Working Mumma
Working Mumma is the go-to podcast for women navigating the juggle of motherhood and career, especially during the return-to-work period after maternity leave. Whether you’re preparing to head back to work, already in the thick of the transition, or in the first few years of rediscovering your professional self, this podcast is your toolkit for clarity, confidence, and connection. Hosted by Carina O’Brien, mum of 2 boys, businesswoman, and founder of Working Mumma, each episode delivers relatable stories, expert interviews, and practical strategies to help you. You will hear from experts, leaders, and women like you who are juggling career and motherhood. You’re not alone in this. Tune in weekly to feel supported, empowered, and reminded that you’re doing a great job.
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Episodes
Wednesday Jun 03, 2020
Wednesday Jun 03, 2020
Today I speak with Vanessa Vanderhoek, founder of The FlexAgility Group and launched National Flexible Working Day in 2017 to celebrate and showcase how flexible working can (and does) work. During the conversation we covered many topics relating to flexible work with many practical tips and strategies.
During this episode we talk about:
•Vanessa's career journey and how she came about launching National Flexible Working Day
•Understanding your "Golden Thread" and how this led Vanessa to have a career pivot to focus on her strengths and passions
•The notion of a portfolio career
•Flexibility isn't just about having children and people seek flexible arrangements for a variety of reasons - Health & welling being, looking after older parents, caring for children, productivity and many more reasons
•The four categories of flexible work
•Survey results that show the number one people want flexible work arrangements is health & wellbeing, followed by productivity then caring for children
•Advice on the transition to flexible work and re-negotiating arrangements post covid-19
•Tips on negotiating flexible work with your manager to be a "win-win" for both employee & employer
•Examples of organisations with good policies and approach to flexible work
•Talk about what the future of work will look relating to flexible work
During our conversation, I like this quote from Vanessa "Let's not forget this is about moderninsing our approach to work, yes remote work is a key part of it, but we need to look more holistically to say ok flexible work is the way of working (the new way of working)."
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. If you are on parental leave, be sure to download my free 10 Step Guide to Return to Work.
Connect with Vanessa on LinkedIn or her business The FlexAgility Group and find out more about National Flexible Work Day or on LinkedIn.
Thursday May 28, 2020
Thursday May 28, 2020
In this solo episode I share with you 5 tips for a successful return to work after isolation.
COVID-19 came upon us like an unexpected storm the experts never saw coming. One week we were going about our lives as normal then suddenly the following week we found ourselves home-schooling and living in isolation. We are living through history.
As we are starting to come out of self isolation, we are at the beginning of the end. I've had friends comment that during isolation they enjoyed "slowing down". Pre-isolation we would often comment that we were busy. But do we need to be so busy? Busy shouldn't necessarily be a badge of honour. This gives us the opportunity to reassess our lives to understand what the "new normal" means for us.
Enjoy this episode as I share with you five things that can help you prepare for returning to the office and life after self isolation.
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Wednesday May 20, 2020
Wednesday May 20, 2020
Vessy Tasheva is the founder of Vessy.com, culture and D&I consultancy. Vessy has authored two editions of her Diversity in the Workplace Report and was named by Hive Learning as one of 2019's most influential D&I Leaders globally.
On this episode of the podcast we discuss the current times of uncertainty and ways to stay connected, energized, and productive whilst work remotely and dealing with isolation and loneliness. Vessy discusses the change in focus from organisations on mental health from being a low priority 2 years ago to the number one focus during Coronavirus. Organisational culture has also been impacted and we talk about the importance of effective communication. Lastly Vessy gives her insights into the Future of Work and what we might expect following Covid-19.
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Connect with Vessy on LinkedIn or her website
Wednesday May 13, 2020
Wednesday May 13, 2020
Today's guest is Meaghan J Smith. She is a life coach for women who want to make change and the host of the Money Mindful podcast and book club, both created as a space for women to learn about money and mindset.
Meaghan started out her career as a photographer, then found herself as a teacher and in the past 6 months has made the transition to life coach and podcast host. During the Meaghan shares her experience and advice in changing careers to suit her family. We then discuss how to have a money mindset and educating people on money to be good role models for their children. Lastly Meaghan gives insights into how she has overcome challenges in being a working mum.
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn.
Connect with Meaghan on Instagram @moneymindfulpodcast, Facebook or her website
Wednesday May 06, 2020
Wednesday May 06, 2020
Today's guest is a holistic pediatric sleep coach, Hala Merola where we talk all things sleep for newborns, babies, and toddlers.
Please note, at the beginning of the episode the topic of depression and anxiety is raised. If this impacts you in some way, please speak to someone such as experts from Beyond Blue, COPE or Lifeline.
As you will soon discover, Hala is so passionate about helping parents with their child's sleep issues. Amazingly she also has another job on top of being a mum and wife.
At the start of the conversation, we talk about the challenges Hala has faced in becoming a mum. She shares her experience of post-natal depression, how she was forced (reluctantly) by her husband to seek help as he was witnessing the effect it was having on her and her son, and the impact PND had on their early relationship. Today, she is a big advocate on seeking help and comments on how the stigma of mental health has changed in 6.5 years.
During the discussion we talk about:
•Importance of interviewing sleep consultants prior to working with them to ensure your values align
•Look at sleep holistically, there are many factors that impact sleep
•Discuss age appropriate techniques & routines for sleep and settling
•Managing transition to childcare and change in routine - good news, the child will adapt
•Separation anxiety impacting sleep
•Sleep regressions (including the dreaded 4 month sleep regression)
•Difference between self settling and self soothing
•Managing the transition from cot to bed
•What to dress our children in
•Talk about swaddling and sleep suits
•The fourth trimester
•And so much more
As Hala says "Nothing will ever prepare you for the type of child you will have, every child is unique".
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. If you are on parental leave, be sure to download my free 10 Step Guide to Return to Work.
Connect with Hala on Instagram @sleepsweetconsulting, Facebook or her website.
Tuesday Apr 28, 2020
Tuesday Apr 28, 2020
Today's guest is Catherine Brooks, a senior employment lawyer, Accredited Specialist in Workplace Relations and Associate-Director of the innovative New Law firm, Law Squared, a published author and mother to two young boys.
Understanding your legal rights as working mothers is an area many people are unsure about. Throughout this episode, Catherine gives great insights and simple techniques you can apply today.
During this episode of the podcast we discuss:
•Key aspects of the JobKeeper government stimulus package
•Consider what the future workplace may look like post covid-19
•Three steps to negotiating flexible work post coronavirus
•The positive effect of sharing stories of parental leave, particularly when fathers take extended leave
•Maternity leave - keeping in touch provisions
•Tips to remain engaged with your organisation whilst on maternity leave
•Discuss redundancies during maternity leave
•Scandinavian parental leave policies and how they promote flexible work and equal parental leave
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. If you are on parental leave, be sure to download my free 10 Step Guide to Return to Work.
Connect with Catherine on Instagram @letsmakeitworkbaby or on LinkedIn.
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Today's guest is Kate Toon, speaker, author, SEO lover, copywriter and podcast host. We recorded this podcast pre-covid-19 but all the topics are discussed as just as relevant today as they were 2 months ago.
Kate started her business when she was five months pregnant with her son. Over the past 11 years she has been able to craft her multiple businesses to align with her family needs. She has great insights, tips and expertise to share on all topics relating to the juggle.
We cover topics such as:
•Why Kate decided to start a business after a successful corporate career
•Discuss the realities of mum guilt and how she overcomes this
•How she has built the business around the hours she wants to work
•Parenting challenges, especially early on with a young child and growing a business
•The guilt of enjoying work and having a career
•Merging the worlds of parenting and work
•Concept of in-sourcing with children
•Mindset as a working mum
•Understanding your strengths
•LinkedIn tips
•Enjoying the struggle and not just the end result
I enjoyed this quote from Kate you are "Perfectly capable of being a great mum & having a great job".
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. If you are on parental leave, be sure to download my free 10 Step Guide to Return to Work.
Connect with Kate on Instagram @katetoon and head to her website for more information.
Wednesday Apr 15, 2020
Wednesday Apr 15, 2020
This week's podcast is a recording of an Instagram Live with Tiffany from Inspire.Learn.Teach at the start of April. We took questions during the chat so you will hear us making a shout out to people and answering those questions.
It was a great conversation with Tiffany, that I wanted to ensure that if you missed the Instagram Live, you were still able to hear all the gems of wisdom Tiffany spoke about on all things relating to homeschooling. I caught up with friends on zoom last Friday night and they told me they watched the Instagram Live and felt more assured and confident about homeschooling after hearing Tiffany. I hope you are able to feel the same after listening to this episode.
We cover many topics including:
•Meeting the emotional needs of your children
•Reminding ourselves that as parents we were our childs first teacher
•Setting up learning at home
•How to prioritise what to teach (do the hard stuff first!)
•How to teach a subject you have no idea about
•Structuring the day
•The importance of play
•Managing different aged children and meeting their education needs
•The need to remove expectations on yourself
•Discuss the school of life
I know there is a lot going on in your world, so please mumma, take a moment, take a deep breath in and exhale. You are not expected to be a teacher, remove all expectations of yourself. Focus on you and your family first.
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. If you are on parental leave, be sure to download my free 10 Step Guide to Return to Work.
Connect with Tiffany on Instagram @inspire.learn.teach.
Wednesday Apr 08, 2020
Wednesday Apr 08, 2020
I hope this episode finds you safe and healthy. In this episode, I chat with business coach Emma McQueen talking about improving your confidence, knowing your strengths and managing your mindset. Emma describes herself a little bit like "Pollyanna" because she likes to see the good in every situation and this is evident during our conversation.
Emma has been working from home for 3 years and during this episode provides great insights and experiences both from the perspective as her role as a business coach and personal stories as a mother of 3 girls.
In this episode we talk about:
•Improving your self confidence as a working mum and return to work after parental leave
•How to determine your strengths
•Knowing your strengths and working on these is like lipstick, you need to keep on reapplying
•Working from home & being productive with kids in this "new normal"
•Importance of having a routine & communication
•How mindset is important working from home
•Focusing on what you can control during Covid-19
•Discussing our new normal and how this may change the workforce in the future
During the episode when we are talking about adjusting to working from home, Emma mentions "if we would not do it in the office, would we do it at home" which is a handy mindset to have.
Links mentioned in this episode
•Free strengths finder - https://www.viacharacter.org/survey/account/register
•Emma McQueen "Work from Home Schedule"
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow Working Mumma on LinkedIn. If you are on parental leave, be sure to download my free 10 Step Guide to Return to Work.
Connect with Emma on Instagram @emmarmcqueen and head to her website for more information. Be sure to get yourself a copy of her new book "Go-Getter".
Wednesday Mar 25, 2020
Wednesday Mar 25, 2020
Looking for ways to stay fit and healthy during COVID-19 then this episode is for you.
With so many aspects of our lives feeling like they are out of our control, it is important to then focus on the items that we can. One aspect we can control is our fitness, our health, and our well-being. The good news is that we can still exercise, in our own home AND we don't need gym equipment to do this as today's guest Laura Martin explains.
A key takeaway from our discussion is 'focusing on what you can control'. Even though many of us are now living a large proportion of our day at home, it is still possible and very important to remain active. This has benefits for your physical as well as mental health.
Often in times of stress, we use food as a comfort. Laura gives tips on healthy eating and a one-day meal plan to help you and your family.
We talk about strategies to help you manage your mindset which is so important in times like we are living. This is also where exercise plays a big part as well.
Stay healthy and active in mind & body Mumma - if we all work together we can get through this.
Join the Working Mumma Community, connect with me on Instagram @workingmummacommunity or follow on LinkedIn
Connect with Laura on Instagram @thefitmamalifestyle and head to her website for more information on her programs.