Mrs Mummy PhD®

You're busy. Your schedule is full. You're meeting everyone's expectations. But here's what nobody talks about: You've disappeared. Not from your family. Not from your work. From yourself. In this episode, I'm exploring what's actually happening when you're too busy to know what you want anymore. And what it costs you. Listen now. Want to join us on the Beco...

What if thriving in academia had less to do with doing more — and more to do with allowing yourself to be human, protecting your energy, and staying connected to your values? In this conversation, Dr Katy Peplin opens up about the realities of the PhD journey, the pressure to perform, and what it really takes to build a life that feels sustainable. She also shares how motherhood has shaped her own...

Sometimes the most important reminders come from the simplest moments—a conversation in the car, the everyday wisdom that's right in front of us if we slow down enough to see it. I was in the car with my boys. And asked my son to look up the best route home... I did too... Then, I noticed something about how we each looked at the GPS. He looked at the time. I looked at the experience. And it...

You're looking left and right while running your race. And it's holding you back. I realised this at my sons' sports day. Some children were constantly checking if they were winning. Checking their position against everyone else. And they were slower because of it. The ones who stayed focused on their own lane? They won with ease. In this episode, I'm exploring what that taught...

What would your Scholarly Mama® life look like if you gave yourself permission to want less? Not less ambition. Less striving at all costs. In this episode, I'm exploring the wisdom of wanting less—and why it's actually the path to more. I'm sharing what my forties are teaching me about ambition, burnout, and why the slower path is sometimes the wiser one. If you've been runnin...

What would your Scholarly Mama® life look like if you made one tiny decision this week? Not a big overhaul or dramatic uproot. Just one small, intentional decision. In this episode, I'm breaking down how tiny decisions can create big impact—and why you don't need permission from anyone to start. If you've been paralysed waiting for the perfect time to change, this will land differen...

REFLECTIVE REPLAY! Are you feeling stretched thin between your PhD, your family, and everything in between? In this episode, we’re diving into why filling your own cup first is essential—not just for your well-being, but for your success as a Scholarly Mama® leader. We’ll talk about: Why filling your cup first isn’t selfish—it’s leadership How imposter syndrome and guilt hold us back from stepping...

In this episode, Dr. Janelle Chase-Mayers (aka Dr Jay) shares her inspiring story of juggling motherhood and a PhD journey through grief, all the way to starting her own mental health consultancy business.  Discover how her insights can empower Scholarly Mamas to prioritise self-care and authenticity while navigating life's challenges. Resources & Links Dr Jay's  Re-Engineering Wellb...

You said no to something this week. And you've been replaying it in your head ever since. Wondering if you were being difficult. Questioning whether you should have just said yes . Feeling guilty for protecting your time/energy. Here's what no one tells you: That discomfort? It doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. In this episode, I'm breaking down why boundaries feel so un...

You're running on empty. Going through the motions. Stuck in a relentless cycle where every task feels like obligation with no space left for you. And you're starting to wonder: Is this just my life now? No. It's not... In this episode, I'm breaking down the four myths that keep mother scholars locked in survival mode. The beliefs that make you think you're stuck when you&...

What if quitting… isn’t failure? What if the thing you’ve been told to push through , stick out , or prove yourself in is actually the very thing keeping you from the life you want? In this deeply personal episode, I share a decision that surprised even me: I quit... Not because things weren’t working. Not because I couldn’t handle it. But because success, at least the way I was pursuing it, had b...

Last week, we talked about the outsourcing trap and how delegating everything doesn't always create the space you think it will. This week, we're continuing this conversation. And I'm sharing something that might challenge how you've been thinking about help, efficiency, and what actually creates capacity. Because here's the truth: outsourcing isn't the problem. The p...

You got the help, or hired it. You delegated everything you could. And you're still exhausted. Here's what no one tells you about outsourcing: on its own, it doesn't create the space you think it will. It just lets you keep up with a pace that's burning you out — more efficiently. In this episode, I'm talking about the pattern I've been seeing with burnt-out mother sc...

You slowed down. You created clarity. You can finally see the road ahead. But then you're faced with the question: are you on the right road? Sometimes burnout isn't about doing too much — it's about doing the wrong things entirely. And that exhaustion you feel? Your body trying to tell you something you've been too busy to hear. In this episode, I'm sharing the moment I h...

Have you ever felt like you're doing everything right and still the path ahead seems so uncertain? In this episode, Dr Michelle shares her experience of driving to work on a familiar road when the sun hit her eyes and she lost all clarity. Despite being a skilled driver, despite knowing the route, she couldn't see a thing. And what happened next taught her something profound about self-l...

In this episode, Dr Michelle is talking about rest — not as something you earn after doing all the things, but as an intentional act of self-leadership. If you're a high-achieving Mama who struggles to rest without guilt, who tells herself she'll rest "after" (and that after never comes), this one is for you. In this episode, you'll learn why rest is not the opposite of pr...

In this episode of the Mrs Mummy PhD® podcast, Michelle explores boundaries as an act of self-leadership rather than selfishness. She unpacks why high-achieving mothers struggle to say no and how over-functioning can quietly lead to burnout. Michelle offers practical strategies for establishing boundaries based on capacity, values, and identity, encouraging listeners to reflect on their own commit...

In this episode, Michelle discusses the subtle yet significant issue of quiet burnout among high-achieving mothers. She explores three hidden reasons why mothers may quietly burnout without realising it. Michelle emphasises the importance of recognising these factors and offers practical strategies to help you begin to lead yourself first, differently. Read the related blog post: The 3 Hidden Reas...

In this episode of the Mrs Mummy PhD® podcast, Dr Michelle explores self-leadership for high-achieving mothers and why rest alone won’t resolve burnout if the way we lead ourselves doesn’t change. She unpacks the internal rules that keep ambitious mothers in survival mode and shares how quiet burnout often hides behind productivity and responsibility. This episode invites mother scholars to rethin...

In this episode of the Mrs Mummy PhD® podcast, Dr Michelle discusses the critical distinction between success and survival, particularly for high-achieving mothers. She shares her personal experiences with quiet burnout and emphasises the importance of sustainable success that prioritises well-being. Michelle advocates for purposeful self-leadership and creating space for reflection to redefine su...

In this return episode of the Mrs Mummy PhD® podcast, Dr Michelle Gibbs reflects on burnout in high-achieving mothers and why survival mode is not the same as success.  After stepping away from the mic for 6 months, Michelle shares what led her from constant striving to a season of restoration — and how self-leadership, not self-sacrifice, became the turning point.  This episode marks an evolution...

ANNOUNCEMENT: We're on break! Tune into the episode to find out why! While I'm on break, be sure to tune into the archives - I'm sure there's an episode there with your name on it!  Make sure you also subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss when my next new episode drops! You can also sign up here to receive periodical check-ins from me by email as I will be touching ba...

Thinking about quitting your PhD? You’re not alone—I've been there.  But before you make that call, this episode walks you through 7 powerful questions and mindset shifts that could change everything... What if there’s still a way forward that honours both your ambition and your motherhood? In this episode, I’m sharing what I wish someone had told me when I was ready to give it all up. Whethe...

This week on the podcast, I’m joined by an incredible guest: a Zimbabwean-born academic, content creator, and mother - Dr Nonhlanhla Dube (a.k.a. Dr Noni) - whose path to a PhD took her across continents, through two undergrad degrees, a prestigious scholarship, and finally, a research post in the Netherlands. We talk about: How rejection redirected her toward purpose What it was really like finis...

In this episode, I’m sharing (and discussing) 10 powerful affirmations specifically for Scholarly Mamas®—words to ground you when the workload is heavy, the juggle-struggle gets tricky, the guilt creeps in, or the doubt gets loud.  Whether you’re deep in PhD mode while juggling little ones, or just trying to hold it all together, these affirmations are here to remind you: you are not alone, and yo...