The Motherwhelm

In this episode of The Motherwhelm, I sit down with Tori, a mother of two and PE teacher, to talk about birth trauma, postnatal depression and anxiety, and the profound difference between her two experiences of birth and early motherhood. At 32 weeks pregnant with her first baby, Tori broke her leg in an accident that left her unable to walk. Just three weeks later, she went into premature labour....

In this episode of The Motherwhelm, I sit down with Mel, a mother of five and occupational therapist with more than 20 years of experience, to talk about the ever-changing nature of motherhood, postpartum anxiety, and learning to trust yourself as a parent. With children ranging in age from five to eighteen, Mel has experienced motherhood across many different stages of life. She reflects on the e...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm , I sit down with Claire, mother of two, singer-songwriter, filmmaker, and creator of the documentary Matrescence: The Hidden World of Motherhood, to talk about what really happens to women when they become mothers. Claire shares how years of working with children left her believing she was well prepared for motherhood, only to discover that nothing had prepared...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm , I sit down with Michelle, a psychologist and mum in a blended family of five, to talk about breaking generational cycles, birth trauma, and letting go of the pressure to be the perfect mother. Michelle shares a complicated journey into motherhood that included pregnancy loss, fertility treatment, the breakdown of her relationship during pregnancy, becoming a si...

In this mini episode of The Motherwhelm , I sit down with four mums - Nikita, Caitlin, Nicole and Aline - for an honest conversation about the early months of motherhood. They share what they imagined motherhood would be like, what surprised them once their babies arrived, and what they wish they could go back and tell themselves in those first few weeks. We talk about sleep deprivation, breastfee...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm, I sit down with Kimberley, founder of Mum Walk, to talk about the reality of becoming a mother far from family during the pandemic, the isolation of early motherhood, and how those experiences eventually led her to build the community she had needed herself. Kim shares the shock of becoming a mother after years of being deeply career-focused, a difficult first b...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm , I sit down with Rose to talk about birth trauma, postpartum depression, pregnancy loss, and finding her way back to trust in herself after a difficult beginning to motherhood. Rose shares how the premature birth of her first son and an unexpected caesarean left her feeling unheard, separated from her baby, and struggling with attachment and her mental health in...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm, I sit down with Taylor to talk about becoming a stepmother before she was ready for motherhood herself, navigating a complex co-parenting relationship, and how everything changed again when she welcomed children of her own. Taylor shares the rarely spoken-about reality of becoming a stepmum to a newborn, the loneliness of having no one around her who understood...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm , I sit down with Sam to talk about fertility struggles, HELLP syndrome, the loss of her twins James and Poppy, pregnancy after loss, premature birth, and the experiences that ultimately led her towards a completely new career. Sam shares the story of becoming pregnant with James and Poppy after discovering she had PCOS and endometriosis. At 24 weeks, severe pree...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm, I sit down with Carly to talk about home birth, identity, career reinvention, and the ways motherhood can crack us open and reveal parts of ourselves we didn't know were there. Before becoming a mother, Carly spent years travelling the world before training as a midwife and supporting women through birth. She entered motherhood feeling deeply confident in bi...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm , I sit down with Amy to talk about becoming a mother at eighteen, navigating single motherhood, raising an autistic teenager, and redefining what success looks like through the different seasons of motherhood. Amy reflects on the judgment she experienced as a young single mum, the determination it sparked to prove people wrong, and how those early experiences sh...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm , I sit down with Alena to explore recurrent miscarriage, motherhood after forty, the realities of single motherhood, and how becoming a mother can become a catalyst for healing, self-trust, and coming home to yourself. Alena reflects on becoming a mother after a life marked by parentification, instability, adversity, and a deep longing to create the family she h...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm , I sit down with Jess to talk about two vastly different birth experiences, the power of community, and how motherhood transformed not only the way she parents, but the woman she has become. Jess shares her journey from a fast-paced corporate career to unexpectedly becoming a mother during the COVID-19 pandemic. She reflects on preparing for an empowering physio...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm , I sit down with Jenna to talk about infertility, IVF, birth trauma, emotional regulation, and learning to trust yourself through motherhood. Jenna shares her long road to becoming a mother, from navigating endometriosis, blocked fallopian tubes, and IVF during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, to welcoming her two boys after years of longing. She reflec...

In the very first episode of Motherwhelm Memos , mothers from around the world answer one simple question: What is something about motherhood that no one prepared you for? The answers are raw, funny, heartbreaking, validating, and deeply honest. From navigating mum guilt, advocating for sick children, coping with sensory overload and the relentless mental load, to grieving the loss of certainty, p...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm , I sit down with Tahlia to talk about identity, community, and the often-contradictory emotions that come with becoming a mother. Tahlia shares her experience of becoming a young mum, navigating breastfeeding challenges, and the overwhelming transition into motherhood after expecting it to come naturally. Together, we explore the loneliness of being the first mo...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm , I sit down with Sarah to talk about severe preeclampsia, birth trauma, and being diagnosed with autism and ADHD after becoming a mother. Sarah shares her experience of a high-risk pregnancy that ended in a traumatic emergency caesarean birth at 35 weeks, a stay in ICU, and a long physical and emotional recovery. Together, we explore what it was like to begin mo...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm, I sit down with Bianca, a clinical psychologist and mum of two, to talk about pregnancy after loss, termination for medical reasons (TFMR), and the lasting impact of grief on motherhood. Bianca shares her extraordinary journey through an early miscarriage, the devastating loss of her daughter following a prenatal diagnosis, and the anxiety of navigating pregnanc...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm, I sit down with Michelle to talk about miscarriage, motherhood after loss, surrender, and the unexpected lessons motherhood teaches us about letting go. Michelle reflects on becoming a mother after three miscarriages , navigating an emergency caesarean birth , and discovering that babies cannot be managed like projects. Together, we explore the tension between a...

In this episode of The Motherwhelm, I sit down with Tara, a mum of two, former emergency nurse, and founder of Proud Poppy, to talk about birth trauma, postpartum anxiety, and rebuilding yourself through motherhood. Tara shares her journey through a difficult first experience of motherhood, including a traumatic birth , postpartum anxiety and depression , infant feeding challenges, and the weight...

In the fifty-second episode of The Motherwhelm, I am joined by Elizabeth, fertility coach and mum of three. After years spent building a successful career, freezing her eggs, and believing motherhood would happen when the time was right, Elizabeth found herself navigating fibroids, pregnancy loss, fertility treatment, three pregnancies after forty, and the emotional complexity of becoming a mother...

In the fifty-first episode of The Motherwhelm, I am joined by mum-of-two, Sophie, whose experience of early motherhood was nothing like she expected. Just days after the birth of her first baby, Sophie experienced postpartum psychosis, a rare and severe mental health condition that would change the course of her motherhood journey. What followed were multiple hospital admissions, a long recovery,...

In the fiftieth epoisode of The Motherwhelm, I am joined by Sharon, mum of two, to talk about the realities of motherhood, birth trauma, advocacy, identity, and finding your voice as a parent. Sharon shares two very different birth experiences: the first, a long and difficult hospital birth that left her physically and emotionally depleted; the second, a planned homebirth that unfolded beautifully...

In the forty-ninth episode of The Motherwhelm, I am joined by Tess, a mum of two who is deeply passionate about supporting women through motherhood and the profound identity shifts that come with it. Tess is a women’s health occupational therapist whose work centres around matrescence, maternal mental health, postpartum wellbeing, and helping mothers navigate the enormous transition into parenthoo...

In the forty-eighth episode of The Motherwhelm, I am joined by Julia, a mum of two who shares her journey from a highly organised, perfection-driven pre-motherhood identity into the unpredictable reality of parenting. Julia speaks candidly about the shock of early motherhood, the pressure she placed on herself to “get it right,” and her experience of postnatal depression and psychosis. She opens u...