Beanstalk: Real Talk for Single Mums

Hank Jongen, General Manager at Services Australia, provides facts and deadlines to meet our EOFY obligations on-time and in-order. He talks as through: When and how to confirm your 2018-19 income; how to find out if you need to lodge a tax return; the deadline to make a lump sum FTB claim for the 2018-19 financial year and whether you are eligible; the $750 Economic Support Payment; what to inclu...

4 Ingredients founder, Kim McCosker, is my guest in this podcast to share her magic and knowledge around saving time and money in the kitchen. We discuss: The wonder of the 4 Ingredients method and why it's so popular; menu planning and other time saving tips; Kim's top money saving tips for the kitchen; the best herbs and spices to fill your cupboards; Kim's absolute favourite recipes from her re...

Covid-19 is upon us and the world has paused. What does this mean for you? Like many, you may have lost your job, either temporarily or permanently, and are wondering: 'What now?'.  In this podcast I get 30-years of expertise from Helen Slater, Founder of 6S Coaching , about: changing your mindset around the pandemic to see it as an opportunity rather than a set-back; enhancing your employment opp...

Our worst nightmare: Homeschooling is hitting the homes of families across the world. BUT don't panic. I chat with education and curriculum expert, Karen Green from MAPPEN , about how to make homeschooling work and come out the other side still talking to your kids. We discuss: How to prepare for home learning and what to expect; routines - to have or not to have; how to ditch the guilt around hom...

Dating just got harder! Yep, social distancing and isolation really hampers your mission to find Mr Right. Or does it? I chat to author, columnist and mother of three, Kerri Sackville about how to have fun with virtual dating.  We chat and laugh about: The advantages of virtual dating; what a virtual date looks like and how to prepare for one; the big no-no's of virtual dating; the reality of maki...

Do you love books, and want your children love them too? I chat to Sara Leman, the co-author of Reading Eggs, about how to make it happen. Listen to us discuss: What the prerequisites for starting school actually are (you may be surprised); brilliant pre-school literacy activities that are heaps of fun; habits/routines we can create to foster good reading habits at home; the benefits from reading...

Terrified of the prospect of attending family court? You are not alone. Carolyn Devries from New Ways Lawyers saves the day and explains everything you need to know to put your mind at rest. We discuss: the order of key events for parenting matters in the family court; the difference between Family Dispute Resolution and Mediation; court documents and what to expect depending on your situation; ti...

Do you feel broken, crazy and emotionally drained following a breakup with a narcissist?  Help is here. I chat to Breakup Recovery and Dating Coach, Cheryl Chong, from  Steps To Happyness to help you overcome and MOVE ON. Listen to us discuss: The true traits of a narcissist and how these traits affect a relationship; the first steps to recovery being understanding and acceptance and how to reach...

Having a co-parenting nightmare with your passive aggressive ex? Don't panic! We can help. I chat to Sallyanne Hartnell from Reflect Coaching on ways to deal with this infuriating behaviour. Listen to us discuss: The traits of the passive aggressive person; what problems you might encounter when co-parenting and how to overcome them; brilliant tips for communicating a passive aggressive ex; why pa...

Not divorced yet but want to change your name? You can! And it's EASY. I chat to Gen Dennis from Easy Name Change about: Why it is so important for you to feel comfortable with your name; why making the decision to revert to your maiden name could be a great move for you; the pitfalls of changing your name; Gen's super-simple guide to change your name (she can save you 6-hours of faffing around);...

All guys are duds! No they're not! You just need to get this dating thing right and see the truth to fast-track you to find the perfect long-term partner. And there is nobody better equiped to shed the light (and the love) than Elly Johnson from Truth Lies & Love . We chat about: How to weed out the duds early on; the most common mistakes us women make when dating, and how to avoid them; why value...

Why the hell does 50/50 co-parenting cause so much confusion? In this information-packed podcast I chat to Melinda Nutting and Tania Fitzpatrick from Step By Step Support to unpack what 50/50 co-parenting actually means. Our chat includes: Understanding the difference between co-parenting and parallel parenting;Bird nesting - what it is and how it can work for children of separation; the grey area...

There is nothing more inspiring than a single mum who has taken on the world and lived to tell her story!  That is exactly what Lisa Burling has done. Lisa believes that living courage, faith and gumption (love that word!) today can lead you to live the life you want tomorrow. And that's what we discuss in this totally uplifting podcast that will have you rocking your goals by the end of the show.

DO NOT put your will to the bottom of the too-hard pile. Having a Will saves your family stress and money when the time does come, and honestly, we just don't know when that will be. I chat to Emily Brown from BT Lawyers about: Why it's important to have a Will; what happens if you don't make a Will; what to consider when preparing a Will as a single mum; mistakes you might make and how to avoid t...

Don't look for a new job! Instead you could negotiate flexible work arrangements with your current employer. Lucy Dickens and Jo Alil-ovich from the  The Juggle podcast are here to tell us how. Listen to us discuss: What flexible work arrangements actually are; how flexible work arrangements can benefit you as a working mum; how these arrangements can benefit your employer too; how to approach the...

There is no bible for co-parenting. It can be a challenge. Co-parenting or solo parenting even more so. We all do our best, and we all want to raise happy, confident resilient kids. But the question is, how the hell do we do it? In this podcast, I chat to Dr Jane Coleman, clinical psychologist at the  Triple P – Positive Parenting Program , which is one of the best parenting programs IN THE WORLD...

Do you love going to work? Or do you need clarity for a new career path? I chat to Helen Slater from 6S Coaching to help you get the direction you need to rock your career moves and ultimately land your dream job. We chat about what to consider if you want a career change but you're not sure what; a checklist of what to do before investing time and money in your chosen career path; the absolute im...

Lifeline’s Executive Director, Rachel Bowes chats with me about how it’s normal to feel down at some point on your single mother journey. Whether it’s whilst navigating the initial break-up or once you have adjusted, no one would blame you for feeling low, lonely, overwhelmed or possibly even depressed. This chat includes, but is not limited to what you can do to prevent and deal with loneliness:...

Did you know that not having money worries can improve our lives significantly in so many ways? And even if you don’t have money you can still save every week. Yes, single mums you truly can! Get educated. Get empowered and understand the importance of getting you finances in order and saving for the things you always wanted. A house deposit, a new car, that dream holiday that so far was just that...

Calling all divorced parents! I get it, parenting can be hard. Parenting children of divorce harder still. For this reason, I chat to relationship counsellor and conflict skills specialist, Elizabeth Williamson. We discuss how common it is or your child’s behaviour to change during a divorce, and the type of behaviour to prepare for. More importantly, we look at why they ‘act out’ or behave in a d...

You love your daughter so much it hurts, yet sometimes you can infuriate and drive one another mad? You are not alone. I get that a mother and daughter relationship is complex (I have two daughters myself). For this reason, we have dedicated this chat to all the mothers with daughters out there. I chat to mothers and daughter team, Sarita and Maxime, from  Maximum You about the importance of a lov...

Ah no, don’t fall asleep on me, this is really important stuff! It is also a vitally important part of a financial separation, so you’d do well to get your facts right. And there is only one lady who will tell it like it is. The plain-talking, all-knowledgeable, Belinda from Divide. I usually glaze over at the word ‘superannuation’ but I actually understood everything in this podcast, which is cre...

Rhian Allen from Healthy Mummy chats to me .. yes ME, about why we don’t need to be loaded to be healthy. It’s not all about supplements and superfoods, but more about consistency and good old-fashioned common-sense. We discuss the definition of healthy eating according to The Healthy Mummy and the biggest money mistakes we can make when choosing a healthy diet. Rhian shares ways to actually save...

An abundant, happy, loving life? Yes, it really is possible single mums, however busy your day-to-day living might be. I chat to the wonderful Willo Ford from Life Reimagined about making positive change and living your best life. In this highly-inspirational chat we discuss where Willo discovered her drive and desire to succeed, and to ultimately help others. She tells us the signs to look for th...

Debt is a dirty word for many. But it needn’t be. People get into debt for a variety of reasons, many of which are outside our control. And the sooner you can admit to debt distress, the sooner you are able to reach out and get the help you need. This is where Kitty Thomas from  Debt Angel Solutions  comes in with her transformational debt consolidation skills. In this episode we chat about Kitty’...