Not Another Mummy Podcast

My guest on this episode is Lauren Derrett, the author of Filter Free, a book in which she shares the stories of a selection of women – women who have experienced adversity - covering domestic abuse, miscarriage, divorce and rape. Lauren is also a mentor, the host of the Life Unfiltered podcast, founder of the This Girl Is Enough community and she is a mum of four children and two step-children.

Lauren chats to me about the fact that she doesn’t enjoy motherhood – she tells me why she is happy to admit this and why she has so many kids for someone who doesn’t enjoy motherhood!

We also talk about the filters we put onto life – how we make things look glossier on social media and the effect that seeking validation through likes can have. Lauren shares some strong opinions on how people behave online, especially when drama escalates and people can be tempted to pile on and publicly slag off someone.

You can buy Lauren’s book here, check out her This Girl Is Enough community here, listen to her podcast here and follow her over on Instagram!

Chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Producer: Imogen Hart, Create Productions

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

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

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

If you could wave a magic wand and get your kids to eat anything, would you use it? I would! And while my guest on this episode of the podcast, Emily Leary, doesn’t have a wand (booo) she has created a 5-step plan to get your kids to eat a more varied diet and she has very helpfully put it all in a book for us to buy and follow.

She reckons she can get your children from beige food fans to eating different flavours and textures in no time, and she explains a bit about the phases in her programme and how they can be a recipe for success (geddit?).

She also talks about why kids so often struggle with new foods and why meal planning and getting your children into the kitchen can make all the difference. This episode is a must for parents of kids who (like my eldest!) turns their nose up at lots of food.

Follow Emily on Instagram and Twitter, and check out her book How To Get Your Kids To Eat Anything here.

Chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Producer: Imogen Hart, Create Productions

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

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

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

Families come in all shapes and sizes, and there's no one single way of "doing" motherhood. My guest on this episode, Sarah Gregory, is a mum of four - with her children ranging in age from six to 20. Sarah explains what it was like to become a mum, aged 18, and how different it felt to have her three daughters in her late 20s and early 30s.

She talks about what a strong bond her son and eldest daughter have, despite the nine year age gap, and tells me about how she juggles the needs of all her children - and how she manages a hectic household.

As well as being a mum of four, Sarah is a writer and co-edits the About Times, an online publication which features the writing of women. It promises to “challenge everyone, to step out of our echo chambers and explore the world through a different lens" - you can check out the latest issue here.

Sarah's a brilliant one to follow on social media - she writes thought provoking captions and makes you take a fresh look at whatever's being talked about. Follow her on Instagram here.

Chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Producer: Imogen Hart, Create Productions

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

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

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

The podcast is back and what a guest we have to kick things off again with! Philippa Perry is a psychotherapist and author of The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) - the No 1 Sunday Times Bestseller which has been described as the parenting book for people who hate parenting books.

Philippa's own daughter is in her 20s so she has been there, done that and got the t-shirt, when it comes to parenting. Her book is engaging and clever, making you look at how you were brought up and think about the ways that affects how you parent.

On this episode of the podcast, Philippa talks about lots of interesting stuff, from parental trolling (yes, apparently lots of us unknowingly troll our kids), how to argue better, whether or not it's OK to use our phones in front of small children, and why distraction isn't a great parenting technique (something I was disappointed to hear since it's my go-to tactic in many a situation!)

You can buy Philippa's book and follow her on Twitter.

Chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Producer: Imogen Hart, Create Productions

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

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

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

After a six month break, the podcast is back, back, back! Listen to this teaser for a taste of some of the interviews coming up in future episodes and subscribe to get each episode direct to your phone every week.

Chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Producer: Imogen Hart, Create Productions

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

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

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

Starting a site like Mumsnet is no mean feat, which is why I loved chatting to founder Justine Roberts on this episode of the podcast about how she did it, from her back bedroom, with four young children to look after. Justine talks about how the Mumsnet forums are run and how they moderate the discussions (interestingly, she says the world isn't a fair place when I ask her how she ensures the conversations happening are fair).

We also discuss the Mumsnet campaign to get better post-natal care and Justine explains why we need better care and what Mumsnet users think that should look like. Read more about the campaign here.

Music: Epidemic Sound

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

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

It can be easy to stick your head in the sand and exist in a little bubble where you don't think about the wider world - the struggles others are facing every day - but my guest on the podcast today not only actively helps others in her day job and spare time, but she has made it her mission to talk to her children about it all too.

Emma Cantrell is Chief Executive of SSNAP (Support for Sick Newborns and Their Parents) at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, a charity which provides emotional and practical support to parents, provides life saving equipment for the Neonatal Care Unit and funds research to improves the lives of babies in the hospital’s NCU. In her spare time, Emma runs First Days, a charity which provides equipment and clothing for families living in poverty.

On the podcast, I ask Emma about how her work impacts on her parenting (spoiler: it does, in a big way) and she talks about how she discusses issues like poverty, inequality, homelessness and politics with her kids - and how she regularly makes them aware of their own privilege.

You can check out First Days here, find out more about SSNAP and follow Emma on Instagram.

Music: Epidemic Sound

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

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

Doesn't 'living a limitless life' sound like something we should all be doing? My guest on this episode - Suzy Ashworth - is a mindset and business coach for women who focuses on helping women work towards living a limitless life. On the podcast, Suzy explains what this means and how we can do it too.

Suzy also chats about her family life - how she raises her four children, why she has a parenting coach (sign me up!) and how being fostered - and losing her foster mum at 19 - shaped her as a person and a mother.

Suzy's energy is so infectious, you're bound to feel better about life by the end of this episode. Follow her on Instagram and check out her website here.

Music: Epidemic Sound

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

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

Kara Spencer is one of those amazing women whose day to day life is a huge challenge, but she just gets on with it, often with a smile on her face. Kara's son Grayson was born with brain damage and he also has a genetic condition that is so rare, it's yet to be diagnosed, nine years later. Kara and her husband Ashley care for Grayson, along with their two younger children, dealing with everything that life throws at them.

I wanted to chat to Kara about her journey as a mum to a disabled son with special needs - how it has affected her, how she dealt with the emotional side of being told her son had brain damage and a genetic condition, how it affects her relationship with Ashley but also the dynamics of raising their two younger children too.

Kara blogs at Innocent Charms Chats and you can follow her on Instagram - plus her second account all about Grayson - Raising A Superhero - is here.

Music: Epidemic Sound

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

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

Whether it’s comparing how much veg your child is eating with that other child he’s friends with, or comparing how calm and patient that other mum is when you feel like a shouty, frazzled mum, or even comparing how well your friend is doing in their career compared to you or how toned their arms are compared to yours, comparison is something that affects us all. My guest on this episode – Lucy Sheridan – is well placed to help because she is the world’s first comparison coach.

Lucy has some great advice on how to identify your comparison triggers, how to react to feelings of comparison when they happen, how to react differently depending on whether it’s some random person online or a dear friend you’re comparing yourself to, and lots more.

Check out Lucy’s website and follow her on Instagram.

Music: Epidemic Sound

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

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