Not Another Mummy Podcast

My guest today is one of the biggest experts in menopause and perimenopause. Dr Louise Newson is a GP, the creator of free menopause app Balance and runs The Newson Clinic which helps thousands of women to navigate perimenopause and menopause smoothly. Dr Louise is also the author of the book The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause, appears regularly on This Morning and hosts a pod...

We hear lots about the risks and dangers of young people using social media and the internet but my guest today says since it's here to stay, we may as well teach our kids how to use it wisely. Natasha Devon is a presenter, writer and activist and her new book Clicks: How To Be Your Best Self Online is a guide for young people. She talks to me about how to talk to our kids about the online world,...

This podcast delves into lots of different areas and experiences of motherhood and parenthood, but one area I've wanted to cover for ages is the act of not having kids. My guest today is Ruby Warrington who has known ever since she was a child that she doesn't want to have children. Her book, Women Without Kids, is a fascinating and refreshing look at what it means to be a mother and therefore wha...

My guest on this episode used to work in finance as an Actuary in a fast-paced, high-pressured environment. Now, Hannah Barrett is the UK’s leading online yoga teacher with a completely different approach to life. Hannah’s also a mum of two and the author of Yoga Happy, a beautiful inspiring book which shows you how to find your energy, reduce stress, get a good night’s sleep and even ease a heada...

I'm joined on this episode by someone I've wanted to have on as a guest for ages - writer and editor Cathy Reay. Born with dwarfism, Cathy is a disability consultant and writes about her experiences as a disabled, single mum. Cathy talks to me today about her experiences of pregnancy, birth, new motherhood and single motherhood. She reflects on her own childhood with non-disabled parents and talks...

After an extended break, we're back for a new season! Katie Kirby is my guest on this episode. Katie started off blogging at Hurrah For Gin, shining a light on the realities of motherhood at a time when the online world was filled with rose-tinted picture perfect versions of mum life. Since then, she's moved to writing books and her latest series is the Lottie Brooks books, aimed at the tween audi...

Whether you’ve got a baby right now or your kids are a bit older, my chat with Libby Page on this episode will probably resonate with you. Libby is the author of three bestseller books - The Lido, The 24-Hour Café and The Island Home – and she became a mum last year to her son Robin. Libby is refreshingly honest about the ups and downs of her experiences so far as a mum, talking openly on social m...

How well does your baby or child sleep? Chances are, you’ve had or are having some issues with sleep (I know we are!) and if that’s the case, my guests today have got lots of helpful advice for you. Eve Squires and Gem Fryer run Calm & Bright Sleep Support which is a lifeline for so many parents facing sleep challenges with their children. We discuss some of the biggest sleep problems you guys...

My guest on this episode is Natalie Lee – once a midwife, she started a fashion blog and now uses her online platform to discuss body image, confidence, shame and lots more. Now, Natalie has written her first book, Feeling Myself, which is a memoir about her experiences around sex and shame. In the book, Nat takes us along for the ride on her journey of self-discovery, searching out and then smash...

This is a special replay of an interview I did with Deborah James back in January 2018. It was just over a year after she’d been diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer and we sat in her living room, drinking tea and talking about her experience over the previous 12 months. Now, four and a half years on, Deborah, who is mum to two children, has raised an incredible amount of awareness of bowel canc...

My guest on this episode was one of the nation’s saviours during the first lockdown in 2020. Reacting to a clear need for parents to keep their kids busy and happy while schools were closed, Rob Biddulph started a regular online drawing lesson for kids – Draw With Rob – and the response was huge. A dad of three, himself, Rob is the author and illustrator of brilliant picture books for younger kids...

CNN anchor and mum of two Zain Asher is my guest on this episode - her book Where The Children Take Us is an incredible memoir with the strong theme of taking the knocks that life gives you and using them to fuel you to succeed. The book details her parents’ journey from war-torn Nigeria to South London where they raised their four children. When Zain was five-years-old, tragedy struck and he...

My guest on this episode is Sarah Turner – aka The Unmumsy Mum – who has returned to the podcast to update me on her hectic whirl of a life parenting three boys and a cat, and to tell me all about her first novel, Stepping Up. The book tells the story of what happens when tragedy hits a family, turns it upside down and catapults protagonist Beth into a world of parenting her teenage niece and todd...

Experiencing miscarriage is, without a doubt, devastating. And my guest on this episode is campaigning for a change in the law around the paid leave that parents are entitled to, when this happens.   Angela Crawley is MP for Lanark and Hamilton East and wants the government to introduce a statutory requirement for employers to provide three days of paid miscarriage leave for parents who exper...

“Becoming a mother is both massive and profound… and at the same time mediocre and humdrum,” according to my guest on this episode, Ellie Taylor. And isn’t she bang on the money? I chat to comedian and actor Ellie about her journey from perfectly happy child free woman to mum of a toddler – including highlights along the way, like being celeb spotted while she was in the middle of her c-section an...

Are you on Tik Tok? Do you know what the skull emoji means? If your answers are yes, then great! My guests on this episode say a great way to keep your teenagers safe in the online world is immersing yourself in it. Alexandra Evans is Head of Safety Public Policy, Europe at Tik Tok (she’s basically an expert on keeping young people safe online) and Myleene Klass is a mum of three including one tee...

Picking yourself up after a separation or divorce and starting to date people again can be a hard thing to do, but throw kids into the mix and it can feel like a logistical nightmare. My guest on this episode – Laura Friedman Williams – is the author of Available: A memoir of sex and dating after a marriage ends. In her book, she details how she had to learn to navigate the dating world once again...

My guest on this episode is Kreena Dhiman who has had four children using two surrogates. At the age of 33, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and told that the chemotherapy treatment she needed would affect her chances of having a baby. So Kreena started on a journey of IVF and surrogacy in order to become a mum. With many bumps along the road – including nearly dying of heart failure and covid...

Becoming a mum is something that shifts our identity and we can often find ourselves trying to mother in a way that our culture and the media tells us we should. But my guest today says we should all try to do motherhood our own way, trusting our instincts and leaning into what we think we should do, not what we are being told to do by others. Hollie de Cruz is a mum of two and a hugely successful...

Happy new year everyone! If you’re in the mood to start 2022 with an organised, fresh approach then this episode is for you. I feel so inspired after my chat with Nicola Lewis – aka This Girl Can Organise. I’m going to declutter and get organised after hearing all of her brilliant tips. If you’re not already familiar with Nicola, she can be found offering hints/tips and practical real life solutio...

There’s no denying that the conversation around race and activism is starting to slowly change – world events and movements like Black Lives Matter are hitting the headlines and entering into everyday discussion between friends in a way they weren’t before. My guest on this episode is a huge contributor to that conversation as one half of the anti-racism Instagram account Everyday Racism , Naomi E...

My guest on this episode is Cat Sims, blogger, content creator, podcaster and huge mental health advocate. I chat to Cat about the importance of talking about mental health. She tells me about her own mental health journey, starting back in her teenage years when nobody really spoke about this stuff. Right through to having post natal depression when she had her daughters. We talk about the stigma...

My guest on this episode had always dreamed of being a mum but at age 37 and very much single with no partner on the horizon, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Liv Thorne started researching sperm banks and fertility clinics, setting out on a journey that has resulted in her being a solo mum to three year old Herb, today. Her book, Liv’s Alone is a warm and hopeful memoir that disman...

This brand new series of Not Another Mummy Podcast kicks off with a brilliant chat, brought to you by Barbie who are kindly sponsoring this episode.  My guest is Claire Russell, early years specialist and author of the book The Play Hooray Handbook. Claire is an expert in all things play and can be found sharing easy and low-cost ways to play with your kids – indoors and outside – on social m...

Postnatal health issues are still being ignored, overlooked, and dismissed by new mums and health professionals who are sadly pushed for time and resources. My guest on this episode - Emma Brockwell aka Physio Mum UK - is on a mission to empower women and birthing people to seek the help they need and care for themselves postnatally. Emma is a Specialist Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and the autho...