Nervous about taking maternity leave and not even pregnant yet? Us too. This is Ready or Not, a podcast for and about mothers and parents who make work, work.
We publish content all week long via our podcast, Substack, and social channels.
Every Monday, our new banter-based podcast Witching Hour will land in your ears right here, and every Wednesday, we publish our flagship interview podcast, Ready or Not.
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Ellen Hooper is a people and culture expert. She's a a passionate speaker and media commentator and she's currently writing a parenting book. She's been interviewing a lot of dads. In fact, she's become a bit obsessed with dads and their voice and opinions in the conversation of how we rebalance the mental load of parenting. She's full to the brim with incredible advice and lived experience when it comes to career and motherhood and 50/50 parenting, and she's deeply passionate in educating mothers on doing the maths when it comes to their paid work, their superannuation, and their overall financial security. Here, we talk about the research that flies in the face of the gender norms often associated with parenting, her morbid but important advice for looking at how we view care work and housework, and what she's learned from interviewing dads. THIS WEEK'S PARTNER This episode of Ready or Not is brought to you by us, Ready or Not! We've created three beautiful, practical and comprehensive guides in consultation with the experts in their fields, starting with Breastfeeding and Returning to Work, Postpartum and Return to Work Planning and Childcare 101. Shop the Go To Guides here: readyornot.au --- Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too here.
After bouncing between jobs that didn't quite bring the career passion and satisfaction that we're meant to chase after in our twenties, when Liv Brown was pregnant with her first baby, she thought that motherhood was going to be her thing. But while she loved her boy, she needed a creative outlet too, and so she started posting about fashion and styling on her Instagram account, Rattle style. She wasn't necessarily targeting mums, but helping mothers find their style and new uniform when it feels like everything about them has changed. And as she prepares to become a mother of two, she's experiencing the frustration and overwhelm that so many mothers face: when your career starts to pick up just as you're deep in the trenches of motherhood. Here, we talk about how she turned her creative outlet into a job, how she's feeling about becoming a mother of two, what making work, work looks like when your partner works six days a week and how to find your personal style in motherhood. THIS WEEK'S PARTNER This episode of Ready or Not is brought to you by Mukti Organics: results-driven, award-winning skincare made with certified organic ingredients & powerful actives. Experience gentle yet powerful results with Mukti’s anti-ageing Vitamin A serum, one of the first Australian COSMOS certified organic, 100% botanical-based retinol (not retinol) that is clinically proven to work 11 times faster than standard retinols. Unlike regular Vitamin A's, you can use this serum at any time of the day without the risk of irritation, and it’s even safe for use during pregnancy. This wonder product has launched this week and is available to purchase at www.muktiorganics.com --- Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too here.
Natasha Heger had been with the company she worked at for 10 years before she went on parental leave, and just the day before she was originally due to return, she was made redundant. What followed was a longer than anticipated break from the workforce and a search for a new role, but this time, not just as Natasha, but as mum, too. Not one to settle for any old role - which is such a common experience for mothers who feel like they don't have much choice - she was set on finding a workplace that understood and valued the work of a mother. And as someone who admits to having some dark moments in motherhood, she's incredibly candid when she reflects on those early days. Here, we talk about why she wasn't sure she wanted children, what happened when she was made redundant, how she went about finding paid work, and how she - even as a mother who engages in full time paid work - finds the time to look after herself and her health. As you'll hear, this one was recorded when I was pregnant and I've learned so much listening back. --- THIS WEEK'S PARTNER This episode of Ready or Not is brought to you by THE INARRA, a premium online shopping and lifestyle publication tailored for pregnancy, motherhood, and beyond. Re-defining how modern mothers consume content, THE INARRA offers a diverse range of features, interviews, and fashion edits that cater to every stage of motherhood while celebrating individual style and identity. And today, we're bringing our Witching Hour listeners a special offer, as THE INARRA gets ready to launch their styling services. To claim 30% off a styling experience that can be done virtually or in-person in Sydney and is specifically tailored to those who are pregnant, postpartum or just struggling to define their style as a mother, email hello@theinarra.com and mention Ready or Not --- Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too here.
I often wonder to myself, what did mothers do before incredible people like Hello Darling co-founder Bridgette Gale were open enough to share their stories? Where did they find comfort? Where did they see themselves? This episode has so much, it's difficult to know where to begin - starting a business at 21, working with the likes of Em Rata, miscarriage, postnatal anxiety and depression, intrusive thoughts, returning to work after two weeks, moving across the country with a four-week turnaround after receiving a business proposition she couldn't refuse, going from swimwear to tech startup, finding the transition from one to two easier than none to one, and emerging from the dark to find the light. If you're a new mother who is struggling, this is essentially listening. As you'll hear, it got better for Bridgette, and I hope it gets better for you too. I'm Lucinda, this is Ready or Not, and here is the reflective and remarkable Bridgette Gale. --- THIS WEEK'S PARTNER This episode of Ready or Not is brought to you by us, Ready or Not! This week, we've released our Ready or Not Go To Guides. We've created three beautiful, practical and comprehensive guides in consultation with the experts in their fields, starting with Breastfeeding and Returning to Work, Postpartum and Return to Work Planning and Childcare 101. Shop the Go To Guides here: readyornot.au --- Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too here.
When Minna Dubin wrote about mum rage for The New York Times, her words went viral. In opening the article, she writes: 'the rage lives in my hands, rolls down my fingers clenching to fists. I want to hurt someone. I am tears and fury and violence. I want to scream and rip open pillows, toss chairs and punch walls. I want to see my destruction — feathers floating, overturned furniture, ragged holes in drywall.' Even recording this, I'm nervous to admit that I resonated with this so deeply that it nearly moved me to tears. It feels somewhat unsafe to confess that motherhood can drive me to a type of fury I've never known until now. But, that's the entire point. Was she nervous about putting her name to something that many would describe as volatile, negative...even violent, yes? But, she did it anyway, and when she did, the stories came pouring in. Here, we talk the universality of mum rage, the shame attached to it, how she's made work, work as a mother of two, and why we all need to take our mum rage out to tea. --- THIS WEEK'S PARTNER This episode of Ready or Not is brought to you by us, Ready or Not! This week, we've released our Ready or Not Go To Guides. We've created three beautiful, practical and comprehensive guides in consultation with the experts in their fields, starting with Breastfeeding and Returning to Work, Postpartum and Return to Work Planning and Childcare 101. Shop the Go To Guides here: readyornot.au --- Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod --- This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too here.