Not Another Mummy Podcast

I'm joined on this episode by neuroscientist, parent and content creator Dr Michele Veldsman, and Dr Elizabeth Milovidov, Roblox's Head of Parental Advocacy and a digital parenting expert.

Our kids are growing up in digital worlds that many of us didn't experience ourselves. And if you've ever found yourself wondering whether you're getting screen time "right", feeling overwhelmed by gaming, or worrying that your child knows far more about technology than you do, you’re not alone.

On this episode, we talk about why gaming can be confusing for parents, what children are actually getting from online experiences, and why not all screen time is created equal. We also discuss how children's digital needs change as they grow, how to balance safety with independence, and why parents don't need to become experts in every app, game and platform their children use.

Plus, we explore Roblox's new age-based accounts and parental controls for younger users, designed to help families navigate gaming in a way that's appropriate for different ages and stages.

For more details visit Roblox’s Safety Centre

This episode is brought to you by Roblox, the immersive gaming and creation platform.

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can follow the podcast 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 and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

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 today is Dr Punam Krishan - GP, author, BBC TV regular and one of the most passionate advocates for maternal health in the UK.

Punam's new book, The Motherload, explores the hidden, long-term health costs of pregnancy and birth that the medical system consistently fails to address, and makes the case that mums deserve far better than the care we're currently getting.

Punam recorded this episode on her 43rd birthday, just months after finishing treatment for breast cancer. She talks with me about what a diagnosis like that actually does to you and what it means to come out the other side with a completely different relationship with your own body.

We also chat about:

• The maternal health gap - why women's health has been under-researched for decades, and why mothers are the most overlooked group within an already overlooked system
• Why birth trauma doesn't end when you leave the hospital - and how symptoms your body has been carrying for 20 or 30 years can suddenly surface in perimenopause
• What proper postnatal care should actually look like - and why a six-minute GP appointment that focuses mostly on the baby isn't it
• The motherhood health penalty: how we've normalised suffering as just part of the job, and what that costs us long-term
• Why your kids need to see you rest, and how to explain it to them in a way that actually lands
• What she said to herself carrying her suitcase up the steps at a train station that will make you stop and think

Follow Punam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drpunamkrishan/?hl=en

Buy The Motherload: https://amzn.to/4vugliS

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can follow the podcast 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 and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

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 today is Bryony Gordon - journalist, author, mental health advocate and host of The Life of Bryony podcast. Bryony has written extensively and honestly about OCD, addiction, depression and disordered eating, and her new book, People Pleaser, is her first novel. It follows a chronically people-pleasing woman who wakes up one day to find she's lost the ability to put anyone first but herself - and the chaos that follows.

Bryony talks to me about why people pleasing is at the root of so many of the issues women face, what "good girl conditioning" actually costs us over a lifetime, and why hitting your 40s can feel like finally running out of patience for everyone else's bulls**** - in the best possible way.

We also chat about:

• Why people pleasing is actually manipulative - and why that's not the judgement it sounds like
• What she'd do differently if she woke up tomorrow unable to people please
• How early perimenopause brought back her OCD symptoms, and what finally getting her HRT right changed
• The three things she does every day to keep her mental health in check
• Why she deliberately picks the least flattering photo to post on Instagram
• Her female elder in her 60s who responds to every crisis with "so what?", and why everyone needs one of those

Follow Bryony on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryonygordon/

Listen to her podcast: https://www.instagram.com/lifeofbryonypod/

Buy People Pleaser: https://amzn.to/4scaxYR

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can follow the podcast 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 and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

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 Shakira Akabusi - women's health and fitness expert, regular face on daytime TV, author of The Strong Like Mum Method and founder of the brand new Strong Like Mum YouTube channel, where she's making all her expertise available to mums for free.

Shakira talks about the deep connection between physical movement and how we feel - and why, since becoming a mum, that link has never been clearer to her. She's also honest about what confidence actually means to her: it's not about perfection or having it all figured out, but backing yourself as a human being and giving yourself the same grace you'd give a friend.

We also chat about:

• Why releasing the pressure to be perfect was the moment Shakira finally felt truly confident
• How she manages anxiety and OCD on the hard days - and why that doesn't have to shake your confidence
• Her three go-to techniques before a big TV appearance or nerve-wracking moment: sleep, breathing and movement
• The 4-7-8 breathing technique she uses on set when she has 60 seconds before her segment goes live
• Why "keep showing up" - for yourself, not just for everyone else - is the message she keeps coming back to
• 
  

Find Shakira on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shakira.akabusi/

Find the Strong Like Mum YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE5DBny6x7gZgT7LdMxTxYg

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can follow the podcast 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 and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

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 today is Poorna Bell - award-winning journalist, author and competitive powerlifter. Poorna has written for The Times, Grazia, Red and Stylist among many others, and her latest book, She Wanted More, examines the quiet revolution taking place among women over 40 who are questioning the rules they've been handed and rewriting what the next chapter of their lives looks like.

She talks with me about what those rules actually are, who set them, and why so many women in their 40s are reaching a point where they simply refuse to keep playing by them. Poorna is honest about her own journey - losing her husband in her 30s, navigating a life that doesn't look like her mother's and finding an unexpected sense of peace in that - and she has a lot to say about the mental load, the patterns that get set early in relationships and why in 2026 we're still having the same conversation about who does the dishes.

We also chat about:

• Why 90% of the 1,000 women Poorna surveyed said friendship - not family or romance - is what matters most as they get older, and what that tells us about what we've been sold
• The concept of "weeding" your life - and the gentlest way to let go of friendships that no longer serve you without blowing everything up
• Why the patterns set early in a relationship are so hard to shift later and what that means for the mental load conversation
• What it means to build a sense of purpose when mainstream society offers you precious little validation for living differently
• How strength training replaced diet culture noise, and why Poorna lifts heavy weights not for how she looks, but for the bones she wants to have at 80

Find Poorna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poornabell/

Find Poorna on Substack: https://poornabell.substack.com

She Wanted More is available wherever you buy books.

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can follow the podcast 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 and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

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 Bum - an anonymous content creator who shares the funny, honest reality of motherhood on Instagram - debt, the mental load and the daily battle with self-doubt included. She started her account in secret, blocking everyone she knew, and has grown to over 245,000 followers without ever using her real name.

In this episode of 10 Minute Confidence Boost, Mum Bum talks about why anonymity was actually a confidence strategy, what it looks like to fight self-doubt when you're someone who really doesn't feel confident, and why looking at the evidence - rather than the story your brain is spinning - is such a useful tool.

We also chat about:

• Dropping a Times article into the friend group chat with no explanation
• Treating yourself like you'd treat a friend
• Jungle music and the Rocky theme tune for nursery run emergencies

Find MumBum on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/i_am_mum_bum/

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can follow the podcast 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 and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

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 Jake Humphrey - one of the UK's most recognisable broadcasters, having fronted the BBC's Formula 1 coverage and led BT Sport's Premier League and Champions League output for a decade. But these days he's just as well known as the host of the High Performance podcast, one of the most downloaded shows in the world on leadership, mindset and what it actually takes to perform at your best. Jake's latest book, Game Plan, aims to get these life skills into the hands of young people across the UK.

He talks with me about what it actually means to raise resilient kids and why being your child's biggest cheerleader matters more than being their coach. Jake shares the "golden blink" concept and explains why the moments that feel ordinary right now are the ones you'll miss most.

We also chat about:

• Why studying elite performers has made Jake a different parent, not necessarily a better one - and what he's unlearned along the way
• The manosphere, Louis Theroux's documentary, and why Jake thinks "toxic masculinity" is a dangerous phrase for young men
• Why embarrassment is the price of entry and failure is the price of ambition - and how to pass that message on to your kids
• How to stop "nexting" yourself and actually enjoy what you've built
• The High Performance Foundation and how you can get your child's school involved for free

Find Jake on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jakehumphrey/

Find Jake on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakehumphreyofficial/

Search "High Performance" wherever you get your podcasts

To find out more about the foundation, visit highperformancefoundation.org

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can follow the podcast 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 and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

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

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

Today's guest is Liz Alexander - model, content creator and body confidence advocate who has built a passionate following by celebrating mid-sized bodies and showing up - bikini and all - exactly as she is.

Liz talks to me about how posting on Instagram on days when she feels least confident has actually become one of her greatest tools for growth, and why she believes representation in fashion isn't just nice to have, it's essential.

We also chat about:

• Why confidence tends to come with age and life experience rather than appearing fully formed
• The rise of the "skinny trend" and why she feels body positivity progress is going backwards
• Her meditation practice and the Boho Beautiful mantra that keeps her grounded

Follow Liz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelizeditorial/

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can follow the podcast 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 and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

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 Cariad Lloyd - award-winning comedian, actress and writer, well known for Griefcast, the podcast where she talks to guests about death and grief.

She's also the author of the adult grief guide You Are Not Alone, and her debut picture book Where Did She Go?, about a little girl trying to make sense of losing her grandmother, is now out in paperback.

Cariad talks to me about why the language we use around death confuses children (and why "she's gone to sleep" or "watching over you" can actually do more harm than good), why so many of us freeze when someone we know is grieving and why the five stages of grief is an outdated idea.

We also discuss:

• Why kids need clear, honest language when someone dies and how to practise those conversations
• The specific grief that comes with becoming a parent when you've lost one
• What to say (and why you won't make it worse) when a friend is bereaved
• The real reason dark humour exists around death and dying

Buy Where Did She Go: https://amzn.to/4bvqXXu

Buy You Are Not Alone: https://amzn.to/4uTmfKQ

Listen to Griefcast: https://shows.acast.com/griefcast

Follow Cariad on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cariadlloyd/

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can follow the podcast 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 and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

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 week's guest is Elizabeth Davies, aka This Woman Lifts - strength training coach, women's fitness advocate and author of the brand new book Training for Your Old Lady Body.

Elizabeth is on a mission to help women completely reframe their relationship with exercise - shifting the focus away from bikini bodies and short-term aesthetic goals, and towards building strength that will serve them for decades to come. We talk about why so many women are put off strength training before they've even tried it, and why that needs to change.

We also chat about:

• Why the weight section of the gym feels so intimidating for women — and why it shouldn't
• The "old lady self" mindset trick Elizabeth uses when her confidence wobbles
• Why your body is a beautiful adaptive machine (and what that actually means in practice)

You can follow Elizabeth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thiswomanlifts/

And find her book Training for Your Old Lady Body 

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can follow the podcast 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 and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

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

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