Miracle Working Mums

E11 featuring Lauren Hoare and Maddie Knowles: Egg-freezing for thirty-somethings

Not everyone is ready to have a baby when their bodies are in peak-fertility mode. Increasingly women are deciding to have their eggs-frozen, to buy themselves time to be ready to have a family, as female bodies' fertility diminishes at a younger age than male bodies. But this is a costly process, not just financially, although it does cost in the region of £10k for the collection and storage, but emotionally and physically too.
Today I talk to Lauren Hoare and Maddie Knowles about their thought process they are going through as thirty-something women, not currently ready to start a family, but who do not want that option to be closed off to them.
Business really need to catch up, and so do private medical and other insurance products, around helping women to preserve their fertility.
Listen to the end when Lauren and Maddie share some practical, insightful ideas about how outcomes for women who are not ready to have children can be improved by organisations and society overall.
For more information there are resources recommended by Lauren and Maddie:
https://www.hfea.gov.uk/treatments/fertility-preservation/egg-freezing/
Vicky Pattison's story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-65835541
 

E10 featuring Catherine Williamson: Feeling grateful rather than worthy to return to work post-Mat leave

This week I talk to Catherine Williamson about how people make all the difference when it comes to positive and challenging work situations. Catherine has always been driven by the desire to be financially self-sufficient. She has always wanted to provide for herself, motivated by seeing women with limited financial literacy and perceiving them to be economically vulnerable and not wanting that for herself. Catherine's experience of returning to work after maternity leave were not positive ones, although with her inherent growth mindset and optimistic attitude she made the best out of the situations. This episode has so much in it it is difficult to summarise, and it is a long one at 48 mins but it is soooo good. Make sure you listen all the way to the end because that's where the best bits are! And after we finished recording Catherine just dropped into conversation that her second child was born on the side of the road as she was walking to the hospital - I am so gutted I didn't get that gold down on the tape. This is just one more example of how remarkable Catherine is; a true miracle working mum!

E9 featuring Susan Andrew: Getting a promotion while on maternity leave

Today I speak to Susan Andrew, an Australian lawyer working in a senior operations role within the Lloyd's insurance market. Susan was successful in being promoted into a more senior role in the days before her maternity leave started. Susan is candid about how she made the difficult decision to stop trying for a baby in order to pursue a new role at a new organisation. Susan works hard and her kids are her motivation to be better at work, if she has to be away for them it has to be worthwhile! We also talk about IVF, recruitment, and having to cope with other people's emotions. 

E8 featuring Debbie Danon: Rebel leadership at home and work and redefining fatherhood

This week I speak to Debbie Danon, leadership coach, facilitator and the founder of Rebel Leadership. Debbie is also building a women’s community called COVN Collective, online and in person. Debbie talks about how her early life experience in the theater and as a youth leader has shaped her vocation and purpose in life.  She shares her experience being bisexual, of baby loss, and of the termination of pregnancy due to medical reasons. Debbie talks about the need to redefine fatherhood and to create a positive role model of masculinity that is inclusive of care-giving.
And she even paused the washing machine to talk to me IFKYK.
Debbie has some resources launching later in September, a toolkit called Wellbeing Reclaimed, check out her website for more info:
https://www.debbiedanon.com/rebel-leadership
Or join the Rebel Leadership mailing list here: https://debbiedanon.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=7b9671e8ed52f2aeef8936e12&id=3cf87f9e50

E7 featuring Randi Tangney: Maternal Healthcare in the US and Capitalising the Cost of Parental Leave

This week I am talking to Randi Tangney, an Employment attorney in the USA. Randi talks about becoming a mum and role model to three incredible girls whilst also trying to resolve the physical and mental demands of breastfeeding, no sleep, pumping and fitting a baby into a trial schedule. Randi also shares the additional barriers women in the US face to having a family and a career when she describes how her healthcare cover was tied to her job, and so leaving her job to care for her child was never an option, especially not when her unborn child was diagnosed with Myelomeningocele, a severe form of spina bifida requiring in-utero surgery.  We also wonder whether one way to improve outcomes for working mums is to record the cost of parental leave as an investment in the company's balance sheet rather than as a cost to the P&L, and Randi recommends we all read The Fifth Trimester by Lauren Smith Brody.

E6 featuring Elina Demurger-Jones: Mental Health and the challenge of making different decisions to your peers

This week I am talking to Elina Demurger-Jones about the career “one-night stands” she was able to try out with the security of her partner’s financial support to enable her to flirt with different jobs, including working around nursery hours, before finding her one true vocation in life. Elina shares her child-like rage when her husband decides to follow her into the same career. Despite their career alignment, Elina’s role favours the employed structure with the security of sick-pay, pension contributions and holiday pay, whereas her husband is self-employed: higher-risk and higher-reward. We talk trauma, mental health, and NHS access to counselling services, and we wonder, is the biggest barrier for women the mindset around childcare and the challenge of making different decisions to your peers? If Elina sounds like someone you could talk to about any emotional, relationship, grief or addiction struggles you may be facing now, she does have some private practice availability, and so does her husband; their practice is https://www.onyoursidetherapy.com/
 

E5 featuring Rachel: What It Feels Like For a Girl (who is self-employed and having a baby)

This week on Miracle Working Mums I get to speak to Rachel, a fashion-industry creative with no static definition of herself. She tells me about the glamour of the industry, hanging out with celebs and living the fashion-dream with no thoughts or visibility of women in the industry having kids. We talk role-models, ladette culture, and being a girl, and I get to quote my favourite Madonna song (the clue is in the title)! Rachel embraced motherhood when she was successfully running her own business and had to face the challenges of financial insecurity, choosing to stop, losing clients, owning her own decisions, and finding out that sometimes women are women’s worst enemies. But most importantly Rachel talks about shared parental leave being the key to improving outcomes for women and the importance of listening.
I also need to issue a correction, "What It Feels Like for a Girl" is on the Music album (not Something to Remember); an unforgivable error but please do forgive me nonetheless. 
Some resources that listeners might find helpful after today’s episode:
https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/pregnancy-rights-when-youre-self-employed/
https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/boosting-paternity-leave-has-economic-benefits/

E4 featuring Michelle Junaid: Hiding in the loo to get things done

This week I have been talking to Michelle Junaid who always knew she wanted a big family and a career with longevity, but never thought about how those things would impact each other. Michelle had her first child whilst working for a company with no maternity benefits above statutory minimum and she helped the company enhance this knowing that it was already too late for her to benefit from that policy herself. Michelle talks about how she and her husband play to their strengths and split parenting equitably so they both pursue their interests and objectives. Michelle is also writing a book called "When I grow up I want to be..." which will be a brilliant resource for parents to share with their kids to talk about their futures, although she has had to hide in the bathroom to get some peace and quiet to write. She is one amazing lady with her head screwed on and is a real inspiration so please listen in!! 
 
You can find out more about Michelle's book on instagram @storytimebyjj and linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-junaid-assoc-cipd-816625aa/
 

E2 featuring Helen Eber: Talking assisted fertility, home help, keeping in touch and authentic leadership!

In this episode of Miracle Working Mums Podcast I am talking to Helen Eber, a senior HR Professional with one son, who is based in Singapore. We discuss some of the differences in motherhood in Singapore and the UK, the amazingness that is a confinement nurse, and the benefits of home help and affordable childcare. Helen also shares her story of assisted fertility, the inconvenience of multiple medical appointments and the fortune of being able to control your own diary, as well as the challenge of trying to be an authentic leader and brining your whole self to work when you’re dating on Tinder.

E1 Suffering in silence: talking baby loss with another Hannah

Trigger warning: baby loss
Today I am talking to another Hannah, who wanted to share her story about multiple miscarriages, but didn't want to be fully identified. Hannah has a senior operations role in the financial services industry. Too often women are going through one of life's greatest tragedies without being able to talk about it at work as they fear how their colleagues and managers will respond and what impact it might have on their prospects in the organisation, even when this impact is well-meaning.
If you have been affected by today's topic and would like more information and support, Hannah recommended these links:
https://www.tommys.org/baby-loss-support/miscarriage-information-and-support
https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/