In mOther Words | Motherhood Conversations with Steph Ting

Jiamin left corporate life to become more present with her children, only to realise that building her own business was pulling her away again.

Many families in Singapore rely on childcare, grandparents, helpers and enrichment classes. Help is essential, but where do we draw the line between sharing care and losing connection?

Jiamin, one of the mothers behind My Curious Child, shares the late preschool pickup that made her question her priorities, why she eventually chose homeschooling and how entrepreneurship began recreating the work patterns she had hoped to leave behind.

She does not present motherhood as something she has perfectly figured out. This is an honest conversation about working mum guilt, financial sacrifices, learning alongside our children, accepting help and practising slow ambition while protecting the relationships that matter most.

In this conversation:

• The hidden cost of outsourcing too much of childhood

Chapters:

00:00 When Care Costs Connection

Explore My Curious Child: https://mycuriouschild.net

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3Jw0_RguInM

When life is full, what helps your child know that you are still emotionally available?

He grew up wondering why his dad left.

In this Father’s Day special of In mOther Words, Steph sits down with Eldred for a deeply honest conversation about fatherhood, father absence, provider pressure, emotional shutdown, and the family patterns we quietly carry into parenting.

Eldred shares what it was like growing up after his father left, watching his mother carry four children, and becoming the eldest son who had to grow up too quickly.

Now a father to Eden, he reflects on what it means to show up differently. Not just by providing. Not just by building a future. But by being present, emotionally honest, and willing to heal the parts of himself he does not want to pass down.

This episode is not about blaming fathers. It is about asking what fathers carry, what mothers absorb, what children internalize, and how one generation can choose to stop handing the wound down.

“No amount of money can buy my time with you.”

What is one thing you wish your father, your partner, or the father of your child knew how to say?

We’d love to hear your reflections.

Instagram: @inmotherwordsofficial @dredwee

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What do dads carry that they rarely say out loud?

In this Father’s Day special, we invited three fathers into In mOther Words for a heart-to-heart conversation about modern fatherhood, marriage, parenting, emotional silence, and what dads wish mums understood.

We talk about the pressure to provide, the loneliness of not knowing how to ask for help, why vulnerability can feel difficult for men, and how both mothers and fathers can feel more seen in the family.

This is not a conversation about mothers versus fathers. It is a conversation about coming back to each other with more honesty, softness, and partnership.

Heads up: This episode includes some mild swearing and very real dad talk.

Watch the episode on YouTube:

Featured dads:

Instagram: @inmotherwordsofficial

When we talk about ADHD, the conversation often centers on children. But what about the mothers parenting with ADHD?

In this episode of In Mother Words, Steph sits down with Dawn Foo, corporate trainer, emotional intelligence coach, author of Hope with ADHD, and a mother diagnosed with ADHD, for an honest and deeply personal conversation about motherhood, neurodivergence, and learning to understand your own mind.

Dawn shares how her diagnosis journey began during Covid, when work, caregiving, motherhood, home logistics, and emotional overload pushed her executive functioning into “five shifts.” She recalls the moment she froze in the middle of a room, holding several things in her hands, knowing there were a million things to do but unable to move.

Together, Steph and Dawn talk about the parts of ADHD that many mothers carry quietly: overstimulation, time blindness, emotional dysregulation, rejection sensitive dysphoria, guilt, shame, and the fear of being judged. They also explore the other side of ADHD: creativity, playfulness, spontaneity, fierce love, and the support systems that help mothers stop carrying everything alone.

This episode is for mothers with ADHD, mothers wondering if they might have ADHD, and anyone who wants to better understand the tender, chaotic, and brilliant reality of parenting with an ADHD mind.

In this episode, we talk about:

Connect with Dawn Foo via Instagram @dawnfoo

If this episode spoke to you

Please follow In Mother Words, share this episode with a mother who may need it, and leave a review. Every share helps another mother feel a little less alone and a little more understood.

Mothering with ADHD is not a flaw. It is a landscape of challenge, tenderness, creativity, and courage. Together, we learn how to walk it with compassion.

One day he was running across soccer fields. The next, doctors told his family he needed a wheelchair.

In this episode of In mOther Words, Nini shares the emotional journey of watching her six-year-old son go from being one of the most active children she knew to suddenly living with a rare degenerative hip disease.

Together, we explore motherhood under pressure, parenting through diagnosis, invisible grief, family resilience, and the quiet strength it takes to help a child rediscover joy after life changes overnight.

One of the most powerful moments in this episode:

This conversation touches on disability parenting, sibling dynamics, grief, emotional resilience, redefining joy after loss, and learning how to stay hopeful without falling into toxic positivity.

Whether you’re navigating uncertainty, carrying invisible emotional weight, or searching for hope inside a difficult season, this conversation will stay with you.

In mOther Words is a motherhood storytelling podcast exploring identity, healing, resilience, and the emotional realities of modern motherhood.

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In this episode of In Mother Words, Steph sits down with Faustina, founder of HiBuyMama and Raising Resilient Rascals, for a grounded and honest conversation about raising emotionally resilient children without losing kindness along the way.

Together, they unpack the quiet pressures modern parents carry: how to teach emotional resilience, how to repair after parenting mistakes, and how to raise kind children in a world that often rewards competition over compassion.

This conversation explores emotional regulation, repair, parenting while healing our own inner child, helping children cope with losing, and why kindness should never be mistaken for weakness.

Because maybe resilience isn’t about becoming harder.

⏱ Episode Highlights

00:00 – Wanting to become better parents

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Are modern moms feeling empowered by parenting philosophies — or overwhelmed by them? In this episode, Steph speaks with Ola, a Montessori playgroup guide, kids physiotherapist, and mom of two, about finding clarity in a world full of advice.

Ola shares her journey from traditional teaching to Montessori education, the challenges she faced when welcoming a second child, and the moments that made her question everything she thought she knew about parenting. Through her story, we explore what happens when theory meets real life — and why trusting your own instincts matters more than any method.

In this episode:

This conversation is a comforting reminder that you know your child best, and that parenting becomes clearer when you tune in to your own voice instead of the noise.

Connect with Ola:

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In Singapore, success is often tied to academic performance — but what happens when that pressure affects our children’s emotional well-being… and our own?

In this episode of In Mother Words, I sit down with Marilyn, an educator with more than 10 years of teaching experience, a mum to a strong-willed six-year-old, and the co-founder of ARTÉ Pickleball. Marilyn has spent years observing how children learn, how they cope, and how parents often shoulder silent emotional burdens.

Together, we talk about:

This episode is a gentle reminder that you don’t have to be a perfect mum. You just have to be a good enough one. And “good enough” goes further than you think.

If you’re a mum who’s ever felt overwhelmed, not good enough, or worried about whether you’re doing right by your child — this conversation is for you. ❤️

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When Janet first heard the word “cancer,” her world went still.

A year later, when the cancer returned stronger than before, Janet faced a new decision — one that would redefine her courage, her motherhood, and her sense of self.

In this heartfelt conversation, Janet shares how fear turned into strength, how motherhood gave her the will to fight, and how surviving breast cancer transformed the way she sees life, joy, and perfection.

From hiding her diagnosis during Chinese New Year to walking through treatment with quiet grace, her story is one of healing, hope, and rediscovering who you are — as a woman and as a mother.

🎀 Part of a 4-part Breast Cancer Awareness Month series, where four brave mothers open up about what it truly means to face fear with love and resilience.

Listen if you’re a mother navigating fear, healing, or change — and need a reminder that courage can be quiet, gentle, and deeply powerful.

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“Love doesn’t have to be anchored in proximity.”

In Part 3 of our In Mother Word's Breast Cancer Awareness & Motherhood series, Steph speaks with Jen — a single mother, survivor, and woman whose story redefines love and motherhood.

From walking out of an abusive marriage with ₹7,000 in her pocket to starting anew in Singapore, Jen’s journey is one of love, sacrifice, and faith. Just as she was ready to reunite with her daughter, the pandemic hit — and later, a stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis turned her world upside down.

Through heartbreak and healing, Jen discovered that motherhood is not about perfection or presence — it’s about trusting love enough to let go. Her story reminds us that even from afar, a mother’s love remains unshakable.

In this conversation, we explore:

Leaving an abusive marriage and finding the courage to start again

Redefining motherhood across borders

Surviving cancer in a foreign land

Raising a strong, empathetic daughter from afar

Learning that letting go is sometimes the deepest act of love

If you’re a single mother, breast cancer survivor, or woman navigating distance, resilience, or guilt — this episode is for you.

🎙️ Featuring:

Jen Siemons — single mother, survivor, and advocate for authentic motherhood.

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