Ready or Not

Nell Frizzell might just be one of the wisest and funniest people I've ever had the pleasure of speaking to. She's a journalist, an author, and a mother, and she writes with the sort of candour and kind sense of authority that makes you trust her immediately.

My dog-eared copies of her books - The Panic Years and Holding the Baby - are completely battered and bruised, such is the wisdom and comfort that her words bring to exploring gender, motherhood, politics, and culture.

Here, we talk about the flattened female identity of motherhood, why mothers feel the need to hide their children in order to be taken seriously, and her experiences moving through the flux, the panic years, the tracksuit years and the partial eclipse.

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THIS WEEK'S PARTNER

This episode is brought to you by Elan House of Wellness, the ultimate destination for postpartum care supporting mothers with food, education, self-care tools and gifts.

Listeners of Ready or Not will receive 10% off using code POSTPARTUMREADY at elan.house.

This offer has no expiration date but excludes 28 Day Postpartum Packages and Gift Certificates.

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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, where we've shared a link and some resources to support the devastating conflict occurring in Gaza right now.

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.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: the show that looks at what's exciting, delighting, intriguing, and frustrating us as we make work, work alongside parenting. It's Ready or Not's loose little sister coming to your ears every Monday.

In today's episode, we cover:

• How can you overcome imposter syndrome? You don’t: A piece by Reshma Saujani the CEO of Girls who Code.
• 'My "self care" is a shower. My partner's running marathons. Seriously?': Holly Wainwright's advice column and why we're starting a "golf" clinic.
• Motherly’s 2023 State of Motherhood Survey Report.
• I’m A Feminist, but…: your confessions inspired by the Guilty Feminist podcast (here's the episode we loved recently), where Lucy embarrassingly discovers she's never worked a barbecue before.
• A tip from Loz on the benefit of working with other teams within your organisation.

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THIS WEEK'S PARTNER

This episode is brought to you by Elan House of Wellness, the ultimate destination for postpartum care supporting mothers with food, education, self-care tools and gifts. Listeners of Witching Hour will receive 10% off using code POSTPARTUMREADY at elan.house.

This offer has no expiration date but excludes 28 Day Postpartum Packages and Gift Certificates.

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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, where we've shared a link and some resources to support the devastating conflict occurring in Gaza right now.

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.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.

On a warm January day in 2022, Lisa Walker pulled up to her husband’s house to find him peacefully unresponsive on his bed.

A whirlwind of navigating solo parenting, grief, and continuing to build upon the business idea that was already in motion ensued, and as a mother of two, the show - while not according to script - went on.

It was during pandemic walks that Lisa and her business partner’s chats often turned to managing the mental load of feeling constantly foggy, fatigued and frazzled. And after three years of researching and testing, and a year after losing her husband, Eir Women was born, with a range of supplements designed to give women over 40 back their energy and power.

With a career spanning over 25 years and with many seasons of parenting under her belt, here, Lisa shares how she’s turned pain into purpose and why she’s passionate about helping women understand what happens when their partner passes away.

She doesn’t pretend it’s been easy, but, as you’ll hear, the glass remains half full.

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THIS WEEK'S PARTNER

This episode is brought to you by Elan House of Wellness, the ultimate destination for postpartum care supporting mothers with food, education, self-care tools and gifts.

Listeners of Ready or Not will receive 10% off using code POSTPARTUMREADY at elan.house.

This offer has no expiration date but excludes 28 Day Postpartum Packages and Gift Certificates.

---

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, where we've shared a link and some resources to support the devastating conflict occurring in Gaza right now.

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.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: the show that looks at what's exciting, delighting, intriguing, and frustrating us as we make work, work alongside parenting. It's Ready or Not's loose little sister coming to your ears every Monday.

In today's episode, we cover:

• You don’t have to have it all figured out
• 10 ways motherhood makes you extraordinary
• A deep dive into Britney’s new book
• A question from a listener about an unexpected pregnancy in a new job
• Re-thinking the "find your passion" advice
• And we're loving the book turned tv show, Lessons in Chemistry

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THIS WEEK'S PARTNER

This episode is brought to you by Elan House of Wellness, the ultimate destination for postpartum care supporting mothers with food, education, self-care tools and gifts. Listeners of Witching Hour will receive 10% off using code POSTPARTUMREADY at elan.house.

This offer has no expiration date but excludes 28 Day Postpartum Packages and Gift Certificates.

---

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, where we've shared a link and some resources to support the devastating conflict occurring in Gaza right now.

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.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.

Our first ever Ready or Not guest - author, doula, and small business owner Gabrielle Nancarrow - is back!

Nearly 10 years ago, when her first daughter was just a little baby, Gabrielle Nancarrow was working 60 to 70 hour weeks in New York City.

Today, she’s a mother of three, an author, a birth doula, and a small business owner. And in her newly released book, The Motherhood Space, Gabrielle weaves an incredible collection of diverse motherhood stories with her own reflections and expert insights on terms she didn’t even have ten years ago: the mental load, mum rage, matricentric feminism, the value of caregiving, and so much more.

Here, we cover it all: how maternal rage has shown up for her, her grandmother’s act of defiance way back when, why motherhood needn’t be a dirty word for feminism, and why it’s important that we respect a woman’s choice, if she’s privileged enough to have one.

It was such a joy to have my first ever guest back on the podcast, and I know you’ll love Gabrielle’s take on motherhood today.

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THIS WEEK'S PARTNER

This episode is brought to you by Elan House of Wellness, the ultimate destination for postpartum care supporting mothers with food, education, self-care tools and gifts.

Listeners of Ready or Not will receive 10% off using code POSTPARTUMREADY at elan.house.

This offer has no expiration date but excludes 28 Day Postpartum Packages and Gift Certificates.

---

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, where we've shared a link and some resources to support the devastating conflict occurring in Gaza right now.

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.We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

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Listen to our first ever episode of Ready or Not with Gabrielle Nancarrow 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: the show that looks at what's exciting, delighting, intriguing, and frustrating us as we make work, work alongside parenting. It's Ready or Not's loose little sister coming to your ears every Monday.

In today's episode, we cover:

• Medibank are preparing to trial a four-day work week
• Shameless Media's Michelle Andrews and KIC's Laura Henshaw open up about whether they’re ready to have children or not
• Iceland’s prime minister joins thousands of women on strike
• Your advice on going from one to two kids
• Why you need to be specific in setting your career progression goals

---

THIS WEEK'S PARTNER

This episode is brought to you by Elan House of Wellness, the ultimate destination for postpartum care supporting mothers with food, education, self-care tools and gifts. Listeners of Witching Hour will receive 10% off using code POSTPARTUMREADY at elan.house.

This offer has no expiration date but excludes 28 Day Postpartum Packages and Gift Certificates.

---

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, where we've shared a link and some resources to support the devastating conflict occurring in Gaza right now.

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.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.

For over a decade, Haylee Collins has worked across book, magazine, and digital publishing, but it was through the birth of her son that she began to explore the intersection of creativity and motherhood through her own writing.

As she struggled to reconcile the new and renewed aspects of her identity, she found herself considering conundrums commonly faced by mothers who are creatives, and so Howl magazine was born.

Within its pages, Haylee and her subjects explore what it means to be a mother and a creative in a society that places little monetary value on either role, and here, she talks leaving her job in pursuit of creating Howl, setting boundaries in her professional and personal life to avoid the severe burnout she experienced, and her contrasting reflections on the beauty and pain of motherhood.

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THIS WEEK'S PARTNER

This episode is brought to you by The Tenth Co, creators of science-backed supplements created for mothers, by a mother.

You can shop The Tenth Co’s top-rated product Flow State and learn all about the burnout that led to the creation of this incredible product by visiting thetenthco.com

Listeners of Ready or Not will receive $15 off using code FEELMOREREADYTHANNOT at checkout.

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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.

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: the show that looks at what's exciting, delighting, intriguing, and frustrating us as we make work, work alongside parenting. It's Ready or Not's loose little sister coming to your ears every Monday.

In today's episode, we cover:

• Is it wrong to admit how much you earn? Respectfully, we disagree with each other, inspired by this Farrah Storr piece.
• The strange but effective way Minna Dubin relieved her mom rage.
• Goodbye 'girl boss', hello 'snail girl.' Are people really working less, or are they just switching gears?
• Your best advice on breastfeeding and returning to work.
• And why you need to create a brag book.

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THIS WEEK'S PARTNER

This episode is brought to you by The Tenth Co, creators of science-backed supplements created for mothers, by a mother.

You can shop The Tenth Co’s top-rated product Flow State and learn all about the burnout that led to the creation of this incredible product by visiting thetenthco.com

Listeners of Witching Hour will receive $15 off using code FEELCALMTHROUGHWITCHINGHOUR at checkout.

---

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 I''m lucky enough to raise my son 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.

Christina McKay has been cutting her teeth in the beauty industry for over 20 years, working at some of the biggest brands both in Australia and the UK.

Outside of her corporate 9-5, she's also a hypnobirth educator and a makeup artist. Add two kids to the mix, and you can see she has a lot on her plate.

From an effortless first pregnancy to recurrent miscarriage, from a traumatic first birth to an empowering second birth, from losing to rediscovering herself in motherhood, Christina's parenting journey has been anything but linear, and here, she shares it all.

She's relatable, she's funny, and she is so generous in conversation.

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THIS WEEK'S PARTNER

This episode is brought to you by The Tenth Co, creators of science-backed supplements created for mothers, by a mother.

You can shop The Tenth Co’s top-rated product Flow State and learn all about the burnout that led to the creation of this incredible product by visiting thetenthco.com

Listeners of Ready or Not will receive $15 off using code FEELMOREREADYTHANNOT at checkout.

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Christina is offering $50 off to all Ready or Not listeners when booking the Hypnobirthing Positive Birth Class from November 2023 - April 2024 with Golden Bump. Simply mention Ready or Not when you get in touch via her Instagram.

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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.

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: the show that looks at what's exciting, delighting, intriguing, and frustrating us as we make work, work alongside parenting. It's Ready or Not's loose little sister coming to your ears every Monday.

In today's episode, we cover:

• How corporate jargon can obscure reality and confuse colleagues.
• Competition watchdog finds childcare less affordable than most OECD countries.
• Is working from home is a disaster waiting to happen for feminism?
• Your answers to our questions on postnatal depletion
• And as always, we round things out with a tip (Loz's always wiser than Lucinda's.)

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THIS WEEK'S PARTNER

This episode is brought to you by The Tenth Co, creators of science-backed supplements created for mothers, by a mother.

You can shop The Tenth Co’s top-rated product Flow State and learn all about the burnout that led to the creation of this incredible product by visiting thetenthco.com

Listeners of Witching Hour will receive $15 off using code FEELCALMTHROUGHWITCHINGHOUR at checkout.

---

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 I''m lucky enough to raise my son 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.