Working Mumma

5 questions to ask yourself when returning to work after maternity leave

Going back to work after maternity leave is filled with mixed emotions. To help support you on the transition back to work, or if you have recently returned after maternity leave, this is also a good episode for you to take a moment & reflect. 
I'm sure you have experienced some amazing moments during your time on parental leave, but just like in life, it isn't all roses and happy days. There are equally as many tears and low moments. 
This episode is a great opportunity for you to reflect on this period in your life. I'd suggest you grab a your favourite hot drink along with a pen and paper to write down your responses to the five questions I encourage you to ask yourself. 
Enjoy! 
LINKS:
Free masterclass: 3 secrets to juggling work and motherhood without feeling overwhelmed workingmumma.com.au/resources
Join the Working Mumma Village to help you juggle motherhood and a career so you can thrive workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village
Website: workingmumma.com.au
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity 
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/working-mumma

The reality of juggling a business, six kids and a day job with the founders of Franjo’s Kitchen

Ever dreamt of starting your own business and wonder what it is like? Today I speak with the founder of Franjo's Kitchen - Fran Fogarty and Jo Clark.
Fran is a lawyer and Jo is a naturopath, who have carved out a niche in the motherhood nootropics and wellness industry that has allowed them to grow a two million-dollar business while raising six kids between them. 
It all began after a chance meeting on the street as two new mums that sparked a discussion on natural ways to stimulate lactation for postpartum mums struggling to produce enough milk for their babies – much like Fran was experiencing.
But much like motherhood, their business journey wasn't without its challenges. In 2019, the pair came close to calling it quits, with overwhelming debt suffocating their opportunities for innovation.  
In this episode we chat about what inspired Fran & Jo to start Franjo's Kitchen, their business journey and they share some key learnings along the way, challenges they have experienced and what they did to overcome these, highlights & surprises, how they manage their businesses, children, life and a day job, along with tips for anyone thinking of starting their own business and so much more. 
Enjoy! 
LINKS:
Connect with Franjo's Kitchen:
Instagram @franjoskitchen or Facebook facebook.com/franjoskitchen
 
Free masterclass: 3 secrets to juggling work and motherhood without feeling overwhelmed workingmumma.com.au/resources
Join the Working Mumma Village to help you juggle motherhood and a career so you can thrive workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village
Website: workingmumma.com.au
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity 
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/working-mumma

Why being a mum is a part of your identity, but not all of it with personal brand specialist Emma Lovell

I think everyone woman goes through an identity shift when we become a mother. We think we know ourselves, our values, and have an idea of how we want to live our lives. But when the baby comes along it really changes our perspectives. Not only how others perceive us, but also how we perceive ourselves. 
 
Today guest is Personal Branding Specialist & owner of Lovelly Communications - Emma Lovell. I really enjoyed speaking with Emma because she was so generous, open, and honest with her personal experiences of the identity shift she has experienced in becoming a mum. Her priorities have changed and she is now unequivocal on her boundaries between work and home life, especially having her own business.
One thing that Emma speaks so honestly about is that she is a mum, this is a part of her, but not all of her. 
 
In this episode we talk about: 
Motherhood identity shift 
Post natal depression experienced by fathers 
Boundary setting 
Running your own business before children
Strategies to help you navigate the identity shift as a mum 
And so much more
Emma and I have an exciting challenge for you at the end of the episode. Be sure to listen to the end and tag us both. 
This episode focuses on motherhood's impact on your identity and personal brand, but with many tangents that give you lots of relatable experiences and strategies. It was great fun having this chat with Emma. 
 
Join the Working Mumma Village membership today to get support in the transition from maternity leave to working mum. 
Connect with Emma Lovell
Website
Instagram @lovellycomms
LinkedIn
 
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
 

Why you should join the Working Mumma Village

In this is episode I share with you why you should join the Working Mumma Village and more background on what benefits you get as a member. 
I begin by sharing a little bit of my return to work experience when I returned from my first maternity leave. From there go through some of the realities of what it is like to be a working mum, and the very limited support we have to navigate the transition back to work and life as a working mum.
Navigating life as a working mum can be isolating and you don't know where to look for support. I share with you the 5 step journey I have created to help guide you from feeling overwhelmed to thriving. Each step has a coaching video, resources, and suggested masterclasses to help you move through. 
The Working Mumma Village is a digital membership for professional women that provides connection, coaching, support, and empowerment to help you thrive in motherhood and a career. 
Why should you enrol now? I have a special end-of-financial year special and listen to the episode to get an extra special discount code. 
I look forward to connecting with you inside the Working Mumma Village.
 
USEFUL LINKS
Join the Working Mumma Village: workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village
CONNECT 
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien

Connecting with your children through play with Paediatric Speech Therapist Kobie Bloomfield

In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast I speak with Paediatric Speech Therapist Kobie Bloomfield and founder of ToyCycle. Kobie is passionate about creating opportunities for children to use their imagination and creativity. She often experiences parents coming to see her unsure of how to play with their children asking "Am I doing the right thing?"
It can sometimes be challenging to know how best to play and interact with our kids, especially at the end of a busy day at work. During this episode, Kobie shares great tips and advice to support parents playing with their children and their development. 
During this episode we chat about: 
Tips for supporting a child's language development 
Common communication difficult Kobie sees in children and tips on what parents can do 
Importance of seeking help if we feel our children are not reaching development milestones 
The role of toys in a child's development 
Tips for parents low in confidence when playing with their children 
Why buying more toys isn't often the best solution for our kids 
How toys can support quality time with parents 
And much more! 
There are a lot of great tips and advice to support parents playing with their children in this episode. 
Would love it if you would be able to subscribe and leave a rating or review. 
 
Join the Working Mumma Village membership today and join a community of like-minded working mums. 
Connect with Kobie at ToyCycle
Website 
Instagram @toycycle.aus
Facebook
Connect with Carina O'Brien/Working Mumma
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien

How to embrace your mumbition with Carrie and Lucy of Mums&Co

Business and social constructs were made without the consideration of working mothers who are ambitious. This might be the reason why 1 in 3 women start a business whilst they are on maternity leave, and 1 in 9 start a business whilst they are pregnant. 
Today on the podcast I'm speaking with Carrie Kwan, Co-Founder of Mums & Co and Lucy Kippist, Community Manager at Mums & Co. Both women are passionate about empowering women to harmonise their ambition, livelihood, and wellbeing. 
This is a value-packed episode filled with great advice from two very experienced women in community and business building. Both Lucy and Carrie understand first hand the juggle as working mums, but still fulfilling their ambitions and passion to support others. 
During this episode we chat about: 
the value of community and the benefits a good community brings 
why women create their own businesses
how our career outlook and priorities change once we become a mum and managing this shift 
the value of outsourcing 
why being articulate in asking for help can benefit you
advice for mums starting their own business 
key skills to have when starting your own business 
Lucy & Carrie share how they find their work/life harmony 
I really enjoyed the chat with Lucy & Carrie from Mums & Co and hope you do as well. 
 
Join the Working Mumma Village membership today and join a community of like-minded working mums. 
Connect with Mums & Co
Website 
Instagram @mums.and.co
LinkedIn
Connect with Carina O'Brien/Working Mumma
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien

How to reduce stress and burnout with nutritionist Mel Finlay

As working mums, we often feel like we are forever running a marathon. We get to the end of the day feeling tired and exhausted, only to repeat it all over again the next day. It doesn't have to be like this. The good news, is there are some simple and effective strategies we can adopt to recharge our mind and body to help reduce stress and burnout as I chat with holistic nutritionist, Melissa Finlay. 
Mel works with women to show them how food, nutrition as well lifestyle intervention, and self-care can unlock a new level of energy and vitality, and assist with healing from specific issues like postnatal depletion or diagnosed women’s health conditions like endometriosis.
During this episode we chat about: 
Self-care strategies to build into your routine 
Value of taking time for yourself 
Impact on your mind and body from stress and burnout
Tips to improve your energy levels when you get that 3pm slump
3 tips to reduce stress 
Identifying the signs and triggers of stress and you can manage this 
Strategies to help with meal planning
 
Connect with Melissa Finlay 
* Instagram: @melfinlay_nutritionist
* Websie: melissafinlaynutritionist.com
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
* Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
* Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
* LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien

The intersection of ambition and motherhood with Sheree Rubinstein

This week on the Working Mumma podcast I speak with Sheree Rubinstein, a corporate lawyer turned entrepreneur and the Founder of One Roof. Known as the ‘Queen of Community,’ Sheree is experienced in building businesses, raising capital, and mentoring women along their business journey. Sheree is a mum to Goldie who was born one week into the very first lockdown in Melbourne.
 
During this episode, Sheree and I talk about the intersection of ambition and motherhood. There will be many relatable moments during this episode relating to wanting to be a mum and have a career. We chat about the ingrained societal systems that influence and impact mothers, along with what policies and structures need to change to improve support for working mothers. Sheree is a big advocate and powerful voice for working mothers and shares her own experiences on overcoming mum guilt, unconscious bias, and challenges as a working mum.
 
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Village.
Connect with Sheree Rubinstein & One Roof 
* Instagram: @shereejaderuby or @weareoneroof
* LinkedIn: Sheree Rubinstein
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
* Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
* Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
* LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
 

Using meditation to manage stress and burnout with Jazz Kalus

In this week's episode, I speak with Meditation teacher, Jazz Kalus.
Meditation regularly comes up as something many of the Working Mumma podcast guests do for self-care and I was interested to learn the positive effects can have on our minds and body. As Jazz explains in this episode, meditation can help you have better rest in a 20-minute meditation than a few hours of sleep. It can also help to remove stress in our system reducing anxiety, fatigue, improving focus and overall happiness and well-being. 
During this episode we chat about: 
What is meditation?
How can we manage stress & burnout using meditation
What are some benefits of meditation
How can we get started with meditation and what are the key elements
What role can meditation play in self-care
 
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Village.
Connect with Jazz
* Instagram: @jazzkalusmeditation
* Website: jazzkalus.com
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
* Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
* Facebook: @workingmummaAU
* Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
* LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien

The Motherhood Penalty with Georgie Dent

This week on the podcast I am speaking with Georgie Dent, journalist, editor, speaker, and prominent advocate for parents, families, and women. The former lawyer is the Executive Director of The Parenthood, an independent for-purpose advocacy organisation that represents over 72,000 parents, carers and allies around Australia.
 
In Australia, we have an incredible education system and for over two decades women have been graduating from university in slightly higher numbers than men. Australia is the number one country in the world for female educational attainment. As Georgie explains, we don't have a skills shortage because when a baby comes into the picture, women are retreating from the workforce as earning less and less money. Whilst fathers often get the 'dad bonus' to work and earn more than ever before and this gap only increases over time. As we discuss in this episode, even though couples may approach family life as equals and they want to share the care, the world they live in doesn't support that. Australia is ranked 70th in the world for female workforce participation, and this is falling each year. 
During this episode we talk about:
The motherhood penalty and the impacts on women 
Systematic changes needed to support female workforce participation
Discrimination women experience when they announce they are pregnant 
Government policies and attitudes that contribute to women stepping back from the workforce 
Benefits to fathers being actively engaged in caring for their children 
Positive economic impacts of women working 
Importance and positive impacts of good paid parental leave and early childhood education systems and policies 
International examples with supportive policies to support working parents 
How businesses can be the voice of change to support employees 
As Georgie mentions "It's only when parents are supported can children thrive". 
Be sure to leave a rating & review and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. 
 
Continue the conversation and join the Working Mumma Village.
Connect with Georgie Dent & The Parenthood 
* Instagram: @theparenthood
* Facebook
* Website: theparenthood.org.au
Connect with Working Mumma and Carina O'Brien
* Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
* Facebook: @workingmummaAU
* Website: www.workingmumma.com.au
* LinkedIn - Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien