The Juggling Act

Melbourne has been through so much, and for people with a chronic illness, it’s been especially tough. Beloved author, columnist and podcast host Jamila Rizvi was diagnosed with a brain tumour nearly three years ago and to keep her whole family safe, they had to take precautions - including keeping her four-year-old son Rafi home for the past eight months. She was so inspired by discussions she had with him during that time, that she wrote her first book for children – I’m A Hero Too. Jamila joins us to talk about the biggest challenges during that time and what she learnt about her son, and herself.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest today is an author, speaker and mum to three boys, who says that we need to rethink our approach to juggling work life and motherhood. Danielle Dobson’s book Breaking The Gender Code is all about how we can rewrite the code to live our lives on our own terms, and she joins us with some practical strategies on exactly how to do it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A mum recently wrote about how she didn't really like her kids until they were seven. And while she was slammed on social media, Sarah and Mel understand what she's trying to get at. For the first five or so years, you're in care mode. Then as they become more self-sufficient and their little personalities come out, you start to enjoy their company more and your relationships changes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, it has been a huge year for Grant and Chezzi Denyer who are pregnant with their third child. Chezzi has been suffering from severe morning sickness AND vertigo - and handling criticism for having a baby at 41. They join us on the pod to talk having kids when you're older, how they hated each other when they first met, and the awesome summer road trip they have planned before the new bub arrives in March (btw their record for the number of wee stops in an hour is EIGHT!).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we are joined by the stars of The Crown – Charles and Diana, that’s Emma Corrin & Josh O'Connor to you commoners… they open up about why we're SO obsessed with the royal family. Sarah and I admit that we are drowning in life admin and we just need people to cut parents some slack! Author Brooke Graham has written a fantastic children's book that is helping our kids banish worry (I use this reference all the time to help my kids - genius), while we’ve discovered a brilliant service that is helping mums juggle career and family. And finally Canadian author, TV presenter and mum Shantelle Bison has written a book called ‘Raising your kids without losing your cool’ – and she has some surprising advice about discipline. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s guest is a former actress, fitness instructor and TV producer, she’s also the mum of three girls, two in their twenties. Shantelle Bisson has now turned author with her new parenting guidebook - Raising your kids without losing your cool. She joins us to explain this sorcery and why she thinks a 'little pat' is sometimes needed to discipline our kids. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's guest wanted to find a way to give women in senior administrative roles more workforce flexibility. So Lauren Calvert started an executive support service called The Well Suited Group - as a side hustle - and it’s now changing the lives of mums trying to juggle family and career.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When primary school teacher and mum, Brooke Graham's daughter was 9, she was rushed to hospital in the middle of the night because she felt like she couldn't breathe. Turns out she was having a panic attack, and it was the sign Brooke needed to get her some professional help. She has since gone on to use the techniques they learnt to write a new children’s book called Go Away, Worry Monster!, to help remind our kids that they can send worry packing anytime they like, and take control of their fears.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Written notes from daycare, newsletters from little athletics, alerts on the school app, emails from work - life admin can be so overwhelming! There is a lot of pressure on parents to be across everything and sometimes it just becomes too much. Sarah and Mel talk about how they're copying and beg people to just cut parents a little bit of slack.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new season of The Crown is here, and we were lucky enough to catch up with Emma Corrin & Josh O'Connor who play Charles and Di - one of the most famous couples in history - to get their insight on why we’re all so obsessed with the royal family (admit it, I know you are…), why Princess Di was so intent on being a hands-on mother and Emma reveals the reason she is glad Covid hit just after they finished filming.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes being the one who makes the family decisions – and quite often its mum – can be bloody exhausting. Some days it feels like I’ve got decision-making fatigue and it makes me want to take a break from adulating – I don’t want to! Mum and journalist Casey Beros took that feeling one step further and decided to stop making the family decisions for a week, just to see what happened… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No parent should ever have to outlive their child. The heartbreak is just unimaginable. That's why TV presenter and mum of two boys, Livinia Nixon has partnered with the children's charity Bailey's Day. They're helping raise much-needed funds for the Monash Children’s Hospital’s cancer centre in Melbourne. She opens up about the incredible support that money provides, how much of a struggle the second lockdown has been for Melbourne families, and what fuels the drive to succeed in her career.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes being the one who makes the family decisions – and quite often its mum – can be bloody exhausting. What will we eat for dinner? Who will make it? What time will it be? Who will drop the kids to daycare and school? Who will make sure they have something to wear that doesn’t resemble a clown? Will anyone buy a gift for that looming birthday party this weekend? Some days it feels like I’ve got decision-making fatigue and it makes me want to take a break from adulating – I don’t want to! Mum and journalist Casey Beros took that feeling one step further and decided to stop making the family decisions for a week, just to see what happened… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some people spent lockdown binging Netflix and eating, others put that time to slightly better use by learning a new skill or actually doing something productive (not that eating and binging TV series is not – I’m so here for that). Today's guest falls into the second category. Casey Gillespie, a Queensland mum of two, decided to use her time to write and publish a children's book inspired by her late mother called Nanna Maureen, and it is now on Amazon’s bestseller list. Oh, and did we mention that Sarah Ferguson (yuh, Fergie) read it live on her Insta?!). Right, royally posh. Hats off to you mumma.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When I was growing up in country Victoria, heading off on a trip to Melbourne was a really big deal. It was four hours drive away at the time (no major highways) and it was so damn exciting. I loved walking down Chapel St and looking at the shops, we could never afford to buy anything. I’d stare in the windows of Alannah Hill, lusting over the feminine fabrics and colours. I didn’t end up buying one of her designs until I was 30, and I still love it. Well now the iconic designer and single mum of one, has turned public speaker and author. She’s back with her second book The Handbag of Happiness and she joins us to talk about finding happiness after her traumatic childhood and the heartbreak of your child no longer needing you.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all know the benefits of sports for kids. Teamwork, coordination, resilience, the list goes on. But for some kids, playing sport is just not their thing. They'd rather curl up with a book, learn an instrument or create a new world on Minecraft. Living in a sporting nation like Australia, there is a huge focus on the sporting culture with swimming and athletic carnivals all throughout schools. So should we make our kids participate if they're really not into it? Or is it good for them to at least give it a try?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we talked about what age it’s appropriate to give your child a mobile phone… We caught up with Sue Brierley about the incredible true story behind the Oscar nominated film LION, we discussed why tweens are the new teens and how to manage their moods… Candice Warner opens up about her biggest struggle as a mother, and we’ve got some totally achievable tips to paying off your mortgage faster.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all know that any spare money (ha!) needs to go into paying off our mortgage. But there are some other simple changes we can make to bring that number down faster. Today we're joined by Founder of Money Mode Renae Vercoe who talks us through these totally achievable tips (and they won't take you long).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Ironwoman Candice Warner and her little family were put through the wringer following a ball-tampering incident involving her husband, Australian cricketer David Warner, in 2018. She had to put on a brave face for her three daughters, was slammed on social media, labelled ‘a bad mother’, and suffered a miscarriage after Dave addressed the scandal. She joins us on the pod to tell us why she wanted to show her girls just how tough she is, in the new unscripted show SAS Australia and opens up about her greatest weakness as a mother.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier in the year we spoke with Steve Biddulph who said that kids these days are mentally a few years ahead of their actual age. And man am I noticing it with my 8yo daughter! It’s why tweens are now the new teens, according to our next guest. Amanda Stokes is an educator, mother to 3 and the Founder of Raising Strong Daughters. Her new book ‘The Tween Mother’s Tool Book: Raising Strong Daughters’ is out now and she joins us with some advice (praise be).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When I watched the totally heartbreaking Oscar-nominated film 'Lion' starring Nicole Kidman four years ago, my daughter was four. As a mum with a child pretty much the same age, my heart shattered into a million pieces as I watched 5-year-old Saroo go missing. I just couldn’t imagine how my child would survive, so tiny and all alone on the streets of India. I also couldn’t imagine not seeing her again. But this story has a happy ending and an incredible woman behind it. Sue Brierley was living in Tasmania at the time and adopted Saroo a few months after he went missing. Sue has now written a book called 'Lioness' about her tragic upbringing and what it's like to have Nicole Kidman play you on film!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As adults our mobiles are pretty much attached to our hands, and our kids are watching! It seems kids are getting their own phone younger and younger, but do they really need them? Sarah and Mel talk about what age it's appropriate to give a child a mobile phone and what things you need to take into account.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we caught up with mum-of-two and filmmaker Tahyna MacManus who opens up about suffering three miscarriages, including one during the making of her doco Misunderstandings of Miscarriage. Psychologist Belinda Williams joins us with some practical tips for making sure you don’t take your bad day in the office home with you. We have a laugh with author of The Treehouse series Andy Griffith about encouraging a love of reading in our kids. Let's talk about sex with mum Siobhan Fitzgerald who started an erotic fiction website while breastfeeding her second baby, and Sarah and Mel get real about why mums need to stop apologising at work for having children.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever feel like you're constantly apologising for things? Sorry I was late this morning, sorry I forgot his book week costume, sorry she has packaged food in her lunch box today, sorry I have to leave early because my kid has a temperature...sorry, sorry, SORRY! Mums are some of the most efficient people in the workplace, so why are we constantly apologising for having children?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re spicing things up on the pod today, meeting a mum who started an erotic fiction website while breastfeeding her second child. Siobhan Fitzgerald started The Good Bits with her friend Carol who she met through her son’s daycare. She joins us to talk about how she got in the mood to start a new business and shares her tips for reigniting the fire (when you're covered in other people's bodily fluids - and not in a good way).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's guest is one of the country’s most loved children’s authors. Andy Griffiths Is the writer of the bestselling Treehouse series which is now in its 10th year! The next book in the series, The 130-Storey Treehouse, has just come out and Andy joins us to talk about his love of all things silly and why kids can't get enough of his books.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Burnout for a working mum, is so common. Especially with the year that we’ve had. And it can be hard to transition from work stress into mum mode, without taking it out on your kids. Don't worry, we've got some help! Psychologist Belinda Williams from The Bumpy Road joins us with some practical tips to shaking off a bad day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and one mum who knows that heartbreak all too well is Australian actress and filmmaker Tahyna MacManus (nee Tozzi). She’s attempting to open up a conversation that normalises pregnancy loss with her new documentary 'Misunderstandings of Miscarriage', which follows her on her four-year experience of pregnancy and miscarriage with her husband, Studio 10 host Tristan MacManus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Sarah asks whether it’s okay to cut your kid’s hair at home… I have strong feelings about this one! In a rare interview about his daughter Ruby, Rove McManus opens up about how she's changed his view of the world and his favourite book character voice (it's not what you'd expect!) The Project host Gorgi Coglan talks about why women can totally juggle family and be driven in their career. We had a very funny poo joke filled chat with former AFL star Dale ‘Daisy’ Thomas, and best-selling author Joanne Fedler opens up about losing your identity as a mother – and wow does she have a way with words. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's guest is the internationally bestselling author of 12 books which have sold over 750,000 copies globally. On top of that, Joanne Fedler’s book Things Without A Name has been optioned for the big screen! Super impressive. She has a new book out called Unbecoming - a hilarious but heartbreaking look at what happens to women when their identities have been defined by motherhood and marriage. She opens up about how to find yourself again and experiencing that same loss of identity when your children are ready to leave home. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's guest had an impressive AFL career with Collingwood and Carlton, before retiring at the end of last year, and now he's taken on a project his school teachers would be shocked by! Solo dad Dale ‘Daisy’ Thomas can now be found enthusiastically singing along to Frozen with his daughter, Tilly and writing children’s stories about toilet training. He saved all his best dad / toilet jokes for us, cause really, you can never have poo much of a good thing... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's guest is a country girl at heart… she lives with her husband and nine-year-old daughter Molly-Rose on a hobby farm in Ballarat - when she’s not hosting The Project or blowing people away with her incredible voice on The Masked Singer. Gorgi Coghlan has now signed on for a national challenge called ‘Water Night’ on October 22. She opens up about the judgement around only having one child, the secret to her career confidence and why she wants everyone to turn off their taps for one night. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was a total bookworm growing up – my mum would find me curled up in some hidden spot in the sun reading for hours and hours – and I want to instil that love of books in my kids. Today's guest is also passionate about books, having written a few himself! Rove McManus is dad to daughter Ruby with his wife Tasma Walton, and while he made his name on the small screen and the comedy circuit, its drawing and writing that have always been his passion. He’s now working with Spotlight to support Book Week this week, and joins us to chat about homeschooling, book week costume shortcuts and his favourite character to voice (would not have picked this one...) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ah Covid, it's had us doing some unusual things (homeschooling, we're looking at you). One of the things Sarah has turned to is cutting her kid's hair at home. It's kinda cute right? Even if you butcher it? $30 can be a lot to fork out for something that takes 2 minutes and you have to do again in 6 weeks time. Or, is it cruel to have your kids getting around looking like they've been attacked by Edward Scissorhands? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Sarah and Mel discuss what age you should leave a child for a playdate with a family you don't know. It’s a complicated one… We meet the woman who is saving the mental health of Melburnians, while nutritionist Shelley Judge joins us to chat about dealing with school lunchbox envy and why kids need to constantly snack… (never ends!). Author Naomi Lambert has written a book on how to teach kids about being kind to themselves and others and Mel talks about how her daughter is unintentionally body-shaming her and how to handle comments from your kids about your body. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ah little girls, they keep us on our toes! My 8 year-old is now becoming much more aware of her appearance and those around her - ie. me. She makes comments about my body that can be unintentionally hurtful, and while I don't react because I want her to know that every body is different and amazing, it does sometimes get to me! So how do we create a positive body image for our children and how should we react when they comment on our bodies? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Teaching kids to be kind can sometimes feel like pushing water up a hill - like you’re never getting anywhere. By design, they’re narcissistic little things and sometimes our messaging must be pretty confusing – so that kid took a toy offyou,well you need to share!If someone snatched my wine off me as an adult – LOOK OUT. Well, author Naomi Lambert is trying to make it a little bit easier for parents, with the release of her children’s book One Kind Day – which shows children the different ways they can be kinder to each other, and themselves. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are into the FINAL term of school – whoop! And that means only a few more weeks left of trying to get creative with school lunchboxes. Most parents have shortcuts, I make two days worth of sandwiches each day and freeze the other one, it’s just a little thing but it does help that second morning. It can be hard to stay motivated with lunches AND find something that they eat, especially when you're rushing out the door (or to your home desk) for work. So I turned to nutritionist and founder of Shelley's Good Eats, Shelley Judge, for some inspiration and to find out how to deal with lunchbox envy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mental health has been a big topic since Covid hit, especially in Melbourne who have endured two long periods of lockdown. Erika Cramer, is an international confidence coach known as The Queen of Confidence. She’s based in Melbourne with her husband and two sons, and has been changing the lives of women who have turned to her for help. She shares some of the incredible stories of survival with us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It can be exciting when your child gets invited to their first playdate, but things get more complicated if you don't know the family very well. So how do you navigate it and how do you have those conversations? Mel and Sarah share their experiences and find out how to make playdates fun for everyone involved! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Sarah and I talked about birthday party etiquette and how to navigate it – can’t we just go back to the days of a bowl of cheezles, an ice cream cake and a trampoline?! ‘Friends’ star Jane Sibbett reveals she started work on the hit TV show just TWO days after giving birth… (I couldn’t even walk out of the hospital five days later). Lisa Hollinshead opens up about being stranded in Spain with her young son during Covid and how it led to a new business opportunity. We meet the mum who created an eco-friendly detergent that is now saving 12,000g of plastic from the ocean each year, and we were super excited to chat with scientist Emily Calandrelli who is making science fun for our kids on Netflix (and filmed the whole show 9 months pregnant. Rock. Star) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I didn’t love maths and science when I was at school (words not numbers), but if I’d had a teacher like today's guest - I think that would have been a different story. Science expert, engineer, space guru and mum-of-one Emily Calandrelli pitched science shows to TV networks for years and was constantly knocked back, told that male audiences won’t relate to a female host. Yup, apparently that’s where we are still at. But then last year, Netflix realised she was onto something and picked up the show she had been pitching for so long, Emily’s Wonder Lab. On top of that, Emily filmed the whole thing 9 months pregnant. Total. Boss. Lady See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before I had kids, I could never understand why kids were always dirty. Like, is it really that hard to wash their clothes and keep them clean, naive me would think (to myself, luckily). Well pre-kids me, the answer is yes. Yes, it is that hard to wash clothes and keep them clean. I try to let them wear things for a couple of days in a row – unless they’re really filthy – because I don’t like washing and I try to keep the loads to a minimum. One mum who is also passionate about the planet and decided to do something about it, is Frankie Layton. She’s a new mum and the Founder of Melbourne based business The Dirt Company. Frankie wanted to create sustainable household products, that work, something people could really fall in love with - and are better for the environment. She joins us to share her story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In March this year, Lisa Hollinshead and her son landed in Spain to spend time with her mum and granny. Only two days after arriving, the European lockdown hit Spain and they were housebound with flights home to Australia cancelled. After the initial panic and fear, she realised how lucky they were to be safe in her mother’s home, but how difficult this whole experience was proving to be for so many others. Lisa joins us to share her incredible story and how it led to a new business venture when she finally made it home. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I struggled to walk out of the hospital five days after giving birth, let alone heading back to work. But that’s what actress Jane Sibbett did when she got the call to star in 'Friends' – one of the most popular TV comedies of all time (now streaming on Binge). Jane had just given birth to her second son, Kai, after a 24-hour labour, when producers called and asked her to take on the role of Ross’ ex-wife Carol. She joins us on the pod and opens up about taking that call and reveals which of the main roles she originally auditioned for (it's not who you would expect!). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ah children's birthday parties, so much fun for the kids, so much stress for parents! There's pressure around who to invite, where to have it, food intolerances, THE CAKE! Pass. The. Wine. Sarah and I talk about whether there's a certain etiquette when it comes to kid's parties and reminisce about the days our parents chucked a box of cheezles in a bowl, threw an ice cream cake on the table and BOOM, party done See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we chatted about how to know if it’s time to walk away from your marriage or find a way to work through it…We’re joined by inspirational mum-of-two Turia Pitt who opens up about her definition of happiness and how to try and savour the moments with your kids, even on the days being a parent totally sucks. The fabulous Maggie Dent joins us with her no-nonsense, compassionate advice on raising emotionally aware boys. Nutritionist and WAG Alex Pendlebury calls in from the AFL hub in QLD and shares her secret to a happy marriage! I’m taking notes… And the founder of Resilience In, Susie Mogg, stops by to share her do’s and don’ts for helping our kids develop resilience during such a tough year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all know what a struggle this year has been for our kids… The world has completely changed and they don’t really understand why. Resilience is the number one skill they need at the moment and there’s a lot we can do as parents to help them build on that important life skill. We are joined by Susie Mogg, the Founder and CEO of Resilience in... with her do's and don'ts for helping our children handle setbacks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest today is a nutritionist, Little Étoile Organic Ambassador and mum of two with AFL player Scott Pendlebury. Alex Pendlebury is currently juggling work from the AFL bubble in QLD, an experience which the kids are loving! She opens up about the importance of supporting women when they return to work and her secret to a happy marriage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While I’m not quite at this stage yet with my son, I’ve been told that one day you have a loving, sweet little boy and the next a monosyllabic sleep machine. So how do we help them – and ourselves – with the transition? Luckily the always reasonable and empathetic Maggie Dent and her latest book From Boys to Men are here to help! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.