Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Tom Cruise. John Travolta. When I tell you that today's guest has interviewed the stars, we're not talking about any old bit player from Home and Away. And while that may sound like a pretty spectacular way to spend your time, Renee Bargh would've given it all up for the one thing that she wanted her entire life: a baby.

After spending a decade from her mid twenties to her mid thirties working in tv in LA, the pandemic was the final push she needed to come home to Australian shores. Fast forward to today, and the award winning tv host is preparing to bring her second baby into the world.

Here, we talk her glittery television career in LA, returning to work and a red carpet at three months postpartum, the ways in which motherhood was harder than she expected when she thought she was the most prepared person for the job, and how she's navigated hyperemesis as someone whose job it is to look and act presentable at work.

From LA to back home, from a robe to a red carpet with Tom Cruise, from presenting on air to trying not to throw up backstage, Renee brings the human element to a world that we often paint as shiny.

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This episode of Ready or Not is brought to you by Mumma Milla – the modern leakproof nursing brand that has quickly become a wardrobe staple in my postpartum and return to paid work journey. In fact, wardrobe staple doesn’t even cut it. You can shop the collection now at mumma-milla.com

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Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Very Luxe Face Cream means business.*

• Clinically proven to increase skin firmness by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin elasticity by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin smoothness by 15%.
• Clinically proven to strengthen the skin barrier function by over 45%.

*Based on a 12 week clinical trial of 30 participants.

Serious business.**

• Over 95% of participants said their skin felt smoother and tighter.
• Over 90% of participants said their skin felt significantly firmer.
• 100% of participants said they noticed a more even skin tone.
• 100% of participants said their skin looked more youthful.

**Based on a 12 week clinical study of 30 participants.

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

Do you find it hard to let go of control as the mother or primary caregiver? Have you ever been called too emotional, too assertive or too blunt in the workplace? Today, we unpack Loz's story about some cupcakes and find out why businesses should hire the diva. Plus, you share your stories on letting your partner make their own mistakes (or at least trying to) and when you've been told you're too much at work.

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Shop the Ready or Not Go To Guides now, for $29 each or $69 for the trio and 10% off with code READY10:

• Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
• Childcare 101
• Postpartum and Return to Work Planning

---

Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Very Luxe Face Cream means business.*

• Clinically proven to increase skin firmness by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin elasticity by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin smoothness by 15%.
• Clinically proven to strengthen the skin barrier function by over 45%.

*Based on a 12 week clinical trial of 30 participants.

Serious business.**

• Over 95% of participants said their skin felt smoother and tighter.
• Over 90% of participants said their skin felt significantly firmer.
• 100% of participants said they noticed a more even skin tone.
• 100% of participants said their skin looked more youthful.

**Based on a 12 week clinical study of 30 participants.

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

Welcome back to Tits and Tricks! It’s Ready or Not’s new bite sized tip based podcast, and it’s coming to your ears every Thursday. Today, Loz is talking about getting out the door and to work on time, which is basically an Olympic sport as a parent.

---

Shop the Ready or Not Go To Guides now, for $29 each or $69 for the trio:

• Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
• Childcare 101
• Postpartum and Return to Work Planning
• You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

---

Thanks for listening to Tits & Tricks! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Very Luxe Face Cream means business.*

• Clinically proven to increase skin firmness by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin elasticity by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin smoothness by 15%.
• Clinically proven to strengthen the skin barrier function by over 45%.

*Based on a 12 week clinical trial of 30 participants.

Serious business.**

• Over 95% of participants said their skin felt smoother and tighter.
• Over 90% of participants said their skin felt significantly firmer.
• 100% of participants said they noticed a more even skin tone.
• 100% of participants said their skin looked more youthful.

**Based on a 12 week clinical study of 30 participants.

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

If you've listened to Ready or Not for a while, you might know that this is the second time that Liv Brown has been on the show. Last time we heard about her journey pre kids and then coming into motherhood as a mother of one thinking that stay at home motherhood would be for her, to slowly but surely discovering her creativity, discovering her niche.

And that is Rattle Style. She's a stylist for mums. She works across a variety of creative projects, and just as her bump was growing with her second baby, so too was her business. In our first chat, we discuss all of that and more. But in today's episode, I wanted to find out how navigating going from one to two has been for her.

And as someone that didn't quite stop work in my second postpartum, I wanted to know how Liv had tackled all of that and more. As you'll hear, she had some really stressful weeks with sickness and hospital stays with both of her babies when she brought her second baby Otis into the world and through all of that, she had to somehow navigate her paid work and her growing community, too.

Here we talk about the DMs and the messages that might be well meaning but sometimes aren't all that helpful when you're trying to navigate so much as a mum and a worker, and all of the ways in which she's found going from one to two easy and... not so easy. If this intro sounds incredibly off the cuff, that's because I'm bloody anxious. I have so much to do today.

But it is also because this conversation IS off the cuff and casual. That's the way I try to keep it when someone is returning to the show for the second time. So hopefully this feels like chatting amongst friends as opposed to an interview.

--

Shop the Ready or Not Go To Guides now, for $29 each or $69 for the trio and 10% off with code READY10:

• Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
• Childcare 101
• Postpartum and Return to Work Planning

---

Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Very Luxe Face Cream means business.*

• Clinically proven to increase skin firmness by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin elasticity by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin smoothness by 15%.
• Clinically proven to strengthen the skin barrier function by over 45%.

*Based on a 12 week clinical trial of 30 participants.

Serious business.**

• Over 95% of participants said their skin felt smoother and tighter.
• Over 90% of participants said their skin felt significantly firmer.
• 100% of participants said they noticed a more even skin tone.
• 100% of participants said their skin looked more youthful.

**Based on a 12 week clinical study of 30 participants.

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

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY WITCHES! Somehow, it's officially been one year of Witching Hour and these pretend cousins want to thank you for being here with some more yapping. So, how's Loz's meditation challenge going? What about the run club she's joined? Why does dinner time coming around so quickly and what's worse - food shopping and cooking, or thinking about food shopping and cooking? Plus, when in a job interview should you discuss flexible working arrangements? We discuss all this and then some in our 52nd episode of Witching Hour.

--

Shop the Ready or Not Go To Guides now, for $29 each or $69 for the trio:

• Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
• Childcare 101
• Postpartum and Return to Work Planning

---

Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Very Luxe Face Cream means business.*

• Clinically proven to increase skin firmness by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin elasticity by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin smoothness by 15%.
• Clinically proven to strengthen the skin barrier function by over 45%.

*Based on a 12 week clinical trial of 30 participants.

Serious business.**

• Over 95% of participants said their skin felt smoother and tighter.
• Over 90% of participants said their skin felt significantly firmer.
• 100% of participants said they noticed a more even skin tone.
• 100% of participants said their skin looked more youthful.

**Based on a 12 week clinical study of 30 participants.

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

Welcome back to Tits and Tricks! It’s Ready or Not’s new bite sized tip based podcast, and it’s coming to your ears every Thursday. Today, Loz is talking about how to answer those RIDICULOUS questions you might face when you return to paid work.

---

Shop the Ready or Not Go To Guides now, for $29 each or $69 for the trio:

• Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
• Childcare 101
• Postpartum and Return to Work Planning
• You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

---

Thanks for listening to Tits & Tricks! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Very Luxe Face Cream means business.*

• Clinically proven to increase skin firmness by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin elasticity by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin smoothness by 15%.
• Clinically proven to strengthen the skin barrier function by over 45%.

*Based on a 12 week clinical trial of 30 participants.

Serious business.**

• Over 95% of participants said their skin felt smoother and tighter.
• Over 90% of participants said their skin felt significantly firmer.
• 100% of participants said they noticed a more even skin tone.
• 100% of participants said their skin looked more youthful.

**Based on a 12 week clinical study of 30 participants.

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

For some mothers, the idea of leaving their baby - particularly in those first few months or even years - feels excruciating, irreconcilable, even. For others, having space to engage in pursuits outside of mothering feels important, perhaps even necessary.

Both feelings are valid and on this particular subject, I'm a chameleon. Every day, my wants and needs as a mother and a professional turn a new shade - my feelings are never stagnant, they're ever-changing.

I've often said that if there was a way to simultaneously strap my babies to my chest and have them 10 kilometres away from me at all times, I'd be content. So deep is the tension that exists between wanting both, so deep is the paradox that is modern motherhood. And perhaps there is nothing that quite magnifies that tension as much as navigating the murky waters of motherhood and career.

It's something that today's guest knows all about. Lauren Perrett had a panic attack during a meeting in New Zealand when returning to paid work, and I don't think it's a stretch to say it changed everything for the mother of two. And eventually, she'd go on to launch BubbaDesk - the co-working service with onsite childcare that is quite literally changing lives.

Here, we talk finding meaning in paid work, how that meeting in New Zealand would go on to change her path, and why mothers and parents need more choice when it comes to childcare.

--

Shop the Ready or Not Go To Guides now, for $29 each or $69 for the trio:

• Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
• Childcare 101
• Postpartum and Return to Work Planning

---

Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Very Luxe Face Cream means business.*

• Clinically proven to increase skin firmness by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin elasticity by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin smoothness by 15%.
• Clinically proven to strengthen the skin barrier function by over 45%.

*Based on a 12 week clinical trial of 30 participants.

Serious business.**

• Over 95% of participants said their skin felt smoother and tighter.
• Over 90% of participants said their skin felt significantly firmer.
• 100% of participants said they noticed a more even skin tone.
• 100% of participants said their skin looked more youthful.

**Based on a 12 week clinical study of 30 participants.

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

WOWEE we are taking you places today, our friends. From Loz's kid-free trip to Bali with her husband and Lu feeling like she and her husband are getting through the hardest part of two under two, to why George Clooney should take a leaf out of Gourmet Traveller's book (we're looking at you Brad Pitt) and Jane Fonda's reflections on her parenting, this episode covers a LOT. Plus, Loz shares what she fears most as her kids need her less and a listener wrote in about feeling like a failure in business and we want to pick her the feck UP!

--

Shop the Ready or Not Go To Guides now, for $29 each or $69 for the trio and 10% off with code READY10:

• Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
• Childcare 101
• Postpartum and Return to Work Planning

---

Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Very Luxe Face Cream means business.*

• Clinically proven to increase skin firmness by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin elasticity by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin smoothness by 15%.
• Clinically proven to strengthen the skin barrier function by over 45%.

*Based on a 12 week clinical trial of 30 participants.

Serious business.**

• Over 95% of participants said their skin felt smoother and tighter.
• Over 90% of participants said their skin felt significantly firmer.
• 100% of participants said they noticed a more even skin tone.
• 100% of participants said their skin looked more youthful.

**Based on a 12 week clinical study of 30 participants.

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

Welcome back to Tits and Tricks! It’s Ready or Not’s new bite sized tip based podcast, and it’s coming to your ears every Thursday. Today, Lu is talking all things telling your boss you're pregnant.

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LU'S LINKS:

Here at the two episodes that discuss how to tell your boss that you're pregnant in a new job:

• Ask Loz for motherhood and career advice, just don't ask her to meditate
• Britney Spears: “If I got upset and asserted myself, I was out of control and crazy” and "HELP! I'm unexpectedly pregnant in a new job"

Links for knowing your rights:

• Fair Work: Entitlements while pregnant
• Human Rights website: A quick guide to your rights.
• Governement parental leave information

---

Shop the Ready or Not Go To Guides now, for $29 each or $69 for the trio:

• Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
• Childcare 101
• Postpartum and Return to Work Planning
• You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

---

Thanks for listening to Tits & Tricks! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Very Luxe Face Cream means business.*

• Clinically proven to increase skin firmness by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin elasticity by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin smoothness by 15%.
• Clinically proven to strengthen the skin barrier function by over 45%.

*Based on a 12 week clinical trial of 30 participants.

Serious business.**

• Over 95% of participants said their skin felt smoother and tighter.
• Over 90% of participants said their skin felt significantly firmer.
• 100% of participants said they noticed a more even skin tone.
• 100% of participants said their skin looked more youthful.

**Based on a 12 week clinical study of 30 participants.

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

For decades, women and mothers have been hiding. We cover up our breasts as we feed our babies because since forever, our breasts have been sexualised. How dare you get those tarty things out to offer nourishment to that hungry, tired love of your life. Put them away.

We hide the blood that drops between our legs because we've been told it's disgusting. And what's more repulsive, more unattractive, more intolerable, they tell us, is the mood swings that it brings. A woman on her period, they say, is crazy.

And often, we hide the depths of our feelings as we navigate the throes of early motherhood, because we're meant to be grateful. We're meant to be giving. We're meant to be naturally good at it.

That doesn't leave much room for comfort in motherhood, in fact it creates a feeling entirely opposite to warmth. And that is loneliness.

And it was when Keshia Hutchens and Ariel Bryant were walking the streets of Melbourne with their third babies that they wondered - interrogated, even - why there wasn't a safe space for mothers to go. To think and feel and learn and question and laugh and cry.

And so, they created From Day One; a space that is pulling mothers from outside of their own four walls and bringing them their village.

From how the two co-founders have made work, work over the years, to the magic that they're witnessing between the mothers who are making up the village that is From Day One, this is a special conversation about loneliness and the antidote to it.

--

Shop the Ready or Not Go To Guides now, for $29 each or $69 for the trio and 10% off with code READY10:

• Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
• Childcare 101
• Postpartum and Return to Work Planning

---

Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Very Luxe Face Cream means business.*

• Clinically proven to increase skin firmness by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin elasticity by 39%.
• Clinically proven to increase skin smoothness by 15%.
• Clinically proven to strengthen the skin barrier function by over 45%.

*Based on a 12 week clinical trial of 30 participants.

Serious business.**

• Over 95% of participants said their skin felt smoother and tighter.
• Over 90% of participants said their skin felt significantly firmer.
• 100% of participants said they noticed a more even skin tone.
• 100% of participants said their skin looked more youthful.

**Based on a 12 week clinical study of 30 participants.

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