Not Another Mummy Podcast

On this episode I chat to Molly Forbes, the author of Body Happy Kids and a mum of two. Molly was a guest on the podcast a few years ago, when she was a host on the Channel 4 show Naked Beach, which shone a light on the body insecurities that many of us have and helped people to overcome them.

Since then, Molly has set up social enterprise Body Happy Org, has been campaigning to ban diet club adverts around and near schools and using her voice to help others raise our kids in a body happy way.

We talk about what’s causing children as young as three to feel bad about their bodies, the lack of positive representation of different body shapes in books and the media and how to talk to our kids about their appearance and body issues.

We also touch upon helping our kids foster a healthy happy relationship with meal times and food, using Ellen Sattyr’s Division of Responsibility and how all of this *waves arms around* is HARD when we were brought up so differently.

You can buy Molly’s book Body Happy Kids here, follow her on Instagram and check out Body Happy Org and their work.

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you!

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

Producer: Imogen Hart

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you dreading your children hitting the teenage years and hormones turning them into sulky, shouty, door slamming young adults? I know I am! But my guest on this episode, journalist and podcaster Lorraine Candy, says we shouldn’t worry, she is here to hold our hand through the process.

Lorraine is the mum to three teens and a nine year old and she is the author of Mum What’s Wrong With You – 101 Things Only Mothers Of Teenage Girls Know which offers easy to follow, down to earth advice, lighting the way for other mums.

She shares all sorts of wisdom on this episode, from someone who has been there and got the t-shirt, like navigating the big teenage milestones and the biological reason your teenager has an incredibly messy bedroom….

Buy Lorraine’s book here, listen to her podcast Postcards From Midlife and follow her on Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you!

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

Producer: Imogen Hart

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest on this episode took an earth-shattering life event and turned it into a novel - Josie Lloyd is a best-selling author and mum of three. She has written 15 bestselling novels including the number one hit Come Together, which she co-authored with her husband, Emlyn Rees.

In 2017, Josie was diagnosed with breast cancer and, urged by a friend to keep fit, she went down to the seafront in Brighton where she lives and joined a running group. These were all women, who, like her, were going through cancer treatment and they soon became firm friends. She didn't realise at first that it was actually a training group for the Brighton Marathon 10K and she ended up running the race just before her third session of chemo. The whole experience was so utterly uplifting and inspiring that she decided she had to write about it in her latest novel The Cancer Ladies’ Running Club.

Josie chats to me about what that experience was like and how she couldn't find any fiction books about surviving and thriving after cancer, so she wrote one.

Buy Josie’s book here and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you!

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

Producer: Imogen Hart

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was an utter joy to welcome Dr Ranj onto the podcast as a guest – as well as working for the NHS through the pandemic as a paediatric doctor, Ranj published a book - How To Grow Up And Feel Amazing: The No Worries Guide For Boys. It’s a must-read book for all tween boys, covering physical and emotional changes they’ll go through as puberty hits.

I talked to Ranj about what his own teenage years were like, and why he was so keen to write a book to help boys get through what can be a tricky time. We chat about the importance of encouraging boys to express their feelings, have a cry and talk to people around them if they’re struggling.

It’s a fantastic book and it was great to hear Ranj’s thoughts on how to raise happy, healthy boys.

Check out the book here and follow Ranj on Twitter and Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you!

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

Producer: Imogen Hart

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is essential listening if you’re in your 20s, 30s or 40s. Which sounds like I’m really bigging myself up, but it’s my guest, not me, who is delivering all of the wisdom.

Maisie Hill is a women’s health practitioner, author and podcaster who is doing everything she can to spread the word about perimenopause and getting us in tune with our menstrual cycles. Her latest book Perimenopause Power is a guide to that transition into menopause, packed with information and helpful advice. Reading it opened my eyes and spurred me on to speak to a menopause specialist about my own symptoms.

On this episode, Maisie tells me why perimenopause needs to be more widely discussed – and from a younger age – and what women in their 20s can be doing to help their health when perimenopause hits. She’s a great guest with lots of useful explanations and helpful tips. Once you’ve listened, share this episode with a friend to get the conversation going with as many people as possible!

Visit Maisie's website, buy her book Perimenopause Power and follow her on Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you!

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

Producer: Imogen Hart

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you talk to your children about race – and racism – and if so, how often? My guest on this episode Uju Asika encourages all parents to start this conversation as early as possible and not to feel awkward about it.

Uju is a mum of two and the author of Bringing Up Race: How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World. We talk about how the conversation will be different, depending on your children’s skin colour, and why it’s important not to take the ‘colour blind’ approach to parenting.

Uju shares her fears over her black sons – once considered cute by passers-by and now in their teenage years, being viewed and treated differently. We also discuss language and people’s desire to find a term that neatly categorises everyone that isn’t white.

Buy Uju’s book here and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you!

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

Producer: Imogen Hart

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest on this episode is mum of three Hayley McLean. All three of Hayley’s children were assumed male at birth but her second-born, Noa, identifies as female.

Hayley tells me what it’s like to be the mum of a transgender child, from the early signs through to Noa telling her parents, in no uncertain terms, that she is a girl. Hayley talks about how they’ve fully supported Noa and about the reaction they’ve had from friends and family. We talk about her decision to write about their experiences on her blog and social media, in the hope that it offers some support to other families going through something similar.

You can follow Hayley on Instagram and read her blog Sparkles & Stretchmarks.

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you!

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

Producer: Imogen Hart

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Separating from your partner would be one of the worst things that could happen to you, right? Well, no, according to my guest on this episode, it doesn’t have to be.

Amy Ransom is a mum of three and the author of The Soul-Soaring Virtues of Separation: 111 Learnings to Heal Your Heart and Help You Fly – a guide to reframing separation, looking at it as the start of something new rather than the end of something. Amy talks to me about her own separation and how she used her spirituality and the Law of Attraction to turn it from something that was devastating into something positive.

Her book shares 111 things she learned on her own separation journey and is an inspiring, supportive guide for anyone who’s going through a separation.

Buy Amy’s book here and follow her on Instagram here.

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you!

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

Producer: Imogen Hart

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine a world where women don’t lose their jobs, or miss out on promotions, because they’re pregnant or have just had a baby. I can’t even picture it, because so many women experience maternity discrimination, today, in 2021. My guest on this episode, Joeli Brearley, lost her job the day after she told her employer she was pregnant and went onto launch the charity and campaigning group Pregnant Then Screwed.

Joeli is a mum of two and campaigns for better rights for pregnant women and mothers, including asking for three months’ ring-fenced parental leave for both parents at 90% of salary, properly subsidised childcare from six months old and increasing the time limit to raise a tribunal claim from three months to six months.

Her book Pregnant Then Screwed: The Truth About the Motherhood Penalty and How to Fix It is a must-read expose of the practices and systems that force women out of their jobs because they’re having or have had a baby, and about how we can challenge them and demand a fairer, level playing field.

Joeli talks to me about her own experiences of losing her job while pregnant, why expecting mothers to raise a tribunal claim within three months when they’re in a vulnerable place is unacceptable and why it’s critical that the government invest properly in the childcare system. We also talk about flexible working and how the pandemic has affected it.

** Pregnant Then Screwed are currently running a campaign with Grazia to ask the government to commission an independent review of childcare funding and affordability. Sign it here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/586700 **

You can follow Pregnant Then Screwed on Twitter and Instagram, check out their website and buy Joeli’s book here. For advice on employment rights, call their helpline on 0161 222 9879.

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you!

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

Producer: Imogen Hart

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the past year or so, most of us have become increasingly reliant on the communities around us – our neighbours, WhatsApp groups of friends, even people we’ve never met but follow on social media. Community has become so important and my guest on this episode knows just how vital they are.

Robert Douglas is a dad of two and has built up a community of dads online with his Instagram account @this_father_life. His day job is community-minded too - running a social enterprise which supports and facilitates young people from diverse backgrounds to get into a career in film production.

Robert chats to me about why all of this matters and how there are so many interesting stories on our doorstep but we often aren’t aware of them. He also talks about his fears raising black sons and the effect BLM 2020 has had on them.

Follow Robert on Instagram and follow his social enterprise too.

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you!

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

Producer: Imogen Hart

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.