What does life actually look like six weeks into new motherhood? Grace Rouvray - actor, producer, celebrant, and now first-time mum - joins Kee and Kelly from the thick of the newborn trenches to share her raw and honest experience. From months of relentless nausea to a birth that went nothing like the plan, Grace opens up about the physical toll, the identity shift, the joy, and the grief that all come bundled with a baby.

She talks openly about bleeding nipples, formula top-ups, the reality of baby blues, and why she’s calling it: one and done. 

LINKS TO EVERYTHING MENTIONED
Commune Hand Wash
Soma Body Wash
https://raisingchildren.net.au/

HOSTS & PRODUCERS
Kelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Kee Reece Searles ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@keereece⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

AUDIO PRODUCTION
Madeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the point of skipping a plastic straw if Bezos is throwing a foam party on a $500M yacht?

Kelly sets off a fiery chat about billionaire greed, climate hypocrisy, and the exhausting pressure on regular people to save the planet - one soggy paper straw at a time. With Jeff Bezos' wedding as the jumping-off point (and yes, Oprah was there), the girls unpack the absurdity of wealth worship, the carbon footprint of private jets, and the growing sense of “why bother?” in the face of it all. Is it even possible to care enough anymore?

LINKS TO EVERYTHING MENTIONED
Substack - Paper Straws for You, Private Jets for Them
Private aviation is making a growing contribution to climate change
Ring Design Workships - @blonde.design
https://www.spendtheirfortune.com/

HOSTS & PRODUCERS
Kelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Kee Reece Searles ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@keereece⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

AUDIO PRODUCTION
Madeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can we ever really trust anyone with our kids? Kee unpacks the gut-wrenching reality of returning to work, finding childcare, and the overwhelming fear stirred up by recent headlines. From mum guilt to body safety chats with toddlers, it’s raw, real and a reminder you’re not alone. Plus, Kelly’s on the hunt for someone to sell her designer cast-offs - entrepreneurial girlies, take note.

Want to skip the heavy stuff? Jump to the recs at 43:37.

LINKS TO EVERYTHING MENTIONED
Kel’s Couch 
Connected Parenting Body Safety
Mum Club mum merch and accessories

HOSTS & PRODUCERS
Kelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Kee Reece Searles ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@keereece⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

AUDIO PRODUCTION
Madeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The unhinged agony aunts are IN.  Kee and Kel are answering your anonymous questions - from newborn hell and toddler tantrums to sharing finances and European adventures with small humans. There’s some big feels, questionable advice, and surprisingly useful tips buried in the chaos. You know the drill.

LINKS TO EVERYTHING MENTIONED
Gen Muir On Catching Your Toddler On The Emotional Climb
How To Cope With Unhinged Toddlers
"Little People, Big Feelings" - Gen Muir
Pakembl Large Travel Backpack
Shop Vestirsi Bella XL

HOSTS & PRODUCERS
Kelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Kee Reece Searles ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@keereece⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

AUDIO PRODUCTION
Madeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Toothbrushing is a hostage situation. Getting dressed is a full-body workout. And don’t even mention the wrong coloured cup. If your three-nager is melting down 87 times a day, this episode is your permission slip to exhale.

Kee and Kelly are joined by the oracle herself, Gen Muir, to help us make sense of the chaos. From emotional “climbs” to why the whinging gets under our skin (spoiler: it’s about us too), Gen explains what’s actually normal and how to set boundaries without setting fire to your own sanity. 

LINKS TO EVERYTHING MENTIONED

How To Cope With Unhinged Toddlers

"Little People, Big Feelings" - Gen Muir

HOSTS & PRODUCERS

Kelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Kee Reece Searles ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@keereece⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

AUDIO PRODUCTION

Madeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever caught yourself mid-meltdown and thought, “Oh no… I’ve turned into my mum”? In this episode, Kee opens up about the confronting realisation that breaking toxic family patterns is so much harder than it sounds - especially when you're sleep-deprived, overstimulated, and raising a tiny dictator. She and Kelly unpack the parenting styles they grew up with, how those experiences shaped them, and the values they’re trying to pass on to their own kids. There’s a powerful three-question exercise in here that’ll make you think differently about your own upbringing, and remind you that even when it feels like you’re getting it wrong, the fact that you care means you’re already doing better than you think.

LINKS TO EVERYTHING MENTIONED

Parenting Philosophies

Brené Brown's List of Values

Article - Breaking the Cycle of Toxic Family Behavior Is Hard

"Pepe and the Secret Sauce" by Deana Tynan

Nature Baby Lambskin Booties

"It's Always The Husband" by C.L. Taylor

Crossword Master

Glow at Sydney Zoo

Clare Stephens' Substack

HOSTS & PRODUCERS

Kelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Kee Reece Searles ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@keereece⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

AUDIO PRODUCTION

Madeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s nothing quite like the internet to make you feel like a sh*t parent when you’re just trying to raise a toddler and post the occasional cute video. And look, we get it - people mean well. But when Kel shares a moment from life with her three year old and ends up fielding DMs diagnosing him with autism, it starts to feel less like support and more like unsolicited parenting advice from strangers on the internet. In this episode, we’re talking boundaries, overdiagnosis, and the emotional whiplash of parenting publicly in the age of constant commentary.

LINKS TO EVERYTHING MENTIONED

Baby Food Bible Healthy Muffin Recipe

The Goodread's Staff Summer Picks

HOSTS & PRODUCERS

Kelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Kee Reece Searles ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@keereece⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

AUDIO PRODUCTION

Madeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feeling burnt out, touched out, or just totally overwhelmed? Same. In this episode, Kee and Kelly tackle your juiciest dilemmas in their first-ever listener Q&A. From moving away from your village for a bigger paycheque to wedding planning with a bottle-refusing baby, no topic is off-limits - and no advice is particularly qualified.

They cover mum-style meltdowns, partner guilt, parenting regret, and the kind of chaos that makes you feel slightly more normal.

LINKS TO EVERYTHING MENTIONED

https://ngl.link/essr.pod

https://www.paramountplus.com/au/shows/mobland/

https://www.philosophyexperiments.com/

HOSTS & PRODUCERS

Kelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Kee Reece Searles ⁠⁠⁠⁠@keereece⁠⁠⁠⁠

AUDIO PRODUCTION

Madeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would you submit to your husband and bake in heels for the vibe? Author, screenwriter, podcast queen, and all-round legend Clare Stephens joins Kee and Kelly to unpack the rise of tradwives - and why the aesthetic might be a lot more sinister than it looks.  It’s a no-filter chat about the bizarre pressure to live like it’s 1953 - only now it comes with reels, ring lights, and a perfectly iced bundt cake.

LINKS TO EVERYTHING MENTIONED

https://www.vogue.com/article/problem-with-tradwives 

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-trad-wife https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/more-than-womens-work/202409/the-tradwife-trend-is-a-risky-throwback 

HOSTS & PRODUCERS

Kelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Kee Reece Searles ⁠⁠⁠@keereece⁠⁠⁠

AUDIO PRODUCTION

Madeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apparently once you have a baby, your only acceptable form of fun is a pedicure and an occasional massage - and we call bullshit.

This week, Kel gets fired up about the idea that mothers have to earn their joy, especially when that joy looks like getting a little loose. Inspired by a brilliant article in The Cut, we unpack the judgement that comes with mums who still love to party - whether that’s a rave, rosé in a garage, or a solo Bali trip with cocktails and zero guilt.

"Selfish" isn't a dirty word.

LINKS TO EVERYTHING MENTIONED

Article - Happy Mother’s Day to the Moms Who Love to Party

ESSR episode - Mummy Wine Culture Isn’t Cute 

Depop

Wear Nala

HOSTS & PRODUCERS

Kelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Kee Reece Searles ⁠⁠@keereece⁠⁠

AUDIO PRODUCTION

Madeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.