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Up Past Bedtime
By Bella MessinaSociety & Culture
Up Past Bedtime episodes
- AFTER DARK: Your Diabolical Hot Takes ~ Ep 6
SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe
YOU have been keeping some DIABOLICAL opinions to yourselves… and I think it's time we talked about them 👀
In this week's After Dark episode, I'm diving headfirst into YOUR most controversial hot takes...
From whether bridesmaids should be expected to fork out hundreds for someone else's wedding, to the realities of parenting in the age of social media, the cost of accessing mental health support, our education system, body image, societal expectations and everything in between!
I'm sharing my own (sometimes equally controversial) opinions, questioning a few societal norms and playing devil's advocate along the way.
Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats... the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 30-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE?!
Contact us on the UPB Hotline:
UPB Socials:
Instagram: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Tik Tok: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Watch on Youtube: Here
Or Email Us: [email protected]
Bella’s Socials:
Instagram: @bellsmessina
Tik Tok: @bellsmessina
42 min - We're On Break - Chat in 2 Weeks ♥️
SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe
Mum duty calls for the next two weeks!
Keep an eye out for an After Dark + a Bonus Bedtime (Subscribers Only) episode in the meantime & I'll chat to you in two weeks!
Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats... the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 30-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE?!
Contact us on the UPB Hotline:
UPB Socials:
Instagram: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Tik Tok: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Watch on Youtube: Here
Or Email Us: [email protected]
Bella’s Socials:
Instagram: @bellsmessina
Tik Tok: @bellsmessina
2 min - I love being a Mum. I hate Mum Culture. ~ Ep60
SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe
I love being a mum. I love my girls more than anything in the world. But do you know what I don't particularly love? Mum culture. And I think it's time we talked about the difference.
This week on Up Past Bedtime, I'm unpacking all the things about modern motherhood that have absolutely nothing to do with raising children, but somehow make being a mum feel ten times harder. From the unofficial Mum Olympics and competitive parenting, to the pressure to make motherhood your entire personality, the glorification of maternal sacrifice, performative parenting on social media and the judgement that so often comes from other mothers.
Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats... the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 30-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE?!
Contact us on the UPB Hotline:
UPB Socials:
Instagram: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Tik Tok: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Watch on Youtube: Here
Or Email Us: [email protected]
Bella’s Socials:
Instagram: @bellsmessina
Tik Tok: @bellsmessina
32 min - The Death of my 5 Year Plan ~ Ep 59
SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe
I used to know exactly what my life was going to look like.
Marriage. A big family. At least four kids. A home. A career. I had a very clear picture of where I was going and what I was working towards.
Now? I have absolutely no fucking idea.
In this episode, I’m talking about the death of my five-year plan and the uncomfortable reality of finding myself at 30 with more freedom to decide what comes next than I’ve ever had… but absolutely no idea what I actually want to do with it.
After learning the hard way just how quickly life can change, making long-term plans doesn’t feel as easy as it once did. And after spending the last two years keeping myself incredibly busy, slowing down and deliberately creating more space in my life has left me with a lot more time to think about the questions I may have been avoiding.
Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats... the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 30-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE?!
Contact us on the UPB Hotline:
UPB Socials:
Instagram: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Tik Tok: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Watch on Youtube: Here
Or Email Us: [email protected]
Bella’s Socials:
Instagram: @bellsmessina
Tik Tok: @bellsmessina
44 min - I'm Done Having Babies - October Life Update ~ Ep 58
SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe
Life has been doing what life does best lately… changing 🥹
In this month’s Life Update, we’re having a proper bestie catch-up about everything that’s been happening behind the scenes, including one pretty big decision I’ve finally made about my future: I don’t think I want to have any more children.
I’m talking about how I came to that decision, the grief that can exist alongside knowing something is right for you, and what it feels like to close a chapter of your life you once assumed would look completely different.
Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats... the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 30-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE?!
Contact us on the UPB Hotline:
UPB Socials:
Instagram: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Tik Tok: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Watch on Youtube: Here
Or Email Us: [email protected]
Bella’s Socials:
Instagram: @bellsmessina
Tik Tok: @bellsmessina
33 min - I'm Spending Too Much Money ~ Ep 57
SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe
For the last six months, I feel like I’ve been operating on a financial model of: money comes in… and money goes straight back out. And honestly? I’m fucking sick of it.
I’m constantly telling myself that life is SO expensive, but recently I’ve had a bit of a realisation: maybe it’s not just life that’s expensive. Maybe it’s the pressure I put on myself to constantly have, do, buy and upgrade MORE that’s expensive.
This week, we’re talking about lifestyle creep, overconsumption, the “little treat” economy and how social media has completely warped our perception of what a normal lifestyle should look like. From clothing hauls and beauty maintenance to takeaway, home renovations, kids’ stuff and the never-ending pressure to keep up, when did all of these little luxuries start feeling like necessities?
And as someone whose literal job involves influencing people to buy things, I’m very aware that I’m part of the problem.
So, I’m setting myself a challenge for the rest of 2026: spend LESS. Fewer purchases, fewer trades, less eating out and an actual personal entertainment budget. I want to reuse, rewear and rework what I already have and see if I can get the same dopamine from creativity that I’ve been getting from consumption.
Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats... the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 30-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE?!
Contact us on the UPB Hotline:
UPB Socials:
Instagram: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Tik Tok: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Watch on Youtube: Here
Or Email Us: [email protected]
Bella’s Socials:
Instagram: @bellsmessina
Tik Tok: @bellsmessina
46 min - Relationships After Divorce: Can You Ever Start Fresh? ~ Ep 56
SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe
Dating after divorce hasn’t been the hard part for me. Falling in love again wasn’t even the hard part. Turns out, it’s what happens when that relationship starts getting serious that has brought ALL my shit to the surface.
Recently, relationships have become a really stressful part of my life, and honestly, it’s taken me completely by surprise. Conversations about living together, sharing finances, integrating a partner into my girls’ lives and what long-term commitment looks like after divorce have brought up fears and trauma I genuinely thought I’d already worked through.
And unfortunately, those fears don’t just stay in my head. They’ve caused tension, arguments and some really difficult conversations in my relationship, leaving me wondering: is this a boundary I’ve created because I know myself better now, or is it fear because I’m terrified of history repeating itself?
So this week, we’re talking about the messy reality of relationships after divorce, protecting the independence you fought so hard to rebuild, learning to trust again and the question I’m currently trying to answer myself: can you ever really start over, or do you simply learn how to start again as the person you became after? ♥️
Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats... the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 30-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE?!
Contact us on the UPB Hotline:
UPB Socials:
Instagram: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Tik Tok: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Watch on Youtube: Here
Or Email Us: [email protected]
Bella’s Socials:
Instagram: @bellsmessina
Tik Tok: @bellsmessina
37 min - Going Boy Sober & Decentering Men with Dee Salmin ~ Ep 55
What happens when you stop making romantic love the centre of your entire world… and start expecting the men in your life to actually meet your standards? 👀
This week I’m joined by Dee Salmin, host of The Hook Up and author of It’s Not Love Actually, for a VERY overdue conversation about men, love, relationships and all the things we simply refuse to settle for anymore.
After reading Dee’s book, I had approximately 400 things I wanted to talk to her about, so we’re getting into ALL of it. Being “Boy Sober”, radically decentering men, why “women who hate men have the best boyfriends”, the difference between hating men and simply refusing to lower our standards for them, and why women who expect more from their relationships are so often told they’re bitter, jaded or destined to die alone.
Which is particularly funny considering Dee and I are both in very loving relationships 💀
This is a big, juicy conversation about loving men without centering them, having high standards without apologising for them, and building a life so full that a relationship has to genuinely add to it to deserve a place in it. ♥️
Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats... the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 30-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.
WANT MORE FROM DEE?
You can purchase her book 'It's Not Love Actually' on Amazon
Subscribe to her 'No Chill Girl' substack
Listen to her on Triple J's 'The Hook Up' podcast
Dee's Instagram: @dee.salmin
Dee's TikTok: @deesalmin
HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE?!
Contact us on the UPB Hotline:
UPB Socials:
Instagram: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Tik Tok: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Watch on Youtube: Here
Or Email Us: [email protected]
Bella’s Socials:
Instagram: @bellsmessina
Tik Tok: @bellsmessina
1 hr 21 min - September Life Update ~ Ep 54
SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe
September feels a little different… because for the first time in what feels like FOREVER, life is actually starting to slow down.
This week I’m giving you a big life update ♥️ We’re talking about finally reaching the end of the major Barbie Dream Home renovations, my attempt to stop filling every spare second of my life with a new project, some unexpected separation anxiety with my oldest daughter (and the Single Mum guilt that has come along with it), and my very necessary mission to stop spending, start saving and consume a whole lot less 💀
After spending the last few years constantly rebuilding, changing and working towards the next thing, I think I’m finally learning that maybe I don’t need another project…
Maybe it’s time to actually enjoy the life I’ve spent so much time building.
Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats... the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 30-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE?!
Contact us on the UPB Hotline:
UPB Socials:
Instagram: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Tik Tok: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Watch on Youtube: Here
Or Email Us: [email protected]
Bella’s Socials:
Instagram: @bellsmessina
Tik Tok: @bellsmessina
32 min - My No Explanation Era ~ Ep 53
SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe
I’ve gotten pretty good at doing what I want… but apparently, I still need everyone to understand WHY I’m doing it 💀
As a reformed people pleaser, I thought learning to say no, set boundaries and make decisions for myself was the hard part. Turns out, there’s another layer: learning to do those things without providing a 14-slide PowerPoint presentation explaining and justifying every decision I make.
This week, I’m unpacking my newest self-development challenge: allowing “no” to be a complete answer, letting people misunderstand me, making decisions without seeking approval disguised as “context”, and, maybe hardest of all, allowing myself to rest without first proving I’ve earned it.
Welcome to my No Explanation Era. I’m doing it because I want to. That’s it. That’s the explanation ♥️
Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats... the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 30-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE?!
Contact us on the UPB Hotline:
UPB Socials:
Instagram: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Tik Tok: @uppastbedtimepodcast
Watch on Youtube: Here
Or Email Us: [email protected]
Bella’s Socials:
Instagram: @bellsmessina
Tik Tok: @bellsmessina
38 min
About Up Past Bedtime
From the publisher's feed
Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats—the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 20-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.
SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe