everymum

By everymumHealth & Fitness Parenting Kids & Family

everymum episodes

October 25, 2023 Giovanna Fletcher wants to let you know you're not alone.
We're already on our last episode of Season 11, and I can't wait to bring you more episodes as we head into season 12 really soon. But we wanted to round out this season on a high and I think we may have achieved it... What a total and utter joy it was to interview this week's guest. A dream podcast interviewee, I spoke to Giovanna Fletcher, author, mother of three boys and host of the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast. She's also married to Tom from McFly so if you're a millennial mammy like I am, that's probably significant. But back to Giovanna. As the presenter of a parenting podcast, this was like speaking to royalty!! We spoke about lessons we've learned through talking to so many people about parenting, and how the main takeaway is that whatever you're going through, you're likely not alone. We talking about the importance of getting out in nature to fill your cup, and how the idea of "having it all" is a myth – she spoke about that with Geri Halliwell, no less. A SPICE GIRL. The episode is, like Giovanna, just full of kindness and empathy and words of advice, so I hope you enjoy.
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51 min
October 17, 2023 Why no one else understands the mental load of motherhood, with Dr Doireann O'Leary
This week, Dr Doireann O'Leary joins me to talk about her experience of motherhood so far. Her son is nine months old, and while she doesn't share his name or face online, she is very open about how she's finding the transition into parenthood. We chat about taking time for yourself and letting go of the guilt around that.

She says quite rightly that you can't pour from an empty cup – that if as mothers we're well rested, feeling supported and given time to be ourselves, we're better parents to our children. We discuss how being a GP helped her in the early days of parenting, but didn't completely relieve her of worry, and how the mental load of motherhood has been her biggest challenge. It's a beautiful episode, I really hope you enjoy listening.
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48 min
October 10, 2023 Why a postpartum retreat should be mandatory - Talya Benjamin
This week's episode I'm joined by Talya Benjamin. She's a new mother, living in New York, and when she was discharged from hospital after having her first baby, she checked in to a postpartum retreat called Boram. Research shows that dedicated postnatal care improves the health and well-being of mothers and their babies – and that's exactly what they provide. Talya checked in with her husband and their new born, and for three days and nights were given nourishing foods, access to lactation consultants and medical advice and recovery support. It really highlights the absence of 'the village' that we all wish we had, and while that particular centre is likely cost prohibitive for many, similar recovery centres are sorely needed for new parents and their babies. I was fascinated by everything Talya talked about – not to mention very jealous of what sounded like a truly lovely postpartum experience – so I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.
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49 min
October 03, 2023 Breastfeeding, bedsharing, and the reality of parent shaming, with Melanie Murphy
Joining me this week on the podcast is Youtuber, author and mother of two Melanie Murphy. Melanie's approach to parenthood really resonates with me, and we talk a lot about both feeling very strongly that whatever way you want to parent is your choice, and no one else's. She discusses her choice to bedshare with her babies, her choice to talk about breastfeeding online – which brought a whole new level of criticism to her door – how her past experience with eating disorders has shaped the way she views feeding her children, and her decision not to share her children's names. When you speak to Melanie, she's so engaging that you can immediately understand why she's got such an adoring following online – I hope you leave this episode feeling like you're not alone in ANY of your parenting struggles.
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1 hr 3 min
September 26, 2023 Navigating kids, body image, and food - Clare McKenna
Clare McKenna joins me to talk childhood nutrition. Clare is the OG wellness guru, having spent years trialling and testing the latest in wellness trends, diets, and fitness fads, only to discover a few years back that balance was key. As a parent, she wanted to be sure to foster a healthy relationship with body and with food in her two children. As presenter of Newstalk’s Alive and Kicking, Clare has interviewed all the experts on the topic but comes to our chat with an honest and refreshing approach. She admits that although she might like her children to enjoy a beetroot brownie, they roll their eyes and opt for the real deal instead. If you're a parent who wonders about your child's odd food habits, or their attitude to different body types, you'll definitely come away with some aha moments from this one.

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56 min
September 19, 2023 What it's like to fear your own child, with Audrey Dore-Geraghty
My guest this week is Audrey Dore-Geraghty. I first saw her story in the Irish Independent, where she spoke with incredible honesty about the heart-breaking struggle she and her family are facing with their son Harrison. Diagnosed with autism at two years old, he's now 9 and his behaviours have become increasingly physical and aggressive, to the point that Audrey said she can be frightened of her own son. She describes her frustration as she tries desperately to get the type of help her little boy needs, and says she can only live day-to-day because his future is so uncertain. Despite the severity of their situation and their constant fight to have Harrison properly assessed and supported, they have been forced to find psychiatric help in Spain, because the resources are so scarce here in Ireland. Audrey's story is a difficult one to listen to, never mind live it daily, as she and her family do. My hope for this particular episode is that as many people hear it as possible so that resources for families like Audrey's are made more readily available. Thanks for listening.
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56 min
September 12, 2023 Monotonous or magical? Rosemary Mac Cabe on the reality of parenting
All the way from Fort Wayne Indiana, this week's guest is author, journalist and podcaster Rosemary Mac Cabe. We cover a LOT, but one of the most fascinating topics was the difference between maternity leave here in Ireland versus the states – when I say the US system is crazy, I'm not joking. We also talk about how motherhood has come naturally to Rosemary, and yet at times she still finds it challenging, monotonous and not always fulfilling. We chat about how her relationship with her stepsons has changed since her son Atlas came along, and how Miss Rachel is the third parent in both of our households.
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1 hr
September 05, 2023 The solution to the parenting/work struggle - Michelle O'Keeffe, Co-founder of Platform 55
Michelle O'Keeffe, co-founder of Platform 55, helps employees and companies balance the demands of family life with their careers. They guide companies around maternity and paternity leave practices, flexible working, and various family needs, by appealing to their bottom line – it costs so much more to rehire and retrain a talented employee than to retain your employee and support a talent you already have. The workplace doesn't have to be a stress-inducer for parents of young families, and they're working hard to make sure it isn't! If you're a working parenting, you'll get a lot from this conversation.
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55 min
August 29, 2023 Forget the online version of motherhood...with Dearbhla Toal aka Belle Azzure
Dearbhla Toal, or Belle Azzure, joins me to talk about all the challenges of motherhood, and how she's passionate about keeping things real when it comes to her own experience of being a parent. Expecting her second baby, Dearbhla is a parent to a toddler. She’s also a personal trainer, a Google marketer and an online influencer – you can imagine my first question was HOW?

Dearbhla says it's not easy and she wants to show on social media that perception is often not reality. We talk about her struggle with chronic sickness during pregnancy, how it impacts her Crohn's disease and how fitness and health is so important to her. We also talk about online comparison among mothers and how to avoid it.
I hope you enjoy my chat with the lovely Dearbhla, and you take some comfort knowing that what you see online is – a lot of the time – not truly representative of real life.

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1 hr 5 min
August 22, 2023 Your dream came true, It's twin girls - Jenny Dixon
Joining me this episode is actress Jenny Dixon, mum to twin baby girls, Bella and Capri. Herself and her husband Tom Neville went through a three-year-long fertility process, suffering losses along the way, but have found their happy ending with their girls. Jenny chats to me – in her infectiously positive way – about trying to stay positive and strong through loss, the magical moment she discovered she was having twin girls, and how she's getting on as a new mother. She also talks about how gratitude helps her, how Tom was sure he would cause a scene by fainting in the delivery room and how her eldest daughter (by two minutes) really leans into the big sister role, even at less than six months old.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
51 min