Mother of All Solutions

The Book: Pregnant then Screwed In this Mother of All Solutions episode Laura and friends from her book group share notes on the book Pregnant then Screwed: The Truth About the Motherhood Penalty and How To Fix It by Joeli Brearley. With guest Kate Burt, Laura talks about this book (published March 2021) and how as author Joeli Brearley states, “This book is a call to arms for women.” With audio c...

For this episode Laura interviews Midlands based Creative Producer Amy Martin to discuss Radical Childcare and her workshop for the Women of the World (WOW) UK Festival 2021. Amy introduces lots of interesting models of childcare, ideas around childhood and individuals/organisation working on this – below you will find the links discussed in the interview. Following the conversation there are also...

For the third and final episode of the MOAS mini-series, Laura interviews Sahm Harris-Thomas, a school nurse in London and mum to two ‘wondergirls’. Sahm began training as a nurse aged 26 and navigated her two maternity leaves around her studies and nursing roles. She also completed her postgraduate diploma during the pandemic. She talks about her career shifts, and importantly her role as a key w...

For the second episode of the mini-series, Laura interviews Dr Susanna Graham. Before pursuing an academic career Susanna qualified as a medical doctor. She has three children. In July 2020 Susanna resigned from her role as Research Associate – she explains the point to get this decision and how the pandemic and homeschooling/childcare was a key factor. She also talks about her plans for the futur...

Recorded in December 2020, before lockdown 3.0 and school closures, Laura interviewed her friend Antonia Faust who moved from her role as an Associate Director in Bristol to set up a nut farm in Devon following furlough. Antonia talks about how her company’s work in events and immersive environments in retail settings stopped, and her partner’s building sites closed as a result of the pandemic. Th...

This special episode, The Compilation, marks the end of the first year of Mother of All Solutions... MOAS launched in Brixton in August 2019 and for this episode we invited 4 mums who attended the event to introduce themselves 'one year on' and select a favourite episode to play a clip from. We also asked them to say something about what support/actions they would like to see for working parents. ...

In this episode Laura talks with Harriet Williams, a self-employed consultant working to better represent and influence policy for young parents.    Harriet was a young parent herself, finishing her A-levels whilst pregnant and completing a crimonology degree with a young baby. She has been employed in various professional roles in the fields of youth and community support, working in both full an...

In this episode we hear from three mums living outside the UK - Lucy in America, Caro in Sweden and Christine in Brazil.  They each contribute audio notes about their work and parenting experiences during lockdown. They don't know each other, but they all work in the architecture industry and also share thoughts on how we might live and work post lockdown.  Lucy is from Yorkshire and has been work...

In this episode Laura interviews Jemima Hartshorn - mum of two, campaigner, lawyer, freelancer and founder of Mums for Lungs.  Jemima founded the campaigning group, with other volunteer parents, 3 years ago when she was on her first maternity leave - in order to campaign for clean air for everyone, especially babies and children.  We discuss how the campaign came together, what they are working on...

During lockdown, Laura talks to Emma Sheppard about her career and the Maternity Teacher Paternity Teacher Project. Emma is an English lead practitioner teacher in a secondary school in London.  This remote recording includes a discussion about professional development during maternity / paternity leave - the desire for it and choices around it. Emma shares thoughts on the gender pay gap and mothe...

In this episode Laura shares some audio notes about her work/family situation recorded at home at the end of March and mid April 2020. We also hear from a neighbour, Meghan, about how she is managing various aspects of life (job, homeschooling) during lockdown.  We'd love to hear from more mums and dads, and are inviting listeners to record their own audio notes - to share what is happening in the...

Laura speaks with her own mother, Wendy, and her daughter, Rowan, about work and family life. Now retired, Wendy reflects on her role as a hospital pharmacist. She covers going back to study after becoming a mother, managing rotas for parents, and using her clinical expertise in a voluntary capacity today. She also talks about changing stresses and strains during stages of her career with kids.  R...

In this special episode we speak with parents and panellists at the Women of the World Festival (WOW) at the Southbank Centre in London on Friday 6 March 2020. We capture personal stories about navigating a return to work as well as talking with the speakers from the Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don't panel. With comments and ideas on shared parental leave, cost and quality of childcare and ref...

In this episode Laura interviews her sister-in-law, Dr Hannah Bienias, and her brother, Dr John Broderick, about their particular set up post Hannah's recent maternity leave. Hannah is an A&E consultant in a NE hospital and John a Lecturer at the University of Manchester. They talk about organising childcare for their almost 1 year old daughter - with workplaces in different parts of the country a...

Lily Anderson-Nicholls and Laura Broderick talk to Maria Cesa about managing work around three maternity leaves, and finding fulfilment as a stay at home mum. We discuss differing perceptions of work/family balance, how you identify and when's a good time to get back into work after taking a career break.

Lily Anderson-Nicholls and Laura Broderick talk to Nell Boase about changing careers, returning to a new or old job after having a baby, being an effective leader and planning for future work. We also discuss negotiating your work boundaries and considering senior roles alongside family life.

In this episode, Laura reflects on the episodes so far, why she started MOAS and what she's got planned for the future of the podcast.  Subscribe by searching for Mother of All Solutions wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode we talk about the benefits and challenges of running your own business. Laura talks to Make Do and Mend owner Sarah Robins about the path to starting her vintage clothing business, juggling maternity leave and preparing for shared parental leave.

In this episode we talk about the benefits and some of the challenges of being freelance, juggling childcare with older children, waiting for social lives and career reboots! Subscribe by searching for Mother of All Solutions wherever you get your podcasts.

In the fourth episode Laura talks to Colette Thomas. We talk about being a childminder, changing careers to suit your family situation, plus being a single mother, then grandmother. We also explore professional pursuits and the professional wall!

In Episode 3 Laura talks to architect John Ross and Editorial Manager Teleri Lloyd-Jones about shared parental leave.  The three discuss what's a fair division of time, who was most adventurous on parental leave and they wonder who really understands the shared parental leave system?

In the second episode of the Mother of All Solutions, Laura talks to HR - or rather to HR Professional Lily Anderson-Nicholls. They discuss coming back to a different job than the one you left, what you can and can't ask for, and how a job-share can work.

In this first episode Laura speaks to Clara Widdison about entrepreneurialism, hiding maternity leave on a CV and starting a project on the side.

The Mother of all Solutions is a new podcast bringing you stories from mums navigating their return to work. It might be about mothers but it's for all parents, carers, employees and employers. For the pilot episode Laura and Owen remember how one had to ask the other about their organisation's maternity leave policy and they discuss what they hope to achieve from the podcast.  https://twitter.com...