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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

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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/Charliesparentingpages (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood)

 Back to Me — my 5-week programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more https://stan.store/Charliesparentingpages/p/back-to-me--34toq9xg

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/charliesparentingpages/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Charliesparentingpages

A new episode is released every Sunday!

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In this episode, Charlie sits down with therapist and mom of three, Nicki Cohen, to have an honest conversation about the mental load. Together they unpack what the mental load actually is (hint: it's not the to-do list), why moms carry it so silently, and practical ways to start letting go without the guilt spiral. From the glass vs rubber ball analogy to the 30% good enough parent rule, this one is full of permission slips.

**What You'll Learn:**

- What the mental load really means (it's not the doing, it's the constant thinking)

- How to figure out which balls you can drop and which ones you can't

- Why your kids and partner are probably more capable than you give them credit for

- The 30% good enough parent rule that will make you exhale

- How to put mom guilt on trial

- Why struggling alone isn't a badge of honour

- Small ways to find time for yourself (even with little ones)

**Resources Mentioned:**

- Donald Winnicott's 30% Good Enough Parent research

- Back to Me course (includes the "Mom Guilt on Trial" framework and Time Audit

**Connect with Nicki Cohen:**

Nicki is a therapist offering counselling for teenagers and adults, as well as sessions for parents to help them better communicate with their teens. She also provides consultancy to charities and organisations on anything mental health related.

 Website: www.nickicohencounselling.co.uk

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/Charliesparentingpages (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood)

 Back to Me — my 5-week programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more https://stan.store/Charliesparentingpages/p/back-to-me--34toq9xg

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/charliesparentingpages/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Charliesparentingpages

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

The summer holidays are coming — and whether you're excited or already exhausted at the thought, this episode is for you.

Charlie shares how she actually prepares for six weeks at home with five kids: the practical stuff (loose planning, meal prep, night-before routines) and the mental stuff (checking in with yourself, protecting your energy, and remembering you're a person too).

In this episode:

* Why there's no "right" way to feel about summer

* The power of loose weekly themes (not rigid schedules)

* How night-before prep saves your sanity

* Balancing big days with recovery days

* The mental check-in questions to ask yourself before the holidays start

* Protecting your identity when you're surrounded by kids 24/7

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/Charliesparentingpages (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood)

 Back to Me — my 5-week programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more https://stan.store/Charliesparentingpages/p/back-to-me--34toq9xg

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/charliesparentingpages/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Charliesparentingpages

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Summer's here and so is that familiar stress: trying to get your little ones to drink water when they'd rather do literally anything else. In this episode, Charlie shares her tried-and-tested tips from raising five kids through many hot summers. From sneaky hydrating foods to warning signs every mum should know, this episode will help you keep your kids safe and hydrated without turning into the water police.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

☀️ Why hydration stress is so real for mums (and why your toddler keeps dodging that water bottle)

🍉 Hydrating foods that do the work when water won't: watermelon, cucumber, frozen grapes, yoghurt, ice lollies, smoothies and more

🥤 Simple tricks to make drinking more appealing: fun cups, flavoured water, pour-it-yourself stations, and family hydration reminders

⚠️ Early and serious signs of dehydration to watch for (and when to seek help)

🌡️ Timing and temperature tips: avoiding the hottest part of the day, finding shade, and keeping little bodies cool

💛 How to enjoy summer without the constant worry

Mentioned in This Episode:

* Back to Me — my 5-week programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more https://stan.store/Charliesparentingpages/p/back-to-me--34toq9xg

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/Charliesparentingpages (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood)

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/charliesparentingpages/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Charliesparentingpages

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Ever sat in a room full of people — your kids, your partner, maybe even friends — and still felt completely alone?

In this episode, I'm talking about the kind of loneliness no one prepares you for. The kind that has nothing to do with how many people are around you, and everything to do with how disconnected you feel from yourself.

I'm sharing my own story of losing my sense of identity after becoming a mom, why friendships feel so different now, and what I've learnt after five babies about where that loneliness really comes from.

In This Episode:

* Why you can be touched all day and still feel unseen

* My experience of "disappearing" from my old life after having my first baby

* Why friendships shift after kids (and why that's okay)

* The real root of mom loneliness — and it's not what you think

* One small shift that helps you start reconnecting with yourself

Mentioned in This Episode:

* The Identity Audit (inside Back to Me)

* Back to Me — my 5-week programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more https://stan.store/Charliesparentingpages/p/back-to-me--34toq9xg

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/Charliesparentingpages (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood)

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/charliesparentingpages/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Charliesparentingpages

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Had two, three, maybe four kids and thought you'd have it figured out by now? This episode is your permission slip to stop pretending.

In this episode, I'm getting honest about why more kids often means more chaos, not more confidence — and what it actually looks like to start finding yourself again when your schedule is bursting and you've got zero hours that belong to you.

What we cover:

* Why experience doesn't automatically mean you've got it together

* The myth that motherhood should get easier with practice (and why that voice is lying to you)

* How every child brings a completely new identity shift — and why we never give ourselves space to process it

* The moment in my kitchen that broke me open (and woke me up)

* Tiny reclamations: how I started building myself back in without spa days or solo trips

* How to put your mum guilt on trial and separate real guilt from noise

This episode is for you if:

* You've had multiple kids and feel more lost than ever

* You're wondering when you'll finally feel like yourself again

* You're tired of advice that doesn't fit your real life

* You're ready to stop waiting for "when things calm down"

Mentioned in this episode:

* Back to Me — my 5-week programme for moms ready to feel like themselves again. Learn more https://stan.store/Charliesparentingpages/p/back-to-me--34toq9xg

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/Charliesparentingpages (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood)

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/charliesparentingpages/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Charliesparentingpages

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Do you ever catch your reflection and wonder where YOU went? In this episode, Charlie opens up about the exact moment she realized she'd lost herself — standing in her kitchen during lockdown, surrounded by chaos, and crying because she couldn't recognize the woman staring back at her.

If you've ever felt like you're "just mom" and nothing else, this one's for you.

Charlie shares why this happens to almost every mom (and why it's NOT a character flaw), plus practical ways to start noticing who you want to become again — without going back to who you were before kids.

In this episode:

* The moment Charlie realized she'd lost herself after 5 babies

* Why identity loss happens to almost every mom (and why it's a phase, not a life sentence)

* How to start noticing the "breadcrumbs" back to you

* The mindset shift that changed everything

* How to put your mom guilt on trial

* A sneak peek into Module 1 of Back to Me

Resources mentioned:

* Back to Me — Charlie's 5-week programme: Learn more https://stan.store/Charliesparentingpages/p/back-to-me--34toq9xg

* The Identity Audit (included in Back to Me)

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/Charliesparentingpages (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood)

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/charliesparentingpages/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Charliesparentingpages

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Charlie gets honest about the parts of motherhood no one prepares you for: the bone-deep exhaustion, the guilt of wanting five minutes alone, and the shock of realising you don't recognise yourself anymore.

What we cover:

* Why loving your kids doesn't automatically refill your cup

* The guilt that comes with wanting space (and why it's completely normal)

* The "identity split" — losing yourself between who you were and who you are now

* How to reconnect with yourself without choosing between being a good mum and being you

Resources mentioned:

* Back to Me — Charlie's 5-week programme: Learn more https://stan.store/Charliesparentingpages/p/back-to-me--34toq9xg

* The Identity Audit (included in Back to Me)

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/Charliesparentingpages (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood)

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/charliesparentingpages/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Charliesparentingpages

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

In this deeply personal episode, Charlie shares her experience of four c-sections — two emergency, two elective — and breaks down everything mums need to know about this often misunderstood birth experience.

What You'll Learn:

* Charlie's full birth story across five babies (including why her second birth became traumatic)

* The real difference between emergency and elective c-sections — emotionally and physically

* Why the "easy way out" myth needs to end

* Practical tips for preparing mentally and physically for a c-section

* Recovery essentials every c-section mama needs to know

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/Charliesparentingpages (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood)

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/charliesparentingpages/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Charliesparentingpages

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Just because you didn't have surgery doesn't mean your body didn't go through something massive. In this episode, Charlie shares her honest experience recovering from her first natural birth — and why the "you should be fine" narrative is harmful.

In this episode, you'll learn:

* Why natural birth still requires serious recovery (and why the "hierarchy of birth" is a myth)

* What's actually normal in postpartum recovery — bleeding, soreness, hormones, and the emotional weight no one warns you about

* The 4 biggest recovery mistakes Charlie made (so you don't have to)

* What actually helps: rest, support, and giving yourself permission to struggle

* The identity shift no one talks about — grieving your old self while loving your new life

Key takeaways:

* Your body grew a human for 9 months, shifted organs, expanded your pelvis, and pushed out a baby — that is not nothing

* You're allowed to say no to visitors, ask for help, and not feel okay

* Recovery isn't just physical — it's about your whole identity shifting, and that takes way more than 6 weeks

Resources mentioned:

* Back to Me — Charlie's program helping moms reconnect with who they are beyond "just mom"

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/Charliesparentingpages (Mum Matters Community & all other tools for motherhood)

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/charliesparentingpages/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Charliesparentingpages

A new episode is released every Sunday!

Support the show