Mother of All Solutions

In this episode Laura shares some audio notes about her work/family situation recorded at home at the end of March and mid April 2020.

We also hear from a neighbour, Meghan, about how she is managing various aspects of life (job, homeschooling) during lockdown. 

We'd love to hear from more mums and dads, and are inviting listeners to record their own audio notes - to share what is happening in their lives at home in the COVID-19 crisis.

Parents are invited to explain their situation. You are also welcome to mention useful links for others, plus reflect on any solutions and thoughts on the future. 

Email your audio note (of no more than 5 min / recorded on your phone is fine) to [email protected] 

Thank you for taking the time to listen and participate. Stay safe.

Love from MOAS team.

Laura speaks with her own mother, Wendy, and her daughter, Rowan, about work and family life.

Now retired, Wendy reflects on her role as a hospital pharmacist. She covers going back to study after becoming a mother, managing rotas for parents, and using her clinical expertise in a voluntary capacity today. She also talks about changing stresses and strains during stages of her career with kids. 

Rowan, aged 6, describes our family set-up, jobs she knows and what she would like to do when she's older. She also chats about her experiences of childcare.

In this special episode we speak with parents and panellists at the Women of the World Festival (WOW) at the Southbank Centre in London on Friday 6 March 2020.

We capture personal stories about navigating a return to work as well as talking with the speakers from the Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don't panel.

With comments and ideas on shared parental leave, cost and quality of childcare and reflections on the sessions of the day, we record a moment of motherhood at the WOW Festival.

In this episode Laura interviews her sister-in-law, Dr Hannah Bienias, and her brother, Dr John Broderick, about their particular set up post Hannah's recent maternity leave. Hannah is an A&E consultant in a NE hospital and John a Lecturer at the University of Manchester.

They talk about organising childcare for their almost 1 year old daughter - with workplaces in different parts of the country and shift patterns to accommodate. They touch upon shared parent leave requests, flexibility from nursery, remote working and anticipating further change in light of the coronavirus pandemic and Hannah's frontline role. 

Recorded on Saturday 14 March 2020 in Gainford, County Durham.

Lily Anderson-Nicholls and Laura Broderick talk to Maria Cesa about managing work around three maternity leaves, and finding fulfilment as a stay at home mum. We discuss differing perceptions of work/family balance, how you identify and when's a good time to get back into work after taking a career break.

Lily Anderson-Nicholls and Laura Broderick talk to Nell Boase about changing careers, returning to a new or old job after having a baby, being an effective leader and planning for future work. We also discuss negotiating your work boundaries and considering senior roles alongside family life.

In this episode, Laura reflects on the episodes so far, why she started MOAS and what she's got planned for the future of the podcast. 

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In this episode we talk about the benefits and challenges of running your own business. Laura talks to Make Do and Mend owner Sarah Robins about the path to starting her vintage clothing business, juggling maternity leave and preparing for shared parental leave.

In this episode we talk about the benefits and some of the challenges of being freelance, juggling childcare with older children, waiting for social lives and career reboots! Subscribe by searching for Mother of All Solutions wherever you get your podcasts.

In the fourth episode Laura talks to Colette Thomas. We talk about being a childminder, changing careers to suit your family situation, plus being a single mother, then grandmother. We also explore professional pursuits and the professional wall!