In this episode, Emily and Renee are joined by Dr. Katie Cooper - a recovering academic with a PhD in Earth Sciences turned play facilitator, and the creator of The White Flamingo, a community supporting women through the transition into motherhood.

Katie unpacks matrescence (think: adolescence, but with sleep deprivation and a tiny human to keep alive), why so many mums feel adrift without the language to explain it, and how radical honesty + play can help parents reconnect with themselves. Along the way, we talk about micro moments of joy (glimmers), perfectionism, building community in a nuclear-family world, and why we need to stop minimising our own experience with a single word: “but.”

In this episode, we cover:

• What matrescence is and why it explains so much
• The origin story of The White Flamingo (and the surprisingly perfect flamingo metaphor)
• Why modern parenting spaces often focus on the baby… and leave the parent behind
• Two powerful rules: No poo chat & No “buts” (only ands)
• How play changes as we age - and how to expand your “play diet” again
• Micro moments of joy you can orchestrate when life feels monotonous
• Dance parties, daydreaming, and the “dose of joy” framework (D.O.S.E.)
• Why comparison steals joy, and why “everything is a phase” matters more than ever

Links

• Follow Katie on Instagram: @thewhiteflamingo_
• Website: thewhiteflamingo.co.uk

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend, and if you’ve got 10 seconds, leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify helps more glimmer hunters find the show (and gives us a glimmer too 💛).