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Pacing the hallway at 3am with a baby who won't settle? On your fourth load of potty training washing before lunch? Sitting in the car after the school run with a lump in your throat?

When you're in the thick of a hard season, your brain tells you this is how life will be forever. In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on why these phases feel so all-consuming, why feeling like you're drowning in motherhood is far more common than anyone admits, and how to find your breath when a season feels like too much.

In this episode

- Why hard phases feel permanent (and why you've already survived 100% of them)

- The truth about drowning in motherhood, especially without a village

- Why social media makes you think everyone else is coping better

- 3 practical steps for when a season feels too much: lowering the baseline, staying in the next 15 minutes, and claiming your 10-minute anchor

- A moment to look back at how far you've already come

*Free guide:* Grab 7 Signs You're Drowning in Motherhood (And What Helps) you can get it on my website  https://stan.store/itscharliedadia 

*Ready for more than survival mode?* I help you feel like yourself again in 5 weeks, even if right now you feel like you're drowning in motherhood. Back to Me is my 5-step system for reclaiming your identity, your time and your headspace. Back to Me! by @itscharliedadia | Stan 

*In the potty training trenches?* My simple potty training course takes the stress out of it. Potty Train Like a Pro by @itscharliedadia | Stan

*If this episode helped, you might also love:*

- Why Motherhood Feels So Hard (Even When You Love Your Kids)

- Why "Just Ask for Help" Doesn't Work for Moms (And What Actually Does)

- Self Care for Busy Moms: Small Habits That Make a Big Difference

If this landed for you, please follow the show and leave a quick review. It helps another mom who's drowning find her way here

Stay connected with Charlie

Website: https://stan.store/itscharliedadia (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood) (formerly charliesparentingpages)

 Back to Me — My Signature 5-week Programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more Back to Me! by @itscharliedadia | Stan

Instagram : Instagram (formerly @charliesparentingpages)

YouTube:  Charlie Dadia | Mom Support - YouTube

A new episode is released every Sunday!

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If you've felt like the last thing you want after a long day of parenting is to be touched by your partner — even when you love them, even when nothing's wrong — this episode is for you. I'm joined by Becky, a sexologist and relationship psychotherapist, to talk about what actually happens to desire after having a baby, and why it's so much more about your nervous system and your mental load than it is about your relationship.

About Becky: Sexologist, relationship psychotherapist, and tantra practitioner, with 10 years of experience as a yoga teacher before moving into this work. She sees individuals and couples for issues around sex, sexuality, and relationships, and has created a course specifically on rebuilding intimacy after having a baby. 

Becky Crepsley-Fox COSRT, MCCP

Website: https://www.beckycrepsleyfox.com

Company: https://www.connectionclinic.co.uk

Instagram: @becky_crepsley_fox Instagram

Sex after Baby Course: https://www.beckycrepsleyfox.com/challenge-page/sex-after-baby?programId=029c8303-91e2-4d75-95ef-d4c9d3ad98d9

In this episode:

• Why "do you want them, or do you want to want them?" is the real starting question
• Spontaneous vs. responsive desire — and why most women are responsive while media and porn only show spontaneous desire
• Accelerators and brakes: what actually needs to be in place before desire can show up
• Why feeling "touched out" is a real safety mechanism, not something wrong with you
• The nervous system, the mental load, and the "tiger" analogy — why you can't feel sexy while your body still thinks it's in danger
• The 5-minute breathing exercise that regulates your nervous system (and why it's the actual foundation for everything else)
• How to talk to your partner about the mental load without it turning into a fight
• "Simmering": the missing middle layer between being teammates and being sexual, and what it can look like in real life
• Why temporarily taking sex off the table can bring you closer, not further apart

Mentioned in this episode:

• Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski (the book Becky recommends for understanding spontaneous vs. responsive desire)
• Becky's course on sex and intimacy after having a baby https://www.beckycrepsleyfox.com/challenge-page/sex-after-baby?programId=029c8303-91e2-4d75-95ef-d4c9d3ad98d9

If this one hit home, you might also like:

• How to Talk to Your Partner About the Mental Load (Without Starting a Fight) — Aug 9
• The Mental Load: What It Really Is & How to Manage It (with Nicki Cohen) — Jul 26
• Keeping Love Alive After Baby (and Kids) — Mar 22

The mental-load-and-intimacy connection Becky breaks down here is exactly the kind of thing we work through inside Back to Me — if navigating your identity and your relationships after kids is something you're ready to actually work on, that's where I'd point you.

If someone in your life needs to hear this, please send it their way. And thank you, as always, for listening.

Stay connected with Charlie

Website: https://stan.store/itscharliedadia (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood) (formerly charliesparentingpages)

 Back to Me — My Signature 5-week Programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more Back to Me! by @itscharliedadia | Stan

Instagram : Instagram (formerly @charliesparentingpages)

YouTube:  Charlie Dadia | Mom Support - YouTube

A new episode is released every Sunday!

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Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Charlie breaks down why the all-or-nothing rebound keeps burning you out, why rigid routines fail in busy family homes, and the single mindset shift that changed everything for me: learning to lower your floor instead of your ceiling.

Stay connected with Charlie

Website: https://stan.store/itscharliedadia (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood) (formerly charliesparentingpages)

 Back to Me — My Signature 5-week Programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more Back to Me! by @itscharliedadia | Stan

Instagram : Instagram (formerly @charliesparentingpages)

YouTube:  Charlie Dadia | Mom Support - YouTube

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

If you are sitting in your car outside the nursery or school gates with tears streaming down your face, take a deep breath. 

We spend so much time preparing our children for separation anxiety, but nobody prepares you for the sheer heartbreak of your own. Handing over your baby to someone else never gets easier on your heart, no matter how many times you do it. 

In this episode, I share the honest truth about drop-off heartbreak, what actually happens the second you drive away, and why your clingy toddler might just shock you. Plus, a funny story about why my husband is actually weaker at drop-offs than I am!

Stay connected with Charlie

Website: https://stan.store/itscharliedadia (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood) (formerly charliesparentingpages)

 Back to Me — My Signature 5-week Programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more Back to Me! by @itscharliedadia | Stan

Instagram : Instagram (formerly @charliesparentingpages)

YouTube:  Charlie Dadia | Mom Support - YouTube

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

If you feel like you have just crawled across the summer holidays finish line on your hands and knees, covered in sand, suncream, and snack wrappers, take a deep breath. You are not alone.

Every year we tell ourselves that summer will be slow and magical. But running entertainment, catering, dispute resolution, and schedule management for six solid weeks is mentally and physically exhausting. 

In this episode, we talk about what actually happens when the house goes quiet, and why forcing yourself into a rigid, military-grade productivity routine on day one is a recipe for burnout. 

Instead of sprinting, let us talk about how to gently reclaim your brain, your breath, your rhythm, and your identity after summer.

In this episode, we cover:

The post-summer hangover and the big lie we tell ourselves on day one

Step 1: The 48-hour decompression buffer (why you need a landing pad, not a sprint)

Step 2: Emptying the 47 open tabs in your brain and setting up simple home rotas

Step 3: Protecting your non-negotiable 15-minute crack of time

Step 4: Putting mom guilt on trial so you can take up space in your own home

The tiny reclaim: your one action step for tomorrow

Stay connected with Charlie

Website: https://stan.store/itscharliedadia (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood) (formerly charliesparentingpages)

 Back to Me — My Signature 5-week Programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more Back to Me! by @itscharliedadia | Stan

Instagram : Instagram (formerly @charliesparentingpages)

YouTube:  Charlie Dadia | Mom Support - YouTube

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Even the best-laid plans change once baby arrives. In this episode, Charlie shares the five essential conversations that help couples stay connected, share the load, and remember they're on the same team — even when running on empty. With real-life wisdom from five babies and practical frameworks from Back to Me, this episode is for any mom who wants to move from resentment to real communication.

What You'll Learn

* Why conversations feel harder in the newborn phase (and how to have them anyway)

* The Time Audit: making the invisible visible so both partners feel supported

* How to take meal management and scheduling off one person's plate

* Why self-care matters for both parents — and how to protect it

* Practical tips for staying a team when you're both exhausted

* Charlie's personal story of learning the hard way (and what changed everything)

Stay connected with Charlie

Website: https://stan.store/itscharliedadia (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood) (formerly charliesparentingpages)

 Back to Me — My Signature 5-week Programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more Back to Me! by @itscharliedadia | Stan

Instagram : Instagram (formerly @charliesparentingpages)

YouTube:  Charlie Dadia | Mom Support - YouTube

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

The first 12 months of motherhood aren't just hard — they're identity-shifting. You can prep the nursery, read all the books, and still feel like a stranger in your own life once baby arrives.

In this episode, I'm walking through the real feelings of that first year. The ones no one warns you about. The grief for who you used to be. The blur of sleepless nights. The way your body, your time, and your entire world change overnight.

And I'm sharing small, gentle ways to start finding yourself again — even in the chaos.

What we cover:

* The overnight shift from "you" to "mum" — and why it's so disorienting

* How time and sleep take on a completely new meaning

* Why your body doesn't feel like yours anymore (and what to do about it)

* The slow shrinking of your world — friendships, spontaneity, sense of self

* Running your entire day around baby's schedule

* Small, doable ways to start reclaiming tiny moments for yourself

Stay connected with Charlie

Website: https://stan.store/itscharliedadia (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood) (formerly charliesparentingpages)

 Back to Me — My Signature 5-week Programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more Back to Me! by @itscharliedadia | Stan

Instagram : Instagram (formerly @charliesparentingpages)

YouTube:  Charlie Dadia | Mom Support - YouTube

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

In my recent Instagram poll, the number one answer to "what would make the biggest difference right now?" was help without having to ask for it. And that part hit me. Because it's not really about the help. It's about being the only one who sees, tracks, and assigns everything.

In this episode, I'm sharing the simple systems that finally got me off the mental load hamster wheel, including the car rota that sounds ridiculous but changed my mornings.

In This Episode:

* Why "just ask for help" is actually exhausting (and what's really happening underneath)

* The car rota story that took one tiny question out of my head forever

* How I gave everyone in my house actual responsibilities, not just chores I nag about

* The four-week meal rota that stopped me dreading the "what's for dinner" question

* What real help looks like (hint: it's structural, not dramatic)

* How to start with just one friction point this week

Resources Mentioned

 * Back to Me course: Home Friction Audit, 2-Minute Fix Framework, Rhythms That Work For You module

Loved This Episode?

Share it with a mom who needs to hear it - And if you haven't already, leave a review — it helps other moms find the podcast.

Stay connected with Charlie

Website: https://stan.store/itscharliedadia (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood) (formerly charliesparentingpages)

 Back to Me — My Signature 5-week Programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more Back to Me! by @itscharliedadia | Stan

Instagram : Instagram (formerly @charliesparentingpages)

YouTube:  Charlie Dadia | Mom Support - YouTube

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Feeling like you're carrying everything in your head while your partner has no idea? This episode is for you.

Charlie shares the one calm conversation that changed everything in her relationship — and walks you through exactly how to have it yourself. No guilt-tripping. No explosions. Just a simple framework to make the invisible visible.

In this episode:

* What the mental load actually is (spoiler: it's not the dishes)

* Why most conversations about this go wrong

* The exact words Charlie used with her partner

* The difference between "helping" and "owning" — and why it matters

* A 5-step framework you can use tonight

* What to do when the conversation doesn't land

Resources mentioned:

* Back to Me — the 5-module course for moms ready to feel like themselves again

* Home Friction Audit worksheet

* 2-Minute Fix Framework

* Weekly Planning Template

Loved This Episode?

Share it with a mom who needs to hear it - And if you haven't already, leave a review — it helps other moms find the podcast.

Stay connected with Charlie

Website: https://stan.store/itscharliedadia (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood) (formerly charliesparentingpages)

 Back to Me — My Signature 5-week Programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more Back to Me! by @itscharliedadia | Stan

Instagram : Instagram (formerly @charliesparentingpages)

YouTube:  Charlie Dadia | Mom Support - YouTube

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Episode Summary

If you've ever been handed a rare moment of free time and completely blanked on what to do with it, this episode is for you. Charlie digs into why so many mums feel disconnected from their own interests, how survival mode becomes the default setting, and what it actually takes to find (and protect) time for yourself. Spoiler: you're not broken. You've just been buried under everyone else's needs for too long.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

Why "what are your hobbies?" feels like an impossible question for most mums

How survival mode was supposed to be temporary but somehow never ended

The truth about time: why it's not about having more hours, it's about making yourself a priority

Charlie's personal story of running on empty and how building simple systems changed everything

Practical tips you can try this week to find and protect pockets of time

What's possible on the other side: reconnecting with yourself after motherhood consumed you

Loved This Episode?

Share it with a mom who needs to hear it - And if you haven't already, leave a review — it helps other moms find the podcast.

Stay connected with Charlie

Website: https://stan.store/itscharliedadia (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood) (formerly charliesparentingpages)

 Back to Me — My Signature 5-week Programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more Back to Me! by @itscharliedadia | Stan

Instagram : Instagram (formerly @charliesparentingpages)

YouTube:  Charlie Dadia | Mom Support - YouTube

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show