Before we begin - Click the following link to subscribe to the New Leaf Nutshell, breaking down the most controversial of motherhood topics and doing all the Googling, so you don't have to. This month, I'm debunking Sleep Training and exploring its murky waters, as we discover the secret (or lack thereof)... of getting your tiny terror to sleep --> https://newleafpodcast.substack.com/p/the-new-leaf-nutshell-should-i-sleep?r=aze8z&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=copy

I am over the moon to have the amazing writer, vlogger, speaker and consultant Christine Armstrong joining New Leaf.

Christine is a mother of three, and author of the incredibly successful book, Mother of All Jobs, which explores the battle to make modern parenting actually work - from fertility all the way up to having school age kids and balancing lengthy school holidays with working hours, our relationships, our careers and our own sanity whilst also trying to be there for our kids . Not a particularly easy subject - and one she battles through whilst also managing to make you laugh and want to be her friend, of course. 

What Christine also talked about at length, is the absolutely essential role our partners play in navigating this minefield. In New Leaf, I’ve so far rather neglected talking about our other halves, which I know seems a bit mad as obviously it takes two to tango, and is so essential to modern feminism, in terms of making parenting more equal. Christine really, really made me think hard about this afterwards. In the episode, she talks a lot about her mum, a 1970s feminist who had strong ideals about her daughters not ever ending up being dependent on a partner, and there is a moment where she talks about her mum’s desire that she ‘married well' - something I misunderstood initially, as I thought she was basically saying marry rich - but instead she talks about basically marrying a decent human being, who actively wants to be involved in the parenting and wants to be actively supportive of whatever your choices are following a baby. And if they aren’t your partner any more, someone who still parents equally can make all the difference to your professional and personal life.

We discuss where life, relationships, babies, jobs and society all crash into each other - and everything in between. Introducing, Christine.