Mother of All Solutions
Laura Broderick
Conversations about careers and caring for today's parents.
The Finale
To mark the end of Mother of All Solutions, this episode is a conversation with two great friends and previous guests of the podcast, Lily Anderson-Nicholls and Kate Burt.
Lily is an HR Professional and Kate a journalist - we discuss both our personal and the societal contexts for working parents today, and what's changed over the 6 years of making Mother of All Solutions.
As with all good conversations with friends, it ranges from the serious to the silly! We discuss changes in workplaces and
The Urban Designer
In this episode Laura interviews Rumi Bose, urban designer and regeneration consultant.
Rumi set up her own business 18 months ago after a successful career working in local authority. Whilst she was at Southwark Council she had her three boys now aged 12, 9 and 5. We discuss what motivated her to train as an urban designer (her second career) and what inspires her in this field and the types of roles she has had and is now developing herself.
I am sure you will enjoy listening to Rumi and do
The Community Caterers
In this episode host Laura Broderick speaks with co-owner of Home Grown Brixton, Gill Springer.
Gill runs the cafe and catering business with chef Portia Eyeson. Both are mothers and Gill a grandmother. They are working hard to offer great food and a new community space in their home area of south London. They are using their skills and friendship to grow their community catering business.
Both have had interesting careers as well as busy caring roles, so it was great to learn more from Gill w
Special Episode - Creativity Found with Rachel Larsen
In this Special Episode I share an interview with photographer Rachel Larsen from the Creativity Found podcast.I enjoyed listening to Rachel speak about her work and family life with host Claire Waite Brown, and am delighted to now be able to share it with listeners of Mother of All Solutions.
Rachel is a writer and photographer who documents and is commissioned to take pictures of families. She talks about her career decisions to fit creativity and work around her caring responsibilities, as we
Special Episode - Father's Day
Hello and Happy Father's Day! For this special episode I talk with my manager and three of my colleagues who are all dads.
We discuss hybrid working, sharing the juggle with your partner, being vocal about your role and life as a dad and more! We also just have some nice chats about our kids.
I hope you enjoy the episode and it's useful to see how a group of colleagues can support each other through the highs and lows of parenting.
Thank you for listening - and please do rate, review and shar
The Actor
In this special episode of Mother of All Solutions, recorded at The Podcast Show 2024 London / Shure stand, we have guest Samantha Baines - actor, comedian, author, broadcaster and "new mum".
Sam shares her career choices, chats about her podcast The Divorce Social, and talks about living with hearing loss and writing books based on her experiences of being deaf. She shares information on her pregnancy and early motherhood, as well as next steps now she's back at work and acting again.
It was
The Pottery Throwdown Contestants
For this final episode of the Spring 2024 mini-series of Mother of All Solutions, I am pleased to share an interview with Donna Bloye (winner) and Steven Broughton (semi-finalist) from series seven of the Great Pottery Throwdown.
Fans of the series will have enjoyed watching them on screen and like me picked up a strong sense of their love for pottery and ceramics, but also their role as parents. Donna is mum to three children and Steven is dad to one daughter. I wanted to talk to them together
The Musicians
This episode was recorded at the Mothers in Music all-day festival on 7 March 2024 at the Mount Without venue in Bristol.
Organised by Alice Ballantine Dykes of Mama Coaching, with a team of producers (mothers and musicians) - “a collective of mothers challenging norms to stay visible, valued and celebrated in the music industry.” The event included wonderful performances, along with discussions about the challenges and ways for mothers to keep performing and thriving in their musical careers.
The WEP Deputy Leader
In this episode I talk with Harriet Williams, Deputy Leader of the Women's Equality Party (WEP).
I initially interviewed Harriet back in the beginning of making Mother of All Solutions podcast when Harriet worked as a 'Young Parent Consultant'. She still works in many roles and in this episode mentioned supporting:
Care experienced parents:
https://www.barnardos.org.uk/research/care-experienced-parents-unite-change
Single parents: https://www.gingerbread.org.uk/
In this episode, we specific
The Momfluencers
It was a pleasure to speak about momfluencer culture with writer and podcaster Sara Petersen.
Author of the book Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture, Sara shared lots of insights into the moms and mums of social media.
It was fascinating to hear more and also reflect on mumfluencer culture in the UK, and our relationships with influencers and sharing online in general. Plus, what is the British equivalent of the family pumpkin patch outing?!
To
The Architect / Designer
This first episode of the new series of Mother of All Solutions is an interview with Katy Marks - architect and designer.
Katy talks about her career as an architect, establishing her own business and navigating maternity leave and work. She then shares about her experience of going through a single mastectomy and later designing the Unobra for asymmetric bodies.
It was a pleasure to learn more about Katy and aspects of her life and work. You can connect with her:
Architectural practice via
The New Series
I am delighted to announce a new mini-series for Mother of All Solutions.
This teaser contains clips from interviews with some of the amazing mothers who joined me for the podcast. Full episodes will follow on Mondays through March/April, and I am excited to share many perspectives on parenting and work over the course of the season.
I hope you enjoy listening!
#mothersday
#internationalwomensday
MOAS is hosted and produced by Laura Broderick, with music by Ros Fraser. Portrait photo by Janni
End of Year Episode
Hello! It's almost the holidays so this episode is a short n sweet end to the Mother of All Solutions podcast in 2023.
Featuring guest contributions from Suze Cooper, Vivi Koroma Kala and Molly Rowan, plus my mum and my daughter, there is chat about podcasts and books (my favourite things) plus a poem and a song. I really hope you enjoy it and it makes you feel festive in a friendly podcasty way.
Thank you for listening this year, and do listen out for more MOAS episodes in 2024 - likely March
The Photographer
For this episode Laura interviews photographer Jannine Newman, who has adult sons and came to use the term ‘photographer’ professionally in her 50s.
We discuss her work and ambitions through the decades, and how being a mum has influenced her career moves. We also talk about looking after kids through their stages, parenting twins, ADHD in the family and more.
Jannine explains the term skill stacking and why she believes it's important to maximise your niche set of skills and experiences. She
Bonus Chat: Being Freelance
In this episode, timed with International Men’s Day 2023, Laura shares clips from a recording with dad-of-two Steve Folland, Being Freelance and Doing It For The Kids (DIFTK) podcast.
Laura and Steve spoke earlier this year as part of the DIFTK community meet up. It was a great conversation but there was a lot of chat I couldn’t squeeze into that episode - so here are some clips in this mini bonus one!
Steve shares his journey from starting as a freelancer when his kids were very young, to the
The March of the Mummies (re-release)
A year ago I participated in Pregnant Then Screwed's event, The March of the Mummies, and recorded with parents on the march in Newcastle.
As it's been Halloween this week and there is a lot in this episode that is still relevant at the one year anniversary point I thought I would re-release it.
If you listened previously - thank you. If you missed the episode first time, I hope you enjoy it now. And please do share it if you can.
Happy listening, Laura (mummy, host and producer)
Do also kee
The Childcare Archives
In this episode Laura speaks with Rosa Schling, Co-Director of oral history production company On The Record and project manager of the Grow Your Own project, to discuss the project and the podcast series Childcare Voices.
The episode was recorded at the Bishopsgate Institute in London during a childcare archive workshop day. Also on mic are participants involved in helping map the history of childcare in London - they share what they discover through looking at archives about settings and actio
The Comedian
It was a pleasure to chat to comedian and writer Eleri Morgan about her work doing stand up and comedy writing, now as mother to an 8 month old baby. We discuss taking her son to gigs, being part of writing rooms and how to navigate work around childcare going forward.
We also discuss her documentary ‘DRYCH: Dyfodol i Dewi’ (on iPlayer for a few more days!) which follows her struggle to reconcile having a baby with leading a low-carbon life. And we chat about her plans for future documentaries
The Sewing Bee Contestants
It's back to school, and a new term for MOAS too, starting with quarter-finalist Lauren Tedstone and semi-finalist Vicki Reid from the Great British Sewing Bee 2023
#sewingbee #gbsb #greatbritishsewingbee
Both mums of two young children, we discuss their careers before entering the Sewing Bee, plus their work, family and sewing lives now. It was great to chat to these enthusiastic and talented sewists about hobbies, community and of course their friendship (formed over a cuppa.) So make a brew a
Special Episode - Creativity Found with Caro Giles
I am delighted to share this episode from the Creativity Found podcast…
Claire Waite Brown interviews Caro Giles, author of Twelve Moons. I loved this conversation and love Caro’s book, which outlines her life as a single mother of four daughters living in rural Northumberland. There is family, nature, isolation, rediscovery - it’s practical and emotional.
I hope you enjoy Claire’s interview about Caro’s life and work, here on my podcast feed.
To connect with them both:
https://www.creativity
The Trailer
Ready for new Mother of All Solutions episodes from September 2023? New to the podcast? Well, take a listen to the trailer!
Mother of All Solutions - conversations about careers and caring for today's parents. So whether you are a parent, an employer or you just love a good chat/interview style listen then MOAS is made with you in mind.
The podcast is hosted and produced by Laura Broderick, with music by Ros Fraser.
Listen to MOAS wherever you get your pods - and do subscribe, stay in touch (
The Marketing Mums
In the final episode of Mother of All Solutions before a summer break, Laura speaks with Becky Lamb-Pritchard, Head of Marketing at This is Distorted, and Lucy Critchley Head of Untold Creative.
https://www.thisisdistorted.com/
https://untold-creative.com/
We discuss marketing roles and workplace cultures and settings. We share stories of life with 3 year olds, and plans for the future. It's both serious and fun - and we cover LOTS.
Both Becky and Lucy have made significant location and care
The Founder
Hannah Russell, Co-founder of Mags Creative podcast business is the guest on this episode of Mother of All Solutions.
Hannah is mum to a 3 year old, and her second child is due in a few months time. Hannah and Laura talk business and parenting - the highs, lows and parallels. We discuss the rollercoaster of founding a company (Mags recently turned 5!) and being a mother, boundaries in both professional and family life, and being fully present with your work and kids.
Mother of All Solutions i
The Tech Entrepreneur
For this recording, host Laura Broderick speaks with Lauren Ingram, Founder of Women of Web3, a community helping women around the world make the leap into the exciting new world of Web3.
We discuss Web3 - what it is, and what Lauren is doing to support women learn more about its potential. We then talk about Lauren’s pivot and career shift during her pregnancy and various aspects of life as a ‘working mum’ and business founder/entrepreneur.
Lauren is also the host of the Women of Web3 podcast,
The Adventurer
In this episode Laura interviews Katie Carr - author, business coach, mum and kayaker. Katie is currently on a huge adventure to plan and kayak the remaining areas of the shipping forecast that her late brother, Toby Carr, wasn’t able to complete.
Katie finished the book 'Moderate Becoming Good Later - Sea Kayaking the Shipping Forecast' earlier this year - this is the book Toby hoped he would have had time to complete.
Toby captured his adventures in recordings, photos, notes and videos - all
The DIFTK Community
For this episode, Laura recorded with members of the Doing It For The Kids (DIFTK) community - a platform and podcast for freelance parents trying to make flexible working work.
Joining their London meet-up on 27 April 2023, Laura had a chance to chat with various members about what makes the community so special. It was a real pleasure. I also had some pre-chats and the result is hopefully a good overview of how the community operates - the people and purpose.
I do hope you enjoy it. Thank yo
The WOW Festival 2023 - Childcare
In this special episode for the Women of the World Festival (WOW) London, host Laura Broderick speaks with parents and panellists at the Southbank Centre on Saturday 11 March 2023.
https://thewowfoundation.com
The topic is childcare – lived experiences of using, accessing and affording it. Following the WOW panel discussion, The Case for Free Childcare, Laura caught up with Catherine Mayer (Co-founder of Primadonna Festival) and Hannah Peaker (Women’s Equality Party Chief of Staff.)
I hope you
The Author
In the final episode of 2022, Laura interviews Jessica Moxham, the author of The Cracks That Let The Light In - a mother's story of raising her disabled son and the life-changing power of books.
Jess discusses sections of her memoir, particularly around maternity leave and going back to work as an architect after having Ben, and then her later decisions and starting to write once Ben's siblings were born.
It's a fascinating book, with lots to learn about Jess's family and disability. You can f
The Artists
In this episode, Laura starts her visit to the Mother House Studios in Catford in SE London, with a conversation with Dyana Gravina, founder of the Procreate Project.
https://www.procreateproject.com/
Laura then talks with 3 artists who use Motherhouse Studio and the co-director of this unique space with integrated childcare.
https://www.motherhousestudios.com/
I hope you enjoy learning more about this special model of work and care, and hearing from the artist parents who use the space.
Mot
The Producer
In this episode Laura interviews audio producer and Creative Director of Inkslingers Media, Leona Fensome.
We talk about her varied career and interests, including running an independent production company with a focus on oral histories. We discuss her work in journalism, then community radio and her current role supporting creative industries at University of Bedfordshire. We also share thoughts on the arts, heritage, creativity and parenting!
To find out more about Leona please visit:
https
The Smallest Things
For World Prematurity Day on Thursday 17 November 2022, we have an episode with Catriona Ogilvy, founder of The Smallest Things. The charity is dedicated to creating a better world for premature babies and their families after neonatal care.
Catriona shares her own experiences of having two sons born preterm. She also discusses the mission and work of The Smallest Things, including the campaign to extend parental leave and the Employer with Heart scheme.
To read more about the charity please li
The March of the Mummies
This episode is a compilation of voices and stories from speakers and participants at March of the Mummies in Newcastle, Saturday 29 October 2022.
#marchofthemummies protests were taking place in London, Newcastle and other UK cities, organised by Pregnant then Screwed:
https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/event-march-of-the-mummies/
Laura Broderick, host and producer of Mother of All Solutions, was part of the crowd and took the opportunity to record with union rep Mel Wilson, councillor Erin Par
The Psychologist
In this episode, released on World Mental Health Day 2022, Laura speaks with Clinical Psychologist Dr Emma Svanberg.
We speak about burnout and what that means for parents in particular. We cover recognising our feelings, and why we should take time to rest - even in small bursts. We also discuss the need for collective as well as individual healing. It was a fascinating and helpful conversation for me as the host - and I hope for you too.
If you enjoyed the interview please do rate, review an
The Professional Footballer
In this episode Laura speaks with Emma Mitchell, captain of Reading FC Women and member of Scotland’s National Team.
We talk about her career as a professional footballer, maternity leave and motherhood. Emma’s daughter Innes is 10 months old and Emma returned to football after 8 months of mat leave.
We touch upon mental health, physical recovery from birth and logistics of being a mum and training/playing professional football. It was brilliant to talk with Emma and hear what she had to say abo
The Content Creator
This episode of Mother of All Solutions, with content creator Vivi Koroma Kala, is part interview part book chat! Vivi is Head of Content for Amazing If and also the creator of the bookstagram, The Cultured Life, which she set up whilst on maternity leave.
We talk about her career choices and changes, and have a conversation about the 3 books Vivi chose for us to read and review together:
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will be Gl
The Graphic Designer
Frankie Tortora, graphic designer and host of the Doing It For The Kids (DIFTK) community and podcast is on Mother of All Solutions! DIFTK is for "parents who freelance", and was set up by Frankie following her first maternity leave. She co-hosts the DIFTK podcast with fellow parent and freelancer Steve Folland, and they won Gold in the business category of the British Podcast Awards 2021.
Laura and Frankie discuss managing maternity leave as a freelancer, navigating school summer holidays, co
The Host of Dear Daughter
For the MOAS summer 2022 episode Laura interviews Namulanta Kombo, the host of the award-winning Dear Daughter. The podcast is a BBC World Service series and won Gold in the Family category and was named Podcast of the Year in the recent British Podcast Awards.
Namulanta is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and started the podcast a year ago after winning an international competition from the BBC World Service. The idea began with her writing letters to her own daughter, and the podcast extended this to
The Theatre Director
In this episode Laura speaks with Thomas Pondevie, Co-Director of the theatre company, La Compagnie Babel.
Thomas Pondevie and Elise Chatauret have brought their French production of the play Fathers to the Brixton House theatre.
The play is a line of enquiry about fatherhood & family, and addresses, 'How can we imagine fatherhood outside of the patriarchy?'
It is based on interviews (the practice of documentary theatre) and the end result is a very special show with portraits of fathers play
The Podcasters
In this episode of Mother of All Solutions, Laura shares her short conversations recorded with women at the International Women's Podcast Festival at King's Place, London, on Saturday 18 June 2022.
The festival was organised by Content is Queen podcasting agency and I speak with Imriel Morgan CEO of the business. I also chat with Sophie Doyle who is keen to start podcasting, and Karen Arthur who hosts the Menopause Whilst Black podcast.
I hope this episode offers some interesting reflections o
The Panellists
In this episode Laura attempts to summarise the John Lewis Partnership event, Sharing the Juggle, held at the House of Commons on Tuesday 7 June 2022.
To get to the real content of the panel discussion, Laura speaks with panellists Elliott Rae, Music Football Fatherhood, and Joeli Brearley of Pregnant then Screwed. They have great reflections...and news!
The panel also included MPs Caroline Nokes (Chair of Women & Equalities Committee) and Minister Paul Scully, along with representatives from
Special Episode - Baby Banks
In this special episode, Laura speaks with two fantastic women working to alleviate child poverty in the UK - Kelly Fort, Head of Operations at MammaKind (baby bank) and Sophia Parker, Director of Emerging Futures at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (social change organisation.)
We talk about what baby banks are, the families using them and why, unfortunately, as Sophia tells us, "Baby banks are anticipating their busiest year yet." With huge cost of living rises on food and energy bills, insecur
The Journalist
In this episode Laura interviews journalist Phillippa Guillou, presenter of the Lockdown Babies podcast.
We discuss why Phillippa wanted to make the podcast, her own experiences of having a baby in July 2020, and her career now.
We also share some clips from Lockdown Babies - the remarkable and heartbreaking stories of the families who had babies in the middle of a global pandemic.
I hope you enjoy this conversation focused on pregnancy and parenthood in the pandemic. To contact Phillippa on
MOAS Moments
In this short special I have selected clips ("MOAS moments") from 6 past episodes to give you a flavour of the series and recent interviews. The moments come from:
The Chapter - Lockdown, with writer Kate Burt
The Job Sharers, with The Job Share Pair
The Playworker, with author Adele Cleaver
The Mums of Twins, with author Alison Perry
The Dads, with teacher Will Blatherwick
The Collective, with Georgie Grant of Onion Collective
You will hear chats about maternity leave and lockdown, job shar
The Playworker
In this episode Laura talks to Adele Cleaver, playworker and author of the memoir Children Don’t Dissolve in the Rain.
Adele is a mom from Birmingham with two girls - a 5 year old and 7 month old. We talk about her professional and personal experiences of play settings, and how her book aims to encourage parents to play and rest more effectively.
You can find Adele on social media @adeleplayworker
Children Don’t Dissolve in the Rain is available from her website as well as book retailers:
https:
The Chapter - Lockdown
In this episode of Mother of All Solutions, host Laura Broderick and guest Kate Burt revisit Joeli Brearley’s book The Motherhood Penalty and discuss the NEW chapter, Lockdown, available in the newly released paperback edition!
The original book review episode saw Laura and Kate, along with other members of their book group, discuss Joeli’s book in May 2021. It was a chance to explore our experiences of motherhood and the workplace, and reflect on the founder of Pregnant then Screwed’s book as
The Job Sharers
For this Mother of All Solutions episode, host and producer Laura Broderick talks to Rachel Maguire, one half of The Job Share Pair.
We discuss what job sharing is, the benefits of working in a pair and Rachel’s work story of maternity leave and returning to job share in HR with Hannah Hall-Turner. They are now running The Job Share Pair consultancy together and you can follow Rachel and Hannah on LinkedIn and Instagram as @thejobsharepair
The latter section of the episode is me responding to q
The Collective
In this episode Laura interviews Georgie Grant, Co-Director of The Onion Collective CIC based in Watchet, West Somerset. “The Onions” met as a group of mums in the town – some local and some new, but all with a desire to improve the area for their children. Bringing their skills, and friendships, to the table they set about to find out what the residents of Watchet also wanted to see happen to improve where they live.
Over years of development and fundraising the result is a fascinating new buil
The Artist Midwife
For this episode, MOAS host Laura Broderick interviews Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, an artist and midwife and co-author of the book Maternal Journal, A creative guide to journalling through pregnancy birth and beyond.
We talk about Laura’s experiences of work as an artist and a producer, and later training to be a midwife. We cover lots! The new book and the origins of the Maternal Journal project, birth experiences, creative practice, the pandemic and the March with Midwives (on the the day we recorde
The Mums of Twins
In this episode Laura Broderick interviews Alison Perry, author, podcaster and blogger, about her experiences of maternity leave and her career as a mum of three, including twins.
She shares the specifics of parenting twins through pregnancy, parental leave and returning to work. We discuss being employed in a workplace and being self-employed, as well about the huge cost of childcare when you have multiples. We also talk about Alison’s book OMG It’s Twins! published earlier this year.
After the
The Dads
In this episode Laura Broderick discusses the book DAD (Untold Stories of Fatherhood, Love, Mental Health and Masculinity) with Will Blatherwick, history teacher and dad of two.
The conversation is structured around our thoughts on the book (with an emphasis on work and parenting) and audio contributions from two other dads who have read the book alongside us. Music in the episode is by Ros Fraser.
DAD is curated by Elliott Rae and is a collection of stories from dads in the Music Football Fathe
The Book: Pregnant then Screwed
The Book: Pregnant then Screwed
In this Mother of All Solutions episode Laura and friends from her book group share notes on the book Pregnant then Screwed: The Truth About the Motherhood Penalty and How To Fix It by Joeli Brearley.
With guest Kate Burt, Laura talks about this book (published March 2021) and how as author Joeli Brearley states, “This book is a call to arms for women.” With audio contributions from other members of book club we share sections of the book and our own experiences
WOW Special - Radical Childcare
For this episode Laura interviews Midlands based Creative Producer Amy Martin to discuss Radical Childcare and her workshop for the Women of the World (WOW) UK Festival 2021.
Amy introduces lots of interesting models of childcare, ideas around childhood and individuals/organisation working on this – below you will find the links discussed in the interview. Following the conversation there are also some audio notes from participants in the workshop – we hope you enjoy learning more and the episod
Mini-series: The Key Worker
For the third and final episode of the MOAS mini-series, Laura interviews Sahm Harris-Thomas, a school nurse in London and mum to two ‘wondergirls’.
Sahm began training as a nurse aged 26 and navigated her two maternity leaves around her studies and nursing roles. She also completed her postgraduate diploma during the pandemic. She talks about her career shifts, and importantly her role as a key worker in the community during this crisis. We also find out how Sahm and her partner, also a key wor
Mini-series: The Resignation
For the second episode of the mini-series, Laura interviews Dr Susanna Graham. Before pursuing an academic career Susanna qualified as a medical doctor. She has three children.
In July 2020 Susanna resigned from her role as Research Associate – she explains the point to get this decision and how the pandemic and homeschooling/childcare was a key factor. She also talks about her plans for the future as she retrains to be a counsellor, and how studying this subject has helped her process her resig
MOAS mini-series: The Furlough
Recorded in December 2020, before lockdown 3.0 and school closures, Laura interviewed her friend Antonia Faust who moved from her role as an Associate Director in Bristol to set up a nut farm in Devon following furlough.
Antonia talks about how her company’s work in events and immersive environments in retail settings stopped, and her partner’s building sites closed as a result of the pandemic. They had already been thinking of establishing an organic nut farm so took the plunge after first lock
Episode 18 - The Compilation
This special episode, The Compilation, marks the end of the first year of Mother of All Solutions...
MOAS launched in Brixton in August 2019 and for this episode we invited 4 mums who attended the event to introduce themselves 'one year on' and select a favourite episode to play a clip from. We also asked them to say something about what support/actions they would like to see for working parents.
The Shared Parental Leave, The Stay at Home Mum, The Polymath and The Childminder are showcased in
Episode 17 - The Young Parent Consultant
In this episode Laura talks with Harriet Williams, a self-employed consultant working to better represent and influence policy for young parents.
Harriet was a young parent herself, finishing her A-levels whilst pregnant and completing a crimonology degree with a young baby. She has been employed in various professional roles in the fields of youth and community support, working in both full and part-time positions.
A year ago she turned her speaking and research 'side' work into a business
Episode 16 - Notes from Home...and Away
In this episode we hear from three mums living outside the UK - Lucy in America, Caro in Sweden and Christine in Brazil.
They each contribute audio notes about their work and parenting experiences during lockdown. They don't know each other, but they all work in the architecture industry and also share thoughts on how we might live and work post lockdown.
Lucy is from Yorkshire and has been working from home in LA whilst her partner manages childcare between their apartment and local parks. Ca
Episode 15 - The Campaigner
In this episode Laura interviews Jemima Hartshorn - mum of two, campaigner, lawyer, freelancer and founder of Mums for Lungs.
Jemima founded the campaigning group, with other volunteer parents, 3 years ago when she was on her first maternity leave - in order to campaign for clean air for everyone, especially babies and children.
We discuss how the campaign came together, what they are working on now, what School Streets is about, and how the team are organising during lockdown. We also chat ab
Episode 14 - The Teacher
During lockdown, Laura talks to Emma Sheppard about her career and the Maternity Teacher Paternity Teacher Project. Emma is an English lead practitioner teacher in a secondary school in London.
This remote recording includes a discussion about professional development during maternity / paternity leave - the desire for it and choices around it. Emma shares thoughts on the gender pay gap and motherhood penalty, as well as visible role modelling and why she started the MTPT Project.
During the i
Episode 13 - Notes from Home
In this episode Laura shares some audio notes about her work/family situation recorded at home at the end of March and mid April 2020.
We also hear from a neighbour, Meghan, about how she is managing various aspects of life (job, homeschooling) during lockdown.
We'd love to hear from more mums and dads, and are inviting listeners to record their own audio notes - to share what is happening in their lives at home in the COVID-19 crisis.
Parents are invited to explain their situation. You are als
Episode 12 - The Grandmother & The Granddaughter
Laura speaks with her own mother, Wendy, and her daughter, Rowan, about work and family life.
Now retired, Wendy reflects on her role as a hospital pharmacist. She covers going back to study after becoming a mother, managing rotas for parents, and using her clinical expertise in a voluntary capacity today. She also talks about changing stresses and strains during stages of her career with kids.
Rowan, aged 6, describes our family set-up, jobs she knows and what she would like to do when she's o
Episode 10 - The Women of the World Festival
In this special episode we speak with parents and panellists at the Women of the World Festival (WOW) at the Southbank Centre in London on Friday 6 March 2020.
We capture personal stories about navigating a return to work as well as talking with the speakers from the Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don't panel.
With comments and ideas on shared parental leave, cost and quality of childcare and reflections on the sessions of the day, we record a moment of motherhood at the WOW Festival.
Episode 11 - The A&E Doctor and The Academic
In this episode Laura interviews her sister-in-law, Dr Hannah Bienias, and her brother, Dr John Broderick, about their particular set up post Hannah's recent maternity leave. Hannah is an A&E consultant in a NE hospital and John a Lecturer at the University of Manchester.
They talk about organising childcare for their almost 1 year old daughter - with workplaces in different parts of the country and shift patterns to accommodate. They touch upon shared parent leave requests, flexibility from nur
Episode 9 - The Stay at Home Mum
Lily Anderson-Nicholls and Laura Broderick talk to Maria Cesa about managing work around three maternity leaves, and finding fulfilment as a stay at home mum. We discuss differing perceptions of work/family balance, how you identify and when's a good time to get back into work after taking a career break.
Episode 8 - The Polymath
Lily Anderson-Nicholls and Laura Broderick talk to Nell Boase about changing careers, returning to a new or old job after having a baby, being an effective leader and planning for future work. We also discuss negotiating your work boundaries and considering senior roles alongside family life.
Episode 7 - The Review
In this episode, Laura reflects on the episodes so far, why she started MOAS and what she's got planned for the future of the podcast.
Subscribe by searching for Mother of All Solutions wherever you get your podcasts.
Episode 6 - The Business Owner
In this episode we talk about the benefits and challenges of running your own business. Laura talks to Make Do and Mend owner Sarah Robins about the path to starting her vintage clothing business, juggling maternity leave and preparing for shared parental leave.
Episode 5 - The Freelancers
In this episode we talk about the benefits and some of the challenges of being freelance, juggling childcare with older children, waiting for social lives and career reboots! Subscribe by searching for Mother of All Solutions wherever you get your podcasts.
Episode 4 - The Childminder
In the fourth episode Laura talks to Colette Thomas. We talk about being a childminder, changing careers to suit your family situation, plus being a single mother, then grandmother. We also explore professional pursuits and the professional wall!
Episode 3 - The Shared Parental Leave
In Episode 3 Laura talks to architect John Ross and Editorial Manager Teleri Lloyd-Jones about shared parental leave. The three discuss what's a fair division of time, who was most adventurous on parental leave and they wonder who really understands the shared parental leave system?
Episode 2 - The HR Professional
In the second episode of the Mother of All Solutions, Laura talks to HR - or rather to HR Professional Lily Anderson-Nicholls. They discuss coming back to a different job than the one you left, what you can and can't ask for, and how a job-share can work.
Episode 1 - The Side Hustle
In this first episode Laura speaks to Clara Widdison about entrepreneurialism, hiding maternity leave on a CV and starting a project on the side.
Pilot - Mother of All Solutions
The Mother of all Solutions is a new podcast bringing you stories from mums navigating their return to work. It might be about mothers but it's for all parents, carers, employees and employers.
For the pilot episode Laura and Owen remember how one had to ask the other about their organisation's maternity leave policy and they discuss what they hope to achieve from the podcast.
https://twitter.com/SolutionsMother
motherofallsolutions@gmail.com