the face of constant change and uncertainty. Mia's story is one of resilience, determination, and finding opportunity in adversity, inspiring listeners to find their own path to balance and success.
SHOW LINKS:
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Connect with Mia on Instagram @campaign_del_mar and or her website campaigndelmar.com
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Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
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Get the 3 steps to sharing the mental load workingmumma.com.au/mental-load
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Let's connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
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Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
In this episode, we delve into the often overlooked aspects of motherhood—financial literacy and the mental load. Our guest, Ana Christina, author of "Kids Ain't Cheap," shares her insights on how to navigate the financial challenges of parenthood while balancing a career. She discusses the hidden costs of parenthood, the importance of financial planning, and strategies for setting your family up for long-term financial success.
WE CHAT ABOUT:
- The hidden costs of parenthood and how to prepare for them
- The importance of understanding your values and financial goals as a family
- Tips for setting up your children for financial success
- The evolving role of women in financial literacy and investing
- Strategies for managing financial stress and building resilience
SHOW LINKS:
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Connect with Ana on Instagram @anakresina and her book "Kid's Ain't Cheap"
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Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
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Get the 3 steps to sharing the mental load workingmumma.com.au/mental-load
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Let's connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
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Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
In this episode, we delve deep into the emotional and mental toll of returning to work after maternity leave. Guests, Clinical Psychologists Kass and Alicia, share their expert advice on overcoming the feelings of self-doubt and imposter syndrome prevalent among working mothers as they return to work after maternity leave. They further question the default narratives about motherhood while stressing the need for understanding, support, and growth.
This engaging conversation challenges the stereotypes around working mothers and highlights how motherhood reveals and sharpens priorities, fostering an unapologetic, more rounded approach towards personal and professional commitments.
In this episode, we also debunk motherhood myths, including the "baby brain" concept, and highlight that motherhood only enhances a woman's capabilities at work, not reduces it. Far from reducing efficiency, parenthood strengthens women's multitasking ability and overall productivity. Kass and Alicia emphasize the need for women, especially mothers, to trust themselves, embrace their motherly lessons, and withstand societal biases.
Join us as we explore the nagging feelings of self-doubt and impostor syndrome - how they impact our daily lives and relationships. We shed light on how to navigate these emotions confidently and reclaim your place in the world of work.
SHOW LINKS:
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Connect with Kass and Alicia on Instagram @tend_women
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Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
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Get the 3 steps to sharing the mental load workingmumma.com.au/mental-load
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Let's connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
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Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
In this episode, I delve into a topic we all experience but seldom discuss - the Mum Mindset. Beyond the well-known growth vs fixed mindset paradigm, the unique challenges faced by mothers often go unexplored. The constant juggling of responsibilities, the pressure to do it all, and the mental chaos can be exhausting.
As we step into the new year, it's an opportune moment for reflection and resetting the narratives we tell ourselves about what we "should" be doing as mothers. This episode encourages you to set meaningful goals and objectives, shaping the way you think and feel in 2024.
Join us as we embark on the journey of working on our Mum Mindset. I share my personal insights on what I envision for working mums this year, exploring the ins and outs of our shared experiences. What would you add to the list? Your thoughts and perspectives are valuable as we collectively navigate the challenges and triumphs of being a working mother. Tune in for an inspiring conversation and practical tips to make 2024 a year of growth and fulfillment for all working mums.
SHOW LINKS:
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Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
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Get the 3 steps to sharing the mental load workingmumma.com.au/mental-load
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Lets connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
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Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity
Today, we dive into the dynamic world of career transitions, work-life integration, and the unique challenges faced by working mothers. Joining us is Dayna Stewart, the Executive Director of The Nudge Group, and a devoted mother to two children.
In this insightful conversation, Dayna shares her wealth of experience from over 20 years in recruitment, offering valuable advice on how to navigate your career journey successfully. Here are the highlights from our conversation:
Here are the highlights from our conversation:
- Explore the trend of women changing jobs to align with their work/life integration priorities.
- Discover strategies to cut through the competition and secure that coveted interview slot.
- Gain insights into effective positioning in a competitive recruitment environment.
- Receive expert tips on resume crafting, including addressing motherhood and parental leave breaks.
- Understand what to look for in a potential workplace for a seamless integration of your professional and personal life.
- Explore the importance of maintaining a positive mindset throughout the job search process.
- Understand the elements that make your LinkedIn profile stand out in a sea of candidates.
- Learn how being a stand-out candidate can make a lasting impression on key stakeholders.
Connect with Dayna on LinkedIn and find out more about the Nudge Group on their website.
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
As always, I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
Embarking on a new chapter, whether it's the leap from home to childcare or kindergarten to school, can stir up a whirlwind of emotions for both children and parents. In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, we dive into the intricacies of transitions with Dr. Kathryn Hackman, MBBS PhD FRACP, a mother and the founder of Courageous Kids. Discover effective strategies to tackle separation anxiety and set your kids up for success in new environments.
Dr. Hackman, having faced the challenges of tricky drop-offs herself, unveils the realities of transitions and separation anxiety—one in nine children grapple with this. Our children's reactions to new surroundings are perfectly normal, and it's crucial for parents to acknowledge and address these emotions.
Drawing parallels between a child's transition and our first day at a new job, we recognize that anxiety is a shared experience. Like adults entering a new workplace, children too face uncertainties and anxieties during key transition phases. Understanding this analogy can guide parents in empathizing with their children's emotions.
We talk about:
- Strategies to build familiarity and trust with your child's educators or caregivers.
- The transformative power of storytelling and play in creating familiarity.
- The importance of emotional preparation over physical preparation for transitions.
- Practical tips on when and how to manage transitions effectively.
- Recognizing that transitions extend beyond education and occur in various aspects of our lives.
Gain valuable insights as Dr. Kathryn shares practical strategies, emphasizing the crucial role of preparation in managing transitions. From building trust to incorporating play and storytelling, these tips are easily implementable, supporting parents in navigating their children through significant life changes.
Connect with Kathryn: For more information about Dr. Kathryn Hackman and the Courageous Kids app, visit the website www.courageouskidsapp.com or follow on Instagram @courageouskidsapp.
Community and Support: If you're a working mum seeking community and support, explore the Working Mumma Village digital membership at workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
Stay Connected: Connect with Working Mumma on LinkedIn and Instagram @workingmummacommunity. Visit the Working Mumma website at workingmumma.com.au.
Today, we delve into the world of flexible work with a true expert, Belinda Morgan, a dedicated flexible work and leadership specialist. In this episode, Belinda shares her profound insights, rich experiences, and actionable advice on how part-time work can be a game-changer in achieving work-life integration without compromising career aspirations.
Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Working Mumma podcast. We hope you feel inspired and equipped to embrace the possibilities of part-time work for a more balanced and fulfilling life.
Connect with Belinda:
Website www.belindamorgan.com
Check out her book, 'Solving the Part-Time Puzzle,'
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Connect with Carina at Working Mumma:
- Free resource: '3 steps to sharing the mental load'
- LinkedIn: Working Mumma LinkedIn
- Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
- Website: workingmumma.com.au
On this episode of the Working Mumma Podcast, we delve into a topic that resonates deeply with working mothers everywhere: the elusive work/life balance. Many of us find ourselves caught in the perpetual cycle of the "hamster wheel of life," struggling to define and maintain boundaries. In this insightful episode, we explore a four-step process to help you establish and uphold boundaries, ensuring happiness both at home and in the workplace.
Key Takeaways:
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Reflective Questions:
- Start the journey by pondering two key questions designed for working mums. These will set the foundation for understanding your unique challenges and aspirations.
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Building Boundaries:
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Discover a practical four-step process to create effective boundaries. Learn how to implement them seamlessly into your daily routine, addressing the common struggle of finding a sense of normalcy amidst life's chaos.
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Strategies for Boundary Management:
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Life can get hectic, and boundaries may blur. Gain valuable insights into strategies for managing boundaries during challenging times. This episode provides a roadmap to get back on track when things seem overwhelming.
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Mindset Matters:
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Recognize the importance and value of mindset in the boundary-setting process. Understand how cultivating a positive mindset can empower you to create and maintain boundaries effectively.
Celebrating Success:
- Take a moment to celebrate your wins. Acknowledge and appreciate the boundaries that are working for you. In the pursuit of balance, recognizing successes is as crucial as addressing challenges.
As you embark on setting boundaries for 2024, remember that work/life integration is within your reach. May this episode inspire and guide you towards the balance you desire. Best of luck on your journey!
Community and Support:
- If you're seeking a supportive community of fellow working mums, explore the Working Mumma Village digital membership at workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
Connect with Us:
- Connect with the Working Mumma community on LinkedIn and Instagram. For additional resources, visit the Working Mumma website at workingmumma.com.au.
Enjoy the episode, and here's to a successful 2024 filled with well-defined boundaries and harmonious work/life integration!
In this empowering episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I take you on a journey into my year that has been personally & professionally transformative, marked by milestones, challenges, and unexpected triumphs.
Mid year I was experiencing imposter syndrome and personal doubt that was having a big impact. But, as I explain in the episode, I got support and came out much better on the other side.
During the episode, I share how I navigated applying for a new position, along with the associated internal struggles, and the crucial importance of acknowledging personal achievements, but highlighting the positives that can come from job interviews.
I'm very honest with my journey and I hope this gives you some questions to also reflect on for yourself to acknowledge and celebrate the journey you have been on.
I also talk about:
- Turning 40 and Reflecting: Milestone birthdays serve as powerful moments of reflection, reshaping perspectives on personal and professional growth.
- Navigating Corporate Crossroads: Why applying for a corporate role unveils internal struggles, leading to a profound reflection on resilience and personal achievements.
- Saying Yes to the Unknown: I share the journey of embracing uncertainty, saying "yes" to unexpected opportunities, and the empowering experience of appearing on TV.
- Lessons and Takeaways: The episode includes three questions you can ask yourself to reflect on 2023
Enjoy this episode and have a great day.
Connect with Carina at Working Mumma
Free resource: '3 steps to sharing the mental load'
Join the waitlist for the Working Mumma Village
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
Alexandra is a solo mum by choice who has recently released a memoir called Inconceivable: Heartbreak, Bad Dates and Finding Solo Motherhood. During this episode, we chat about how Alexandra wrestled with her desire for a baby along with her creative and career ambitions at the same time.
Alexandra has an inspiring story of following your dreams and taking hold of your own future, no matter what that might look like. She shares very opening some of her challenges and struggles throughout her motherhood journey, but also how she navigates her career and parenting as a solo mum.
About Alexandra
Alexandra Collier is an award-winning writer for screen, print, and theatre. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, SMH/The Age, Harper's Bazaar, and Mama Mia. She worked in NYC for ten years as a playwright before returning to have a baby solo via donor sperm - which is the subject of her memoir, Inconceivable.
Connect on Instagram @alexandracollierwrites or her website alexandracollier.com
Connect with Carina at Working Mumma
Download free resource: '3 steps to sharing the mental load'
Join the waitlist for the Working Mumma Village
Follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn or connect with Carina on LinkedIn
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
Every two years, Women's Agenda publish the "Women's Ambition Report". For this episode, I speak with Angela Priestley, publisher and co-founder of Women's Agenda (a publication for career-minded, time-poor women who want to stay ahead of the conversation).
During this chat, we discuss the report's key findings, trends on the future of work, and the opportunities for change to support female workforce participation and improve the experiences of women in the workplace.
Some statistics from the report include:
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77% of women are experiencing burnout, and a leading factor is overwhelm in balancing career and home responsibilities
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42% said that burnout could hold them back from reaching their career ambitions over the next two years
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Although self-confidence has reduced from 50% to 41% it is still a barrier for success amongst women
It is an interesting report and validating for many of the results are feelings and experiences working mothers have felt, especially over the past 3 years.
Read the full Women's Ambition 2023 report on the Women's Agenda website here
Connect with Angela & Women's Agenda
Website: womensagenda.com.au
LinkedIn: Angela Priestley
Connect with Carina at Working Mumma
Free resource: '3 steps to sharing the mental load'
Join the waitlist for the Working Mumma Village
Follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn or connect with Carina on LinkedIn
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
Anecdotally we know what commonly happens to a woman's career after she has a child. But, what are the facts? That question is what this week's guest, Jessica Heagren asked herself and decided to find out. Jessica is based in the UK, and early this year released the 'Careers after Babies' report on what happens to a woman's career after she has a child.
This is a really interesting and insightful conversation talking about the key findings of report, the impact on working mothers, and the role organisations play in supporting and retaining women.
We talk about:
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What was the inspiration and motivation for the report
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Key findings of the report
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Advice for women to minimise the impact of up to 10 years for a mother's career to recover after having children
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How organisations can better support female workforce participation and close the gender pay gap
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What Jessica sees as the future of work for parents
and sooo much more. The report has sooo much in it and it was great to unpack this with Jessica.
Connect with Jessica
Download 'Careers after Babies' report and connect with her on LinkedIn
Connect with Carina at Working Mumma
Free resource: '3 steps to sharing the mental load'
Join the waitlist for the Working Mumma Village
Follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn or connect with Carina on LinkedIn
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
In this episode of Working Mumma, we delve deep into a topic that's close to the heart of every working mum: boundaries. Join me as I explore the misconceptions, challenges, and strategies surrounding the art of setting healthy boundaries while juggling the demands of a career and family life.
During this episode, I chat about:
- Understanding boundaries and the common misconceptions
- The work/life challenges we face and the value of knowing your why and core values
- The different types of boundaries
- Strategies for setting boundaries at work
- Strategies for setting boundaries at home
- The critical connection between boundaries and your mental well-being
- Useful tips to help you along the way
Boundaries are also linked with mindset so please remember you are doing great mumma. Cut out the noise and do what is best for you and your family.
Best of luck in review your boundaries. I'm always here to help if you need.
Connect with Carina at Working Mumma
Free resource: '3 steps to sharing the mental load'
Join the waitlist for the Working Mumma Village
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
This week on the podcast I speak with two amazing people who are advocates for gender equality, Coleen Mackinnon and Rob Sturrock. We all spoke very passionately about improving gender equality, and how fathers can play an active role and share the load, their own experiences of parenting and having a career.
Topics we covered include:
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The systemic barriers that are impacting gender diversity
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The gender norms that have contributed to gender inequality both at home and in the workplace
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How parents can overcome some of the biases they experience
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What support is needed for working parents
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Why we should be supporting and encouraging fathers to take parental leave
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How to challenge and change traditional thinking on the roles of a mother and father within the family unit
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Rob's experience as an advocate for gender equality
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And so much more
I loved this chat and felt so inspired after and I hope that this episode resonates with you. We all have our part to play to help change the narrative and Rob is a great example of how fathers can change the story and traditional gender norms.
About Coleen MacKinnon
Coleen MacKinnon is a DEI specialist passionate about accelerating progressive social change. She is the Founder of Sydney-based Inclusivity Quotient (InQ), a boutique consultancy specialised in authentically engaging men in co-creating safe, respectful and high-performing workplaces.
Contact Coleen via LinkedIn or her website inclusivityq.com.au
About Rob Sturrock
Rob Sturrock is an author and working father. He has written widely about his experiences of being a working dad and juggling the responsibilities of home and work. Contact Rob via LinkedIn and check out his book 'Man Raises Boy'.
Connect with Carina & Working Mumma
I'd love to connect with you on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or on LinkedIn Carina O'Brien and Working Mumma.
Download the Free '3 steps to sharing the mental load' checklist
When we discover that we are pregnant, so much of the focus goes toward the child's birth. Once this life-changing event has happened, that is when we most need our village to surround us with support. Learning how to care for a newborn, recovering ourselves, and navigating this new world is challenging; it's when we most need the village around us. Planning for postpartum is crucial as I chat with Dr. Renee White, founder of Fill Your Cup, Australia's first biochemist-led Doula Village.
We chat about:
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Why postpartum planning is important and share our own experiences
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The key challenges and common misconceptions
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How you can prepare for postpartum planning
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Why we need a village to help raise a mum
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The role of self-care in postpartum planning
And so much more. Renee and I share our own experiences and challenges becoming a mum and how we navigated this period.
Connect with Renee White and Fill Your Cup via Instagram @fillyourcup_ and website
I'd love to connect with you on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or on LinkedIn Carina O'Brien and Working Mumma.
Download the Free '3 steps to sharing the mental load' checklist
Today I'm speaking with Laura Campbell who has over 20 years of corporate experience, founder of Hackerlily, is mum to two children, and suffers from a chronic illness.
During this episode Laura shares:
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Why she and her husband decided to move back to Australia after living in the UK for 16 years and her experiences of the transition
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The impact of having a chronic disease since childhood on her career and motherhood
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Her experience of starting her own business and entrepreneurial journey
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How motherhood has changed her career perspectives
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How Laura now manages the work/life juggle
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The value of community
We had lots of fun recording this episode and we hope you enjoy listening.
Connect with Laura on @_hackerlily, LinkedIn, or via the Hackerlily website.
I'd love to connect with you on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or on LinkedIn Carina O'Brien and Working Mumma.
Download the Free '3 steps to sharing the mental load' checklist
Working mum life can be isolating. At work, people often don't understand the guilt, the mum/career juggle, or the mental load. Without a community, confidence, and normalizing the struggles, it can leave you questioning if you are really able to "have it all".
As working mums, we are breaking down some of the siloed and gender-stereotyped thinking. Women in the 1970s were forced to give up their careers when they got married because their role was seen in the home. So much has changed since then. As we all know, not all parts of society have kept up with the pace of change.
What is important is that we feel connected through a fundamental need to belong and find the communities that give us empowerment, confidence, and self-belief. This has a huge impact on our confidence and mindset. A positive community can have a huge impact both personally and professionally.
In this episode, I share with you background on communities and the value of what they bring, the benefit of a community as a working mum, how to pick out which community you need and is best for you, and general tips and strategies for joining a community.
Doors are open to the Working Mumma Village, a community to support, empower and educate working mums navigate the juggle of career and motherhood. Join today and use the code 'PODCAST' for 10% your membership.
In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, we dive deep into topics relating to gender equality and the motherhood penalty. I speak with Niki Nadarajah and we have really insightful conversation across a range of different topics. No matter where you are on your parenting journey, there are great tips from Niki.
Niti is passionate about gender equality and we chat about shifting the mental models associated with working mothers so we can overcome the impacts of the motherhood penalty.
Our chat included:
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Niti's career transition from corporate lawyer to coach
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The value of creating change and empowering others, especially fathers in taking parental leave and sharing the mental load
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Losing ourselves, rediscoving our values and reminding yourself of your skills when returning back to work after maternity leave
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Embracing our skills and superpowers. Niti spoke about the skills we learn when on maternity leave and as we overcome the challenges of parenting, we continue to grow and develop as individuals, enhancing our skill sets along the way
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Shifting mindsets and avoiding settling. Niti urges a shift in mindset, emphasizing that we should not settle for less than we deserve. By knowing our self-worth and value, we can assert ourselves confidently and challenge systemic biases that hinder our professional growth.
Connect with Niti via her website coachingbyniti.com or LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/niti-nadarajah
Connect with Working Mumma via Instagram @workingmummacommunity LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or the website workingmumma.com.au
Doors for the Working Mumma Village will be opening for you to join next Monday 10 July workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village/
This a big milestone episode as I celebrate with you 100 episodes of the Working Mumma podcast!
I started the Working Mumma podcast when I was 18 months into my motherhood journey, I had been back at work for approximately 6 months before I had the idea for a podcast and 8 months when I launched the podcast.
I will be honest and say that I was unsure how to recognise 100 episodes. But I needed to put one foot in front of the other and record the episode. Many people suggested my topic learnings from 99 episodes and so here we are.
During this episode I share with you some of the behind-the-scenes of the podcast, pitching for guests, memories from different episodes, the hardest episode I recorded and why, and the background to how I choose the topics and guests. I also share with you my 10 learnings and observations from the 100 episodes and throughout my journey with Working Mumma.
A huge thank you for listening if this is your first or 10th episode! I really appreciate it and all the DM's that I have received since I started the podcast.
Connect with Carina at Working Mumma
Free resource: '3 steps to sharing the mental load'
Join the Working Mumma Village
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
Flexible work is a key requirement for many families to help them manage the juggle of career and parenting. I speak with Belinda Morgan, a flexible work and leadership specialist this week on the Working Mumma podcast. Belinda shares her insights, experience, and practical advice on how part-time work can support women seeking work-life integration without compromising career aspirations.
As we discuss, there is a misconception that part-time work is just for working mum, but as Belinda explains anyone can benefit from flexible work arrangements for various reasons. One of the challenges working mothers face is being able to find suitable part-time roles that match their experience and skill set. Belinda talks about the hidden talent market of highly skilled people seeking part-time or job-share roles, with untapped potential that could benefit employees and organisation.
We also talk about:
- The value of part-time work for both employees and employers
- The challenges and opportunities of part-time roles
- Why requesting part-time hours needs to be win/win for both employees and employers and she shares tips on how to have this conversation and if you get resistance the opportunity to ask for a trial period
- Discuss the benefits of the 4-day week and the concept of the 100:80:100 model
- The impact of the new flexible work laws coming into effect
- Strategies and advice on how to navigate the recruitment process when looking for part-time positions
- Why employers need to develop a clear and attractive proposition for flexible work, highlighting the importance of aligning their policies and strategies with employees' needs.
Belinda reminds listeners to advocate for flexible work, encouraging them to have open conversations with employers and explore the possibilities.
Connect with Belinda:
Connect with Belinda via her website www.belindamorgan.com, read her book 'Solving the Part-Time Puzzle' or LinkedIn
Connect with Carina at Working Mumma
Free resource: '3 steps to sharing the mental load'
Join the Working Mumma Village
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
Website: workingmumma.com.au
In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I speak with Jordanne Collins, a working mum with her own web design company, and we explore the challenges, surprises, and joys of balancing motherhood and a career.
Jordanne shares how becoming a mother has changed her perceptions and priorities, making her more career-driven than ever before. She relishes the opportunity to show her children that they don't have to conform to societal expectations and can pursue their passions while making a positive impact on the world.
The conversation delves into the common guilt experienced by working moms, with Jordanne acknowledging that even though she loves her work, she still wrestles with the feeling of needing to give more to her children. She emphasizes the importance of defining one's own version of success and demonstrating to her kids that they can create their own paths in life.
Jordanne also discusses the benefits of finding a sustainable pace, taking time for self-care, and building relationships with other women entrepreneurs. She shares her strategies for slowing down and finding inspiration.
This episode offers an inspiring glimpse into the life of a working mum who has discovered her purpose, challenged societal norms, and found fulfillment by pursuing her career alongside motherhood. It serves as a reminder that being a working mum is a testament to the strength, efficiency, and the power to redefine success on your own terms.
Connect with Jordanne
Website: jordanne.co
Instagram: @jordanne.co
Connect with Carina at Working Mumma
Free resource: '3 steps to sharing the mental load'
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
Website: workingmumma.com.au
In this episode, I chat with Leslie Carvitto, a persona brand and lifestyle photographer, who became a mum in 2022 and currently navigating the juggle of being a business owner whilst raising a tiny human.
Leslie shares her challenges and joys of motherhood and returning back to work in her own business after she became a mum. Work for Leslie was an anchor, providing a sense of purpose and identity amidst the changes of motherhood. The nature of her work meant that she was able to slowly ease her way back, but also allowed her to take on her first job 6-week postpartum.
We also talk about a topic that isn't often spoken about and that's the conflicting and complicated emotions of motherhood. From feeling content and privileged, to longing for uninterrupted time and pre-baby life. The relentlessness of parenting, both physically and mentally, and the absence of a pause button are acknowledged. Leslie openly shares the identity shift that she has experienced and the impact on her both personally and professionally and the important role community plays.
If you are a new mum or recently returned to work after maternity leave, this is a very relatable episode for you.
Wanting to rebalance the mental load? Check out the free resource '3 steps to sharing the mental load'.
Connect with Leslie
Follow Leslie on Instagram @lesliecarvitto.photography and her website www.lesliecarvitto.com
Connect with Carina at Working Mumma
Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
Website: workingmumma.com.au
The mental load is an issue that affects many mothers and women, resulting in burnout, stress, and anxiety. It regularly comes up as a key challenge for working mothers.
In this episode, I look at what exactly is the mental load and some of it's features. It is invisible and will look different for everyone; as I share, it changes daily. Rather than giving you clear strategies (i.e. outsourcing) for managing the mental load, I look at the impacts and influences of the mental load to bring a new perspective into the conversation.
I also share the idea of a MVT - Minimum Viable Task - the minimum tasks you need to do for your household to function and what you and your partner need to do for this to be a reality.
Women spend nine hours a week more than men on unpaid work and care than men. This has impacts on women's mental health, and wellbeing and it has a ripple effect on organisations and gender equality.
When we talk about the mental load, it’s often referred to as a female topic, but this just highlights the issue and influence it has on gender equality. I am of the view that a contributing factor to gender equality is how well people share the mental load at home.
Organisations also have a role to play in supporting the mental load for both working parents through flexible work and hybrid work approaches and I discuss the influence of this relating to gender equality.
I also share some key observations and tips regarding mental load and encourage you to download the free mental load checklist to help you review the mental load between you and your partner.
Download the free resource '3 steps to sharing the mental load'.
Connect with Carina at Working Mumma
If you are looking for community, resources, and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
As always, I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
In this solo episode, I go through the upcoming changes to childcare subsidy (CCS) in Australia. The childcare subsidy is a government-funded financial assistance program that helps families with the (increasing) cost of childcare. On July 10, 2023, some changes will be made to the program that provide better support to parents, and in this podcast, I'll explore what these changes are, why they are happening, and what you need to do to benefit from them.
Links to websites I have referenced in the podcast:
Service Australia website
Starting Blocks Childcare subsidy calculator
Link to ACCC survey on childcare price and availability (open 18 April - 31 May)
Connect with Carina at Working Mumma
If you are looking for community, resources, and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
As always, I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
Have you ever experienced mum guilt? Do you find yourself catching yourself sounding like your mum? You aren't alone.
In this episode, I speak with mindset coach and rapid transformation therapist, AJ Davis, about navigating mindsets and beliefs to create a happier and healthier life. We discuss the impact of our beliefs from how we have been influenced by society & our parents, and how to challenge and transform limiting beliefs to break negative patterns. AJ David also shares practical tips for managing mindset and beliefs in day-to-day situations.
Some key takeaways from the episode:
- Our beliefs and mindset have a significant impact on our confidence and we are able to be in control of this and change the story
- By challenging and transforming limiting beliefs you can break negative patterns and create a happier and healthier life and parenting experience
- How you can flip your mindset to change your beliefs
- Why the outcome is not success
- The value in building up an evidence file of positive stories - helps with building our confidence and self-belief
- It's important to be aware of the impact of our beliefs and to be conscious about passing them on to the next generation
- The different between big T and little T trauma and how we can navigate this
- We need to practice self-compassion and accept that we will pass on some things to our children can help us navigate the challenges of parenting
This is a great episode that will leave you reflecting on why you think and behave in different circumstances based on previous experiences in your life. You can change the story and AJ explain how you can do this.
Connect with AJ David on Instagram @aj.mindcoach or her website changeyourthoughts.com.au
Connect with Carina at Working Mumma
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
As always, I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
Enjoy part two of my chat with Ellen Hooper on building a successful portfolio career. By definition, a portfolio career is when you have several unrelated jobs. Porfolio careers give you the opportunity to craft a future to help explore interests outside of your "traditional" role. Ellen has a job share position as the Head of People & Culture at a community bank, her own business the Growth Collective, and exploring board positions.
This is an interesting chat to explore the opportunities of job sharing and how you can look at this for your own career.
We chat about:
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Benefits of a portfolio career
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Opportunity for wealth creation with multiple sources of income
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The value of financial independence
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Importance of setting boundaries
About Ellen Hooper
Ellen Hooper does lots of things. She's a mum of two, an executive coach, the Co-Founder of The Growth Collective who specialise in workshops and training for new and emerging leaders, and the Chief People Officer at a community-owned bank, a role that she job-shares..
Connect with Ellen
On LinkedIn or Instagram @ellen.hooper.consulting and her website growthcollective.com.au
Connect with Working Mumma
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
As always, I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
Ever wondered about the benefits and opportunities that can come about through job sharing? In this episode with Ellen Hooper I discuss job sharing, the benefits, tips, and strategies to make it a successful partnership and arrangement between yourself, your job share partner, and your organisation. Ellen is experienced in job sharing and will share her career journey and how she started working with her business partner in a job share arrangement.
This is the first of two episode with Ellen and the second is episode 93 on portfolio career.
Ellen Hooper does lots of things. She's a mum of two, an executive coach, the Co-Founder of The Growth Collective who specialise in workshops and training for new and emerging leaders and the Chief People Officer at a community owned bank, a role that she job-shares.In this masterclass, Executive Coach and Leadership expert Ellen Hooper is going to teach you practical techniques for delegating to others and holding boundaries that you can use at work and at home.
Connect with Ellen
On LinkedIn or Instagram @ellen.hooper.consulting and her website growthcollective.com.au
Connect with Working Mumma
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
As always, I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
Burnout is a topic that many people have experienced, and increasingly over the past 3 years. In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I speak with Lisa Dillon, a Public Health Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of NSW.
In this episode, Lisa explains the definition of parental burnout, which is the physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that one feels from the chronic stress of parenting. Unlike work burnout, parental burnout is a 24/7 job, and parents can't escape from their parenting responsibilities to recharge.
The statistics show that two-thirds of parents in paid work experience burnout, with 68% of mothers and 42% of fathers experiencing it. The recent Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated this problem due to the lack of support and the need for parents to be 'always on' and everything from parent to teacher to sports coach and more.
Lisa discusses the different stages of parental burnout that if left unaddressed, parental burnout can lead to feelings of inefficacy, cynicism, and ultimately, depression. She also highlights the risk factors that increase the chances of experiencing parental burnout, such as being a single parent, having children with disabilities, experiencing mental illness, being isolated, and having perfectionist tendencies.
Lisa and I both share our experiences and insights about the triggers and symptoms of parental burnout, including the pressure to do everything perfectly and the exhaustion of juggling work and childcare. We talk about how finding support, letting go of unrealistic societal expectations, and prioritizing self-care can help parents recover from burnout. Lisa shares the analogy of differentiating between glass and plastic balls to manage workload.
Parental burnout is a real and pressing issue that affects many working parents. However, as Lisa shares tips and advice, with the right strategies and support, it is possible to prevent and manage burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
If you need support from this episode, please reach out to COPE or your GP to support.
Connect with Lisa
Connect with Lisa on Instagram @drlisa.researcher
Connect with Working Mumma
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
As always, I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
Working mums often feel judged – it could be their decision to want to have a career and be a mum, the hours they work, the time they spend with children, the decision to send their children to childcare, meals prepared, and the list goes on. Christie Nicholas and her marketing agency, Mumpower, recently conducted a study with Australian mums with some scary results. They found that 82% of mums feel judged, with 65% of mums who feel judged saying they are judged by other mums.
In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I speak with Christie about the impact when women feel judged, the key factors that are causing this, discuss ideas on how to overcome judgment and the importance of having confidence in ourselves to cut out the noise and back ourselves.
We talk about:
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The shift in marketing to mums over the past 13 years
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The role of social media in brands buying journey and the positive & negative impacts this has on women, especially mothers
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Reasons why mums are feeling judged and it's not what you might think
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Impacts on feeling judged and how this has a flow on effect to our family
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What we can do when we are feeling judged
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Why mums are an amazing asset to any business
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The importance of shorting our stories as working mums to talk opening about the challenges of having a family and following our career aspirations
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Why the rise of Tik Tok may have a positive impact
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What Christie would tell herself as a younger mum
I really enjoyed this insightful and engaging conversation with Christie.
Connect with Christie & Mumpower:
Website: mumpower.com.au
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christie-nicholas-33842414
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1839544269574490
Instagram: @mumpower_au
Connect with Working Mumma
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
As always, I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
There are many different themes for International Women's Day 2023 to highlight gender equality and how far we are away from it. Rather than just talking about what the issues are, in this podcast I share with you some strategies and actions that both individuals and organisations can take to make incremental changes to help move the needle in a positive direction.
What would you like to see change and improve? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode and what ideas you have.
In this episode I talk about:
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Why we need to support women going on maternity leave so they feel engaged and have a positive return to work experience. This group of women are often forgotten about but when this journey is well managed it potentially can support having female leaders.
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Value of creating a community
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Why we need to #sharetheload in the home to create equality and this has a ripple effect into organisations, along with greater sharing of caring responsibilities between both parents
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Providing flexible work options and it isn't a one size fits all approach
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Value of gender-neutral leave policies and why we need to pay superannuation on parental leave
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Importance of affordable childcare to support female workforce participation
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Mental load in the workplace
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Why you should engage your employee in creating policies and frameworks regarding your DE&I strategy
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Reminder that it is ok to ask for help
Lastly, please don't assume women will have all the answers. Yes, we are great at problem-solving, but gender equity of a societal program and we are trying to overcome literally hundreds of years of patriarchal systems. The goal is clear and we all need to work together.
If you have an idea, please have the confidence to speak up, and if your company does not want to listen, well as Annabel Crabb said this week "anyway, don't work for dickheads".
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village. Use the code VILLAGE10 to get a 10% discount on your membership.
I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
In a report last year by consulting company, McKinsey, nearly 12 million women left their job during the early stages of the pandemic and the workforce still hasn’t recovered. Organisations need to acknowledge the responsibilities of working parents, often the ‘double shift’. More can and needs to be done by companies to support women returning to work and recognise the transition women go through.
During this episode I speak with Hareta McMullin a leadership mentor and employee experience strategist, shaking up the way we think and feel about HR, culture and leadership.
We talk about:
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What businesses can do to support working parents and especially mothers
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The value of work/life integration
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Why organisations need to see the value of working mothers as a benefit and not a hindrance
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The positive impact of flexible work for working parents
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How to overcome people that are not always advocating for working mothers
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What businesses can do to have a positive employee experience for women returning from parental leave
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Why the cost of a cake & onsie is much less than recruiting a new employee and the return on investment of supporting women on their parenting journey has long term benefits
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How businesses need to change the narrative to help drive change
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Tips for employees on how to raise topics if they are facing challenges
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How we can all be apart of the solution together
This is a great episode and we cover so much!
Connect with Hareta:
Where to find her?
Website: https://thirdspacepeople.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1839544269574490
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/third_space
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hareta-mcmullin
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@hareta_mcmullin
Connect with Working Mumma
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
As always, I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
We are seeing women change jobs at high rates to work for organisations that align with their work/life integration priorities. Often women believe they need 80% of the selection criteria vs men that believe they need only 20%. How do you get the cut through with recruiters to get the interview? Enjoy this episode of the Working Mumma podcast as I speak with Dayna Stewart, the Executive Director of The Nudge Group, and a busy mum to two beautiful kids, Jake and Asha, supported by her awesome hubby, Jarod.
During this episode, Dayna and I chat about all things relating to searching for your next role, how to position yourself effectively, and why you should back yourself during the application process. Dayna gives great advice from her 20+ years of experience in recruitment to help you land your next role.
We chat about:
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How you can best prepare and position yourself in a competitive recruitment environment* Tips for your resume and what to include/not include - including navigating motherhood and parental leave breaks in your resume and during job interviews
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Trends by employers to attract new candidates and what to look out for
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The importance of a positive mindset during the job search process
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The benefit of improving your LinkedIn profile and tips for making your profile look attractive to recruiters
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Tips for being a stand-out candidate and why researching is important for the company and key stakeholders during the interview process
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Tips for virtual interviews
Best of luck with your job search and securing your next role.
You can connect with Dayna on LinkedIn and find out more about the Nudge Group on their website.
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
As always, I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
One of the biggest challenges I hear from working mums is work/life balance, and a significant contributor to this is boundaries. Setting and keeping boundaries is hard. We can be on the hamster wheel of life wondering why we keep going around and around with no idea how to get off and find our version of normality.
As working mums, we deserve to be happy at both home and work. During this episode I take you through a four-step process to creating boundaries and then how to manage these going forward. We all know that life gets busy and the boundaries may blur a little. I share with you a strategy to work through when this happens and get you back on track.
It is also important to highlight and celebrate when the boundaries you have set are working and celebrating these. We often focus on what is not working, but it is also important to recognise what is working.
Key topics I talk about are:
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2 questions for you to ponder as a working mum
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4 steps to creating your boundaries
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Strategies to managing your boundaries - when they aren't working and when they are
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Importance and value of mindset with creating and keeping boundaries
Enjoy the episode and best of luck with setting boundaries for 2023 to have the work/life integration you desire.
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
As always I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
Is your baby not sleeping and are you going back to work soon? Are you wondering how to navigate your babies sleep routine with the childcare transition? These are everyday anxieties and worries facing most working mums as I discovered during my conversation with Donna Moala, founder of Bub2sleep, a certified Sleep Sense consultant, and a mum of three.
Sleep is a learned skill and it can define the newborn months and years by the amount of sleep our child has had the night prior. This has a big impact on how we function and how alert we are during the day, especially with lack of sleep. The stress and anxiety can go up another level when you are returning back to work after maternity leave and your baby still isn't sleeping as you would like and they are transitioning as well to childcare. To help navigate this period I spoke with Donna who shared tips on when to start preparing for childcare and key foundations you can begin working on.
Donna shared that the childcare transition is a change to the sleep routine you may have at home, and after a couple of weeks your child will be able to differentiate between childcare/other locations and home. Your child will most likely have less sleep at childcare given the environment, so instead focus on the awake times rather than the 'normal' bedtime and on the days they are home you will be able to apply your foundations and boundaries to focus on the good sleep at home. Another key foundation Donna speaks about is independent sleep and teaching babies how to learn this new skill.
During the chat we spoke about:
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Tips for managing sleep with children
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How to prepare your child for the childcare transition
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The importance of awake times (here is the link to Donna's awake time resource)
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Juggling different childcare and home routines
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Navigating children waking during the night once you have returned to work
Donna shares tips you can implement right away with your children and I hope this supports you in knowing that everything will be ok. As Donna mentioned "everyone is doing the best we can, we are all feeling the same".
Connect with Donna and Bub2sleep via her website bub2sleep.com.au, Instagram @bub2sleep or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bub2sleep/
As always I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
Is your child about to embark on a transition either from home to childcare or kinder to school? The new year often brings new locations and experiences for our children. There is a level of uncertainty as they are separated from their security blanket of mum and dad potentially for the first time. It's emotional for everyone involved, more so for our children. We like to think children are adaptable and will naturally embrace new situations and surroundings. But, all too often that doesn't happen. There is a range of emotions that come with new surroundings and people, your child is having a normal and natural reaction.
This week on the podcast I speak with Dr. Kathryn Hackman,MBBS PhD FRACP, is a mother and the Founder of Courageous Kids. She's been through the struggle of tricky drop offs, and knows she's not alone, given that anxiety affects 1 in 9 children. Kathryn shares effective and practical strategies to combat separation anxiety in a fuss-free form, that helps busy parents set their kids up for success with new experiences.
Kathryn didn't understand what a transition was and the impacts until she became a mum. You may be wondering - what is a transition? To clarify, it is when you go from one environment to another. For children starting childcare, kinder or school, drop off is not as simple as drop and go. Separation is a big factor for children through these key transition phases. Taking a proactive approach through play and storytelling, this can help children become familiar with their new teachers and educators and be a positive transition experience.
A good analogy is our first day of a new job - we are anxious due to new surroundings, a new team, new processes, the uncertainty of the people you will work with and the list goes on. Our children are no different. They are anxious through the transition phase of kinder to school or home to childcare, just like we are on our first day of work.
In this episode we chat about:
- Strategies to help build familiarity and trust with your child's educators or carers
- The power of storytelling and play to create familiarity
- Why the emotional preparation for the transition is more important than the physical
- Tips on when and how to manage transitions
- Transitions aren't just education based, they happen in all areas of our lives
- Why preparation is key to managing transitions
- and much more!
This is a great episode with easy-to-implement strategies to support you in managing transitions in your child's life.
For more information about Kathryn and the Courageous Kids app,, go to the website www.courageouskidsapp.com or follow on Instagram @courageouskidsapp
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village
As always I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
Photo credit: Star News Group
Are you feeling exhausted after running the 2022 marathon and feel like you are limping to the finish line? You aren't alone. It has been a big year.
Did you know that 89% of people have experienced burnout in the past 12 months?
Burnout is a worldwide, systemic problem and not only for one group but everyone.
It is important to know the symptoms and have your own personal strategies on how to manage them because we all react differently to situations.
In this episode, I share with you strategies to help prevent burnout in a very busy period of the year.
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village
As always I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
Has anyone referred to you as "just a mum"? Are you no longer feeling like yourself since becoming a mum?
This week I speak with Heinna who was in this exact position where for 6 years she was focused on her kids and lost herself, who she was, and her identity. Heinna thought she was heading down one path with her career and becoming a mum changed all that.
In this episode, Heinna shares her journey from losing herself and being in "mum mode", not knowing what she liked or what she wanted, to becoming clear on her goals and values, through a re-evaluation of herself and what she wants in life.
If you feel like Heinna 6 years ago and are in a similar headspace, this is a great episode to help you with strategies to help you rediscover yourself after motherhood and why being a mum is part of you, but not all of your identity.
Heinna is a mum of 3 lovely children. After a shift from Corporate to starting a business, Heinna has found always reminding herself that its okay to be successful in her business and be a mum. She wants to share with other mums that they are not alone and there is space out there for everything they want to do alongside being a mum.
Connect with Heinna:
- @obm_assembly/
- heinnaveas.com.au
LINKS:
- Join the Working Mumma Village to help you juggle motherhood and a career so you can thrive workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village
- Website: workingmumma.com.au
- Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
I often hear of women currently on maternity leave wondering how they will manage the juggle of work & mum life. This might be you; if it is, I don't want you to feel this way. You deserve to feel confident & supported on your return to work as a mum. When you become a mum you go through a big change, known as matrescence, and you naturally have a different outlook, priorities, and perspective.
I want to support women in the transition from maternity leave to work after maternity leave and this is why I ran a masterclass "5 strategies to help you transition back to work with confidence" and in this episode share the recording with you.
This is what I covered in the masterclass:
- How to recognise and manage the 'mum guilt' - a feeling that all mothers experience
- Strategies to navigate the mental load with your partner
- Tips for managing the childcare transition
- Strategies to improve your self-confidence and wellbeing
- Tips to managing the return with your employer
- And so much more!
If you found this episode interesting and what to join the Return with Confidence program, join here workingmumma.com.au/return-with-confidence
As always I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma or Instagram @workingmummacommunity.
If you are a regular listener you may have noticed that I haven’t released a podcast episode for over a month! This is the longest break I’ve had since I started this podcast in January 2020.
Today I just wanted to share with you what’s been happening behind the scenes, my experiences, and a few lessons I’ve learned along the way.
I talk about:
- Why I haven’t released a podcast in a month
- How my work/life boundary lines became blurred and the impact this had
- Why it’s ok to drop or put a ball down for a period of time
- Observations and experiences of the past 2 months
- Lessons I’ve learned and what I am doing to reset
- Why we need to say no more regularly
- Quick summary of my recent overseas trip
LINKS:
Join Return with Confidence workingmumma.com.au/return-with-confidence
Join the Working Mumma Village to help you juggle motherhood and a career so you can thrive workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village
Website: workingmumma.com.au
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
Has anyone asked if you can travel now that you are a working mum? I've been asked this question a number of times and replied "yes - I've got a supportive husband and tribe around me" and gone on to have successful business trips.
Good news - having children doesn't mean the end of traveling for work. As I discuss in this episode, it requires a little more planning than previously, but you certainly can take up the opportunities when they are presented and travel. It might also give you an opportunity for some alone time & self-care that you might not get the opportunity when you are home.
Enjoy this episode as I share with you 6 tips for business travel as a working mum.
LINKS:
Free masterclass: 3 secrets to juggling work and motherhood without feeling overwhelmed workingmumma.com.au/resources
Join the Working Mumma Village to help you juggle motherhood and a career so you can thrive workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village
Website: workingmumma.com.au
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
As new mums, we got through a big identity shift and can discover a new version of ourselves. Children have a significant impact on our time and our priorities change.
Meet this week's guest, Melanie Corlett, founder of Mumli, is passionate about helping make the lives of mums easier, and as a working mum herself, she understands the challenges that come along with being present as a mum and businesswoman.
Mel shares open & honestly how becoming a parent has changed her perception of work and career and now focuses on what is most important to her. She has overcome several challenges, talks about her mindset shift, and how she is navigating motherhood and the new version of herself.
Becoming a parent also is the inspiration behind her business, Mumli. Melanie gives tips and advice on the journey she has been on so far of starting a tech business whilst raising 2 children and how she still finds time for self-care.
Enjoy!
LINKS:
Connect with Melanie Corlett from Mumli:
Website mumli.com Instagram @mumli.app or Facebook facebook.com/mumliapp
Free masterclass: 3 secrets to juggling work and motherhood without feeling overwhelmed workingmumma.com.au/resources
Join the Working Mumma Village to help you juggle motherhood and a career so you can thrive workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village
Website: workingmumma.com.au
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
Going back to work after maternity leave is filled with mixed emotions. To help support you on the transition back to work, or if you have recently returned after maternity leave, this is also a good episode for you to take a moment & reflect.
I'm sure you have experienced some amazing moments during your time on parental leave, but just like in life, it isn't all roses and happy days. There are equally as many tears and low moments.
This episode is a great opportunity for you to reflect on this period in your life. I'd suggest you grab a your favourite hot drink along with a pen and paper to write down your responses to the five questions I encourage you to ask yourself.
Enjoy!
LINKS:
Free masterclass: 3 secrets to juggling work and motherhood without feeling overwhelmed workingmumma.com.au/resources
Join the Working Mumma Village to help you juggle motherhood and a career so you can thrive workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village
Website: workingmumma.com.au
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
Ever dreamt of starting your own business and wonder what it is like? Today I speak with the founder of Franjo's Kitchen - Fran Fogarty and Jo Clark.
Fran is a lawyer and Jo is a naturopath, who have carved out a niche in the motherhood nootropics and wellness industry that has allowed them to grow a two million-dollar business while raising six kids between them.
It all began after a chance meeting on the street as two new mums that sparked a discussion on natural ways to stimulate lactation for postpartum mums struggling to produce enough milk for their babies – much like Fran was experiencing.
But much like motherhood, their business journey wasn't without its challenges. In 2019, the pair came close to calling it quits, with overwhelming debt suffocating their opportunities for innovation.
In this episode we chat about what inspired Fran & Jo to start Franjo's Kitchen, their business journey and they share some key learnings along the way, challenges they have experienced and what they did to overcome these, highlights & surprises, how they manage their businesses, children, life and a day job, along with tips for anyone thinking of starting their own business and so much more.
Enjoy!
LINKS:
Connect with Franjo's Kitchen:
Instagram @franjoskitchen or Facebook facebook.com/franjoskitchen
Free masterclass: 3 secrets to juggling work and motherhood without feeling overwhelmed workingmumma.com.au/resources
Join the Working Mumma Village to help you juggle motherhood and a career so you can thrive workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village
Website: workingmumma.com.au
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/working-mumma
I think everyone woman goes through an identity shift when we become a mother. We think we know ourselves, our values, and have an idea of how we want to live our lives. But when the baby comes along it really changes our perspectives. Not only how others perceive us, but also how we perceive ourselves.
Today guest is Personal Branding Specialist & owner of Lovelly Communications - Emma Lovell. I really enjoyed speaking with Emma because she was so generous, open, and honest with her personal experiences of the identity shift she has experienced in becoming a mum. Her priorities have changed and she is now unequivocal on her boundaries between work and home life, especially having her own business.
One thing that Emma speaks so honestly about is that she is a mum, this is a part of her, but not all of her.
In this episode we talk about:
- Motherhood identity shift
- Post natal depression experienced by fathers
- Boundary setting
- Running your own business before children
- Strategies to help you navigate the identity shift as a mum
- And so much more
Emma and I have an exciting challenge for you at the end of the episode. Be sure to listen to the end and tag us both.
This episode focuses on motherhood's impact on your identity and personal brand, but with many tangents that give you lots of relatable experiences and strategies. It was great fun having this chat with Emma.
Join the Working Mumma Village membership today to get support in the transition from maternity leave to working mum.
Connect with Emma Lovell
- Website
- Instagram @lovellycomms
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
- Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
- Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
- LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
In this is episode I share with you why you should join the Working Mumma Village and more background on what benefits you get as a member.
I begin by sharing a little bit of my return to work experience when I returned from my first maternity leave. From there go through some of the realities of what it is like to be a working mum, and the very limited support we have to navigate the transition back to work and life as a working mum.
Navigating life as a working mum can be isolating and you don't know where to look for support. I share with you the 5 step journey I have created to help guide you from feeling overwhelmed to thriving. Each step has a coaching video, resources, and suggested masterclasses to help you move through.
The Working Mumma Village is a digital membership for professional women that provides connection, coaching, support, and empowerment to help you thrive in motherhood and a career.
Why should you enrol now? I have a special end-of-financial year special and listen to the episode to get an extra special discount code.
I look forward to connecting with you inside the Working Mumma Village.
USEFUL LINKS
Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village
CONNECT
- Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
- Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
- LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast I speak with Paediatric Speech Therapist Kobie Bloomfield and founder of ToyCycle. Kobie is passionate about creating opportunities for children to use their imagination and creativity. She often experiences parents coming to see her unsure of how to play with their children asking "Am I doing the right thing?"
It can sometimes be challenging to know how best to play and interact with our kids, especially at the end of a busy day at work. During this episode, Kobie shares great tips and advice to support parents playing with their children and their development.
During this episode we chat about:
- Tips for supporting a child's language development
- Common communication difficult Kobie sees in children and tips on what parents can do
- Importance of seeking help if we feel our children are not reaching development milestones
- The role of toys in a child's development
- Tips for parents low in confidence when playing with their children
- Why buying more toys isn't often the best solution for our kids
- How toys can support quality time with parents
- And much more!
There are a lot of great tips and advice to support parents playing with their children in this episode.
Would love it if you would be able to subscribe and leave a rating or review.
Join the Working Mumma Village membership today and join a community of like-minded working mums.
Connect with Kobie at ToyCycle
- Website
- Instagram @toycycle.aus
Connect with Carina O'Brien/Working Mumma
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
- Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
- Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
- LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
Business and social constructs were made without the consideration of working mothers who are ambitious. This might be the reason why 1 in 3 women start a business whilst they are on maternity leave, and 1 in 9 start a business whilst they are pregnant.
Today on the podcast I'm speaking with Carrie Kwan, Co-Founder of Mums & Co and Lucy Kippist, Community Manager at Mums & Co. Both women are passionate about empowering women to harmonise their ambition, livelihood, and wellbeing.
This is a value-packed episode filled with great advice from two very experienced women in community and business building. Both Lucy and Carrie understand first hand the juggle as working mums, but still fulfilling their ambitions and passion to support others.
During this episode we chat about:
- the value of community and the benefits a good community brings
- why women create their own businesses
- how our career outlook and priorities change once we become a mum and managing this shift
- the value of outsourcing
- why being articulate in asking for help can benefit you
- advice for mums starting their own business
- key skills to have when starting your own business
- Lucy & Carrie share how they find their work/life harmony
I really enjoyed the chat with Lucy & Carrie from Mums & Co and hope you do as well.
Join the Working Mumma Village membership today and join a community of like-minded working mums.
Connect with Mums & Co
- Website
- Instagram @mums.and.co
Connect with Carina O'Brien/Working Mumma
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
- Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
- Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
- LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
As working mums, we often feel like we are forever running a marathon. We get to the end of the day feeling tired and exhausted, only to repeat it all over again the next day. It doesn't have to be like this. The good news, is there are some simple and effective strategies we can adopt to recharge our mind and body to help reduce stress and burnout as I chat with holistic nutritionist, Melissa Finlay.
Mel works with women to show them how food, nutrition as well lifestyle intervention, and self-care can unlock a new level of energy and vitality, and assist with healing from specific issues like postnatal depletion or diagnosed women’s health conditions like endometriosis.
During this episode we chat about:
- Self-care strategies to build into your routine
- Value of taking time for yourself
- Impact on your mind and body from stress and burnout
- Tips to improve your energy levels when you get that 3pm slump
- 3 tips to reduce stress
- Identifying the signs and triggers of stress and you can manage this
- Strategies to help with meal planning
Connect with Melissa Finlay
-
Instagram: @melfinlay_nutritionist
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Websie: melissafinlaynutritionist.com
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
-
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
-
Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
-
LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
This week on the Working Mumma podcast I speak with Sheree Rubinstein, a corporate lawyer turned entrepreneur and the Founder of One Roof. Known as the ‘Queen of Community,’ Sheree is experienced in building businesses, raising capital, and mentoring women along their business journey. Sheree is a mum to Goldie who was born one week into the very first lockdown in Melbourne.
During this episode, Sheree and I talk about the intersection of ambition and motherhood. There will be many relatable moments during this episode relating to wanting to be a mum and have a career. We chat about the ingrained societal systems that influence and impact mothers, along with what policies and structures need to change to improve support for working mothers. Sheree is a big advocate and powerful voice for working mothers and shares her own experiences on overcoming mum guilt, unconscious bias, and challenges as a working mum.
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Village.
Connect with Sheree Rubinstein & One Roof
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Instagram: @shereejaderuby or @weareoneroof
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LinkedIn: Sheree Rubinstein
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
-
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
In this week's episode, I speak with Meditation teacher, Jazz Kalus.
Meditation regularly comes up as something many of the Working Mumma podcast guests do for self-care and I was interested to learn the positive effects can have on our minds and body. As Jazz explains in this episode, meditation can help you have better rest in a 20-minute meditation than a few hours of sleep. It can also help to remove stress in our system reducing anxiety, fatigue, improving focus and overall happiness and well-being.
During this episode we chat about:
- What is meditation?
- How can we manage stress & burnout using meditation
- What are some benefits of meditation
- How can we get started with meditation and what are the key elements
- What role can meditation play in self-care
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Village.
Connect with Jazz
-
Instagram: @jazzkalusmeditation
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Website: jazzkalus.com
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
This week on the podcast I am speaking with Georgie Dent, journalist, editor, speaker, and prominent advocate for parents, families, and women. The former lawyer is the Executive Director of The Parenthood, an independent for-purpose advocacy organisation that represents over 72,000 parents, carers and allies around Australia.
In Australia, we have an incredible education system and for over two decades women have been graduating from university in slightly higher numbers than men. Australia is the number one country in the world for female educational attainment. As Georgie explains, we don't have a skills shortage because when a baby comes into the picture, women are retreating from the workforce as earning less and less money. Whilst fathers often get the 'dad bonus' to work and earn more than ever before and this gap only increases over time. As we discuss in this episode, even though couples may approach family life as equals and they want to share the care, the world they live in doesn't support that. Australia is ranked 70th in the world for female workforce participation, and this is falling each year.
During this episode we talk about:
- The motherhood penalty and the impacts on women
- Systematic changes needed to support female workforce participation
- Discrimination women experience when they announce they are pregnant
- Government policies and attitudes that contribute to women stepping back from the workforce
- Benefits to fathers being actively engaged in caring for their children
- Positive economic impacts of women working
- Importance and positive impacts of good paid parental leave and early childhood education systems and policies
- International examples with supportive policies to support working parents
- How businesses can be the voice of change to support employees
As Georgie mentions "It's only when parents are supported can children thrive".
Be sure to leave a rating & review and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Village.
Connect with Georgie Dent & The Parenthood
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Instagram: @theparenthood
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Facebook
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Website: theparenthood.org.au
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
The financial sacrifice women make in becoming a mum is like the Achilles heel of motherhood. Being on maternity leave for 12 months can have a significant impact on our superannuation when we retire, as I discover during my conversation with financial planner and working mum, Deline Jacovides from Mazi Wealth.
There are a lot of expenses for families at the moment with rising living costs, cost of childcare, and the general cost of raising children. During this podcast episode with Deline, we talk about financial literacy for women, and the financial foundation for any financial plan is having a budget and living within your means. Sounds simple enough, but there are many considerations.
This episode is filled with many great hints, tips, and advice with Deline sharing her knowledge to support working parents. She often talks about planning for your future self and not just today. We are both very passionate about childcare affordability and discuss key areas for improvement to support working parents and the financial considerations.
During this episode we talk about:
- What inspired Deline to start her own business (hint - it's not driven by family)
- How to financially plan for children
- The foundation of a financial plan
- The financial gap for women taking parental leave and tips to overcome this
- Strategies to help improve your superannuation
- We discuss the barriers on why companies don't pay superannuation and improvement ideas
- Why the government should pay superannuation as part of the paid parental leave policy and the long term impacts this would have
- Why working mums are a great value to any organisation
- How to set yourself up financial for the future
I hope you enjoy this episode.
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Village.
Connect with Deline Jacovides
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Instagram: @maziwealth
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Website: maziwealth.com.au
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LinkedIn
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
Disclosures:
Magdeline (Deline) Jacovides is an Authorised Representative (No. 1240373), and Mazi Wealth Pty Ltd ATF Mazi Wealth Trust is a Corporate Authorised Representative (No. 1295178), of Spark Advisors Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 34 122 486 935, AFSL 380552).
General Advice Warning: The information in this podcast and the links has been prepared for general information purposes only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not intended to provide commercial, financial, investment, accounting, tax or legal advice. You should, before you make any decision regarding any information, strategies, or products mentioned on this website, consult a professional financial advisor to consider whether it is suitable and appropriate for you and your personal needs and circumstances. Before making a decision to acquire a financial product, you should obtain and read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) relating to that product, together with the Target Market Determination (TMD).
Relationships can certainly be like a rollercoaster. Then add kids into the picture and they add a whole other dimension to things. there are so many things we need to focus on from kids, to work, to what are we going to have for dinner, and often we may not spend enough time on our relationship with our partner as we need & should.
This week on the podcast I'm speaking with relationship & divorce coach, Sallyanne Hartnell. She helps women who are challenged or struggling in their relationships and helps them through the questions they are asking themselves. Wondering if this is all there is and whether they should stay or go, and is a peaceful divorce possible. During this episode we chat about a range of issues. Even if you have a great relationship there is still some great hints & tips for you that Sallyanne shares.
In this episode we chat about:
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Can you have a successful career and still have a successful relationship?
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Kids bring a whole new level of stress and how can we navigate this as parents
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What to do if we see our relationship is a little bit rocky
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How to have tricky conversations with your partner
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Everyone has a family of origin story and the influence of this on your relationship
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Managing the mental load by co-parenting and as a single mum
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Value of having a great support team and "catchers" as a single mum
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Asking the question "How do you want your relationship to be"
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Tips to co-parenting
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Sallyanne shares her experience as a single working mum & raising kids
Yes - lot's in this episode and it is a great episode with many great insights, tips and advice. If you require support regarding your relationship, please reach out to organisations such as 1800RESPECT or White Ribbon.
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Village membership.
Connect with Sallyanne Hartnell, Reflect Coaching
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Instagram: @reflectcoaching
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Facebook: @Reflectlifecoaching
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Website: reflectcoaching.com.au
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
After the past few years as working mums, we feel like we have been trying to keep everything together to survive work, motherhood, life, and lockdowns. But we deserve to thrive in all parts of our lives.
In this week's episode, I speak with certified Wellness & Mindset Coach, Yoga, and Meditation teacher, Natalie Moore. She supports women to achieve their desired level of health and wellbeing, elevate to their highest potential and connect with their physiology for confidence and energy.
Natalie shares so many great hints on tips on how we can live our best lives and feel good in doing so. It is refreshing to hear someone share that there is no one way to looking after our health and wellbeing. Instead, do what works best for you and it i different for everyone.
In this episode we had a great chat that included:
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Ways to help you define what health & wellbeing means to you
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Asking yourself what does motherhood look like for you and the toolkit to support you in your journey
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Why as mums we may often lose ourselves as we are constantly giving to others and ways to find moments of self-care
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The impact and value on our mindset
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How to connect to yourself and do the things that make you feel good (because you deserve to feel great)
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Impact of societal conditioning as a working mum
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The female advantage
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What is peri-menopause and how we can prepare for it
And sooo much more. I hope you enjoy the chat with Natalie and please like, share or leave a review.
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook or join the Working Mumma Village membership.
Connect with Natalie Moore
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Instagram: @ownyourhealthco
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Website: www.ownyourhealthco.com.au
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LinkedIn
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
With kids starting school and kinder, it mentally marks the start of 2022. With this, it is a great opportunity to reflect, reframe and plan the year ahead. To support you with this, in this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I share with you 5 things to help you kick start 2022.
During this episode, I reference the free Mental Load audit to help you align and review the mental load with your partner/tribe.
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook or join the Working Mumma Village membership.
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
The mental load is one of the top challenges experienced by working mums. There are always too many mental tabs open and it is exhausting.
In this episode, I speak with Mia Northrop and Dinah-Rowe Roberts from Life Admin Life Hacks on how to reduce the mental load and work through your life admin to-do list.
The mental load and life admin can be the cause of stress and anxiety for working parents. Good news, Mia and Dinah have tips, tricks, and advice to share with you on how to reduce your mental load and work through your life admin to-do list. Mia and Dinah give personal examples of how they have been able to reduce their life admin with positive impacts both personally and in their family.
In this episode we chat about:
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the impact of the mental load on working mothers
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influence and impact of patriarchal systems towards women
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how to free up headspace through systems and tools to reduce your life admin
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understanding the four categories of life admin
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the five foundational tools that enable a seamless life admin system
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how to have the discussion with your partner on equalising the mental load in your household
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook or join the Working Mumma Village membership.
Connect with Mia and Dinah from Life Admin Life Hacks
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Instagram: @lifeadminlifehacks
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Website: www.lifeadminlifehacks.com
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Buy their book Life Admin Hacks
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
Many people are exhausted from 2021, experiencing burnout, exhaustion, and fatigue from almost 2 years of living in a world with Covid-19. But, there seems to be optimism when looking to 2022 (stay away new variant!).
It might seem hard to think about 2022 as I'm sure you are looking forward to a well-earned rest over the Christmas holidays. Although, you may have ideas and wishes for next year in your thoughts.
Today's podcast goes through a simple process to help you clearly define 1 goal across your career, family, and personal life to help you move forward in 2022.
The episode is supported by a free workbook to help you go through the process. Print this out and complete it when you have some quiet time to allow yourself to reflect on 2021, your values, and your why to help you define achievable goals for 2022.
2022 Goal setting workbook https://bit.ly/3IN3SPl
Merry Christmas to you and your family. Thank you so much for listening to the Working Mumma podcast this year. I really hope that you have been able to learn something, gain confidence, and know you aren't alone in this crazy world of motherhood and career. I look forward to bringing you more episodes in 2022.
Share your thoughts on the content & topics you would like to see in 2022 - https://forms.gle/g5Lbbmvn8mJi6MCJ9
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook or join the Working Mumma Village membership.
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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Just like there are 4 seasons in a year, there are 4 seasons in a woman's cycle and you can use this to your advantage. In this episode, I speak with leading kinesiologist Ilana Kosakiewicz on how to live in alignment with your cycle and strategies to manage burnout based on her own experiences. I didn't know much about kinesiology prior to this episode but learned so much from Ilana.
Ilana Kosakiewicz is one of Australia’s leading kinesiologists, energy coaches, and yoga and meditation teachers. She is a wholefood lover, entrepreneur with a past life spent working in the corporate world as a CPA accountant.
During this episode, Ilana shares her health journey with chronic fatigue and auto-immune disease and how this has taught her that slowing down, finding moments of stillness, living in the now, and listening to your body’s inner wisdom and intuition are not just important – they are essential.
We also chat about:
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Tools, tips and strategies on using your inner power from living in alignment with your innate cyclical energy, menstrual cycle, and the moon
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Listening to the intuition of your body
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Managing burnout and what Ilana learned from her experiences
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How to manage stress and anxiety on an ongoing basis
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Importance of creating boundaries to ensure we don't burn ourselves out
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Value of self-care
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook or join the Working Mumma Village membership.
Connect with Ilana Kosakiewicz
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Instagram: @ilanak.kinesiology
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Website: www.ilanak.com.au
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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It has been a long year. You aren't alone if you are feeling burnout and limping to the end of the year.
In this episode, I speak with health coach, Nikki Knieriem, owner of Mum-Me Fit Time, a mother of two young boys, part-time primary school teacher, and lover of all things health. She is passionate about helping women to optimise their health by focusing on four main pillars; exercise, nutrition, sleep and stress reduction. Nikki loves helping women to unlock barriers and practice self-care without adding overwhelm or one more thing on the to-do list.
During this episode, Nikki shares her tools, tips, and strategies on how you can use self-care to manage stress and burnout. She understands that time is limited, the to-do list is always long and often your own self-care practices fall further down the priority list.
We chat about:
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Why we should spend time on self-care
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Value of self-care, especially for working mums
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Why self-care isn't just about the massages and instead find the small pockets of time that you can use to fill your cup
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How to prioritise time for self-care
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How to identify what self-care works for you
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Transitioning out of lockdown live into our "new normal"
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook or join the Working Mumma Village membership.
Connect with Nikki Knieriem
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Instagram: @mummefittime
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Website: www.mummefittime.com.au
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
Managing the juggle of career and motherhood has its challenges and having a nutritious meal that our kids will actually eat is a whole challenge itself. It can be stressful working out what to eat with children each night.
In this episode, I speak with Nutritionist Emily Zilic where she shares strategies, tips, and advice on meal planning and preparation.
Emily Zilic is a Nutritionist, wellbeing advisor, financial professional, mama and former competitive athlete. She works with busy families and individuals and corporate organisations who want to transform the way they eat, feel and live with nutrition. Her mission? To simplify nutrition for your wellbeing. Emily believes that when you feel your best, you can give your best. At work, home and play.
We talk about the value of planning your meals ahead of time and how cooking in bulk can save you time on those busy weeknights when everyone is hungry and you need to quickly put a meal on the table. Emily also shares tips on introducing new food to your children and how to lose those covid lockdown kilos. She has recently been trialing food delivery services and shares why she is looking at this for her family and experiences so far.
Emily also reminds us to seek health advice from qualified professionals according to our needs and not follow a trend we might see online relating to our children's eating.
This is a great episode with great tips, tricks and advice on meal planning and preparation to save you time and limit your food wastage.
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook.
Connect with Emily Zilic
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Instagram: @thegoodbiteau
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Website: www.thegoodbiteau.com
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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Have you heard of the term "Matrescence"?
I hadn't until recently.
In today’s episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I am joined by certified Mindset and Life Coach and Matrescence Facilitator, Louise East More to Mum. The focus of our chat is on Matrescence, the journey of becoming a mum.
I wasn’t too familiar with the term, Matrescence prior to speaking with Louise, but I’ve recently seen it referred to many times since. She gives a good overview and understanding of the term, it can give the journey into motherhood and the rollercoaster this can be much more clarity by knowing you aren’t alone and it is normal.
Louise also unpacks what it means to be a mum, the mental models, and societal expectations we place on mothers. We talk about what it's meant to be a “good mom” and with practical tips and advice to help you overcome this. Matrescence is about the journey of becoming a mum and it can last 18+ years, but I don't think we really ever stop being a mum do we?
Have you heard the term Matrescence?
Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app. I'd really appreciate it if you could leave a rating & review.
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook.
Connect with Louise East
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Instagram: @moretomum
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Website: www.moretomum.com.au
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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We often don't talk about recovery after birth and how to prioritize time for looking after yourself with a new bub enough.
It takes ~9 months to have a baby and a similar time to recover. Our bodies are amazing, but we also need to let them heal after birth.
Building up to exercise is important. You don’t go from couch to completing a marathon in one run. You gradually build up to it over time. This is exactly the same as returning to exercise after you have had a baby.
Have you started to exercise again after bub and realised not everything felt as it should? In this episode, I speak with physio Kath Baquie and she explains, our pelvic floor is like a band that has been stretched and we need to allow it time to recover and strengthen again.
Kath and I talk about:
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How our bodies are impacted by pregnancy in ways we don't expect
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Why it is important to do pelvic floor rehabilitation
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Rehab process after vaginal and caesarian births and building up to exercising again
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Periods when you may experience pelvic floor issues and how to manage this
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Why you should have a postnatal assessment before returning to exercise after pregnancy
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Understand what is a pelvic floor assessment
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Tips to incorporate exercise into your everyday life with your children
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook.
Connect with Kath Baquie
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Instagram: @fitnestmama
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Website: www.fitnestmama.com
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
Returning to work after maternity leave can be quite daunting and challenging after having a period of time away. In this episode, I share with you five tips for returning to work after maternity leave.
I like to think that returning to work after maternity leave is a transition. I don't believe you go to work one day, and you have returned after maternity leave. There are many mental and physical transitions that happen well before you open up the computer and log in again.
Enjoy these 5 tips with a special bonus at the end.
Resources mentioned in this episode
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Enroll today in the "Return with Confidence" 4-week program starting week commencing 8 November
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Download "3 steps to Sharing the Mental Load" including a mental load audit
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook.
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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Lockdowns and working from home have benefited many working parents to allow more family time and reduce the office commute. As we enter the next phase of discovering our "new normal", in this episode I speak with Fiona Wilhelm, mother, an Innovation Coach for KPMG’s Australia’s Management Consulting Division, and the co-founder of a Future of Work employee support platform - 3two.
We chat about all things flexible work, how parents can navigate flexible work arrangements in the future work best for them and their families.
As Fiona highlighted people don't "go to work for the money, there's obviously, a base-level survival thing for some people. But at the end of the day, people want meaningful relationships in their lives, they want values alignment, they want to feel like they're making a difference. They want to feel like what they do make some impact. That underlines the approach to the future of work that is employee-driven and fostering the current war for talent.
The lines between work and home have been blurred and flexible work is here to stay. There is now the opportunity for the office space to be reimagined on how it is used and for what tasks. This is doesn't happen very often and should be acted upon to re-evaluate how we work and interact going forward.
Fiona had many great hints, tips, and observations during our chat. As she notes, no one has all the answers. But this episode will leave you thinking about how you want to work going forward and what are your non-negotiables.
Happy listening.
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook.
Connect with Fiona Wilhelm
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Instagram: @fiona.wilhelm
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LinkedIn: Fiona Wilhelm
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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Welcome to Day 3 of the Working Mumma 3 Day Live Event Series. In this episode, I speak with Anne Koopmann-Schmidt and we talk about combating imposter syndrome.
We chat about:
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What is imposter syndrome
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Why we feel we need to know it all, but when we really don't
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Why do people experience imposter syndrome and situations where it appears
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Overcoming the thought "someone is going to find me out"
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Why confidence and mindset are important in overcoming and managing imposter syndrome
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Importance of knowing your strengths and doing inner work
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How you can turn imposter syndrome into a positive
Connect with Anne Koopmann-Schmidt
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Instagram: @annekoopmann_leadlikeyou
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Website: www.annekoopmann.com
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
Welcome to Day 2 of the Working Mumma 3 Day Live Event Series. In this episode, I share with you 3 Steps to Sharing the Mental Load.
The mental load is that feeling like we do everything, the organising, the present buying, planning, we remember everything & seem to bear the emotional labour for running the household and the family around you. Sadly the load isn’t always equal.
Why do women take this on? It might sound a little controversial but one thought is society & the expectations that have been passed down on what we “should” be doing as mothers. Traditionally women stayed at home to look after the family. But, in the 21st century with many women juggling career and motherhood, sadly some of the historical “norms” remain.
Does it have to be like this going forward?
No.
How can it change?
I’ve got strategies and a 3 step framework that I share with you in this episode to create better harmony in sharing the mental load.
DOWNLOAD your free copy of "3 Steps to Sharing the Mental Load" as I talk about in this episode.
Doors are now open to the Working Mumma Village membership. For more information and to join, click here.
Connect with Working Mumma/Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
Each day this week I am doing an Instagram Live and uploading the recording as a podcast episode as I know it can be a little tricky listening to an IGTV.
This is the first IGTV and I spoke with Joyce Watts, a corporate lawyer turned serial entrepreneur. In the past ten years Joyce Watts has started four successful businesses with 2 kids in tow and she is passionate about empowering women to create businesses so that they have the flexibility and freedom to be their own boss while juggling the demands of family life.
We chat about:
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Tips about balancing work and managing the kids during school holidays (which is obviously different to remote learning)
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Outdoor & indoor activities for toddler & primary aged children
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How Joyce juggles work & her family life
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The importance of outsourcing as a business owner and working mum
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And much more!
Doors are now open to the Working Mumma Village membership. For more information and to join, click here.
Connect with Joyce Watts
Instagram: @tothotornot
Connect with Working Mumma/Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
My guest today is Mikhaila Warbuton - the owner of Work It Mumma, a Career Coaching business specially focused on supporting mum’s in the workforce.
When you speak with a like-minded person who is just as passionate as you about supporting working mum's in career and motherhood, the energy is sure to go next level. That is exactly what happened when I spoke with Mikhaila. There is so much packed into this episode and you might need a pen & paper to take notes.
During the episode we chat about:
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Mikhaila's experience of being made redundant 2 days before Christmas and how this was the push she needed to start her own business
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Key lessons from being made redundant
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Why it is important to identify your values, priorities, long term goals, and what brings you joy
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Power of mindset and overcoming mindset blocks
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How to overcome imposter syndrome
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How her priorities changed after becoming a mum
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Sets to identifying and working towards your career goals
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Strategies to have a career pivot
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Job application & interview tips as a working mum
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Power of LinkedIn
It was great to chat with Mikhaila and we covered a lot during this episode.
Doors will open in a few weeks to the Working Mumma Village - be sure to put your name on the waitlist. Click here.
Connect with Mikhaila Warburton
Website: workitmumma.com.au
Instagram: @mikhaila.warburton
Linkedin: Mikhaila Warburton
Connect with me
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
Are you pregnant and soon to bring another child into your family? Do you want to hear a fresh voice that dispells many of the "perfect" parenting approaches and you can be the "good enough" parent? Today's episode is jam packed with so many hints & tips relating to parenting you are going to want to grab a pen & paper to take notes.
In this episode, I chat with Genevieve Muir, an Obstetric Social Worker and Parent Educator at the Mater hospital in Sydney, and also a mother to four beautiful boys. Genevieve is passionate about helping families adapt to the modern parenting world and all its challenges and not only survive but thrive.
During this episode we cover many different parenting topics to help you ditch the "perfect"parenting approach.
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Tips and advice on how to manage the transition from one to two children
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Setting boundaries with children - It’s ok to say no
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Strategies for managing mum guilt & why you only need to be around 30% of the time
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Benefit of defining your values with your partner and what you are trying to create as a family to do what is best for you & your family
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Why the biggest thing that gets in our way with parenting is ourselves
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How we can provide good foundations for our children so they can feel supported, resilient and confident
As a generation of parents, we are trying so hard and we're trying to be so perfect, we're pushing ourselves too hard. If anything we need to dial down that pressure and know that 30% is how much our children need us to be connecting and setting boundaries and being with their emotions. Our kids don't need perfect parents.
Doors will open in a few weeks to the Working Mumma Village - be sure to put your name on the waitlist. Click here.
Connect with Genevieve Muir
Website: connectedparenting.com.au
Instagram: @connectedparentingau
Connect with Working Mumma/Carina O'Brien
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
In today's episode, I am celebrating the 50th episode of the Working Mumma Podcast! Yes, crack the champagne mumma!
I little thought bubble I had almost 2 years ago turned into reality in January 2020! It’s been an amazing experience of learning, engaging, and growing through this platform. I have spoken to amazing people and enjoyed every single discussion I’ve had on the podcast.
Throughout all the episodes I've recorded there are 4 key themes that come up regularly. So, I thought for the 50th episode I’d share these 4 themes with you.
As a birthday present to you, I’ve created a new resource “3 steps to sharing the mental load”. Mums have taken on more of the load over the past 18 months with lockdowns, homeschooling & the rollercoaster of emotions. This resource includes an audit checklist for you & your partner to complete and review who is doing what, end may highlight the amount you are currently doing and things may need to be a little more balanced going forward. It’s available to download now.
Doors will open in a few weeks to the Working Mumma Village - be sure to put your name on the waitlist. Click here.
A big thank you again for your support, engagement & involvement with Working Mumma and the podcast. My dreams are big to support working mums be able to thrive in motherhood & career.
Connect with me
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
During a recent discussion in the Working Mumma Community, the topic of Keeping in Touch days was raised. A number of people weren’t aware of them or found out about Keeping In Touch days after their maternity leave. These are not new and are something that has been around for a number of years.
So, I thought I’d put together this episode for you to give you more details and information on Keeping in Touch days.
During this episode I cover:
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What are Keeping in Touch days?
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Who is entitled to Keeping in Touch days
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How can they be used?
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Examples and ideas of how to use Keeping in Touch days
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Tips for setting up KIT with your employer
Keeping in Touch days is a great way to get a small top-up of funds whilst you are on maternity leave, allow you to have a smooth transition back to work after maternity leave, and remain connected with your employer.
Useful links for more information
Fairwork Australia and Service Australia
Connect with Working Mumma
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
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Join the waitlist for the Working Mumma Village - https://bit.ly/3C66Lrb
Do you feel you have lost some of your identity since becoming a mum? Mums often feel that they give 120% of themselves, and it can be hard to remember why you are doing what you are doing and maintain a sense of yourself.
In this episode, I speak with award-winning business coach for women, Angela Henderson. We talk about maintaining your identity as a working mum and doing what lights you up and brings you joy. Angela is the mum of 2, and has started two successful businesses from scratch all whilst maintaining true to herself on knowing her why.
In this episode we cover a lot:
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How you can be a mum AND run a successful business
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Hear why kids are not 100% of Angela's 'why'
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Learn about Angela's business journey and how she has built her businesses
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Importance of managing your mindset and overcoming imposter syndrome
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Why you should do what lights you up and brings you joy
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Helpful tips and advice if you are thinking of starting your own business
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Discover Angela's secrets for success
I like this quote from Angela during the chat "make choice, take responsibility, keep rocking and rolling”. This was a great and insightful chat with Angela, no wonder she has been so successful in business.
Connect with Angela Henderson
Angela Henderson is an international award-winning business coach for women who helps women in business get all the pieces in place to have consistent 5 figure months and then onto 6/7 figure years without burning out in the process, through her group business coaching or her Mastermind for women.
Website: www.angelahenderson.com.au
The Business and Life Conversations Podcast: Podcast
Facebook Page: @angelahendersonconsulting
Instagram: @angelahendersonconsulting
Linkedin: Angela Henderson Consulting
Connect with me
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
Do you look at your wardrobe looking for inspiration? Has your body changed after having kids? Are you wanting to feel more confident again both inside and out?
This week I chat with mum of 3 and personal stylist, Kamri Hill, owner of Kamri Hill Styling. As a fellow working mum, she understands how our body shape, confidence, and personal style change after children and has a passion to help women feel confident inside and out.
If you are looking for tips and advice on creating your "mum" wardrobe, this episode is for you.
During this episode we chat about:
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Role clothes play in our lives and relate to our confidence
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Why taking the time to plan your wardrobe is an element of self-care and saves you time each day
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How to identify your post-pregnancy/children wardrobe
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How to make the "mummy uniform" suit your lifestyle
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Why every wardrobe needs key basic items
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How to combine a work and mum life wardrobe
Kamri reminds us that our bodies change with children – it isn’t the same post children and that’s ok. “Your wardrobe and closet should be a place of happiness. Everyday we start the day in the wardrobe and it should be a place of joy”.
Kamri is running a 3 day Body Confident Style Challenge starting early August - join today.
It would be greatly appreciated if you could give the Working Mumma podcast a rating and leave a review.
Connect with Kamri
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Instagram: @kamrihillstyling
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Facebook: @kamrihillstyling
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Website: kamrihill.com
Connect with me
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
Sadly the topic of pregnancy loss and infertility is something 1 in 4 women face. But, we don't openly talk about it, and it's our own secret that we feel ashamed to share with others.
My guest today is Dr. Monica Rajasagaram, a medical practitioner, writer, published author, and a life & growth coach for women and young girls.
Dr. Monica Rajasagaram talks openly about her experience of secondary infertility with 5 miscarriages in 3 years. She shares how she navigated pregnancy loss whilst being a mum, wife, and having a successful career. Monica is open and honest in recounting her experience and what she learned along the way that can help other women. As Monica comments, the delivery of bad news & information relating to pregnancy can shape how you manage and deal with the news. Being a doctor herself, receiving the news regarding her pregnancies didn't make it any easier.
We both talk about our experiences of pregnancy loss and reflect that loss needs to be more widely spoken about. This is especially so for women that are trying to fall pregnant and they need to be aware of how common it sadly is and there is help available.
As Monica explains “A loss is a loss, it doesn’t matter if it is your first or third baby. A pregnancy loss is still a pregnancy loss.”
If you have experienced pregnancy loss or know someone that has, this episode will remind you that you aren't alone. Everyone grieves differently has their own journey and that is ok.
If you need to speak with someone, please reach out to Bears of Hope, COPE, or Beyond Blue.
Connect with Monica
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Instagram: @monica.d.r
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Facebook: @drmonicadr
Connect with me
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Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
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Facebook: @workingmummaAU
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Website: workingmumma.com.au
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LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
As working mums, we put so much pressure on ourselves and the mum guilt is real. We are trying to be everything to everyone, but often not achieving what we set out to do.
Good news – it doesn’t have to be this way.
It starts with defining what is important to you and setting boundaries around this and being confident with the boundaries you have set. As I discuss in the latest episode of the Working Mumma podcast, it is ok to say no.
What this episode covers:
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Why having boundaries are important
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What can we set boundaries for
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How can we define boundaries in our lives
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Importance of knowing your "why" in helping define boundaries
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Hints & tips to help create and implement boundaries in your life
I love this Brene Brown quote relating to boundaries “daring to set boundaries, is about having the courage to love ourselves even when we risk disappointing others”
Having boundaries helps working mums manage the many different hats we need to wear.
There is also a special announcement within this episode - you have to listen to hear what exciting news we have coming up at Working Mumma.
Continue the conversation with join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook, connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. I'd love for you to leave a review and rating as well.
Relationships often take a back seat once we have children. Our time and priorities are focused on our kids, but as I discuss with Sheena Schuy in this week's episode, it is important to make time for "couple-care".
Sheena explains, there is so much focus on the birth plan, having a child, and preparing for a baby, many people forget about the person that helped you become a mum in the first place. The relationship between the partners came first and we can't forget this. It is what the family is built on, and a strong foundation between both parents is important to a happy and healthy family unit.
During this episode we discuss:
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How you can prepare your relationship to transition from a couple to parents (even if you already have children)
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Understanding each other's goals and the importance of supporting each other to achieve these
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Sharing the mental load in the relationship
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Discuss the concept of "United parenting"
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Tips and strategies on how to remain connected with your partner
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Knowing and understanding your partners "love language"
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Actionable steps to having a common approach to parenting with your partner
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How to improve your relationship with your partner
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Why you need more fun & rest in your relationship
I like this quote from Sheena during the episode “it’s so easy to lose yourself in parenting – both losing yourself and losing your relationship”.
We need to continuously focus on our relationship during the season of parenting to ensure we remain connected. Sheena gives great actionable tips and strategies that you can implement straight after listening with your partner.
Connect with Sheena on Instagram @savasanacollectiveor go to her website and access all the free resources as mentioned in the episode.
Continue the conversation with me and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook, connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. I'd love for you to leave a review and rating as well.
Let's talk about breastfeeding and pumping at work.
At the end of 2020, I put out a survey to working mums seeking their experiences as working parents across the stages of going on maternity leave, returning to work, and managing the juggle. The results are very interesting and I'll release the report shortly.
One topic that regularly came up was the lack of support employers gave in regards to breastfeeding and expressing at work. Many women reported that they weren't supported or provided a reasonable space which is against the law.
The decision to express at work is an entirely personal decision.
During this episode I share with you:
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Personal experience of pumping after I returned to work
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Tips for pumping after you return to work from maternity leave
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Go through 5 facts to support you in conversations with your employer regarding your wish to pump
As a working mum, I know how stressful it can be returning to work both for you and your child. Remember fed is best.
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook, connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Time is important for everyone, especially working mums managing the juggle of career, motherhood, and self-care. Every working mum wishes they could find extra hours in the day to cross off their ever-extending to-do list. In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I speak with the Productivity coach and your ultimate wing woman, Hollie Barac.
During the episode, Hollie gives actionable tips, strategies, and advice on how you can be most productive and can implement these today. As Hollie explains “working mums have an innate ability to plan even if we aren’t natural planners”.
Hollie shares that productivity is not working 100 hours, it’s not being a slave to your desk. Productivity is making the best use of your time, whatever that may be. This will be different for everyone as some people are most productive in the morning, whilst others are at night. Hollie shares her experience of extreme burnout during 2020 after not taking her own advice and how she is now listening to her mind & body.
This conversation with Hollie changed my perception and thinking towards productivity. Rather than looking outward, it involves looking inward and doing what is best for you at the time.
Connect with Hollie on Instagram @holliebarac or go to her website.
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook, connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Feel like you are doing everything for everyone in your family and not getting much help?
Mum's take on more of the mental/emotional load. We remember the school activities, birthdays, and what food we have run out of. No wonder we feel like we have a million things going on at any one time, it's because we do.
BUT we don't have to carry the load on our own. It can be shared with your partner or tribe around you.
In this episode I share 5 ideas for sharing the mental load.
Link to the New York Times article "Why Women Do the Household Worrying".
Continue the conversation with the Working Mumma Community
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook, connect with on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
This episode is packed with so many gems of gold and inspiration to help you, Mumma on the topic of self-care. It is a must-listen what with Lisa Kroesche Boyce, founder of The She Rebellion and she empowers women to reclaim their power with confidence and calm.
Lisa and I talk about the important topic of self-care and how as busy working mums we can take control of the actions, feelings, and purpose that drive self-care to enable you to nurture, honour and grow in yourself. As Lisa reminds us, we were a person before we became a mum and you deserve to find that person again.
Self-care doesn't need to be something that you practice for months apart. Lisa shares strategies on how to build little self-care practices into your daily routine to help you Mumma.
Tune in to hear:
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Discussion on "what is self-care"
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Lisa lifting the veil on self-care
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Why you can't give to people if you can't give to yourself
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Strategies to look inward rather than outward for self-care practice
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How to allow yourself to see what lights you up to determine what self-care strategies work for you
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Why knowledge is power
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Why women should value themselves more
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And so much more
Remember that self-care is caring for yourself - you can't pour from an empty cup.
Connect with Lisa
Lisa has also just release a book 'When I look up at my Mum I see' - A female empowerment children's picture book created to encourage open conversations with our children about who their mother is when standing in her true power as a woman. To order https://www.thesherebellion.com/book
Connect with Lisa on Instagramand Facebook.
Continue the conversation with the Working Mumma Community
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook, connect with on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
The age-old question "what's for dinner?" is something that haunts every parent. In this episode, I share with you a simple but effective framework to help you meal plan a month in advance in under 30 minutes.
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
This week marks a big milestone for me & that is that it's my first week of maternity leave. It's my second maternity leave & I have to say I've approached it differently from my first leave and had 2 very different experiences.
Whilst things are fresh and before I have baby number 2, I wanted to share with you tips to help you prepare for parental leave with confidence.
Looking for ways on how you can build your personal brand to have your dream career. Have you recently returned from maternity leave and looking to position yourself for future opportunities. Or wanting tips and advice on how you can develop your career. This episode with Sarah Makris will provide you with tips and advice on how you can do just this. Sarah helps senior executives elevate their professional brand, be recognised and valued in their industry, and attract their dream role. Throughout this podcast she helps you do just this.
During this episode we cover:
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How Sarah designed a career & business that fit around her family
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Why you should set goals at the start of the year that aren't too easy but may put you out of your comfort zone
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How to set career goals that you may not achieve in the next year, but taking steps to achieve in the next few years
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Talk about staying relevant and employable whilst having a family
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Why you should be always taking steps to build your personal brand and identity - even when you are on maternity leave
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Tips and tricks on how to use LinkedIn to develop your personal brand and value
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Suggestions on how to position yourself for part-time work
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Discuss Sarah's actionable framework on how to build your personal brand
As Sarah mentions during the podcast - if you have built your brand, you can have whatever career you want. Connect with Sarah Makris on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/sarah-makris/ or Instagram @sarahmakrisaustralia. Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
In this episode I speak with Taryn Wrezounik - a sleep consultant, mum, wife & business owner. She is a huge believer in the power of turning inward and empowering yourself to be, do & have everything that you could dream of - as well as being a mum.
I speak with Taryn about navigating the identity shift after becoming a mum. We talk about loosing your sense of self as a new mother and how we can regain our identities. Hear how you can take steps to regain your identity and define what parenting means to you.
We also talk about mum guilt and how we can change our mindset and the stories we tell ourselves around this topic that impacts all mothers at some stage. Taryn shares strategies on how to overcome mum guilt.
I like this quote from Taryn in the episode "There is nothing to stop us from following our dreams, only our own limiting beliefs and mindset "
Connect with Taryn Wrezounik via Instagram at @themotherload_co.
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
This week I speak with Mim Dart who provides strategies on how to reduce the overwhelm of motherhood.
Mim is a lifestyle coach who focuses on the overwhelm of motherhood. She explains that motherhood doesn't have to feel overwhelming and as mothers, we are allowed to have a positive experience of motherhood. We get so many mixed messages about motherhood, especially from social media, and this leads us to compare ourselves to others and increases the feelings of overwhelm and believe that we "should" be showing up in certain ways. These feelings can be debilitating, but as you will hear during the episode with Mim, they don't have to be.
We discuss strategies you can use immediately to manage the overwhelm. A big part of this is about reflecting on what is important to you and your family and staying focused on this and blocking out all the external messages. Mim explains the season of motherhood can last >18 years and we don't deserve to spend this time feeling exhausted, burnt out, and unhappy. We deserve to live over a quarter of our lives happy and living our best lives possible.
The good news, you can choose how you want to feel in motherhood and curate a life that aligns with this. It is ok to feel good during motherhood.
We also talk about the importance of self-care and looking after ourselves as mothers. So much of the family's mood and culture comes from the parents, particularly the mothers. If you are feeling good Mumma, then it is likely that the rest of the family will feed off this energy. This shows the importance of filling your cup and the impact this has on those around you.
Connect with Mim Dart via her website, Facebook or Instagram.
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
In this week's episode I speak with Melinda Chaponnel to learn about job sharing and how this has advanced her career.
Mel has a corporates finance background in large corporates. She has experienced 2 successful job share arrangements, across 2 different companies and multiple roles. During this episode she shares her experiences, advice and tips for all topics relating to job sharing. You will quickly discover why Mel is an advocate for job sharing and why it should be more widely considered by organisations and not just for working mothers.
Connect with Melinda via LinkedIn.
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Share your experiences as a mum managing the juggle in the annual Working Mumma Survey. Survey closes Tuesday 3 November.
This week on the podcast I speak with Yvette Sitters, founder of Manage My Wedding.
Yvette had a long career working in hotel events, spending a large portion of her career at the Hilton London on Park Lane. Prior to kids she had aspirations of becoming the GM of a Hotel. But, 6 weeks into her maternity leave she came to the realisation that she didn't want to work for someone else and wanted to create a life and business around her family. Over the next 2.5 years she developed an app that she launched when her 2nd daughter was 12 weeks old.
During this episode Yvette has many great tips and advice for fellow working mums (not only if you have a business) around productivity, managing the mental load and self-care.
We discuss: * Yvette's career journey to date * Managing identity shift once she became a mum and how her priories changed * Challenges she has overcome (including her inner critic) to create her business * How she has created a business around her family * Planning approach to align to her work/life harmony * Managing the mental load * Advice for working mums looking to start their own business (including when is the right time to start - now!) * Mindset shift with having own business * Important of self care and how Yvette goes about this each day
I like this quote from Yvette during the podcast on the realisation she didn't want to go back to her corporate role "the driver was to be at home with 2 girls and make decisions for family to be where I wanted when I wanted and not on someone else's terms"
Connect with Yvette and Manage My Wedding via her website, Facebook or Instagram.
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community on Facebook, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
This episode is supported by a free e-Book "10 steps to help you transition from parental leave to pay day" . I'll also be launching a mini course early in 2021 on Returning to Work that will support you through this process in much greater detail. Click here to join the waitlist.
Today I speak with Aparna Sundar on how to get organised at home.
Aparna is a KonMari consultant and in this episode we talk about how organising your home can have positive influences on your whole life. When we set up the discussion I thought the topic of home organisation was going to be about cleaning room by room, but as Aparna quickly made me realise it is so much more. We need to look at organising holistically and it is more of a mindset shift than anything else, thinking about your future self and organising is only a small part of that.
During the episode we cover: * 6 steps to the KonMari(TM) method and how you can implement these today in your own home * Talking about the common myths and challenges when it comes to home organisation * Overcoming our own limiting beliefs * Organisation tips for baby, children, food preparation and storage * Involving children from a young age in home organisation and the benefits of toy rotation
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Connect with Aparna via her website or on Instagram @globalmindfuljourney
Check out the free 10 Strategies to Managing the Juggle to help you navigate work, family & you time.
When we are pregnant about to go on maternity leave, we aren't really thinking about the return, instead focused on discovering our new role as a mum. Returning to work after a period of time on maternity leave is another big milestone and transition in our personal and professional lives. It is mixed with a wide range of emotions from lack of confidence, uncertainty to looking forward to going to the toilet on your own, adult conversation and everything in between.
Returning to work can have its own challenges and you aren't alone in experiencing these. During today's podcast I speak with executive coach, trainer and facilitator, Jo Gobbo on getting our mojo back after maternity leave.
Jo shares her experiences of returning to work after the birth of her son and shares her emotions in this journey. We cover a broad range of topics during the podcast episode including: * Confidence change with motherhood then returning to work * How to improve your confidence * Managing and being aware of the emotions that come about in the transition back to work * Importance of sharing the mental load with your partner * Factors that cause women to loose confidence prior to returning to work and strategies to overcome this * The concept of a "blended" identity for working parents merging our work and family lives - something that has been elevated due to Covid-19 * Impact of limiting beliefs and how we can overcome these * Example of a working mum who doubted her confidence and skills but after working on these she has been able to overcome her own limiting beliefs to take on a more senior position * How managers can support working parents, especially women, who have parental leave transition back into the organisation successfully and with confidence * Transition back to work, requires mental and emotional preparation
We covered a lot on a topic we are both passionate about.
Connect with Jo via Instagram or LinkedIn.
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
This episode is supported by a free e-Book "10 steps to help you transition from parental leave to pay day" . I'll also be launching a mini course later this year on Returning to Work that will support you through this process in much greater detail. Click here to register.
This podcast episode I speak with Amanda Bowles, co-founder of Bears of Hope.
Trigger warning - this episode discusses pregnancy loss and may bring up emotions. If you need to speak with someone, please reach out to Bears of Hope, COPE or Beyond Blue.
The focus of the episode is navigating and managing pregnancy loss as well as how support people can best help the bereaved family. If you are the 1 in 4 women that have experienced pregnancy loss or know someone who has and wants to understand a little more what they are feeling and how you can help, this episode is for you. This is a very personal episode for me as my husband and I experienced pregnancy loss in February 2020 when we were told at our 13 week scan our unborn child had a rare medical abnormality and we made the hardest decision to terminate the pregnancy for medical reasons. During this experience, I was sent a bear by my mother's group from Bears of Hope and this introduced me to this supportive organisation and Facebook groups to support families that have experienced pregnancy and infant loss. It continues to be my safe zone with people that have been through similar experiences. The episode covers two central themes - the first for people that have experienced loss and the second for friends & family and how they can actively support the bereaved family. During this podcast we cover: * Emotions associated with grief and loss of a child * Discuss the question "why us" * Subsequent (rainbow) pregnancies, the emotions associated and tips on how to manage this * Connection with a child you were unable to meet * Managing grief between partners * Seeking help is a strength not a weakness * Advice for support networks on how they can actively help * Tips on how support networks can help * Advice on what to say to people that have experienced loss * Discuss the magical "12 week" milestone of a pregnancy to let people know you are pregnant I recorded this episode with two intentions. The first for families that have experienced loss know that you aren't alone, and secondly to help the support network learn how they can actively help a friend or family member. I hope this episode helps you in some way. Please reach out to Bears of Hope to discover more about this supportive organisation and the resources and support they have available. If you know someone that has experienced loss I encourage you to purchase a Bear of Hope.
In a competitive job market, having a standout job application is critical. For this week's podcast I'm excited to be joined by resume and career coach, Ashlee Thomas.
She is a busy working mum of 2 boys and runs her own successful business focused on helping women find their next role in a flexible environment.
Given the market and economy we currently live in with over 1 million Australians out of work, and it was already challenging for working mums to find a job that fit their career and lifestyle goals, this chat with Ashlee has so many hints, tips and advice for people wanting to stand out from other candidates.
During this podcast we cover:
•Ashlee's career & parenthood journey so far •What to and what not to include in a resume •How long a resume should be •Importance of having an active and current LinkedIn profile •Advice on re-entering the workforce after a period of time on parental leave •New skills mothers have gained since becoming a mum and the value of these to the workplace •Overcoming confidence and going for the role even when you believe you don't have all the skills on the position description •Changing careers and focus after becoming a mum •Importance of seeking out your ideal organisations to work for •Interview advice and how to form engagement with the interview panel •Why you should be interviewing the organisation as much as they are interviewing you to ensure it is a good fit
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Connect with Ashlee via her website, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Check out the free 10 Strategies to Managing the Juggle to help you navigate work, family & you time. I'll be launching a mini course later this year on Returning to Work that will support you through this process in much greater detail. Click here to register.
In today's podcast, I take you through 10 steps to help you prepare for your upcoming return to work so you will feel confident and ready to manage the juggle of career and family.
Returning to work can be challenging. The person you were at work pre-baby is a little (or possibly a lot) different to the current version of you. The you that's returning to work has an additional role title and along with the amazing perk of unconditional love, comes a seemingly endless list of new role responsibilities!
As you consider your return to work you may find that you have a new way of thinking. Babies impact our lives in sooo many ways, beyond what we may have ever expected. You've been looking after this new little human who is entirely dependent on you. Just as parental leave was a huge adjustment, returning to work is another major adjustment in the journey. With this, comes a whole new range of challenges, so it helps to be mentally prepared for this as possible.
Before getting started, if you have the opportunity, grab a pen & paper as I've got lots of little gems throughout this podcast and if it's possible find a quiet space free from interruptions so that you can focus on you.
This episode is supported by a free e-Book "10 steps to help you transition from parental leave to pay day" . I'll also be launching a mini course later this year on Returning to Work that will support you through this process in much greater detail. Click here to register.
Before we get into it, I will also say that everyone has a different journey and experience of returning to work, just like parenthood. I know it might not all be a smooth transition and I know this from first hand experience. But, hopefully this podcast helps you prepare mentally, emotionally, physically and with your employer to make it as smooth as possible.
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Check out the free 10 Strategies to Managing the Juggle to help you navigate work, family & you time.
Today I speak with Dr. Sarah Gleeson, based in Goondiwindi Queensland with her husband & three boys aged 3.5, 5 and 6.5. Sarah works at the Goondiwindi Medical Centre as a GP, at the Boggabilla Community Health Clinic & at the Goondiwindi Hospital in the Emergency & Obstetrics departments. She also teaches medical students at The University of Queensland Rural Clinical School.
After several busy years both personally & professionally, Sarah had decided that 2019 was going to be her year of saying 'no' to new projects. But when her sister Liz approached her with the idea for Family HQ, she said yes without hesitation and over the next 14 months has worked with Liz to develop the ultimate health management app for busy families.
During this episode we discuss:
•Sarah's career pathway to where she is today •How she juggles a busy life as a doctor and being a mum to 3 boys •Tips and advice for sharing the mental load with her husband •How people have paved the way before her to have flexible work arrangements and supportive workplace culture •Discuss the myth 'does childcare help build up a child's immunity?' •When to send your kids to childcare/school vs keep them at home if sick •Medicine options for children and when to use ibuprofen vs paracetamol •Recording medicine dosage and why you should do this (especially with more than 1 child) •Why paracetamol is the leading cause of Liver failure for children in developed countries •Talk about Sarah's solution to help parents with administering and recording medicine - FamilyHQ
Key piece of advice - use a single brand & single strength for consistency - so you know every time you pull out the medicine that you know what dose you should have.
About FamilyHQ Family HQ is an all-in-one solution for families to give parents peace of mind when they need it most. It has been designed by a nurse and a doctor who are mums to 5 boys. It's a cloud-based app that enables 2 parents/carers to accurately record and securely share relevant, real-time information about their child's health and medication dosage/timing.
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Connect with Sarah via the FamilyHQ website, Instagram @dr_sarah_gleeson or trial the FamilyHQ app.
Check out the free 10 Strategies to Managing the Juggle to help you navigate work, family & you time.
I know when I was about to go on maternity leave I was a mix of emotions. I was looking for ideas, hints and tips on how to prepare both emotionally as well as physically for maternity leave. Needless to say I made it up as I went. I hope this episode with 12 tips to help you prepare for maternity leave helps you as I wish I had been given these tips before I went on leave.
Going on maternity leave is an emotional time. You have worked for a number of years, it has been a big part of your life working 40+ hours, 5 days a week and consuming much of your time. The prospect of maternity leave you will be stepping away for a period of time and handing over your work to another person can be difficult, you aren't alone if you are having trouble letting go. This period allows you time to reflect on your career so far and what you have enjoy and achieved so far. It also allows you time to consider the new challenge of motherhood and role as a parent. If you are a first time parent, there are many unknowns and the feeling of trepidation - this is entirely normal.
By having some time to stop and reflect on your maternity leave and how you would like it to work, will help both you and your employer so you can manage the leave period. It also allows you to process how you are feeling and if there are any areas that are causing you anxiety, speaking to someone prior to the birth would be recommended.
Enjoy this episode and best of luck with your upcoming birth and maternity leave.
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Check out the free 10 Strategies to Managing the Juggle to help you navigate work, family & self care.
Until next time, have a great week.
Today I speak with Sarah Purvey, a Clinical Psychologist, practice owner of Eastern Shore Psychology, author of Keep Sane and Parent On, Positive Birth Program Facilitator and mother to a 6 yo and 4yo girls.
We recorded this podcast in early July 2020 prior to the current outbreak of covid-19 in Melbourne. It is very timely and has many hints and tips for people that might be experiencing anxiety during this time. If this episode is a trigger for you, please reach out to Beyond Blue, COPE, a psychologist or your GP to assist. As you will hear it is a strength to seek help and not a weakness.
During this episode Sarah and I discuss:
•Sarah's family set up with her husband as a stay at home dad •Defining anxiety •What can we do if we recognise if we are experiencing anxiety - self helps and seeking help strategies are discussed •Managing anxiety during Covid-19 •Sharing the mental load between couples and how important this is especially for new parents and ongoing when raising children •Striving for being a "good enough" parent rather than perfect •Managing mum guilt when returning to work after maternity leave •Managing expectations of new mum during parenting journey
There is a lot covered in this episode and I hope you enjoy everything we cover.
If you are in Melbourne this episode might be of extra interest given the current stage 4 lockdown measures. I'm in this with you and hope you and your family stay safe.
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Connect with Sarah via her website, Instagram @sarahpurveypsychologist or her book "Keep Sane and Parent On"
Check out the free 10 Strategies to Managing the Juggle to help you navigate work, family & you time.
Until next time, have a great week.
Today I speak with Anne Koopmann, a leadership coach, who works with individuals and organizations to empower courageous leaders, and fellow working mum.
A big take away for me from this episode is the need to focus on and "leaning into" your strengths. We all can't be great at everything and we need to unlearn what we are taught about focusing on our weaknesses and instead focus on what we are good at because as working mums we often don't do this enough and we gain so much confidence from developing our strengths.
During this podcast we talk about:
•Resilience and confidence •Taking ownership of your own life and to realize that what you do is your choice •Why we should focus on our strengths and less on our weaknesses (even though we have been taught to do the opposite) •Why knowing your strengths can improve your confidence •Telling ourselves that we can't all be great at everything and it is normal to have weaknesses but not to focus too much on these and instead embrace your strengths •The 7 c's in the resilience toolbox •Tips and strategies for recognising your strengths •Working on your inner self and improving your self awareness •Knowing and understanding your circle of control
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Connect with Anne via her website, on LinkedIn on Instagram @annekoopmann_leadlikeyou
Check out the free 10 Strategies to Managing the Juggle to help you navigate work, family & you time.
Until next time, have a great week.
What does work/life balance mean to you? Some call it balance, some integration, others harmony, but with a similar meaning.
In today's episode I don't give you the magic wand of what balance is as I don't believe there isn't one. But, I would like to give you tools and strategies to help you determine what your balance is, what does your dream day of work/life integration mean to you and how you can work towards achieving this. Importantly we talk about defining what works for you mumma and your family.
I think some form of balance and integration is the north star of every working parent, to have balance between work and life. Everyone has a different story and approach, so my aim for this episode is not tell you what balance/integration/harmony looks like, but to help you define what it means for you and your family. We only have one life so we might as well make it the best one we can.
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Check out the free 10 Strategies to Managing the Juggle to help you navigate work, family & you time.
Until next time, have a great week.
Today I speak with Tash Guthrie, founder of The Time Creator, and fellow working mum.
Tash is a productivity mentor, and the visionary behind The Time Creator planner, podcast, community (and soon-to-be membership). She believes that everyone has the power within them to live the life they truly desire, free of overwhelm, burden and stress. Tash helps busy, time-poor women to take control of their day by improving their productivity and time management skills to ultimately create more time for the people and things they love most.
During this episode we talk about:
•Transition from 0 to 1 children and the expectations we put on ourselves as new mothers •How planning helps us identify what is important and to shape our lives around this •Where you can start in the planning process, even if you think you don't have the time to focus on planning •We discuss mindset change to time management and productivity •Positive impact of Covid-19 in allowing us to re-evaluate our lives and look at what is important •Be/Do/Have concept •What you can plan - the options are endless •Tips on how to gain more time and harmony in your life •Five pillars to work life harmony •Three tips to work life harmony •Knowing your primary and secondary hats
There are so many great tips and advice from this episode with Tash.
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Connect with Tash her website or on Instagram @Tash_Guthrie
Check out the free 10 Strategies to Managing the Juggle to help you navigate work, family & you time.
Until next time, have a great week.
In this episode I discuss 10 strategies you can implement straight away to help you in managing the juggle of career, family and life.
The strategies are curated from advice given by fellow working mothers when they have kindly shared their stories of managing a career, family and life. Read the stories.
Let's get into the ten strategies to allow you to feel more confident in managing the juggle of career, motherhood and life.
Check out the free resource to support this episode - Download 10 Strategies to Managing the Juggle.
I profile a working mum each week and tell her story of her parenting journey so far. Share your story today.
Continue the conversation and join the free Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Today I speak with Carmen Pascoe, co-founder of SitClique. Carmen and I talk about selecting child care and managing the transition for both you and your child. There are many great tips and advice relating to child care during this episode.
During this episode we talk about:
•Variety of options for child care •4 questions to ask yourself when determining child care options to meet the needs of your family •Why we need different care options outside traditional hours •Questions to ask when speaking with potential educators •Overcoming mum guilt in managing the child care transition •Managing the transition for you and your child •Backing your gut instinct - your children are the most important thing in your life
Download 50 questions you should ask when selecting child care.
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Connect with Carmen and SitClique via their website, Facebook or Instagram.
Today I speak with Vanessa Vanderhoek, founder of The FlexAgility Group and launched National Flexible Working Day in 2017 to celebrate and showcase how flexible working can (and does) work. During the conversation we covered many topics relating to flexible work with many practical tips and strategies.
During this episode we talk about:
•Vanessa's career journey and how she came about launching National Flexible Working Day •Understanding your "Golden Thread" and how this led Vanessa to have a career pivot to focus on her strengths and passions •The notion of a portfolio career •Flexibility isn't just about having children and people seek flexible arrangements for a variety of reasons - Health & welling being, looking after older parents, caring for children, productivity and many more reasons •The four categories of flexible work •Survey results that show the number one people want flexible work arrangements is health & wellbeing, followed by productivity then caring for children •Advice on the transition to flexible work and re-negotiating arrangements post covid-19 •Tips on negotiating flexible work with your manager to be a "win-win" for both employee & employer •Examples of organisations with good policies and approach to flexible work •Talk about what the future of work will look relating to flexible work
During our conversation, I like this quote from Vanessa "Let's not forget this is about moderninsing our approach to work, yes remote work is a key part of it, but we need to look more holistically to say ok flexible work is the way of working (the new way of working)."
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. If you are on parental leave, be sure to download my free 10 Step Guide to Return to Work.
Connect with Vanessa on LinkedIn or her business The FlexAgility Group and find out more about National Flexible Work Day or on LinkedIn.
In this solo episode I share with you 5 tips for a successful return to work after isolation.
COVID-19 came upon us like an unexpected storm the experts never saw coming. One week we were going about our lives as normal then suddenly the following week we found ourselves home-schooling and living in isolation. We are living through history.
As we are starting to come out of self isolation, we are at the beginning of the end. I've had friends comment that during isolation they enjoyed "slowing down". Pre-isolation we would often comment that we were busy. But do we need to be so busy? Busy shouldn't necessarily be a badge of honour. This gives us the opportunity to reassess our lives to understand what the "new normal" means for us.
Enjoy this episode as I share with you five things that can help you prepare for returning to the office and life after self isolation.
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Vessy Tasheva is the founder of Vessy.com, culture and D&I consultancy. Vessy has authored two editions of her Diversity in the Workplace Report and was named by Hive Learning as one of 2019's most influential D&I Leaders globally.
On this episode of the podcast we discuss the current times of uncertainty and ways to stay connected, energized, and productive whilst work remotely and dealing with isolation and loneliness. Vessy discusses the change in focus from organisations on mental health from being a low priority 2 years ago to the number one focus during Coronavirus. Organisational culture has also been impacted and we talk about the importance of effective communication. Lastly Vessy gives her insights into the Future of Work and what we might expect following Covid-19.
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Connect with Vessy on LinkedIn or her website
Today's guest is Meaghan J Smith. She is a life coach for women who want to make change and the host of the Money Mindful podcast and book club, both created as a space for women to learn about money and mindset.
Meaghan started out her career as a photographer, then found herself as a teacher and in the past 6 months has made the transition to life coach and podcast host. During the Meaghan shares her experience and advice in changing careers to suit her family. We then discuss how to have a money mindset and educating people on money to be good role models for their children. Lastly Meaghan gives insights into how she has overcome challenges in being a working mum.
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Connect with Meaghan on Instagram @moneymindfulpodcast, Facebook or her website
Today's guest is a holistic pediatric sleep coach, Hala Merola where we talk all things sleep for newborns, babies, and toddlers.
Please note, at the beginning of the episode the topic of depression and anxiety is raised. If this impacts you in some way, please speak to someone such as experts from Beyond Blue, COPE or Lifeline.
As you will soon discover, Hala is so passionate about helping parents with their child's sleep issues. Amazingly she also has another job on top of being a mum and wife.
At the start of the conversation, we talk about the challenges Hala has faced in becoming a mum. She shares her experience of post-natal depression, how she was forced (reluctantly) by her husband to seek help as he was witnessing the effect it was having on her and her son, and the impact PND had on their early relationship. Today, she is a big advocate on seeking help and comments on how the stigma of mental health has changed in 6.5 years.
During the discussion we talk about:
•Importance of interviewing sleep consultants prior to working with them to ensure your values align •Look at sleep holistically, there are many factors that impact sleep •Discuss age appropriate techniques & routines for sleep and settling •Managing transition to childcare and change in routine - good news, the child will adapt •Separation anxiety impacting sleep •Sleep regressions (including the dreaded 4 month sleep regression) •Difference between self settling and self soothing •Managing the transition from cot to bed •What to dress our children in •Talk about swaddling and sleep suits •The fourth trimester •And so much more
As Hala says "Nothing will ever prepare you for the type of child you will have, every child is unique".
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. If you are on parental leave, be sure to download my free 10 Step Guide to Return to Work.
Connect with Hala on Instagram @sleepsweetconsulting, Facebook or her website.
Today's guest is Catherine Brooks, a senior employment lawyer, Accredited Specialist in Workplace Relations and Associate-Director of the innovative New Law firm, Law Squared, a published author and mother to two young boys.
Understanding your legal rights as working mothers is an area many people are unsure about. Throughout this episode, Catherine gives great insights and simple techniques you can apply today.
During this episode of the podcast we discuss:
•Key aspects of the JobKeeper government stimulus package •Consider what the future workplace may look like post covid-19 •Three steps to negotiating flexible work post coronavirus •The positive effect of sharing stories of parental leave, particularly when fathers take extended leave •Maternity leave - keeping in touch provisions •Tips to remain engaged with your organisation whilst on maternity leave •Discuss redundancies during maternity leave •Scandinavian parental leave policies and how they promote flexible work and equal parental leave
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. If you are on parental leave, be sure to download my free 10 Step Guide to Return to Work.
Connect with Catherine on Instagram @letsmakeitworkbaby or on LinkedIn.
Today's guest is Kate Toon, speaker, author, SEO lover, copywriter and podcast host. We recorded this podcast pre-covid-19 but all the topics are discussed as just as relevant today as they were 2 months ago.
Kate started her business when she was five months pregnant with her son. Over the past 11 years she has been able to craft her multiple businesses to align with her family needs. She has great insights, tips and expertise to share on all topics relating to the juggle.
We cover topics such as:
•Why Kate decided to start a business after a successful corporate career •Discuss the realities of mum guilt and how she overcomes this •How she has built the business around the hours she wants to work •Parenting challenges, especially early on with a young child and growing a business •The guilt of enjoying work and having a career •Merging the worlds of parenting and work •Concept of in-sourcing with children •Mindset as a working mum •Understanding your strengths •LinkedIn tips •Enjoying the struggle and not just the end result
I enjoyed this quote from Kate you are "Perfectly capable of being a great mum & having a great job".
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. If you are on parental leave, be sure to download my free 10 Step Guide to Return to Work.
Connect with Kate on Instagram @katetoon and head to her website for more information.
This week's podcast is a recording of an Instagram Live with Tiffany from Inspire.Learn.Teach at the start of April. We took questions during the chat so you will hear us making a shout out to people and answering those questions.
It was a great conversation with Tiffany, that I wanted to ensure that if you missed the Instagram Live, you were still able to hear all the gems of wisdom Tiffany spoke about on all things relating to homeschooling. I caught up with friends on zoom last Friday night and they told me they watched the Instagram Live and felt more assured and confident about homeschooling after hearing Tiffany. I hope you are able to feel the same after listening to this episode.
We cover many topics including:
•Meeting the emotional needs of your children •Reminding ourselves that as parents we were our childs first teacher •Setting up learning at home •How to prioritise what to teach (do the hard stuff first!) •How to teach a subject you have no idea about •Structuring the day •The importance of play •Managing different aged children and meeting their education needs •The need to remove expectations on yourself •Discuss the school of life
I know there is a lot going on in your world, so please mumma, take a moment, take a deep breath in and exhale. You are not expected to be a teacher, remove all expectations of yourself. Focus on you and your family first.
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. If you are on parental leave, be sure to download my free 10 Step Guide to Return to Work. Connect with Tiffany on Instagram @inspire.learn.teach.
I hope this episode finds you safe and healthy. In this episode, I chat with business coach Emma McQueen talking about improving your confidence, knowing your strengths and managing your mindset. Emma describes herself a little bit like "Pollyanna" because she likes to see the good in every situation and this is evident during our conversation.
Emma has been working from home for 3 years and during this episode provides great insights and experiences both from the perspective as her role as a business coach and personal stories as a mother of 3 girls.
In this episode we talk about:
•Improving your self confidence as a working mum and return to work after parental leave •How to determine your strengths •Knowing your strengths and working on these is like lipstick, you need to keep on reapplying •Working from home & being productive with kids in this "new normal" •Importance of having a routine & communication •How mindset is important working from home •Focusing on what you can control during Covid-19 •Discussing our new normal and how this may change the workforce in the future
During the episode when we are talking about adjusting to working from home, Emma mentions "if we would not do it in the office, would we do it at home" which is a handy mindset to have.
Links mentioned in this episode
•Free strengths finder - https://www.viacharacter.org/survey/account/register •Emma McQueen "Work from Home Schedule"
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. If you are on parental leave, be sure to download my free 10 Step Guide to Return to Work. Connect with Emma on Instagram @emmarmcqueen and head to her website for more information. Be sure to get yourself a copy of her new book "Go-Getter".
Looking for ways to stay fit and healthy during COVID-19 then this episode is for you.
With so many aspects of our lives feeling like they are out of our control, it is important to then focus on the items that we can. One aspect we can control is our fitness, our health, and our well-being. The good news is that we can still exercise, in our own home AND we don't need gym equipment to do this as today's guest Laura Martin explains.
A key takeaway from our discussion is 'focusing on what you can control'. Even though many of us are now living a large proportion of our day at home, it is still possible and very important to remain active. This has benefits for your physical as well as mental health.
Often in times of stress, we use food as a comfort. Laura gives tips on healthy eating and a one-day meal plan to help you and your family.
We talk about strategies to help you manage your mindset which is so important in times like we are living. This is also where exercise plays a big part as well.
Stay healthy and active in mind & body Mumma - if we all work together we can get through this.
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow on LinkedIn Connect with Laura on Instagram @thefitmamalifestyle and head to her website for more information on her programs.
We often hear what it is like for mothers on parental leave and managing career and parenthood, but rarely do we hear from the father. In this episode we do just that!
I chat with Blake Woodward, a management consultant and father of two who works part time, 4 days a week. He is passionate about encouraging and enabling working parents to play an active role in their children's lives.
When he became a dad in 2016, Blake found a lack of information and support specific to dads who want to be involved fathers. This led him to create www.suittiestroller.com.
In this episode we hear about:
•Honest experience and feelings in what it is like becoming a dad •Blake's experience in taking 9 months parental leave •Advice for fathers looking to take extended parental leave •The conversation on how he & his wife decided who was going to take parental leave •How Blake's work culture and leaders support fathers to take parental leave and it is now the "norm" •Tips & advice on flexible work •Changing society norms, perceptions and narrative that mum is not the only carer, but both parents •We discuss what organisations should consider to support future workforce needs •And so much more
Hope you enjoy this episode and be sure to share it with your fellow working parents managing the juggle of career and parenthood.
Links relating to this episode https://www.suittiestroller.com/ http://instagram.com/suittiestroller https://www.facebook.com/Suittiestroller-2173719636020863/ https://twitter.com/suittiestroller
Working Mumma https://www.facebook.com/groups/workingmumma/ https://www.facebook.com/WorkingMummaAU/ https://www.instagram.com/workingmumma_au/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma/ https://www.workingmumma.com.au/10-step-guide-to-return-to-work
With the theme of this year's International Women's Day, EachForEqual meaning that each person can make a change and create a world where genders are equal. This leads me to today's focus for the podcast and that is discovering your why to help you overcome mum guilt. A topic that we all experience.
EachforEqual, mum guilt is something that is currently not equal and we still have a long way to go. As mothers, we have competing but important priorities in our lives - often the two biggest are work and family.
Knowing your why is an important first step in figuring out how to achieve the goals that excite you and create a life you enjoy living (versus merely surviving!).
Mum guilt is a term that is regularly used and I think we all live with it. But as someone recently said to me, you integrate this into your life. You don't necessarily get over it, you learn to live with it. I also believe that knowing why you are working and have this understood can help with overcoming the guilt as you know the purpose for why you are doing what you do.
Re-framing the thinking beyond the money, into the social, physical and mental well-being may also change your outlook and hopefully with that, overcome some of the mum guilt we all carry. I'm not suggesting it will remove the mum's guilt altogether. Understanding your why of why you work, helps reduce second-guessing yourself and feeling guilty by working. It is perfectly fine to want to work if you want to do so. Like many aspects of parenting, every mother's why is different. What is important, is that you can define this. Know your why for the key priorities in your life. To help you are getting the balance that you want for you and your family.
Wanting to become financially fit to help you and your family? This podcast will help you with financial planner, Keryn Batsilas from Your Life and Money Matters.
Keryn talks about her experiences in life as a working mother with two children, starting her own business as a financial planner and great tips to help you have financial freedom. We chat about how her perceptions of parenthood changed with the birth of her first child, how she transitioned from working to parental leave and returning to work, and then onto starting her own business when she was 5 months pregnant with her second child.
Keryn giving great tips and suggestions for working parents to allow you to be 'financially fit', cover topics such as budgeting, planning, and budgeting for a family, parental leave and subsequent children, the importance of communication with your partner and advantages of managing your money wisely.
Links relating to this episode Connect with Keryn Batsilas, Your Life and Money Matters Website Instagram Facebook
Connect with Working Mumma Facebook group - Working Mumma Community Facebook Page Instagram LinkedIn
Free resource - 10 Step guide to Return to Work
Podcast disclaimer: Keryn Batsilas, Financial Adviser from your Life and Money Matters, is an Authorised Representative of Avalon financial services. Anything Keryn talks about is of a general nature and not to be used as personal advice.
Today I speak with Robyn Miller, who is a medical doctor has spent the past decade helping people from diverse backgrounds in many different places: from Australian cities and country towns to refugee tent hospitals in central Africa. In 2018, Robyn returned to Brisbane to complete her paediatric specialty training. Later that year, she and her husband also welcomed their first child and puppy into the family.
Upon returning to work after maternity leave, Robyn, like many women, experienced the struggles of the "mental load". The mental load or emotional labour refers to the endless, but often invisible, planning, organising, remembering of everything that is required to run a household! In most relationships, the majority of this mental load falls to the woman.
Robyn realised that to continue to succeed in her professional career, and be a happy wife and mother, she and her partner needed to learn to truly share all this invisible labour. When she couldn't find the any solutions or strategies from googling or from asking friends and colleagues, Robyn drew upon her own skills and experience to develop a unique formula to achieve mental load equality. Somewhat to even her surprise, Robyn's strategy worked and continued to work so much so that Robyn then decided to teach other women via a 6 week online course how to fairly and sustainably share the mental load.
During the chat, we discuss all things relating to the mental load as well as Robyn's own experiences in becoming a mother 18 months ago. Robyn gives a great explanation of what the mental load is and talks about the emotional labour vs mental load. A big part of Robyn's work is equalising the mental load at home. We go on to talk about how the sharing the mental load at home can extend into changing stereotypes in society. Robyn shares strategies you can use today with your partner.
I love the quote Robyn says during the conversation "working motherhood shouldn't be any harder than working fatherhood".
Hope you enjoy this episode and be sure to share it with your fellow working mumma's managing the juggle of career and parenthood.
Here is the link to the Emma cartoon we speak about in the podcast: https://english.emmaclit.com/2017/05/20/you-shouldve-asked/
Links relating to this episode Dr. Robyn Miller - The Mental Load project
•Website •Facebook •Instagram •Pinterest
Working Mumma
•Facebook - Working Mumma Community •Facebook page •Instagram •LinkedIn
Free guide: 10 steps to return to work
Today I chat with Catherine Ngo. Frustrated with the lack of balanced representation at events, Cathy founded Keynoteworthy as a way to amplify the voices of the 'everyday speaker'. She believed there is no shortage of talent out there and wanted to make it easier for event professionals to find amazing people.
Outside of Keynoteworthy, Cathy is a writer in the field of human resources, specialising in diversity, inclusion and thought leadership. She is also an (amateur) comedian and loves to use humour to bring people together. In this episode we hear about: · Catherine's entrepreneurial spirit developed from a young age whilst growing up in a strict Asian family
•Understanding of Elizabeth Gilberts career philosophy •Career was a big part of her identity and she left lost when she had her first child •How Catherine found strength in letting go and asking for professional help •Talks about unconscious bias around part time work, especially with Asian background •Advice for going after those career opportunities when you have returned after parental leave •Tips for mothers returning to work after parental leave and managing the juggle
Catherine makes a good point as well in reminding us that no one has it all together. A key take-away from the podcast is living by what makes you happy.
Hope you enjoy this episode and be sure to share it with your fellow working mumma's managing the juggle of career and parenthood.
Links relating to this episode Keynoteworthy https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-ngo-communications/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/keynoteworthy/ https://keynoteworthy.com.au/ https://www.facebook.com/keynoteworthy/ https://www.instagram.com/keynoteworthy/
Working Mumma https://www.facebook.com/groups/workingmumma/ https://www.facebook.com/WorkingMummaAU/ https://www.instagram.com/workingmumma_au/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma/ https://www.workingmumma.com.au/10-step-guide-to-return-to-work
Today I chat with Tegan Rose, who is a business owner and working mother of 3 young children. She has worked in the HR space for many years and is passionate about supporting businesses to grow and thrive through good people practices, which in turn helps contribute to a productive and successful community. Tegan also serves on the Board of a local charity which provides crucial assistance to those less advantaged in the community and spends her limited free-time tackling the walking and running trails with friends in the beautiful Dandenong ranges and surrounds.
In this episode we hear about:
•Tips, tricks and advice from a HR expert •How Tegan transitioned from career to motherhood and she manages the juggle •Learn how Tegan & her partner thought were busy in their 20s and nothing compares to life now with 3 kids! •Why Tegan needed to be 'mentally busy' whilst on maternity leave •Advice on using your 10 Keeping in Touch days •Suggestions on how to negotiate flexible work with your employer •Great tips for women returning to work after parental leave •Trends relating to flexible work and parental leave (great insights for employers) •Tegan's view on Work/Life integration
As Tegan reminds us during the conversation, "some days aren't always going to be as you plan - and that's ok".
Hope you enjoy this episode and be sure to share it with your fellow working mumma's managing the juggle of career and parenthood.
Links relating to this episode Tegan Rose / The HR Dept Connect with HR Dept on Facebook The HR Dept website Connect with Tegan Rose on LinkedIn Connect with the HR Dept on twitter
Connect with Working Mumma Facebook group - Working Mumma Community Facebook Page Instagram LinkedIn Website
Free resource Free resource - 10 Step guide to Return to Work
Looking to improve your mindset and approach to money at the start of the year? Then this podcast is for you and your family.
Today I chat with Lily Hii, who is a bookkeeper and money strategist. She is a self-confessed numbers-nerd, focused on helping small business owners create an entrepreneurial mindset and a pathway for financial freedom. During our chat we covered a range of topics from money mindset, family budgeting, knowing your why to help overcome mum guilt and her own experiences of being a mum.
In this episode we hear about:
•Lily's experiences in becoming a mum, her challenges and how she overcame these •How to have an open mindset with money •Tips to help talk about money with your partner •Advice on how to improve financial situation and relationship with money •The importance of knowing your "why" as a working mother
Hope you enjoy this episode and be sure to share it with your fellow working mumma's managing the juggle of career and parenthood.
Links relating to this episode Connect with Lily Facebook
Instagram LinkedIn
Connect with Working Mumma Facebook group - Working Mumma Community Facebook Page Instagram LinkedIn
Free resource - 10 Step guide to Return to Work
Welcome to the first episode of the Working Mumma podcast - a show that provides real-world tips, tricks and advice to all working mothers (& fathers) on how they can have a career, family and hopefully one day break the glass ceiling.
My name is Carina O'Brien, a fellow working parent trying to manage the juggle.
As this is the very first episode, I wanted to first of all say WELCOME! I also share with you a little about Working Mumma and myself, what inspired me to start this podcast and give you a short overview about what to expect in the future.
I look forward to going on this journey of navigating career and parenthood with you.
Please take a few seconds to leave me a review and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode. As you are listening to the episode, be sure to take a screen shot, upload it to social media and tag me @workingmumma_au so I can give you a shout out.
Have a great week and look forward to speaking to you again soon.