Ready or Not

When Penny Moodie appeared on her husband Hugh Van Cuylenburg's podcast to talk about the mental load of parenting, the response was huge.

Penny shared an experience that so many mothers can relate to: the rage and frustration that comes with feeling like everything at home is falling on you.

And on the other side of the coin, Hugh - the founder of the Resilience Project - shared an experience that many fathers will relate to: feeling like he was doing everything that he could and that it still wasn't enough.

That was, until he started to realise just how much his wife was taking on, thanks to Eve Rodksy's Fair Play book and deck of cards.

Penny is more than just Hugh's wife and a regular guest on his podcast though. She's a published author, an OCD advocate, a mum of three and a social work student.

Here, we talk about going through those Fair Play cards and making the invisible load at home visible, her experience with OCD and how that's shown up in motherhood, and how she went about writing her newly released book The Joy Thief.

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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:

• These are the phrases working mums want to stop hearing.
• Does having a clean home make you a successful person?
• Why women are opting out of marriage.
• Your answers to our questions on how you cope with shitty daycare drop offs
• 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.

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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 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.

There’s a lot to love about mother, Self-Practice founder, creative director, and consultant, Lauren Trend.

She’s incredibly relatable, but as a queer mother, she has a lot to teach us about inclusive language and what it’s like to navigate a system that’s not entirely built for you.

Here, we talk the constant whiplash of navigating working and parenthood, surrendering to being at the whim of a tiny person’s schedule, navigating a patriarchal system as a queer mother, and all the good bits, because as you’ll hear, she’s had plenty of those, too.

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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:

• Beers and Braids is the best thing we've ever heard of.
• What does sport have to do with career success for women?
• “As a mother”: the worst three words in the English language by Bibi Lynch for The Independent.
• I’m in My 40s, Child-Free and Happy. Why Won’t Anyone Believe Me? By Glynnis MacNicol for the New York Times
• And your answers to our questions about friendships between parent and non-parent friends (and why, as Nell Frizzell puts it, a woman in her thirties is painfully defined as either a mother or non-mother).
• Plus, so much more (beers and braids, anyone).

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This episode of Witching Hour is brought to you by Blys - the app that makes prioritising self care easier than ever.

With Blys you can book an in-home massage, beauty or wellness treatment with a qualified and trusted professional that comes to you.Blys brings you self-care, your way, on your schedule.

Go to getblys.com.au and use the code “RON15” to save $15.

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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 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.

From deciding on a whim to pack up her little Mitsubishi and leave Brisbane for the glossy magazines of Sydney, to the stone she received from a magic healing man in India that remained taped to her body throughout an entire pregnancy, Bronwyn McCahon has tales to tell, so it's no wonder she's spent the good part of her career in magazines and media.

She's edited some of the biggest titles in the country, she's rubbed shoulders with the likes of Beyonce and Tommy Hilfiger, and in amongst it all, she's raised three children.

Here, we talk working during the golden era of magazines, knowing when it was time to shift gears, and why as a parent, it's important not to give up everything for your kids.

And just a note, we also discuss her experience with pregnancy loss.

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This episode of Ready or Not is brought to you by Blys - the app that makes prioritising self care easier than ever.

With Blys you can book an in-home massage, beauty or wellness treatment with a qualified and trusted professional that comes to you.

Blys brings you self-care, your way, on your schedule. Go to getblys.com.au and use the code “RON15” to save $15.

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Find Bronwyn's brand here: @play_etc.

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.

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 Friday.

In today's episode, we cover:

• The kindness that actually pays off at work (and it's not what you think) and how to give and receive feedback.
• The UK women over 65 combatting loneliness at New Ground Village and the trend that we hope to see continue to rise.
• What workplace perks parents want.
• Ambition is not your schooling, your title, or your salary: getting comfortable with the ebbs and flows of ambition alongside motherhood and why we needn't always chase ambition.
• Why we're not falling for tiara syndrome and what we're reading.

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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 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.

When Ceci Jeffries and her husband received their infertility diagnosis, she hit rock bottom. She resigned from her job, withdrew from her friends and she was living what she describes as a quietly miserable existence. But then she learned how to set boundaries, prio ritise her mental health, and focus on what she could control.

Now through Fertility Collective, she's helping others do just that: as a qualified fertility coach, she helps hundreds of people around the world to restore their emotional well-being as they try to have a baby.

From what employers should understand about fertility treatment, to how to support a loved one in the fertility trenches, here Ceci shares what she's learned both personally and professionally.

In this episode, we cover:

• What employers should understand about fertility treatment and infertility.
• The importance of supporting someone going through fertility treatment.
• How to talk to your employer about fertility treatment.
• The importance of support while navigating fertility treatment and infertility.
• When to share your fertility treatment with your boss or manager.
• How to support a loved one going through infertility and/or fertility treatment.
• How Ceci makes work, work as a founder and mother of three.
• Plus, so much more.

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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.

Find Ceci online: @ceci_fertilitycollective or fertilitycollective.org

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 Friday.

In today's episode, we cover:

• How a construction industry giant tripled the number of men taking parental leave.
• Recent research indicates that Millennial fathers dedicate three times as much time to their children compared to their own fathers, but if you're Joe Jonas, you're spending allll the time with your children.
• I haven’t got all day: a mum’s search for a flexible content design role and her winning formula for landing a part-time role.
• Inspired by Lucinda's Ready or Not interview with solo mother Rachel Maksimovic, our Instagram community share their best tips on how to support solo and single parents.
• Plus, we share some of our own career tips to round things out.

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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.

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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 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.

Picture yourself living the good life in Bali. You pee on a stick thinking you'll quickly quash any fears that you might be pregnant, but those two lines appear. The test is positive and you're keeping the baby. Only, you're doing it solo.

You work for yourself, you don't tell your clients that you're pregnant for fear of losing the work and the much needed income, and maternity leave isn't a thing.

But you make it work, and every day, your beautiful boy serves as a reminder of everything you've done.

This is the incredible story of mother and marketing strategist Rachel Maksimovic.

It's warts and all, it's real, and it's beautiful. (And while I have you, there may be a few swear words!)

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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 Mothering on My Own 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.

In today's episode, we cover:

• Michelle Wolf's having it all analogy has us re-thinking our affinity for the breakfast buffet.
• The professional women who are leaning out, and why the term itself needs a rebrand.
• Can't we all just get along? Inspired by this brilliant post from The Midwife Mumma, we take a look at some research into the often judgemental space of motherhood, and how society's expectations of mothers has us unintentionally pitting ourselves against one another. (And we're guilty of it, too!).
• The depressing reason that Loz missed out on a place on the family Father's Day card drawing, and some of your funniest Father's Day stories.
• Plus, we share our Instagram community's best tips on preparing for the return to paid work.
• Just a heads up, there's a few swear words in this episode. Sorry, we can't help ourselves.

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THIS WEEK'S SPONSOR

This episode is sponsored by Our Pilates, an online platform with over 150 physio-led Pilates classes. Keep listening to learn how you can receive a free month of access to Our Pilates.

To redeem your complimentary month of Our Pilates, simply head to their website and enter the code READYORNOT when you create an account and select their monthly membership option.

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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 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.