Working Mumma

Wondering If You Should Increase Your Work Days? 5 Signs It's Time

Most conversations about returning to work after maternity leave focus on the return itself: the first day back, childcare drop-off, the mental load of becoming "mum and professional" again overnight. But what about six or twelve months later, when the arrangement you came back on stops fitting the life you're actually living?
In this episode, Carina shares her experience moving from three to four days at work after her second maternity leave and the slow realisation it wasn't sustainable, the guilt that showed up, the conversations she had with her husband, her friends, and eventually her manager, and why increasing her days actually made her a more present, less stretched mum, not a less involved one.
You'll learn:
The five signals that it might be time to increase your work days
Why "the arrangement doesn't fit anymore" is a capacity problem, not a time management problem
How to have the conversation with your partner before you have it with your manager
A practical script for approaching your manager with a clear ask, not an open question
Why quality time can increase even as your work days do
 
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The Good Girl Trap: Why So Many Working Mums Are Burnt Out, Overwhelmed and Doing Too Much

Have you ever returned to work after parental leave and found yourself saying: “I should just be grateful I have my job back” even when the role doesn’t fit your life anymore?
That feeling has a name. It’s good girl conditioning. And it’s one of the most quietly powerful forces shaping the lives of working mothers.
In this episode, Carina sits down with Caitlin Judd, a business consultant, coach, podcast host and author of Good Girl, for an honest, deeply relatable conversation about the inherited scripts that keep women small, silent and stuck. And what to do about it.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
What good girl conditioning really is - and why it starts long before you become a mother
The scripts handed to us in childhood (“be nice,” “don’t rock the boat,” “do as you’re told”) and how they show up in your workplace, your relationships and your return to work
Why self-silencing and imposter syndrome are not personal flaws they’re patterns of conditioning
What micro-rebellions are, and how to use them at home and at work (starting with something as simple as a Friday email)
The three good girl archetypes most common in working mums: the Saint, the Lollipop Lady and the Fortress
How to do a life stock-take after becoming a parent and ask yourself whether your current role actually still works for you
Why Caitlin deliberately didn’t tell women what to become beyond the good girl and why that matters
Connect with Caitlin Judd
Instagram: @itscaitlinjudd
Book: Good Girl
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Returning to Work After Maternity Leave? How to Handle the Guilt and Separation Anxiety

Missing your baby at work?
Feeling like your heart is in two places at once?
You’re not alone, and more importantly, there is nothing wrong with you.
In this episode, Carina talk's about one of the most common (yet rarely spoken about) parts of returning to work after maternity leave: that quiet ache of missing your baby, the constant mental juggling, and the guilt that seems to follow you everywhere.
If you’ve ever sat at your desk wondering how your baby is doing, felt distracted in meetings, or questioned whether you made the right decision going back to work, this conversation is for you.
You’ll learn:
Why missing your baby at work is completely normal (and actually a good sign)
What’s really happening during this transition into working motherhood
Why the guilt and overwhelm peak early, and how it gets easier over time
How to gently navigate the emotional stretch of being in “two worlds”
Practical, real-world strategies to feel more present, at work and at home, without adding to your mental load
This episode is not about “fixing” how you feel; it’s about helping you understand it, permit yourself to experience it, and find your rhythm again.
Because you’re not failing, you’re adjusting to one of the biggest transitions of your life.
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You're Not Less Ambitious. The World Around You Just Hasn't Caught Up Yet With Kat Francis

Since going back to work after maternity leave, has anyone - a manager, a colleague, a well-meaning relative - implied that you've changed? That you're not quite as driven as you used to be? Maybe your focus has shifted?Because here's the truth: you haven't changed. Not in the way they think. Your ambition is still there, it's just evolved into something sharper, more purposeful, and more powerful than it's ever been. The problem isn't you. The world around you just hasn't caught up yet.
This week on Working Mumma, I'm sitting down with Kat Francis, a Melbourne-based leadership coach for ambitious women, keynote speaker. Kat spent two decades climbing through creative agencies to Managing Director level, then walked away from equity and ownership to build a career that actually aligned with who she'd become.
This conversation is honest, validating, and deeply practical. Whether you're fresh back from mat leave or a few years in and wondering why your career still feels like it's running in slow motion, this one is for you.
In this episode we cover:
The LinkedIn post about ambition after motherhood and why it struck such a raw nerve with Australian working mums
Kat's own pivot: walking away from an MD role with equity on the table, and what that decision revealed about values, identity and what we actually want from work
The data from The Ambition Report that's hard to hear - only 16% of mums were promoted after returning from mat leave, and only 23% received a pay rise
Why your ambition didn't disappear after kids, it got sharper, and why that gets misread as "less committed"
The settling trap: how so many women come back from maternity leave and quietly accept a role that's comfortable but hollow and how to stop
How to advocate for yourself with outdated managers without burning bridges or losing your composure
The motherhood penalty vs the fatherhood bonus, what it actually looks like in Australian workplaces right now
How to have the ambition conversation with your partner and why getting on the same page about success changes everything
Connect with Kat FrancisWebsite: coachkat.com.auLinkedIn: Kat Francis
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Going Back to Work Pregnant? How to Tell Your Employer Without the Guilt or the Panic

Returning to work after parental leave is already a huge transition. But what if you're going back and you are pregnant?
This week's episode comes straight from a listener DM, and it's one of the most relatable, raw, and important questions we've ever received on the show. In this episode, host Carina O'Brien tackles the fear, the guilt, and the very real practical questions that come with going back to work while pregnant.
In this episode, I share: 
Why the guilt you're feeling is normal, and why you need to let it go
The truth about how often this actually happens (hint: more than you think)
Your legal rights under the Fair Work Act in Australia
Whether you need to re-serve 12 months to access parental leave again
When to tell your employer and why sooner may be better than later
Exactly what to say in that conversation (a word-for-word framework)
How to frame the news in a way that keeps the energy solution-focused
What to do if your manager reacts badly
 
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Why Don't I Feel Like Me Anymore? Matrescence, Identity & Returning to Work with Amanda Jackson

If you've ever returned to work after parental leave and thought, "I'm not the same person I was before I went on parental leave", you are not imagining it. And there's actually a word for what you're going through.
In this episode of the Working Mumma Podcast, I sit down with Amanda Jackson, founder of Motherhood and Matrescence and author of the book by the same name, to explore the concept of matrescence, the process of becoming a mother, and why understanding it is one of the most powerful tools a working mum can have.In this episode we chat about:
• What matrescence is — and why you've probably never heard of it (even though the word was coined in 1973)• The 3 stages of matrescence: separation, liminality, and integration• Why so many women feel like they've lost themselves after having children• The invisible load: why the work of mothering goes unseen and how that affects our identity• What really happens to your brain when you become a mum (it's NOT "mummy brain" - it's a neurological upgrade)• How matrescence affects your return to work and what employers and women themselves can do differently• Parenting for the audience vs. parenting for your family: how to block out the noise• Patressence: do dads go through it too?• Practical rituals and reflections to help you reconnect with who you are• The powerful questions to ask yourself (and your kids) to understand your matrescence journey
 
Connect with Amanda JacksonWebsite: motherhoodandmatrescence.comInstagram: @motherhood_and_matrescenceLinkedIn: Amanda Jackson
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Why the Mental Load Gets Bigger When Your Kids Start School (And What to Do About It)

When you're in the thick of the baby and toddler years, it can feel like that's the hardest it will ever be. But what nobody tells you is that the challenge doesn't disappear as your kids get older - it just changes shape.
In this solo episode, I'm getting real about a phase of working motherhood I didn't see coming: the school-age years. From navigating school hours that don't align with work hours, to managing a never-ending rotation of sports trainings, WhatsApp groups, Compass and Storypark alerts, school events, and the invisible mental load of coordinating everyone else's lives - this one's for the mums in the thick of it.I talk about:
Why the transition from childcare to school can actually increase the mental load for working mums
The concept of cognitive labour (as described by Professor Leah Ruppanner) and why it still falls disproportionately on mothers
The hidden logistics of school-age sport, and why I wouldn't have it any other way
The beautiful moments hiding inside the chaos (yes, they're there)
A few honest things that are helping me survive this season without losing my mind
This episode isn't about complaining. It's about naming something that so many of us are quietly carrying, and reminding you that you are absolutely not alone.
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Feeling Lost Returning to Work After Maternity Leave? How to Rebuild Your Career Confidence with Natalie McDonald

What happens when you return to work after maternity leave… only to be made redundant six weeks later?
In this honest and deeply relatable episode of the Working Mumma Podcast, I’m joined by Natalie McDonald, founder of Working@It, former LinkedIn editor, journalist, content strategist, and mum of two.
Natalie opens up about:
Returning to work after maternity leave
Being made redundant during the AI transformation in tech
The emotional impact of redundancy as a mother
Identity shifts after motherhood
Building confidence after career setbacks
Starting a business after redundancy
Why working mums need community more than ever
The importance of personal branding and networking
The reality of balancing work, ambition and caregiving
 
This episode is for any woman who has ever questioned:“Am I still valuable after becoming a mum?”“Could this happen to me?”“How do I rebuild confidence and a career after being made redundant?”
Natalie’s story is raw, empowering, practical, and incredibly validating for working mothers navigating change, uncertainty and the pressure to “hold it all together.”
If you’re navigating maternity leave, returning to work, redundancy, burnout, or career transition, this conversation will make you feel seen.
 
Why does motherhood feel so overwhelming, even when you’re doing everything “right”?
In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I speak with Lisa Taylor, author of The Perfect Parent Trap, about the invisible pressure modern mothers are carrying and why so many working mums feel like they’re constantly falling short.
From unrealistic expectations to the mental load, Lisa unpacks how the idea of “perfect parenting” has quietly shaped how we work, parent, and judge ourselves. We explore why this pressure is hitting working mothers especially hard, and what needs to change.
This is an honest, validating conversation for any mum who has ever felt:
Like she’s failing at work or at homeOverwhelmed by the mental loadGuilty for not being “present enough”Exhausted from trying to do it all
In this episode, we chat about:
What the “perfect parent trap” actually is
Why working mums are set up to feel like they’re failing
The role of societal expectations and systemic pressures
How perfectionism shows up in motherhood
Practical ways to let go of unrealistic standards
A new way to think about being a “good enough” parent
If you’ve ever wondered “why does motherhood feel so hard?” - this episode will help you feel seen, understood, and less alone.
Connect with Lisa: 
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Find out more via Natalie's website
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Are You the Mum You Want to Be? A Simple Values Framework to Help Close the Gap

Have you ever felt like everything in your life looks fine on paper… but something still feels off?
In this solo episode of the Working Mumma podcast, Carina explores the hidden tension so many working mums experience, the gap between the mother you are today and the mother you want to be.
This episode isn’t about productivity hacks or doing more. It’s about alignment.
Carina shares a practical and deeply reflective framework to help you:
Define your version of motherhood (not society’s)
Identify your core values and where you’re out of alignment
Understand why guilt, burnout, and frustration show up
Set boundaries that actually protect what matters most
Take small, realistic steps toward a version of motherhood that feels right for you
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How to drop perfection in motherhood without dropping your standards with Lisa Taylor

Why does motherhood feel so overwhelming, even when you’re doing everything “right”?
In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I speak with Lisa Taylor, author of The Perfect Parent Trap, about the invisible pressure modern mothers are carrying and why so many working mums feel like they’re constantly falling short.
From unrealistic expectations to the mental load, Lisa unpacks how the idea of “perfect parenting” has quietly shaped how we work, parent, and judge ourselves. We explore why this pressure is hitting working mothers especially hard, and what needs to change.
This is an honest, validating conversation for any mum who has ever felt:
Like she’s failing at work or at homeOverwhelmed by the mental loadGuilty for not being “present enough”Exhausted from trying to do it all
In this episode, we chat about:
What the “perfect parent trap” actually is
Why working mums are set up to feel like they’re failing
The role of societal expectations and systemic pressures
How perfectionism shows up in motherhood
Practical ways to let go of unrealistic standards
A new way to think about being a “good enough” parent
If you’ve ever wondered “why does motherhood feel so hard?” - this episode will help you feel seen, understood, and less alone.
Connect with Lisa: 
Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn
Buy The Perfect Parent book
Check out Lisa's website 
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