Working Mumma

In this episode of Working Mumma, we delve deep into a topic that's close to the heart of every working mum: boundaries. Join me as I explore the misconceptions, challenges, and strategies surrounding the art of setting healthy boundaries while juggling the demands of a career and family life.   During this episode, I chat about:  Understanding boundaries and the common misconceptions  The work/li...

This week on the podcast I speak with two amazing people who are advocates for gender equality, Coleen Mackinnon and Rob Sturrock. We all spoke very passionately about improving gender equality, and how fathers can play an active role and share the load, their own experiences of parenting and having a career.  Topics we covered include:  * The systemic barriers that are impacting gender diversity ...

When we discover that we are pregnant, so much of the focus goes toward the child's birth. Once this life-changing event has happened, that is when we most need our village to surround us with support. Learning how to care for a newborn, recovering ourselves, and navigating this new world is challenging; it's when we most need the village around us. Planning for postpartum is crucial as I chat wit...

Today I'm speaking with Laura Campbell who has over 20 years of corporate experience, founder of Hackerlily, is mum to two children, and suffers from a chronic illness.  During this episode Laura shares: * Why she and her husband decided to move back to Australia after living in the UK for 16 years and her experiences of the transition  * The impact of having a chronic disease since childhood on h...

Working mum life can be isolating. At work, people often don't understand the guilt, the mum/career juggle, or the mental load. Without a community, confidence, and normalizing the struggles, it can leave you questioning if you are really able to "have it all". As working mums, we are breaking down some of the siloed and gender-stereotyped thinking. Women in the 1970s were forced to give up their...

In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, we dive deep into topics relating to gender equality and the motherhood penalty. I speak with Niti Nadarajah and we have really insightful conversation across a range of different topics. No matter where you are on your parenting journey, there are great tips from Niti. Niti is passionate about gender equality and we chat about shifting the mental mode...

This a big milestone episode as I celebrate with you 100 episodes of the Working Mumma podcast!  I started the Working Mumma podcast when I was 18 months into my motherhood journey, I had been back at work for approximately 6 months before I had the idea for a podcast and 8 months when I launched the podcast.  I will be honest and say that I was unsure how to recognise 100 episodes. But I needed t...

Flexible work is a key requirement for many families to help them manage the juggle of career and parenting. I speak with Belinda Morgan, a flexible work and leadership specialist this week on the Working Mumma podcast. Belinda shares her insights, experience, and practical advice on how part-time work can support women seeking work-life integration without compromising career aspirations. As we d...

In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I speak with Jordanne Collins, a working mum with her own web design company, and we explore the challenges, surprises, and joys of balancing motherhood and a career. Jordanne shares how becoming a mother has changed her perceptions and priorities, making her more career-driven than ever before. She relishes the opportunity to show her children that th...

In this episode, I chat with Leslie Carvitto, a persona brand and lifestyle photographer, who became a mum in 2022 and currently navigating the juggle of being a business owner whilst raising a tiny human.  Leslie shares her challenges and joys of motherhood and returning back to work in her own business after she became a mum. Work for Leslie was an anchor, providing a sense of purpose and identi...

The mental load is an issue that affects many mothers and women, resulting in burnout, stress, and anxiety. It regularly comes up as a key challenge for working mothers.  In this episode, I look at what exactly is the mental load and some of it's features. It is invisible and will look different for everyone; as I share, it changes daily. Rather than giving you clear strategies (i.e. outsourcing)...

In this solo episode, I go through the upcoming changes to childcare subsidy (CCS) in Australia. The childcare subsidy is a government-funded financial assistance program that helps families with the (increasing) cost of childcare. On July 10, 2023, some changes will be made to the program that provide better support to parents, and in this podcast, I'll explore what these changes are, why they ar...

Have you ever experienced mum guilt? Do you find yourself catching yourself sounding like your mum? You aren't alone.  In this episode, I speak with mindset coach and rapid transformation therapist, AJ Davis, about navigating mindsets and beliefs to create a happier and healthier life. We discuss the impact of our beliefs from how we have been influenced by society & our parents, and how to ch...

Enjoy part two of my chat with Ellen Hooper on building a successful portfolio career. By definition, a portfolio career is when you have several unrelated jobs. Portfolio careers give you the opportunity to craft a future to help explore interests outside of your "traditional" role. Ellen has a job share position as the Head of People & Culture at a community bank, her own business the Growth...

Ever wondered about the benefits and opportunities that can come about through job sharing? In this episode with Ellen Hooper I discuss job sharing, the benefits, tips, and strategies to make it a successful partnership and arrangement between yourself, your job share partner, and your organisation. Ellen is experienced in job sharing and will share her career journey and how she started working w...

Burnout is a topic that many people have experienced, and increasingly over the past 3 years. In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I speak with Lisa Dillon, a Public Health Postdoctoral Research Fellow.   In this episode, Lisa explains the definition of parental burnout, which is the physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that one feels from the chronic stress of parenting. Unlike wor...

Working mums often feel judged – it could be their decision to want to have a career and be a mum, the hours they work, the time they spend with children, the decision to send their children to childcare, meals prepared, and the list goes on. Christie Nicholas and her marketing agency, Mumpower, recently conducted a study with Australian mums with some scary results. They found that 82% of mums fe...

There are many different themes for International Women's Day 2023 to highlight gender equality and how far we are away from it. Rather than just talking about what the issues are, in this podcast I share with you some strategies and actions that both individuals and organisations can take to make incremental changes to help move the needle in a positive direction.  What would you like to see chan...

In a report last year by consulting company, McKinsey, nearly 12 million women left their job during the early stages of the pandemic and the workforce still hasn’t recovered. Organisations need to acknowledge the responsibilities of working parents, often the ‘double shift’. More can and needs to be done by companies to support women returning to work and recognise the transition women go through...

We are seeing women change jobs at high rates to work for organisations that align with their work/life integration priorities. Often women believe they need 80% of the selection criteria vs men that believe they need only 20%. How do you get the cut through with recruiters to get the interview? Enjoy this episode of the Working Mumma podcast as I speak with Dayna Stewart, the Executive Director o...

One of the biggest challenges I hear from working mums is work/life balance, and a significant contributor to this is boundaries. Setting and keeping boundaries is hard. We can be on the hamster wheel of life wondering why we keep going around and around with no idea how to get off and find our version of normality. As working mums, we deserve to be happy at both home and work. During this episode...

Is your baby not sleeping and are you going back to work soon? Are you wondering how to navigate your babies sleep routine with the childcare transition? These are everyday anxieties and worries facing most working mums as I discovered during my conversation with Donna Moala, founder of Bub2sleep, a certified Sleep Sense consultant, and a mum of three.    Sleep is a learned skill and it can define...

Is your child about to embark on a transition either from home to childcare or kinder to school? The new year often brings new locations and experiences for our children. There is a level of uncertainty as they are separated from their security blanket of mum and dad potentially for the first time. It's emotional for everyone involved, more so for our children. We like to think children are adapta...

Are you feeling exhausted after running the 2022 marathon and feel like you are limping to the finish line? You aren't alone. It has been a big year. Did you know that 89% of people have experienced burnout in the past 12 months? Burnout is a worldwide, systemic problem and not only for one group but everyone.  It is important to know the symptoms and have your own personal strategies on how to ma...

Has anyone referred to you as "just a mum"? Are you no longer feeling like yourself since becoming a mum?  This week I speak with Heinna who was in this exact position where for 6 years she was focused on her kids and lost herself, who she was, and her identity. Heinna thought she was heading down one path with her career and becoming a mum changed all that.  In this episode, Heinna shares her jou...