Mrs Mummy PhD®

In this episode, I share what quiet burnout took from me, including the creativity that once ran through everything I did, and how my journey of restoration this year is giving me part of it back.  I talk about reconnecting with your core values, organising your life to make room for them, and the practical steps I’m taking to reclaim my creativity and become her again! Links Check out all things...

Perhaps you've been physically in the room with your kids lately more often than you're truly there...  In this episode, I talk about why reclaiming presence at home matters so much as Scholarly Mamas ® . I name what gets in the way, then make the case for where the real fix starts. I share my practical solution to this problem but if you’d like to do this work with support, I’d love you...

Nobody expects a rose to bloom in winter, yet I was expecting myself to run at full output in every season of motherhood, scholarship, and work.  In this episode, I explore the seasons we Scholarly Mamas® move through, from the spring of new beginnings to the winter of rest, and why I believe each decade brings a new version of us. I share how radical acceptance helps us meet the season we’re in,...

After a season away, we're back with a revolutionary concept that changes everything: you are allowed to make room for doing both! You don’t have to choose between your scholarly career and your family — but you do have to understand the strategy (the science) and give yourself permission (the art) to actually make room for both. In this episode, I share my own story of quiet burnout post-PhD...

The first cohort of the Becoming Her Reset (BHR) is underway! And what I'm realising now is how powerful this mini-movement is... A small group of Scholarly Mamas® showed up. They were carrying it all, PhD (or post-PhD) journeys, motherhood, loss, ambition. They'd drifted so far from who they once were, and were ready to become her again (the version of themselves that existed before lif...

Dr. Kristine Goins was working hard. Full clinical caseload. Board-certified. Specialised. Leadership positions. Doing everything "right." But, she was also burnt out. So she asked a different question: "What if I built my career around the life I actually want to live?" Today she practices medicine differently. Remotely. Internationally. And she's less burnt out, more pre...

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...