Dear universe, why didn't I just leave?

"Why didn't I just leave?"

Such a simple question for something that can be anything but simple.

This week I'm talking about why strong, intelligent, capable women can stay in unhealthy relationships - and why we need to stop asking "Why did she stay?" and start asking "What was happening that made leaving feel so difficult?"

We're talking love, hope, children, self-doubt, betrayal, the psychology of attachment... and my brief but frankly impressive career as unqualified private detective!

There are husbands behind sofas, feet that really should have been tucked in better, questionable surveillance techniques and some very questionable decisions from yours truly.

But underneath the ridiculous stories is something I wish I'd understood years ago:

Sometimes you do see whats happening. You're just not ready for what seeing it means.

An episode about understanding the woman who stayed, learning to stop judging her - and eventually learning to trust yourself again.

Dear Universe, why didn't I just leave?"

For those people that listen and recognise parts of your own relationship, you don't have to figure out everything today but please consider telling someone who you trust.

If you feel frightened, controlled, threatened or unsafe, you can contact the National domestic abuse helpline (Refuge) on 0808 2000 247.

It's free, confidential and available 24 hours a day.

You can also contact Samaritans on 116 123, free, 24/7, if you're struggling emotionally and need somebody to talk to.

If you are in immediate danger, call 999.

And remember: you don't have to have made a decision about leaving before you're allowed to ask for help.

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Dear Universe… How the Fuck Did I Get Here?

I grew up genuinely believing life was going to be rainbows and unicorns.

I was surrounded by love, an incredibly close family and amazing friendships. Then I grew up and discovered something nobody really prepares you for:

Adulthood can be beautiful and brutal at exactly the same time.

In this episode, I’m going back to the beginning — friendships, motherhood, marriage, divorce, starting again, losing myself and eventually figuring out who the hell I actually am.

After recently losing an old friend to suicide, the conversation also goes somewhere I hadn’t planned. I talk about the things people carry that nobody else can see, complicated grief, empathy, unhealthy relationships and one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn:

I can feel sorry for what happened to you without allowing what happened to you to keep happening to me.

Maybe I don’t actually want the old me back.

Maybe I want to take the optimistic girl who believed in unicorns and rainbows forward with me — just with better boundaries, more confidence and considerably less tolerance for bullshit. ❤️

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A note about this episode

This episode contains discussion of suicide, suicide bereavement and unhealthy/abusive relationships.

If you’re struggling, please reach out for support.

Samaritans: 116 123 — free, 24/7

NHS 111: For urgent mental-health support in England. Call 999 in an emergency.

National Domestic Abuse Helpline (Refuge): 0808 2000 247 — free, confidential and available 24/7.

You don’t need to know exactly what to say.

“I’m not okay, and I think I need some help.”

That’s enough to start. ❤️

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Every September, when the kids go back to school, I get the same urge... New Year, new Me - just on academic timings.

But this year feels different.

After a summer of chaos, a much-needed holiday and finally creating some distance from situations that have kept my nervous system on high alert for far too long, I've come home feeling clearer, stronger and ready to get my shit together.

In this episode, I'm talking about why September feels like the perfect time for a reset - from eating better, moving more, drinking less, sorting the family routines, sharing the household load and creating more time and headspace for ourselves.

We talk habit stacking, habit tracking, hypervigilence, the psychology behind group accountability and why knowing what to do has never really been my problem... sticking to the bloody thing has.

And that's exactly why I've created my 30-Day September Reset - a community of women checking in, cheering each other on, celebrating the wins and, most importantly, helping each other get back on track when life inevitably goes tits up.

No perfection. No judgement. No starting again next Monday.

£10. 30 days. Lots of accountability. Hopefully slightly more of our shit together by the end of it.

And if you didn't start on September 1st? This isn't school. I'm not marking you absent. Jump in whenever you're ready.

Dear universe.... I think it's time for a reset.

Click the link below to join.

https://amyosborne.podia.com/the-september-reset-30-days-to-get-our-shit-together

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Dear Universe, We Need To Talk… The Holiday Edition 🌴

I thought I was going on holiday to switch off.

Instead, I spent two weeks carrying the physical belongings, emotional needs, hunger, thirst, arguments, goggles, sunglasses and general chaos of six children and one man-child. 😂

In this episode, I’m talking about the reality of travelling as a family of eight, the mental load that somehow follows you onto the plane, the pressure we put on ourselves as mums to make sure everyone has an amazing time, and why sometimes we forget to actually enjoy the moments we’re working so hard to create.

But amongst the chaos, something unexpected happened.

I rediscovered little pieces of myself that I thought I’d lost.

Speaking Spanish in Punta Cana reminded me how much I used to love languages — despite the fact that my questionable Spanish once resulted in me accidentally telling an upset passenger she wasn’t pretty. 🤦🏼‍♀️

And a few Mamajuana shots gave me enough confidence to get up on stage and completely butcher a Christina Aguilera song in front of my horrified children. 😂

But underneath the laughter was something much bigger: a reminder that I am more than Mum. More than my job. More than the person who knows where everyone’s bloody goggles are.

I’m also talking about watching my children grow up, making memories while I still can, the bittersweet realisation that these family holidays won’t always look like this, and the strange reality of coming home from paradise to nine loads of washing.

It’s funny, chaotic, occasionally emotional and very much a reminder that maybe I don’t need to carry everything.

And if I can rediscover a little bit of Amy along the way… perhaps that’s a holiday worth coming home from.

🌴 Grab a drink, put your feet up and come and have a chat with me.

Because, Dear Universe… we need to talk.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week , I'm sharing one of the hardest weeks I've had in a long time.

What started as a family holiday turned into something much bigger. A passport. Mum guilt. the invisible mental load. Co-parenting. Counselling. And the moment I realised I'd spent years believing that carrying everything made me a good mum.

But what if it didn't?

What if it just made me a really tired one?

In this episode, I talk honestly about the pressure of being the default parent, the weight of trying to fix everything for everyone, and why I'm finally choosing peace over proving a point.

If you've ever questioned yourself, carried more than your fair share, or felt like you're failing despite giving everything you've go, this episode is for you.

Because maybe the strongest thing we can do isn't carry more.....

Maybe it's learning what we can finally put down.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're talking about something so many mums struggle with... the guilt of choosing ourselves.

After booking a girls weekend to Dublin months in advance, I found myself questioning everything when it clashed with my children's dance competition, football presentation and sports day.

Should I go? Was I being selfish? Would they remember I wasn't there?

From a disastrous 4am stomach bug (not tequila), matching tattoos to Florence and the machine, Dublin pride and some unexpected life lessons. This episode is full of laughter, honesty and a reminder that mums deserve to make memories too.

If you've ever felt guilty for taking a break, saying yes to yourself or putting your own happiness first, this ones for you.

So grab a cuppa, get comfy, and lets have a chat because dear universe, we need to talk.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I'm talking about one of the scariest things I've ever done.... buying a house on my own.

After years of searching, one disastrous gazumping experience, countless sleepless nights, and approximately 47 emotional breakdowns, my house has finally completed and I feel like I've entered adulthood.

So why do I suddenly feel so poor again?

I'm chatting about the fear of putting all of your money into one thing, why money has become such a massive trigger for me, and how a divorce settlement became both a safety blanket and a stepping stone to the next chapter of my life.

We also get into inheritance, teaching kids about money, mum guilt, work guilt, the impossibloe pressure of trying to be everything to everyone, and why sometimes doing the right feels absolutely terrifying and boring!

Plus, the story of how getting gazumped turned out to be the best thing that could have happened and how I'm learning to trust that maybe, just maybe, the universe knows what it's doing.

Scared? Absolutely.

Excited? Also yes.

Adulting.... Reluctantly.

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This week on Dear Universe We Need To Talk, we're talking about mum guilt - the invisble pressure that follows mothers everywhere. From working mum guilt and screen time shame to "Disneyland dads." emotional labour, social media perfection, and why women everywhere feel guilty for simply needing a break, we unpack the impossible expectations placed on modern mums.

In true Dear Universe style, it's honest, funny, relatable, and slightly chaotic - because parenting isn't Pinterest boards and organic cucumber sandwiches cut into stars... it's surviving on cold tea, fish fingers, and pure determination.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Dear universe, we need to talk.... I accidentally locked my phone inside a house and had absolutely no way of getting it back for an entire week.

No WhatsApp, no banking, no social media, no contact.

And of course... it happened right before my sons 13th birthday.

What started as pure chaos quickly spiralled into stress, mum guilt, logistical nightmares and one very humbling financial moment that completely threw me. But somewhere amongst the panic and noise, something unexpected happened....

Things got quiet.

In this episode, I unpack what losing my phone taught me about modern life, constant connectivity, mental overload, distraction, productivity and presence - and why being forced off-grid may have been the accidental reset I didn't know I needed.

A funny, honest and surprisingly emotional episode about what happens when your entire life lives inside one little rectangle..... and suddenly disappears.

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In this episode, I talk about the reality of moving in with my boyfriend and blending our families - the chaos, the noise, the funny moments, and the unexpected calm that comes with it.

From navigating new roles to rebuilding trust after a difficult relationship, this is an honest look at what happens when life doesn't go to plan.... but somehow can grow into something beautiful.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.