You might not find a more honest conversation on motherhood and career than the one you're about to hear.

Ava Chandler Matthews is a mother and the co-founder of Ultra Violette, a skincare brand stocked at some of the biggest retailers in the world.

She went back to Ultra Violette at three months postpartum, she travels a lot, and while she loves her son to no end, she's open about missing her old life and not considering herself a particularly maternal person.

Here, we talk about some of the struggles she had with breastfeeding, postpartum anxiety, feeling like the business she founded didn't need her, and getting used to this new weight of responsibility.

While it never got to the stage where she genuinely thought she might harm herself, one night, her thoughts did lead her to wishing she had sustained a small injury just so she could spend one night alone in hospital.

She's so generous with her honesty and she walks us through it all.

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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! 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 I''m lucky enough to raise my son always was and always will be Aboriginal land.I Pay The Rent and you can too here.

PANDA’s National Perinatal Mental Health Helpline is Australia’s only free national helpline for people affected by changes to their mental health and emotional wellbeing during the perinatal period. They support people throughout pregnancy up until their baby is 12 months old.

If you need some support, call the PANDA National Helpline (Monday to Saturday) 1300 726 306

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.

Naomi Chrisoulakis is a freelance writer, postpartum doula, and a mother of two.

In the early days of her career, she cut her teeth in the magazine industry, working for the likes of Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan before a move to Los Angeles would lead her down the freelance route.

Moving home a year earlier than her husband to take an editor role at Women’s Health, it was during a four-day trip back to LA that Naomi fell pregnant, and her two births and postpartum periods couldn’t have been more different.

Here, she takes us through it all: her traumatic first birth, training to become a postpartum doula, the relationship challenges that so often come with parenthood, and how she makes work, work today.

From interviewing celebrities to caring for new families, from Los Angeles to the Illawarra, from birth trauma to an empowering home birth... Here is Naomi’s story.

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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! 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 I''m lucky enough to raise my son always was and always will be Aboriginal land.I Pay The Rent and you can too here.

PANDA’s National Perinatal Mental Health Helpline is Australia’s only free national helpline for people affected by changes to their mental health and emotional wellbeing during the perinatal period. They support people throughout pregnancy up until their baby is 12 months old.

Find Naomi on Instagram here.

If you need some support, call the PANDA National Helpline (Monday to Saturday) 1300 726 306

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.

That daycare Q&A episode I've been rudely promising for three weeks now is finally here, and I am finally back from my holiday.

Given this episode is a bit different in nature, I also share a reflection on the first trimester of pregnancy number two and a recap on travelling to Bali with a toddler.

I mention sex, the perhaps naive surprise of this pregnancy, my disenchantment with pregnancy this time around (that essay that I mention can be found here), and more - so keep that in mind if you have children around or if you're navigating the challenge that can be trying to conceive.

Here are your daycare questions answered by Kabba in this episode:

• What to look for in a “good” daycare & what to ask when taking a tour?
• How would you ease them into it, in a perfect world?
• How do I know how much child care subsidy I’ll get
• Family day care or childcare – what’s the difference?
• All the pros and cons of starting daycare before the age of one. Help change my mindset and guilt!
• What babies learn at daycare and the benefits – to ease the awful guilt of sending them?
• How long should I stay and play for at drop off?
• How many days are recommended?
• Illnesses – is it better to start them older or younger?
• I don’t think my child is going to sleep on those mats and cots – what do I do?
• Tips for a previously easy drop off that has become hard and tearful for 2.5-year-old boy?
• Thoughts on story park or photo sharing apps for daycare parents?
• Why is it so hard to get your baby in care mid-year? Mum going back to work in September! Help!
• What parental behaviour frustrates you as an educator?
• For all the mums/parents that feel sad watching their baby cry as they leave – what are the things you say to parents to comfort them?
• Can childcare centres cater for children with diverse needs and what determines if a mainstream daycare would work for a child with disability or not?

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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! 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 I''m lucky enough to raise my son always was and always will be Aboriginal land. I 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.

Manon Pietra is a diversity, equity and inclusion partner at Canva.

She's also the "other mum" as she puts it. That is, the non-birthing person in a two-mum family.

What I love most about this conversation is the reflections around what we assume to be a gendered experience, because while Manon and her wife may be similar when it comes to biology, that doesn't mean that Manon would go on to understand what her wife would go through in pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

Here, we talk about what she's learned about being the non-birthing mum, what to start and stop asking same sex parents, the importance of robust paid parental leave, and why we still return to work as though nothing has changed.

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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! 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 I''m lucky enough to raise my son always was and always will be Aboriginal land.I 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.

Picture this: you're a mother of one, you're newly pregnant and you're at your dating scan. The sonographer goes a little quiet. There's not one baby in your tummy, there's not even just the two. You're pregnant with triplets.

This is what happened to now mother of four and litigation lawyer Silje Andersen-Cooke.

I can physically feel the shock and worry of it all: wondering what this means for your babies, what this means for your body, what recovery might look like, and how on earth you return to work after triplets.

Here, Silje walks us through it all: the delightful and the demanding, the exhausting and exhilarating life that is raising triplets while making work, work.

Please note that this is Silje's story and that this episode is not to be taken as medical advice.

Follow Silje on Instagram here.

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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! 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 I''m lucky enough to raise my son always was and always will be Aboriginal land.I 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.

Alison Rice is a mother and a journalist turned career and business mentor. She cut her teeth at The Walkley Foundation for Excellence in Journalism before going on to lead and launch some of the world's largest digital women's media titles into the Australian market.

To some, she had it all.

But, a realisation that her work was perpetuating a kind of desire culture and leading women to question themselves would ultimately change the course of her career.

It was then during those early days of motherhood that another monumental shift would occur, and this time, a heartbreaking one: just as Alison was learning how to navigate motherhood, she lost her own mum.

Here, she generously shares some of her most intimate moments, from navigating multiple pregnancy losses alongside work and how the fear of never meeting her daughter has influenced the way she shows up as a mother today. to what it means to redefine success and what it's like to lose your mum during such a tender life phase.

Follow her business and podcast here.

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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! 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 I''m lucky enough to raise my son always was and always will be Aboriginal land.I 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.

Tina Randello is the Chief Commercial Officer of global skincare brand Alpha-H. She’s also a mother of two and the founder of The Encoreship — a return-to-work program providing opportunities for women and mothers who have been out of the workforce for an extended period.

She’s held down massive roles, she’s worked both full time and part time alongside her parenting journey, and she’s learned a lot from navigating it all for thirteen years.

What seems to make her a great leader is that she believes in women. She wants to see each and every woman find their own version of success and until that happens, she considers her work unfinished.

Here, we talk about redefining ourselves post motherhood, why ‘selfish’ needn’t be a dirty word, and why, sometimes, we just need to give it a go and see what makes sense when it comes to making work, work.

This episode of Ready or Not is brought to you by Portier, made by busy parents for busy parents.

Thanks to Portier, listeners of Ready or Not can receive a $20 voucher by using the code RON20 upon checkout at portier.com.au.

This voucher is valid until June 12.

----

Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! 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 I''m lucky enough to raise my son always was and always will be Aboriginal land.I 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.

Elise Addlem is a feminism and philosophy educator for mothers and parents.

She's also a mother herself, and through her work, she breaks down complex topics into digestible bites. She makes the daunting interesting and she is deeply passionate about educating others on the intersection of motherhood, feminism, patriarchal parenting, and neoliberal capitalism.

Here, we talk about the perfect motherhood myth, how our sense of self can change for the better in motherhood, the power of knowledge, and being tired all the time.

This episode of Ready or Not is brought to you by Portier, made by busy parents for busy parents.

Thanks to Portier, listeners of Ready or Not can receive a $20 voucher by using the code RON20 upon checkout at portier.com.au.

This voucher is valid until June 12.

----

Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! 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 I''m lucky enough to raise my son always was and always will be Aboriginal land.I 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.

Publicly, a burgeoning business that led her to New York for a meeting with Anna Wintour and to sharing the stage with Richard Branson on multiple occasions.

And privately: eight years, 18 rounds of IVF, and a friend willing to carry her baby, all in pursuit of becoming a mother.

This is an incredible story of how Collective Hub founder Lisa Messenger has made work alongside her challenging journey to parenthood work.

Here, we talk staying open, how she got through sixteen phone calls telling her the news she didn't want to hear, and what the surrogacy journey has looked like.

In this episode, Lisa also generously shares a discount code for Ready or Not listeners: use code READYORNOT20 for 20% off all Collective Hub products.

[CW: This episodes discusses needles, pregnancy loss, IVF and surrogacy.]

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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! 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 I''m lucky enough to raise my son always was and always will be Aboriginal land.I 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.

Sophie Walker is the host of hit podcast, Australian Birth Stories. She's also a published author, the creator of the birth class, and a mother of three boys.

It was Sophie's traumatic first birth that inspired the podcast, which at the time of the interview had over 11 million downloads, but at the time of publishing, she's up to 12 million. That's nearly half of Australia.

The expansion of her business has led to some really exciting projects such as her new book, and it's also led to her becoming the key breadwinner at home, bringing with it an extra layer of pressure.

Here, she takes us back to the start: through her varied and colourful career, how she built Australian Birth Stories to be the brand it is today, the birth that inspired it all, and what her husband is learning from being at home with the kids.

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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! 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 I''m lucky enough to raise my son always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

I Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Listen to Australian Birth Stories or buy the amazing new book 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.