Hello and welcome back to The Other Side Of Perfect. On today’s show I speak to the extremely creative and talented Emma Flynn, also known in the digital space as This Mama Doodles. Emma is a mum of three, artist, illustrator, writer and creator who’s words and imagery have touched the lives of mothers across the globe. Emma is also a maternal mental health advocate ,and to highlight Maternal Mental Health month, she is undoubtedly the person to have this conversation with.

Did you know 1 in 5 women experience mental health concerns during and after childbirth, but these symptoms go undetected and untreated. Common symptoms of mental health concerns can mirror typical postpartum symptoms, and include changes to weight, energy, sleep, libido, and emotions - which is why I feel it’s so hard for mothers to open up, reach out and ask for help.

During this episode, we cover candid subjects including mother-baby bonding, postpartum emotions, loss of identity, and relationship changes. Emma is wonderful at highlighting these struggles in such an honest and sensitive way on her own platform, and so I hope this discussion helps some of you feel less alone as we unite in the complexity that is motherhood.

This Mama Doodles https://thismamadoodles.com/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/this_mama_doodles/

On today's show I chat to the wonderful Katie Mugan, also known as Nursing Mama. Katie is a mum to 4, and nurse by profession; more specifically a Registered General Nurse, Paediatric Nurse , Public Health Nurse and Lactation Consultant who offers invaluable advice online for all feeding journeys. In this episode we discuss why our breastfeeding rates in Ireland are so low, the judgment and benefits surrounding extended feeding, weaning from feeding to sleep, breastfeeding for bonding, comfort, pain relief and beyond. We also cover the differences in baby sleep depending on whether you breast or bottle feed, supply and demand, cluster feeding, harvesting colostrum, expressing, combination, and of course formula feeding. This is a jam-packed episode that I hope offers the information needed to start a successful feeding journey.

I always hoped to breastfeed, and after experiencing birth trauma it became even more important to me. As someone with a large following and online platform I think it's integral that we continue to advocate for, normalize and support breastfeeding. If you know anyone who is interested in breastfeeding, experiencing difficulties, or dealing with a feeding journey that didn’t go how they had hoped, perhaps you can share this conversation.  If you have any further questions, or topics we didn't have time to cover today, please send them on to [email protected], I'll also leave Katie's contact details below.

Katie Mugan https://nursingmama.ie/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nursingmama.ie

On today’s show I’m honored to have the founder of Solid Starts Jenny Best who is not only a baby-led weaning expert, she’s also a food and farming enthusiast on a mission to make it easier for families to introduce real food to their babies. I really wanted to include an episode covering everything you need to know when it comes to starting solids, which can be both an exciting and nerve-wracking phase of parenthood.  We did baby-led weaning alongside exclusively breastfeeding and I have to say it has been a really fantastic combination that worked for our family, and as a result, I’m eager to share more on the topic. Jenny is also a mother of 3 including a severe picky eater and twin toddlers and has openly shared her own vulnerable journey as a family navigating everything from reversing picky eating to dealing with the frightening world of allergies and the juggle that is being an extremely successful business woman and mother. Prior to launching Solid Starts Jenny led global communications at One Acre Fund and Slow Food USA, and was also a professional ballerina with the NYC ballet. 

For those of you who may not be familiar, Solid Starts is a team of pediatric feeding experts and doctors and an incredibly invaluable database that has a loyal community of over 2.5 million. We have found their resources absolutely invaluable, whether it’s searching for certain foods, how and when to introduce them to River or dealing with the likes of allergies and constipation. I hope this conversation will be useful, whether you’re pregnant and intrigued by baby-led weaning, starting out on your own solids journey, or aiming to prevent or reverse picky eating. 

Welcome back to a brand new series of The Other Side Of Perfect, with me your host Joanne Larby. I feel really passionately about so many of these conversations and admire each and every one of the wonderful guests we have lined up. We'll be covering loss of identity, postpartum depression, grief, fertility journeys, baby bliss, and relationship changes. If you’re an avid listener of the show and have bagel interest in parenthood or children, there are still some amazing stories and inspirational dialogue for you to enjoy.

Some of these stories will pull at your heartstrings, bring on a belly laugh or divulge some really invaluable life advice we could all take something from. Our first guest, in celebration of World Down Syndrome Day is Gina Daly of The Daly Dish. Self-proclaimed cook who couldn’t cook, and now the author of 3 best-selling cookbooks, mother of 3 beautiful children, and online advocate for Down Syndrome. As a trigger warning guys, in this episode we cover topics like a missed miscarriage and dealing with a disability, so if you are going through something similar this may be a sensitive topic for you. That being said Gina is extremely sound, it’s a really fun, positive, joyful and glass-half-full kind of chat so I hope you enjoy. 

The Daly Dish https://www.instagram.com/thedalydish/

Welcome back to a new series of The Other Side Of Perfect. I'm delighted to share a bonus episode with the wonderful Tracy Donegan. Tracy is a registered midwife, author and founder of the Gentle Birth app which so many of you recommended when I first announced my pregnancy. She's also an advocate for having a positive birth experience. On today’s show we discuss Hypnobirthing, each of the trimesters and what to expect, home birth, natural birth in the hospital, emergency and planned c-sections, VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section) and breast feeding.

Gentle Birth https://www.gentlebirth.com/
Sponsor https://www.cleancutmeals.ie/ 

Thank you to the sponsors of this episode and series, Ireland's leading meal prep provider, Clean Cut Meals, who are offering 15% off their meals if you use the code 'JOANNE15'.

On this episode I chat to Fingal Ferguson who is part of the well known Gubbeen family. As per Fingal's bio he's a farmer, cheese maker, husband, father, experimenter and one of the world's most well known knife makers, based here in West Cork. On today's show we discuss the background behind Gubbeen, a zero waste approach to creating a successful food brand, the importance of community, his rather fabulous family, and why West Cork is a hub of artisan and craft.

Gubbeen https://gubbeen.com/
Fingal Ferguson https://www.fingalfergusonknives.com/
Sponsor https://www.cleancutmeals.ie/ 

Thank you to the sponsors of this episode and series, Ireland's leading meal prep provider, Clean Cut Meals, who are offering 15% off their meals if you use the code 'JOANNE15'.

On today’s show I speak with Ireland’s biggest male fitness influencer Rob Lipsett, who is also a Youtube star, and owner of Fuel Cakes and Gameplan. During our virtual conversation we chat about burning ambition, not conforming or settling for the rat race, and the importance of routine when focusing on your goals. Rob explains why he loves to keep a journal, turning his diagnosed ADHD into a positive attribute, Patrick Bateman level organisation and launching a brand in the middle of a pandemic. We also cover embracing failure, how competing can often ignite disordered eating, the smoke and mirrors of social media, and why having a sense of humour is so important.

Rob Lipsett  https://www.roblipsett.com/
Sponsor https://www.cleancutmeals.ie/ 

Thank you to the sponsors of this episode and series, Ireland's leading meal prep provider, Clean Cut Meals, who are offering 30% off their meals if you use the code 'JOANNE30'.

On today's show I have a conversation with Doctor Ciara Kelly. A former medical doctor, Ciara is also a broadcaster, presents on the Newstalk Breakfast Show, and writes a column for the Independent. Over the next hour we discuss the most topical subject of the past year and how to deal with the waves that come with COVID, why so many people love, and take part in her '100 Days Of Walking challenge. From anxiety and powerlessness to brighter days filled with hope, Ciara explains how to really dig deep during this time. We also discuss finding yourself in your forties and changing career later in life.

Ciara Kelly  https://www.instagram.com/ciarakellydoc/
Sponsor https://www.cleancutmeals.ie/ 

Thank you to the sponsors of this episode and series, Ireland's leading meal prep provider, Clean Cut Meals, who are offering 30% off their meals if you use the code 'JOANNE30'.

On today's show I talk to one of my favourite UK online creators in the interiors space. Katie Woods of 'Come Down To The Woods' instagram success, is also a full time dentist and mum of 4. On today's episode we delve into the world of influencing, including all of the highs and lows. Over the next hour we will give you a keen insight into the reality of creating content, the guidelines, the time involved, dealing with creative burnout, trolling and the negative impact it can have, and how underneath it all we're winging it.

Katie Woods https://www.comedowntothewoods.com/blog/
Sponsor https://www.cleancutmeals.ie/ 

Thank you to the sponsors of this episode and series, Ireland's leading meal prep provider, Clean Cut Meals, who are offering 30% off their meals if you use the code 'JOANNE30'.

On today's show I’m joined by Daniella Moyles, who you may know as a former model and DJ, turned author of the best selling book 'Jump'. On this episode we discuss burnout and how at one point Daniella's anxiety was so debilitating, that her digestion and skin were being affected. At that low point, everything called Daniella to turn to solo travel, and so she packed up her bags, and after a whirlwind few years and lots of new experiences and perspective, she now shares her journey and lifestyle online. Over the next hour we talk about how to heal, finding your true self, becoming more ego aware, and why you really should stick with yoga.

Daniella Moyles https://www.instagram.com/daniellamoyles/
Sponsor https://www.cleancutmeals.ie/ 

Thank you to the sponsors of this episode and series, Ireland's leading meal prep provider, Clean Cut Meals, who are offering 30% off their meals if you use the code 'JOANNE30'.