Not Another Mummy Podcast

In Carers Week, my guest is Penny Wincer. Penny is a mum of two and she is carer to her 10-year-old son Arthur who has autism and learning difficulties. Penny talks to me about spotting the signs that Arthur was struggling with certain things when he was little, getting the diagnosis of autism when he was three and balancing caring for Arthur with parenting his 8-year-old sister Agnes. She talks a...

Mindfulness is one of those things that I know I should focus more on, and I know it would probably help me get through each day with more of a smile, yet it’s not something I’ve properly explored before. But one of the guests on today’s episode – Izzy Judd – has written a book, Mindfulness For Mums, which for the first time has got me thinking about how I can use mindfulness day to day. I chat to...

This is an episode of two parts! My guest - the brilliant Shakira Akabusi - and I recorded our chat back in December 2019. The episode didn't go out back then because I'd just finished a podcast series and had a big writing project to knuckle down to, so it stayed tucked away on my laptop for over five months. In that time though, mum of two and ante-natal/post-natal fitness expert, Shakira, annou...

It’s a brand new series and things are kicking off with psychotherapist Anna Mathur – the eagle eyed among you might recognise her because Anna was a guest on the recent mini series about family life in lockdown. She’s back to talk about her new book Mind Over Mother, Every Mum’s Guide to Worry and Anxiety in the First Year . Mum of three Anna was inspired to write her brilliant book following her...

In this final episode in the mini series dedicated to family life in lockdown, I’m joined by one of the most influential doctors in the UK. Dr Rangan Chatterjee is a dad of two and a GP who wants to change the way we look at illness, and health. He is known for finding the root cause of people's health problems and empowering people to take control of their health with simple changes to their rout...

Hands up if you’re missing social interaction right now! (That will probably be all of us, I’m guessing). If you’re anything like me, you’ll be looking forward to being able to hang out with friends and family again – and even craving little things like being able to make small talk with the server at your local coffee shop! On this episode, my guest is Sunita Harley, who has a lot to say about so...

It's currently six weeks since schools closed in the UK and parents everywhere have been doing a stellar job at keeping their children busy, happy and learning stuff. But it's HARD, right?! Especially - I think - for parents of kids aged 2-5. Older kids can often keep themselves busy (not always though!) but younger ones usually need a bit more one on one attention and time. Which lots of us don't...

If you're currently pregnant or have recently given birth, being in lockdown and dealing with the restrictions put in place by the NHS is very possibly making an already challenging time even harder.  In this episode, I talk to doula Mars Lord about how the Coronavirus pandemic is affecting pregnancy, birth and the post natal period. Mars has years of experience supporting women through pregn...

In this episode, I welcome Emma Cantrell onto the podcast - a return guest ( you can listen to our conversation about talking to kids about privilege here ) Emma is founder and CEO of the charity First Days and a mum of two. She recently set up - in response to the Coronavirus pandemic - an emergency food hub, working with her local authority, supermarkets and a team of volunteers to feed over 100...

In this second episode of this podcast mini series focusing on how we're navigating the Coronavirus health crisis and lockdown, I chat to Adele Jarrett-Kerr. Adele is a writer, podcaster, breastfeeding counsellor and a home educator to her three children. At a time when so many of us have been suddenly thrown into home educating our kids, due to the schools closing, Adele is well placed to offer s...

The podcast is back but blimey, how are you doing? It's a funny old time, isn't it? We're all navigating this new lockdown life so this mini series will see all of this *gestures around wildly* being discussed in the hope that it brings a bit of support, comfort and insight into the experiences of others. We're all going through the same thing at the moment, yet it's affecting everyone in differen...

What could be more Christmassy than ending this series of the podcast chatting to the person who will be keeping the nation company while we open our presents on Christmas Day? Rev Kate Bottley – who will be on Radio 2 from 8am-10am on December 25th – was a total joy to have on as a guest. The mum of two and Church of England priest entered the public eye when she was a regular on Channel 4’s Gogg...

It’s probably fair to say that most women, when they’re pregnant, are a bit apprehensive about the birth. I know I was! Especially when it’s your first pregnancy, it’s totally normal to feel worried or even a bit scared about what childbirth will be like. But my guest on this episode – blogger and comedian Jess Jones aka The Fat Funny One – developed such a fear of giving birth, during her first p...

What’s it like to become a grandparent? My guests on this episode are Jo Middleton – who recently became a grandmother - and Tanya Barrow – who will shortly become a grandmother. Both women have spent the last 25 or so years being a mum, and the last ten years blogging about motherhood. Tanya runs the award-winning blog Mummy Barrow and Jo runs the award-winning blog Slummy Single Mummy. I ch...

Do you have total equality in the home? Do you manage to divide domestic and childcare tasks fairly between you and your partner? If your answers are yes, you get a massive gold star and you don’t need to listen to this episode of the podcast! If, however, you feel like things are a bit imbalanced and one of you does a lot more than your fair share, this episode is for you. My guest this week is E...

My guest on this episode, Kate Dyson, is the founder of the biggest online community for women – The Motherload. Started with just a few friends, when Kate received an unhelpful response on an online forum for mums, it has grown to be the place that 84,000 women head to for non-judgemental chat about motherhood. As a mum of three, Kate has a lot to say about communities for mums and tells me about...

I’m thrilled to welcome Binky Felstead onto the podcast this week! Binky shot to fame when she appeared on TV show Made In Chelsea and two years ago, she became a mum to her daughter India. It was so lovely to chat to Binky and we covered a lot of ground - her parenting style, how she’s keen to have a relaxed approach but with fairly strict boundaries and what she thinks she’s learned from her own...

This is a special episode of Not Another Mummy Podcast, recorded live in front of an audience at Redemption – a fantastic alcohol-free bar and vegan restaurant in London’s Covent Garden. My guests are Rosamund Dean, Deputy Editor of Grazia and author of the book Mindful Drinking: How Cutting Down Can Change Your Life, and Clemmie Telford, Creative Director, blogger & podcaster who gave up drin...

COME SEE NOT ANOTHER MUMMY PODCAST LIVE! On Friday 18th October, I’ll be recording an episode about parenthood and alcohol with guests Rosamund Dean, author of the book Mindful Drinking and deputy editor of Grazia magazine, and Clemmie Telford, mum of three who recently decided to stop drinking alcohol. It’s all happening at Redemption, a really cool alcohol free bar in London’s Covent Garden and...

Deciding whether to try for a baby is SUCH a big thing. Are we ready? How will our lives change? Do we really want this or are we just doing it because our friends are? Many people know, from an early age, that they don’t want to be a parent, and my guest on this episode felt this way for all of her adult life, until she met her fiancé Boj and now she is really unsure about it all. Kate Lawler is...

How long is ‘normal’ to breastfeed your baby? Of course, there is no such thing as ‘normal’. We all have totally different experiences and choices open to us, and many mums choose not to breastfeed at all or move onto bottles very quickly.  I breastfed my eldest for six months and my twins for ten months, and when I say that, no one bats an eye, but when my guest on the podcast this week, Gil...

This week’s guest is the fantastic Konnie Huq! A mum of two, TV presenter and now author, Konnie is a huge champion for getting kids into STEM – science, technology, engineering and maths. She’s rather cleverly written a book series for kids, which is funny and brilliant but with a bit of STEM learning sneaked in. Cookie and The Most Annoying Boy In The World is the first book in the series, and i...

Welcome back to a new season of Not Another Mummy Podcast and I've got a brilliant episode to kick things off. Along with his husband Daniel, my guest, Tom Cox, adopted his son Kai. Tom chats to me about everything from that moment he knew he wanted to be a dad, what made them choose adoption over surrogacy and how he felt when he first saw their son Kai's adoption profile and knew he was the one....

Are you a scummy mummy? My guests on the podcast, this week, are! Helen Thorn and Ellie Gibson are the comedy double act The Scummy Mummies. Their sell out live show, top-rated podcast and book celebrate being less than perfect parents. They’re known for talking about how it’s OK to feed your kids fish fingers, rather than organic quinoa, how taking your little ones to swimming lessons can sometim...

Jen and Al Ferguson have suffered seven miscarriages – six of them subsequently since having their son Teddy, now age four. They talk very openly to me about their experiences, from the first miscarriage, which happened on their wedding day, to the most recent. Both explain how the heartbreak has affected them and the things they’ve done to cope emotionally with such a run of bad luck. Currently s...