Parents Who Think

What happens when a father dares to speak the truth the world hasn't made space for? In this episode of Parents Who Think, host Danusia Malina-Derben speaks with Elliot Rae—author, speaker, and founder of Music Football Fatherhood—in a conversation about emotional fluency, gender equality, and the revolution unfolding inside modern fatherhood. They explore what happens after traumatic birth and po...

What does it really mean to mother across time—through babyhood, adolescence, heartbreak, grief, and desire? On this episode of Parents Who Think, Clover Stroud joins Danusia Malina-Derben for a conversation that names the unspoken. They talk about what happens to a woman when she mothers across decades, not just in nappies and sleepless nights, but when her teenage son is getting expelled while h...

What happens when your child's diagnosis doesn't just change your daily routine, it changes your entire business model? In this episode of Parents Who Think, Danusia Malina-Derben talks with psychologist and executive coach Jessica Chivers about how motherhood redefines ambition, and reshapes working life in ways no corporate handbook prepares you for. Jessica opens up about navigating exclusions,...

What does risk really look like when you're a mother and when you're not willing to blow up your life to chase a dream? In this episode, Danusia is joined by entrepreneur Colleen Wong, who talks about building her business on calculated risks, not chaos. They get into what happens when your startup is hacked by a government body, how to run a company with four mothers in customer service and zero...

In this episode of Parents Who Think, Danusia Malina-Derben sits down with Zoe Blaskey to explore what it really takes to stay connected to yourself when everyone else seems to come first. Zoe, founder and author of Motherkind and mother of two talks openly about the difference between performing wellness and actually tending to yourself. Together, she and Danusia unpack how easy it is to get lost...

Journalist and author Matt Blake joins Parents Who Think host Danusia Malina-Derben for a candid conversation about what it actually means to co-parent equally. Since his daughter was born, Matt has shared care 50/50 with her mother, through relationship shifts, career trade-offs, and a system that still assumes mothers carry the load. Together, Matt and Danusia explore how parenting redefines amb...

What if everything we thought we knew about screen time was the wrong conversation? In this episode, Danusia Malina-Derben joins Jordan Shapiro for a refreshingly grounded take on parenting in the digital age. Together, they unpack why most debates around tech and children are missing the point. Jordan challenges the obsession with duration, how long a child is online, and instead urges parents to...

Becoming a mother isn't just a personal change but a profound identity transformation on par with adolescence. In this episode of Parents Who Think, Danusia Malina-Derben is joined by Dr. Aurélie Athan, clinical psychologist and scholar of reproductive identity, whose groundbreaking work on matrescence reframes motherhood as a major developmental passage. Together, they unpack how motherhood alter...

In this episode of Parents Who Think, Danusia Malina-Derben speaks with Laura Vanderkam—author, researcher, and mother of five—about time. Not just how we spend it, but how we talk about it. Laura's work tracks how high-achieving women actually use their hours, and what she found flies in the face of everything we've been told: the women she studied weren't burned out, short-fused, or collapsing i...

In this episode of Parents Who Think, host Danusia Malina-Derben is joined by Marisa Peer to discuss why "I am enough" is more than a mantra, it's a psychological reset that ripples through families. Drawing on decades of therapeutic work and her own personal evolution, Marisa unpacks how societal norms, school gate competition, and everyday self-criticism shape our belief systems. From writing af...

What happens when a woman writes the truth the world isn't ready to hear? In this episode of Parents Who Think, host Danusia Malina-Derben joins Erica Jong, novelist, poet, and unapologetic icon, in a conversation about the power and price of honesty. They explore how female jealousy gets buried in family and friendship, how mothers and daughters carry inherited pain, and why admitting negative em...

In this episode of Parents Who Think, Danusia Malina-Derben joins Ken Mossman for a layered and moving conversation about modern masculinity, emotional maturity, and what it means to be an integrated man. Ken brings wit and wisdom to topics most men were never taught to face: how to play, how to feel, and how to take responsibility without shame or performance. They explore why so many men exile p...

Parents Who Think host Danusia Malina-Derben joins Clare Pooley in an unflinching conversation about motherhood, sobriety, and the silent unraveling that so often hides behind 'wine o'clock'." Together, Clare and Danusia speak frankly about alcohol as a socially sanctioned drug, the seductive myths around moderation, and the messy, non-linear journey of quitting. Clare offers sharp insights for th...

In this episode of Parents Who Think, Danusia Malina-Derben talks with Stuart Lawrence, teacher, author, and younger brother of Stephen Lawrence, about what it means to carry grief and use it as a tool for change. Stuart reflects on stepping into a leadership role in his family after Stephen's murder, navigating the long and painful road toward justice, and discovering his own purpose through educ...

Danusia Malina-Derben talks with Rosie Sherry about what it really means to educate and parent outside the system. Rosie, a home educator and founder of a global tech community, shares the story of pulling her children out of school—not out of rebellion, but out of radical care. What followed wasn't just a change in schooling—it was a reordering of her entire life. Together, Danusia and Rosie talk...

Eldra Jackson doesn't soften the truth. And he doesn't offer redemption stories tied up in a bow. In this conversation, he speaks openly about the crimes that led to his 24-year prison sentence and the deeper inner work that began long after the bars closed behind him. Danusia Malina-Derben, host of Parents Who Think, joins Eldra to explore what happens when men are taught that power depends on do...

When Suzy Walker began a mindfulness course, she didn't expect it to unearth a lifetime of suppressed grief. But in conversation with Danusia Malina-Derben, host of Parents Who Think, what unfolds is a raw, honest reflection on what happens when we stop running, and start listening. Danusia and Suzy explore the seductive trap of busyness, the spiritual disorientation of stillness, and the hidden g...

What does real equality look like when you're parenting solo? In this moving conversation, Danusia interviews Michael Ray, a father who's raising his daughter on his own after her mother stepped away from their lives. What might sound like a tough beginning becomes a powerful dialogue on parenting, presence, and the messy realities of gendered expectations. Michael shares what it means to parent w...

If you think menopause is just hot flashes and mood swings, Meg Mathews is here to set you straight. In this unfiltered episode, Meg opens up about how menopause knocked her sideways—crippling anxiety, misdiagnosis, zero libido—and how it took years before anyone mentioned hormones. That journey led to Meg's Menopause, a platform busting taboos and pushing for real education, access, and self-resp...

What does it really mean to be a good dad in a world that's (finally) rethinking power, privilege, and gender? Jordan Shapiro offers a fresh framework—one that demands more than just 'helping out' or being 'the fun one.' In this episode, we talk about radical inclusivity, critical consciousness, and why patriarchal manliness needs a total rethink. Jordan doesn't dodge the difficult stuff—he names...

We're told to be selfless. To give everything for our children. To die to ourselves for the sake of being a "good" mother and parent. But what if that's not the answer at all? In this fierce, funny, and deeply real conversation, Danusia is joined by Meredith Masony —a woman who came back from a health crisis with one loud, clear truth: she was done putting herself last. They talk about the myth of...

This episode, I speak with Simon Squibb, founder of HelpBnk and author of What's Your Dream? We dive into cultivating luck (hint: it's not random), why desperation can be a creative superpower, and how his mother kicking him out of the house became the very thing that made him. Simon shares his raw take on privilege, failure, and the myth of the A-grade life. We talk resilience, drive, and what it...

In this episode I sit down with Eve Rodsky, author of the groundbreaking book Fair Play, to discuss the often invisible and unequal labour dynamics that play out in our homes. We get into why women frequently become the "she-fault" parent, shouldering the brunt of domestic responsibilities and emotional labour, often at the expense of their own well-being and careers.   Eve doesn't just identify t...

In this episode of Parents Who Think, Danusia gets into into a juicy conversation with Hollie McNish—award-winning poet, author, and performer. The focus? Female masturbation, sexuality, and shedding the centuries of shame surrounding women's pleasure. One of Hollie's books, Slug and Other Things I've Been Told to Hate, serves as the jumping-off point for this honest chat. Danusia and Hollie cover...

What happens when a woman is the breadwinner and her husband takes the lead at home? Apparently, a lot of raised eyebrows, unsolicited opinions, and a bizarre mix of pity and praise. Entrepreneur and mother Priscilla McKinney joins me to talk about flipping the script on traditional gender roles, how she and her husband Steve made the switch, and what it really means to thrive in a setup that work...