Today on the show we have Sophie Black – a life-long journalist & writer currently in the role of the Head of Publishing at The Wheeler Centre, and Mum to two kids named Walter & Maggie.Sophie has had a brimming career, including working on the multi-award-winning podcast, The Messenger, the ABC Radio National program, Talkfest, and heading up titles such as Crikey, Daily Review... I could go on. In today's conversation, Sophie talks about how deeply life and parenthood bleed into work, managing to continue her incredibly successful career whilst growing and raising two humans, being cured of her lifelong affliction of FOMO, and the painfully solitary experience of secondary infertility & the IVF process. TW: This is an episode that may be sensitive to people who are experiencing fertility issues, and or miscarriage. I think the story and experiences that Sophie shares are incredibly valuable for those supporting friends and/or family through these issues and perhaps even for some people experiencing similar things to feel validated for their emotions and pain. So it is a worthwhile listen if you are feeling up to it. Show NotesMen at Work: Australia's Parenthood Trap – Annabel CrabbThe Wife Drought: Why Women Need Wives, and Men Need Lives – Annabel CrabbBroadside – Monika Lewinsky & Sophie Black: Sexism & FeminsmLean In: Women, Work, & the Will to Lead – Sheryl Sandberg_____________________ Original Music by J. Dale PearsonSpecial thanks to our episode sponsor: seedlingdigital.com.auFor all of your custom branding & website building needs, get in touch with Nikki at Seedling Digital.

Today's guest is Laura Brading, Mum to Magnolia & Sydney. Laura is also one half of WellRead – the curated book subscription service celebrating the immeasurable power of reading. Laura has spent most of her adult life in the literary world, including working in the publishing industry for some time before becoming a Mother.In today’s conversation, Laura and I delve deep into what it means to be a Mother, and our attempts, as women, to prove ourselves to be more than that undervalued label. I’d like to put a trigger warning in here, as Laura talks pretty openly about her struggles through endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, infertility, miscarriage, and how isolating these experiences can be. The conversation is heavily weighted towards our mutual love of reading, so if you’re into books, this is the episode for you! SHOW NOTES:Books mentioned ~A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother – Rachel CuskHow to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy – Jenny OdellDigital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World – Cal NewportIna May’s Guide to Childbirth – Ina May GaskinMy Name is Lucy Barton – Elizabeth StroutAnything is Possible – Elizabeth StroutFleishman is in Trouble – Taffy Brodesser The Girl with the Louding Voice – Abi DareRachel Cusk's response piece for 'A Life's Work'.Taffy Brodesser-Akner's disregard for routine.Wellread on Instagram.Subscribe to Wellread.~Original Music by J. Dale PearsonSpecial thanks to our episode sponsor: seedlingdigital.com.auFor all of your custom branding & website building needs, get in touch with Nikki at Seedling Digital.

In today's episode I’m talking with Beci Orpin, Mother of two boys, Tyke, & Ari. Beci also is a Melbourne based, but but internationally recognised, Designer and Illustrator known for her bold, bright work that is uniquely her own. You only need to look at her website to see how incredibly fascinating her brain is. I remember admiring Beci in my teenage years, reading Frankie magazine and fawning over her work, so having the chance to chat with Beci about our mutual experience of Motherhood was a really joyous experience. Beci went back to work 4 days after her first baby, so she talks about how difficult it can be during that baby fog, but how it felt natural to her, because work is where she finds a huge amount of her identity. We chat about the influence that a strong, powerful mother figure can have on our desire for children ourselves, and how much the respect for our Mums can grow after we have that experience; The flexibility that comes from sharing the parenting load with your partner and how it allows us, as women, to continue to work and create; and lots more. Enjoy!mother-other.comSHOW NOTES:beciorpin.com/instagram.com/beciorpin_____Original Music by J. Dale PearsonSpecial thanks to our episode sponsor: seedlingdigital.com.auFor all of your custom branding & website building needs, get in touch with Nikki at Seedling Digital.

In today’s episode I’m talking with a Mother who’s story is a little different to our previous episodes so far. She’s a writer, Author, Mother of two kids, her first of which, was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Melanie Dimmitt is the author of 'Special: Antidotes to the obsessions that come with a child’s disability' released in 2019. Not having envisioned herself as a Mother, it wasn’t until she was with her partner for a few years that Mel thought about becoming one. Mel and I dive into her Motherhood journey, her experience discovering Arlo’s diagnosis and parenting a child with a disability, we talk about learning boundaries as people pleasers, Mel's career and work as a writer, how she wrangles it all with the kids & much, much more.mother-other.comSHOW NOTES:http://melaniedimmitt.com.au/https://www.instagram.com/the_special_book/_____Original Music by J. Dale PearsonSpecial thanks to our episode sponsor: seedlingdigital.com.auFor all of your custom branding & website building needs, get in touch with Nikki at Seedling Digital.

Loretta Bolotin is a Melbourne based Entrepreneur & Mother to babes Koan & sol. Loretta is the Co-founder and CEO of Free to Feed, a not-for-profit social enterprise championing the unique skills of refugees, people seeking asylum and new migrants. In today's episode, recorded on the precipice of what became a world-wide lockdown, Amy & Loretta delve into the all-consuming haze of Motherhood, alongside finding her vocation in the realm of social justice.mother-other.comSHOW NOTES:freetofeed.org.au/_____Original Music by J. Dale PearsonSpecial thanks to our episode sponsor: seedlingdigital.com.auFor all of your custom branding & website building needs, get in touch with Nikki at Seedling Digital.

Today's guest is the multi-talented Kate Berry. You may know Kate from her (former) wonderful blog turned Magazine called Lunch Lady, or her beautiful Instagram. Kate is a photographer, designer, blogger along with many other things. Kate and I discuss sleep deprivation induced anxiety, the struggle that comes with being the first of your circle of friends to have a baby, having your identity ripped from successful designer to gross mum life, the creative hustle and how we need to allow ourselves time to rest and relax for our creativity to really flow.https://hellokateberry.com/Intro music by J. Dale Pearson

Sunni Hart is a doula, DJ & Mother, among many other things. Sunni and Amy discuss lots of juicy topics such as the home-births of her beautiful boys, her journey to becoming a doula and being cracked open to find her magic, the paradigm changing abilities and connectivity that social media can give us, how to marry our sexual selves with our motherhood and much, much more.https://www.sunnihart.com/Intro music by J. Dale Pearson

In this episode, Amy chats with Alice Robinson, Australian Author and Mother of two. Alice and Amy discuss the writing life as a mother, how women are treated in the workplace after becoming a mum, making friends as a mother, experiencing mothers groups, identity crises and much more.https://www.alicerobinson.com.au/Intro music by J. Dale Pearson

Emma Peel is a Melbourne radio personality, DJ and MC, A copywriter, co-curator of the Reservoir Stomp & a Mum. In this episode we discuss being creative Mums, people’s opinions on DJ-ing while pregnant and after having babies, the way the music industry deals with Motherhood (spoiler: not so well), life out in Reservoir, the joys of coming home to your family after a big night of working, and the creation of Reservoir stomp. https://www.reservoirstomp.com/https://www.instagram.com/djemmapeel/Intro music by J. Dale Pearson

Naomi Chrisoulakis is a postpartum Doula delivering nourishing food to new Mums and offering in-home support that helps women ease into Motherhood. She also runs her own excellent podcast called ‘Tales from the Fourth Trimester’. In this episode, we discuss Naomi’s shift from glossy magazine journalist to Mother & postpartum Doula, the importance of rest and recovery during the elusive fourth trimester, creating rhythms and rituals as a family, the difficulty of maintaining catch-ups with friends whilst running a business AND being a Mother, and learning to surrender. A really insightful conversation for any pregnant Mothers out there, or people who are close to somebody about to birth a baby sometime soon.https://cocoonbynaomi.com/https://www.instagram.com/cocoonbynaomi/Intro music by J. Dale Pearson