Ready or Not

Julia Chiera is one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met. If you listened to my interview with sisters Lucy and Emma Race, you’ll know I recently worked with the Outer Sanctum podcast crew, and alongside the Race sisters, I was lucky enough to witness Julia interrogate feminism and inclusion through the lens of pop culture and sport.

When she’s not working on the Outer Sanctum, she’s the head of AFLW at the AFL Players Association. With a background in social work, what I quickly learned about Julia is that everything she does focuses on helping and giving voice to others, particularly those in the outer.

She and her partner didn’t really consider parenthood until a decade spent together, and when they embarked on their conception journey – which being a same sex couple, meant not making a baby the fun way, as Julia puts it – they wouldn’t even know the half of what was ahead of them. In amongst the joy and fear that comes with navigating early parenthood, at 14 months postpartum, a huge cancerous mass was found on the right side of Julia’s pelvis. All of a sudden, she was faced with multiple hospital stays, a body that was quickly thrust into postmenopause, and the terrifying question of whether she would be there to watch her boy grow up.

She would get through it, her partner would carry their next baby, and here, we learn all about her experience being both the birthing and non birthing mother, how self preservation, a sense anarchy, and the want for an unconventional life intersected with the idea of parenthood, and how she’s navigated the highs and lows of her journey to date.

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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

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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.

This month, Ready or Not is proudly brought to you by Yoto. Use our discount Code: READYORNOT15 for 15% off your Yoto device [not to be used with any other offer, valid from 1st May - 5th June.]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to another episode of Witching Hour, the show where two cousins and mums of two banter all things making work, work alongside motherhood. Today on the show:

• When will we stop judging the mums? Lu has seen so much unsolicited judgement on Instagram lately and she has some questions.
• The hidden bias in job applications: why women are being turned off by the questions we don’t ask men.

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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.

This month, Ready or Not is proudly brought to you by Yoto. Use our discount Code: READYORNOT15 for 15% off your Yoto device [not to be used with any other offer, valid from 1st May - 5th June.]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Ask Ready or Not! It’s Ready or Not’s tip-based episode, landing in your ears every Friday. Today, Loz is talking about one of the most emotionally charged milestones for any working mum: returning to work after maternity leave. From the joy of rediscovering your professional self to the guilt of leaving your little one, the highs and lows can feel overwhelming. In this episode, she'll share practical strategies for managing those emotions and tips to find your groove faster. Whether you’re returning full-time, part-time, or still planning your comeback, this episode is for you.

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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

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Thanks for listening to Ask 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 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.

This month, Ready or Not is proudly brought to you by Yoto. Use our discount Code: READYORNOT15 for 15% off your Yoto device [not to be used with any other offer, valid from 1st May - 5th June.]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Griepink has one of those jobs that I can't help but admire, because I can't figure out how she switches from mum mode - that is food stained pants and wakeful nights and negotiating with a baby - to work mode, where no two days are the same and she has to somehow show up as an articulate, well-presented TV journalist covering court cases for Channel 7 News. And so, I had to get her on to find out.

She always wanted to be a mum, but conception didn't come easily and before her baby would become a reality, she went through months of heartbreak, an autoimmune disease diagnosis and unexplained infertility. But as much as she longed to be a mum, she was also scared about pregnancy and motherhood would mean for her career. She saw it as a sort of signpost in her life that would ultimately hurt her future opportunities and progression.

After fighting so hard for her baby, once her baby was in her arms she was struck by the guilt that so many who've experienced fertility challenges and loss know - the question of why am I finding this hard at times when this is all I've ever wanted?

Here, we talk about breastfeeding pressures and nap schedule fixations and what it meant for Estelle when she was able to gave herself permission to breathe and find more joy, the imposter syndrome that she experienced more so as a mother and less so as a journalist, and how she navigated the guilt that came with her recent work trip to Fiji.

I'm Lucinda, this is Ready or Not, and here is the kind and and keen-eyed Estelle Griepink.

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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.

This month, Ready or Not is proudly brought to you by Yoto. Use our discount Code: READYORNOT15 for 15% off your Yoto device [not to be used with any other offer, valid from 1st May - 5th June.]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to another episode of Witching Hour, the show where two cousins and mums of two banter all things making work, work alongside motherhood.

Today on the show:

• What were you told you weren't good at as a kid? Did you believe it?
• A social media post about mums working from home and/or running their own business that shocked Loz.
• To freelance again or job hunt? That is the question on Lu's lips and here, she asks Loz all her burning questions.

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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.

This month, Ready or Not is proudly brought to you by Yoto. Use our discount Code: READYORNOT15 for 15% off your Yoto device [not to be used with any other offer, valid from 1st May - 5th June.]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Ask Ready or Not! It’s Ready or Not’s tip-based episode, landing in your ears every Friday. Today, we're answering a listener question: 'My work friend is now my manager. I’m nervous. How do I handle this?' Transitioning back to work is challenging enough without the added layer of shifting relationships. In this episode, we’ll explore strategies to navigate this new dynamic, maintain professionalism, and preserve your friendship.

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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 Ask 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 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.

This month, Ready or Not is proudly brought to you by Yoto. Use our discount Code: READYORNOT15 for 15% off your Yoto device [not to be used with any other offer, valid from 1st May - 5th June.]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It comes as absolutely no surprise to me that Claire Andrews is a big sister. She has that rare ability to talk about and validate hard feelings in a way that feels soft and comforting. She’s intelligent, she’s reflective, and she’s incredibly open in sharing the highs and lows in her journey of motherhood and career. In fact, she’s not too proud to admit that for her, early parenthood was more about surviving and less about thriving.

From a life-threatening birth complication and the postnatal depression that followed to the grief she felt when she shut that laptop for maternity leave and what she’s learned about the way we silence women at the beginning of their motherhood experiences, this is a profound conversation full of light, shade, and learnings.

Here, we talk about how that “just get through it in silence” mindset manifested for Claire from pregnancy through to parenting, what she’s learned about support from her own experience, and how her career has changed along the way.

Find Claire on Instagram here: @safehandsparenting

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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.

This month, Ready or Not is proudly brought to you by Yoto. Use our discount Code: READYORNOT15 for 15% off your Yoto device [not to be used with any other offer, valid from 1st May - 5th June.]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to another episode of Witching Hour, the show where two cousins and mums of two banter all things making work, work alongside motherhood.

Today on the show:

Pregnant woman sparks fierce parenting debate with list of things she will NOT be doing for her baby and does your office need more “masculine energy”? Mark Zuckerberg seems to think so.

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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.

This month, Ready or Not is proudly brought to you by Yoto. Use our discount Code: READYORNOT15 for 15% off your Yoto device [not to be used with any other offer, valid from 1st May - 5th June.]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Ask Ready or Not! It’s Ready or Not’s tip-based episode, landing in your ears every Friday. Today, Loz is diving into how to confidently answer the age-old job interview question: “What are your salary expectations?”

Loz is sharing tactical advice for working mums navigating interviews on broken sleep, from setting up your environment for success to tackling conversations when the salary range isn’t listed. Whether you’re fresh into job hunting or ready to negotiate like a pro, this episode is packed with hacks, resources, and mindset shifts to help you own the conversation—even when mum brain is in full swing.

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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 Ask 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 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.

This month, Ready or Not is proudly brought to you by Yoto. Use our discount Code: READYORNOT15 for 15% off your Yoto device [not to be used with any other offer, valid from 1st May - 5th June.]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Perhaps one of the scariest and most jarring things about moving through something traumatic is that - much to our disbelief - the world keeps spinning. You look around and you realise that no one else can see your pain.

While the world kept spinning around her, Kristy Brown lost her baby boy Parker. Her world stopped. There was no baby in her arms, and yet she had to recover from pregnancy, from birth, from meeting her baby without seeing the rise and fall of his chest or hearing his newborn screams. And eventually, she had to return to work after the parental leave she didn't plan.

In this incredibly moving and inspiring conversation, Kristy talks us through her darkest days of grief, how she navigated the multiple pregnancy losses that would follow her son's stillbirth, and after all of that heartbreak, what it was like to feel her breathing baby girl placed on her chest.

From the way grief manifested both for herself and her partner, to the education piece she lead at work after living through baby loss, to feeling guilty for not enjoying every moment as a mum after fighting so hard to become one, this is essential listening, because sadly, we all know someone that has lost a baby at some stage of the journey.

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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.

This month, Ready or Not is proudly brought to you by Yoto. Use our discount Code: READYORNOT15 for 15% off your Yoto device [not to be used with any other offer, valid from 1st May - 5th June.]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.