Mother of All Solutions

For this episode, Laura recorded with members of the Doing It For The Kids (DIFTK) community - a platform and podcast for freelance parents trying to make flexible working work.  Joining their London meet-up on 27 April 2023, Laura had a chance to chat with various members about what makes the community so special. It was a real pleasure. I also had some pre-chats and the result is hopefully a goo...

In this special episode for the Women of the World Festival (WOW) London, host Laura Broderick speaks with parents and panellists at the Southbank Centre on Saturday 11 March 2023. https://thewowfoundation.com  The topic is childcare – lived experiences of using, accessing and affording it. Following the WOW panel discussion, The Case for Free Childcare, Laura caught up with Catherine Mayer (Co-fo...

In the final episode of 2022, Laura interviews Jessica Moxham, the author of The Cracks That Let The Light In - a mother's story of raising her disabled son and the life-changing power of books.  Jess discusses sections of her memoir, particularly around maternity leave and going back to work as an architect after having Ben, and then her later decisions and starting to write once Ben's siblings w...

In this episode, Laura starts her visit to the Mother House Studios in Catford in SE London, with a conversation with Dyana Gravina, founder of the Procreate Project. https://www.procreateproject.com/ Laura then talks with 3 artists who use Motherhouse Studio and the co-director of this unique space with integrated childcare.  https://www.motherhousestudios.com/ I hope you enjoy learning more abou...

In this episode Laura interviews audio producer and Creative Director of Inkslingers Media, Leona Fensome.  We talk about her varied career and interests, including running an independent production company with a focus on oral histories. We discuss her work in journalism, then community radio and her current role supporting creative industries at University of Bedfordshire. We also share thoughts...

For World Prematurity Day on Thursday 17 November 2022, we have an episode with Catriona Ogilvy, founder of The Smallest Things. The charity is dedicated to creating a better world for premature babies and their families after neonatal care. Catriona shares her own experiences of having two sons born preterm. She also discusses the mission and work of The Smallest Things, including the campaign to...

This episode is a compilation of voices and stories from speakers and participants at March of the Mummies in Newcastle, Saturday 29 October 2022.  #marchofthemummies protests were taking place in London, Newcastle and other UK cities, organised by Pregnant then Screwed:   https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/event-march-of-the-mummies/ Laura Broderick, host and producer of Mother of All Solutions, was...

In this episode, released on World Mental Health Day 2022, Laura speaks with Clinical Psychologist Dr Emma Svanberg.  We speak about burnout and what that means for parents in particular. We cover recognising our feelings, and why we should take time to rest - even in small bursts. We also discuss the need for collective as well as individual healing. It was a fascinating and helpful conversation...

In this episode Laura speaks with Emma Mitchell, captain of Reading FC Women and member of Scotland’s National Team. We talk about her career as a professional footballer, maternity leave and motherhood. Emma’s daughter Innes is 10 months old and Emma returned to football after 8 months of mat leave. We touch upon mental health, physical recovery from birth and logistics of being a mum and trainin...

This episode of Mother of All Solutions, with content creator Vivi Koroma Kala, is part interview part book chat! Vivi is Head of Content for Amazing If and also the creator of the bookstagram, The Cultured Life, which she set up whilst on maternity leave. We talk about her career choices and changes, and have a conversation about the 3 books Vivi chose for us to read and review together: Four Tho...

Frankie Tortora, graphic designer and host of the Doing It For The Kids (DIFTK) community and podcast is on Mother of All Solutions! DIFTK is for "parents who freelance", and was set up by Frankie following her first maternity leave. She co-hosts the DIFTK podcast with fellow parent and freelancer Steve Folland, and they won Gold in the business category of the British Podcast Awards 2021.   Laura...

For the MOAS summer 2022 episode Laura interviews Namulanta Kombo, the host of the award-winning Dear Daughter. The podcast is a BBC World Service series and won Gold in the Family category and was named Podcast of the Year in the recent British Podcast Awards. Namulanta is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and started the podcast a year ago after winning an international competition from the BBC World Ser...

In this episode Laura speaks with Thomas Pondevie, Co-Director of the theatre company, La Compagnie Babel.  Thomas Pondevie and Elise Chatauret have brought their French production of the play Fathers to the Brixton House theatre.  The play is a line of enquiry about fatherhood & family, and addresses, 'How can we imagine fatherhood outside of the patriarchy?'  It is based on interviews (the pract...

In this episode of Mother of All Solutions, Laura shares her short conversations recorded with women at the International Women's Podcast Festival at King's Place, London, on Saturday 18 June 2022.  The festival was organised by Content is Queen podcasting agency and I speak with Imriel Morgan CEO of the business. I also chat with Sophie Doyle who is keen to start podcasting, and Karen Arthur who...

In this episode Laura attempts to summarise the John Lewis Partnership event, Sharing the Juggle, held at the House of Commons on Tuesday 7 June 2022.  To get to the real content of the panel discussion, Laura speaks with panellists Elliott Rae, Music Football Fatherhood, and Joeli Brearley of Pregnant then Screwed. They have great reflections...and news!  The panel also included MPs Caroline Noke...

In this special episode, Laura speaks with two fantastic women working to alleviate child poverty in the UK - Kelly Fort, Head of Operations at MammaKind (baby bank) and Sophia Parker, Director of Emerging Futures at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (social change organisation.)  We talk about what baby banks are, the families using them and why, unfortunately, as Sophia tells us, "Baby banks are an...

In this episode Laura interviews journalist Phillippa Guillou, presenter of the Lockdown Babies podcast.  We discuss why Phillippa wanted to make the podcast, her own experiences of having a baby in July 2020, and her career now.  We also share some clips from Lockdown Babies - the remarkable and heartbreaking stories of the families who had babies in the middle of a global pandemic.  I hope you e...

In this short special I have selected clips ("MOAS moments") from 6 past episodes to give you a flavour of the series and recent interviews. The moments come from:  The Chapter - Lockdown, with writer Kate Burt  The Job Sharers, with The Job Share Pair  The Playworker, with author Adele Cleaver The Mums of Twins, with author Alison Perry The Dads, with teacher Will Blatherwick The Collective, with...

In this episode Laura talks to Adele Cleaver, playworker and author of the memoir Children Don’t Dissolve in the Rain. Adele is a mom from Birmingham with two girls - a 5 year old and 7 month old. We talk about her professional and personal experiences of play settings, and how her book aims to encourage parents to play and rest more effectively. You can find Adele on social media @adeleplayworker...

In this episode of Mother of All Solutions, host Laura Broderick and guest Kate Burt revisit Joeli Brearley’s book The Motherhood Penalty and discuss the NEW chapter, Lockdown, available in the newly released paperback edition! The original book review episode saw Laura and Kate, along with other members of their book group, discuss Joeli’s book in May 2021. It was a chance to explore our experien...

For this Mother of All Solutions episode, host and producer Laura Broderick talks to Rachel Maguire, one half of The Job Share Pair. We discuss what job sharing is, the benefits of working in a pair and Rachel’s work story of maternity leave and returning to job share in HR with Hannah Hall-Turner. They are now running The Job Share Pair consultancy together and you can follow Rachel and Hannah on...

In this episode Laura interviews Georgie Grant, Co-Director of The Onion Collective CIC based in Watchet, West Somerset. “The Onions” met as a group of mums in the town – some local and some new, but all with a desire to improve the area for their children. Bringing their skills, and friendships, to the table they set about to find out what the residents of Watchet also wanted to see happen to imp...

For this episode, MOAS host Laura Broderick interviews Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, an artist and midwife and co-author of the book Maternal Journal, A creative guide to journalling through pregnancy birth and beyond. We talk about Laura’s experiences of work as an artist and a producer, and later training to be a midwife. We cover lots! The new book and the origins of the Maternal Journal project, birth...

In this episode Laura Broderick interviews Alison Perry, author, podcaster and blogger, about her experiences of maternity leave and her career as a mum of three, including twins. She shares the specifics of parenting twins through pregnancy, parental leave and returning to work. We discuss being employed in a workplace and being self-employed, as well about the huge cost of childcare when you hav...

In this episode Laura Broderick discusses the book DAD (Untold Stories of Fatherhood, Love, Mental Health and Masculinity) with Will Blatherwick, history teacher and dad of two. The conversation is structured around our thoughts on the book (with an emphasis on work and parenting) and audio contributions from two other dads who have read the book alongside us. Music in the episode is by Ros Fraser...