Ready or Not

Last week was our most listened to Witching Hour episode to date. Our DMs were full of similar stories of when a lack of sleep has led you to feel sad, helpless or anxious, and we couldn't wait to get back in your ears again today to continue the raw and honest conversations about some of those parenting moments that we're often too ashamed to talk about.

Plus, Lu is back from Homb, the postpartum hotel that she couldn't stop banging on about all week on Instagram, and it's fair to say she's at least a bit less on the edge than last week.

Today on the show:

• We need to talk about how hard relationships are post baby, Just like Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury, Rebecca Cope's relationship ended soon after having a baby.
• Lu shares her experience staying at the delightful postpartum hotel that is Homb, Plus, we have an update on Posie's sleep.
• Lastly, we share a few of the DMs you sent us since last week’s episode, all about those middle of the night sleep deprived moments of rage and the things we've regrettably said and done when we're hopelessly tired and at our wit's end.

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This episode of Witching Hour is brought to you by Homb, Melbourne’s first of its kind postpartum hotel where mothers are mothered. To learn more about the Homb trust – a registered charity that exists to provide financially supported stays to families in need, who don’t have the financial capacity to pay for a stay independently – and to book your stay at this special place, visit www.homb.com.au

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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 Tits and Tricks! It’s Ready or Not’s new bite sized tip based epsiode, and it’s coming to your ears every Thursday. Today, Loz talks about how to choose the right child care scenario for your family - perhaps it's daycare, a nanny or a combo and considerations for each type of care including cost, flexibility and consistency.

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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 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.

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.

We've had a whole lot of sickness in our house these past three weeks. Posie has had adenovirus and rhinovirus and then 10 days later, one by one, Hayds, Ray and I were struck with the worst type of gastro we've ever had.

And so unsurprisingly, that's meant very little childcare these past three weeks and plenty of cancelled and postponed Ready or Not interviews. And so, for the sake of transparency and showing what it actually takes to make work, work as a mum, we're digging into the archives while we rebuild our library of interviews.

If you've been around these parts from the very beginning, you may have heard this interview with one of Australia's favourite parents. And if you're newer to the show, you mightn't even be aware that the magnificent Lael Stone has even graced this podcast. Whether you fall into the former or the latter camps. I cannot recommend listening to the wise words within this episode enough.

This episode was originally published over 18 months ago, and while I'd like to think my recording equipment and line of questioning has improved, Lael is a forever class act and I learned as much listening back to this episode as I did at the time. So let's get into it.

See you back here with something new next week.

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Lael Stone is a Parenting Educator, TEDx speaker, author, and the co-creator of Woodline Primary and The Aware Parenting Podcast.

She has a son and two daughters ranging from their late teens to early adulthood, and in many ways, her career trajectory has mirrored her parenting journey.

Now I don’t know if it’s that soothing voice or the way she holds space for those around her, but either way, an hour of conversation with Lael is much like a therapy session. I felt lighter after this chat, and I think you will, too.

Here, we talk knowing when to walk away even when the party’s humming, how we can help our children without solving their problems for them, and the moment she did a Ted talk in front of her adoring kids.

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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or leave a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod.

You can check out Lael's work online here.

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.

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.

Our friends, there's plenty of laughs and just a few tears today, so buckle in.

Today on Witching Hour:

• 'What Zoë Foster Blake taught me about how to say no, and why it matters.' This is a brilliant piece by upcoming Ready or Not guest Clare Stephens and we think it’s fair to say that every single mother could be better at saying no in some capacity.
• And, are we REALLY being honest about how we’re feeling? What’s too negative? What feels out of touch and ungrateful? What is relatable? Recently, Loz shared a story with Lu about how she felt when Xave wasn’t sleeping, so we wanted to open up about our struggles when we've been in the trenches.
• And we unpack one of our hottest polls to date – all about breastfeeding!
• Extended show notes: 22 anonymous mothers share their breastfeeding challenges.

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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 Tits and Tricks! It’s Ready or Not’s new bite sized tip based epsiode, and it’s coming to your ears every Thursday. Today, Loz talks about how to smoothly transition into daylight savings with kids, what to do in the days leading up and how to ensure everyone gets some sleep.

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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 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.

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.

Since 2019, Jayde Couldwell and Sophie Pearce have been opening up the conversation on modern motherhood. I don't think either of them could've anticipated the success of Beyond the Bump at the time, but through their podcast, they found something special, with their listeners, with their guests, and with each other.

So when they interviewed father of two Chi Lo some six months ago to talk about his role as a stay at home dad, it might come as no surprise that the conversation stirred something inside of them: they wanted to bring to dads what they'd been bringing to mums: open, honest, raw conversation that invites more space for vulnerability and openness in fatherhood.

Here, we talk about what it's like to be a dad in 2024, what Jayde and Chi are learning from their guests and from each other, and Chi's experience going from working in big jobs to becoming a stay at home dad to now dipping his toes back into paid work.

This was such an interesting conversation that reminded me of the importance of giving space for dads to open up.

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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 Witching Hour, where cousins look at what’s exciting, delighting. intriguing and frustrating us as two mums trying to make work, work.

Today:

• Are we really supporting mums to do what's best for them when it comes to breastfeeding? By the looks of the comments on this post, so many parents are still struggling silently with the pressure to breastfeed.
• Sally Rooney thinks career growth is overrated.
• And, has parenting really become too hard? Experts certainly believe so.

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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.

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 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 shares all her hot tips for surviving working from home when your kids are on holidays.

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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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.