The Motherkind Podcast

• If you want more success in any area of your life - listen to this (5 non-negotiable habits of the most fulfilled mothers I know)

  If you’ve ever felt torn between ambition and exhaustion, or wondered what success really looks like in this season of motherhood, this episode will help you redefine it on your own terms. After interviewing hundreds of extraordinary women, from billion-pound founders and campaigners to working mums balancing family life, Zoe noticed a pattern. The women who thrive, no matter their path, share a handful of powerful habits that anyone can learn. In this solo episode, Zoe brings together wisdom from years of conversations, her own research, and lived experience to reveal the 5 habits of highly successful mothers, not “success” as the world defines it, but success on your terms. Zoe also shares practical micro-habits, from two-minute rules to time-blocking and burnout prevention, that help you feel calmer, more in control, and proud of the woman you’re becoming. This episode is an empowering reminder that success isn’t luck, it’s built, moment by moment, through small daily choices that align with what matters most. In this conversation, you’ll learn: The one question to ask yourself before defining success Simple time-management shifts that free up mental load Why hyper-organisation creates more space for joy and creativity How to grow confidence by acting before you feel ready The truth about energy management and burnout prevention The episodes Zoe recommends listening to:  Work Series: If you're feeling low in confidence, listen to this - with Lauren Currie The Burnout Doctor: It takes 1-3 years to recover from burnout - here's how to avoid it Remember to subscribe to Motherkind — it helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. Ready to feel like yourself again? Download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram  Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’ This Motherkind episode is sponsored by: Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Get 40% off a Calm premium subscription at calm.com/motherkind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Moment | Why your guilt isn’t really yours with Dr Sophie Brock

  Ever feel guilty no matter what you do, like you’re failing at something, somewhere, all the time? You’re not broken. You’re just living inside impossible expectations. In this week’s Moment, Dr Sophie Brock, a motherhood studies sociologist (yes, she literally has a PhD in motherhood), shares why so much of our guilt isn’t truly ours at all. Sophie explains that guilt often comes from the shoulds we’ve absorbed from society, not from our own values. The real power lies in holding that guilt up to the light and asking: Is this mine to carry, or something I’ve been taught to feel? This short clip is a reminder that guilt can be a guide, but only when it serves you, not the story you’ve been told about what a “good mother” should be. Listen, reflect, and maybe let a little bit of that guilt go this week. If you liked this moment, listen to the full episode: The Surprising Secret to Feeling Less Guilty and More Empowered with Dr Sophie Brock Remember to subscribe to Motherkind — it helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. Need a hand managing the mental load? Download your FREE cheat sheet. Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram  Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’ This Motherkind episode is sponsored by: Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Get 40% off a Calm premium subscription at calm.com/motherkind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• The Exhausted Mother’s Guide to A Successful Return to Work with Joeli Brearley

  If you’ve ever felt like returning to work after having a baby broke something in you or that the system simply isn’t built for mothers, this episode is for you. Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, joins me to talk about the truth so many of us live but rarely say out loud – how hard, lonely and overwhelming it can be to return to work after having a baby. Joeli started Pregnant Then Screwed from her kitchen table while bouncing her baby on her knee. What began as a blog for women to share their stories of discrimination became a decade-long campaign that changed government policy and the national conversation around motherhood and work But it came at a huge personal cost. Joeli shares honestly about the burnout, the pressure, and the toll of fighting for change while raising two young children. It’s a powerful reminder that even the strongest women need rest, support and community. Now she’s channelling everything she’s learned into her new project, Growth Spurt — helping mothers navigate one of the most forgotten transitions of all: returning to work. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why the return to work is one of the hardest and least supported parts of motherhood What good employers do differently to support parents truly How to protect your mental health and spot the signs of burnout early Simple ways to share the load more equally at homeWhy connection and community are the antidote to loneliness Joeli’s story is both heartbreaking and full of hope. It’s a conversation about what it really means to care for others, for the system, and for ourselves. Remember to subscribe to Motherkind — it helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. Need a hand managing the mental load? Download your FREE cheat sheet. If you liked this episode, listen to this next: Work Series: The Ultimate Guide to a Successful Return Post-Maternity - the proven formula that's helped thousands, with Jessica Chivers Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram  Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’ This Motherkind episode is sponsored by: Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Explore thefamilysuite.co.uk and discover luxury hotels around the world that truly welcome families, without compromise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• MOMENT | Solo parenting: Letting go of the picture you thought you’d have

  What happens when life doesn’t go to plan? When the picture you imagined – the relationship, the family, the future – changes, and suddenly you’re doing it all on your own? This week’s Moment is with Rebecca Cox, co-author of How to Be a Happy Single Parent. It’s a beautifully honest conversation about single motherhood, money, and letting go of the life you thought you’d have. Rebecca shares the reality behind closed doors – the budgeting, the exhaustion, the pressure to hold everything together – and the quiet strength it takes to keep going. We also talk about shame and pride, and how asking for help can feel so hard, yet so freeing once you do. She reminds us that community can change everything. Finding others in the same season of life can bring connection, comfort, and even new versions of “family” that look different but feel deeply right. If your life looks different from what you imagined, this episode is a gentle reminder that it can still be full, beautiful and deeply meaningful – just in a new way. To listen to the full episode with Rebecca Cox, listen here. Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram  Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’ This Motherkind episode is sponsored by: Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• You can’t change them - but you can change yourself with Cat Sims

  **Trigger warning: this conversation covers addiction and makes reference to sexual assault. Please be mindful of this before hitting play** If you’re tired of doing it all, this episode will change how you see your relationship.  Cat Sims reveals why you can’t fix your partner – but you can change the dynamic – through honesty, communication, and the unexpected power of letting go. We’re diving deep into the mental load – that endless, invisible checklist running in your head to keep everyone and everything afloat. It’s the 3 a.m. jolt when you realise it’s book character day at nursery or that you forgot the doctor’s appointment (again). The mental load is relentless, unfair, and exhausting – and most of it still falls on mothers. This week’s guest, Cat Sims, knows it all too well. It almost cost her marriage. Now, she’s written The Mental Load Diaries: How I Learned to Juggle Life, Love and the Never-Ending To-Do List – a raw, funny, and deeply relatable guide to reclaiming your sanity. In this conversation, you’ll learn: What mental load really is and why it’s so damaging The moment Cat realised her marriage was breaking under its own weight How to communicate the load with your partner (without it ending in a fight) What to do if your partner just doesn’t get it Remember to subscribe to Motherkind — it helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. Need a hand managing the mental load? Download your FREE cheat sheet. If you liked this episode, listen to this next: Why you're resentful in your relationship—and how to fix it starting today, with Dr Morgan Cutlip Connect with Cat Sims: Instagram SubStack  You’re Never the Only One Podcast Cat Sim’s photo credit: Tash Busta Photography Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram  Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’ This Motherkind episode is sponsored by: Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Explore thefamilysuite.co.uk and discover luxury hotels around the world that truly welcome families, without compromise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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