Working Mumma

Worried About Sleep and Returning to Work? How to Manage Both with Donna Moala

Is your baby not sleeping and are you going back to work soon? Are you wondering how to navigate your babies sleep routine with the childcare transition? These are everyday anxieties and worries facing most working mums as I discovered during my conversation with Donna Moala, founder of Bub2sleep, a certified Sleep Sense consultant, and a mum of three. 
 
Sleep is a learned skill and it can define the newborn months and years by the amount of sleep our child has had the night prior. This has a big impact on how we function and how alert we are during the day, especially with lack of sleep. The stress and anxiety can go up another level when you are returning back to work after maternity leave and your baby still isn't sleeping as you would like and they are transitioning as well to childcare. To help navigate this period I spoke with Donna who shared tips on when to start preparing for childcare and key foundations you can begin working on. 
Donna shared that the childcare transition is a change to the sleep routine you may have at home, and after a couple of weeks your child will be able to differentiate between childcare/other locations and home. Your child will most likely have less sleep at childcare given the environment, so instead focus on the awake times rather than the 'normal' bedtime and on the days they are home you will be able to apply your foundations and boundaries to focus on the good sleep at home. Another key foundation Donna speaks about is independent sleep and teaching babies how to learn this new skill. 
During the chat we spoke about: 
* Tips for managing sleep with children 
* How to prepare your child for the childcare transition
* The importance of awake times (here is the link to Donna's awake time resource)
* Juggling different childcare and home routines 
* Navigating children waking during the night once you have returned to work 
 
Donna shares tips you can implement right away with your children and I hope this supports you in knowing that everything will be ok. As Donna mentioned "everyone is doing the best we can, we are all feeling the same". 
 
Connect with Donna and Bub2sleep via her website bub2sleep.com.au, Instagram @bub2sleep or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bub2sleep/
 
As always I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma  or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village.
 
 

Strategies childcare and school transitions with Dr. Kathryn Hackman

Is your child about to embark on a transition either from home to childcare or kinder to school? The new year often brings new locations and experiences for our children. There is a level of uncertainty as they are separated from their security blanket of mum and dad potentially for the first time. It's emotional for everyone involved, more so for our children. We like to think children are adaptable and will naturally embrace new situations and surroundings. But, all too often that doesn't happen. There is a range of emotions that come with new surroundings and people, your child is having a normal and natural reaction. 
This week on the podcast I speak with Dr. Kathryn Hackman,MBBS PhD FRACP, is a mother and the Founder of Courageous Kids. She's been through the struggle of tricky drop offs, and knows she's not alone, given that anxiety affects 1 in 9 children. Kathryn shares effective and practical strategies to combat separation anxiety in a fuss-free form, that helps busy parents set their kids up for success with new experiences.
Kathryn didn't understand what a transition was and the impacts until she became a mum. You may be wondering - what is a transition? To clarify, it is when you go from one environment to another. For children starting childcare, kinder or school, drop off is not as simple as drop and go. Separation is a big factor for children through these key transition phases. Taking a proactive approach through play and storytelling, this can help children become familiar with their new teachers and educators and be a positive transition experience. 
A good analogy is our first day of a new job - we are anxious due to new surroundings, a new team, new processes, the uncertainty of the people you will work with and the list goes on. Our children are no different. They are anxious through the transition phase of kinder to school or home to childcare, just like we are on our first day of work. 
In this episode we chat about: 
Strategies to help build familiarity and trust with your child's educators or carers 
The power of storytelling and play to create familiarity 
Why the emotional preparation for the transition is more important than the physical 
Tips on when and how to manage transitions 
Transitions aren't just education based, they happen in all areas of our lives 
Why preparation is key to managing transitions 
and much more! 
This is a great episode with easy-to-implement strategies to support you in managing transitions in your child's life. 
For more information about Kathryn and the Courageous Kids app, go to the website www.courageouskidsapp.com or follow on Instagram @courageouskidsapp
 
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village
As always I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma  or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au
 
Photo credit: Star News Group
 

Preventing Burnout This Festive Season: 5 Practical Tips

Are you feeling exhausted after running the 2022 marathon and feel like you are limping to the finish line? You aren't alone. It has been a big year.
Did you know that 89% of people have experienced burnout in the past 12 months?
Burnout is a worldwide, systemic problem and not only for one group but everyone. 
It is important to know the symptoms and have your own personal strategies on how to manage them because we all react differently to situations.
In this episode, I share with you strategies to help prevent burnout in a very busy period of the year. 
 
If you are looking for community and support as a working mum, check out the Working Mumma Village digital membership workingmumma.com.au/working-mumma-village
As always I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma  or Instagram @workingmummacommunity and check out the Working Mumma website workingmumma.com.au

Lost Yourself in Motherhood? How to Reconnect with Who You Are with Heinna Reyes

Has anyone referred to you as "just a mum"? Are you no longer feeling like yourself since becoming a mum? 
This week I speak with Heinna who was in this exact position where for 6 years she was focused on her kids and lost herself, who she was, and her identity. Heinna thought she was heading down one path with her career and becoming a mum changed all that. 
In this episode, Heinna shares her journey from losing herself and being in "mum mode", not knowing what she liked or what she wanted, to becoming clear on her goals and values, through a re-evaluation of herself and what she wants in life. 
If you feel like Heinna 6 years ago and are in a similar headspace, this is a great episode to help you with strategies to help you rediscover yourself after motherhood and why being a mum is part of you, but not all of your identity. 
Heinna is a mum of 3 lovely children. After a shift from Corporate to starting a business, Heinna has found always reminding herself that its okay to be successful in her business and be a mum. She wants to share with other mums that they are not alone and there is space out there for everything they want to do alongside being a mum.
 
Connect with Heinna:
@obm_assembly/
heinnaveas.com.au
LINKS:
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

5 Strategies to help you Return to Work with Confidence

I often hear of women currently on maternity leave wondering how they will manage the juggle of work & mum life. This might be you; if it is, I don't want you to feel this way. You deserve to feel confident & supported on your return to work as a mum. When you become a mum you go through a big change, known as matrescence, and you naturally have a different outlook, priorities, and perspective. 
I want to support women in the transition from maternity leave to work after maternity leave and this is why I ran a masterclass "5 strategies to help you transition back to work with confidence" and in this episode share the recording with you. 
This is what I covered in the masterclass: 
How to recognise and manage the 'mum guilt' - a feeling that all mothers experience
Strategies to navigate the mental load with your partner
Tips for managing the childcare transition
Strategies to improve your self-confidence and wellbeing
Tips to managing the return with your employer
And so much more!
If you found this episode interesting and what to join the Return with Confidence program, join here workingmumma.com.au/return-with-confidence
As always I'd like to connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-mumma  or Instagram @workingmummacommunity. 

Feel Like You’re Dropping the Ball? 3 Lessons That Will Change How You See It

If you are a regular listener you may have noticed that I haven’t released a podcast episode for over a month! This is the longest break I’ve had since I started this podcast in January 2020.
 
Today I just wanted to share with you what’s been happening behind the scenes, my experiences, and a few lessons I’ve learned along the way.
I talk about:
Why I haven’t released a podcast in a month
How my work/life boundary lines became blurred and the impact this had
Why it’s ok to drop or put a ball down for a period of time
Observations and experiences of the past 2 months
Lessons I’ve learned and what I am doing to reset
Why we need to say no more regularly 
Quick summary of my recent overseas trip
 
LINKS:
Join Return with Confidence workingmumma.com.au/return-with-confidence
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

Travelling for Work as a Mum? 6 Tips to Make It Easier

Has anyone asked if you can travel now that you are a working mum? I've been asked this question a number of times and replied "yes - I've got a supportive husband and tribe around me" and gone on to have successful business trips.
Good news - having children doesn't mean the end of traveling for work. As I discuss in this episode, it requires a little more planning than previously, but you certainly can take up the opportunities when they are presented and travel. It might also give you an opportunity for some alone time & self-care that you might not get the opportunity when you are home. 
 Enjoy this episode as I share with you 6 tips for business travel as a working mum. 
 
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

Feel Like You’ve Got “Mum Brain”? Why It’s Actually Your Superpower with Melanie Corlett

As new mums, we got through a big identity shift and can discover a new version of ourselves. Children have a significant impact on our time and our priorities change. 
Meet this week's guest, Melanie Corlett, founder of Mumli, is passionate about helping make the lives of mums easier, and as a working mum herself, she understands the challenges that come along with being present as a mum and businesswoman.
Mel shares open & honestly how becoming a parent has changed her perception of work and career and now focuses on what is most important to her. She has overcome several challenges, talks about her mindset shift, and how she is navigating motherhood and the new version of herself. 
Becoming a parent also is the inspiration behind her business, Mumli. Melanie gives tips and advice on the journey she has been on so far of starting a tech business whilst raising 2 children and how she still finds time for self-care. 
Enjoy! 
 
LINKS:
Connect with Melanie Corlett from Mumli:
Website mumli.com Instagram @mumli.app or Facebook facebook.com/mumliapp
 
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
 

Returning to Work After Maternity Leave? 5 Questions to Ask Before You Go Back

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