5: On Marriage, Self-Employment & Primary Care-Giving: “Motherhood & the Mental Load”- Sarah’s Story

Follow-up interview with Sarah Macmull, who was first featured on ‘A Fine Balance - The. Blog’ in October 2020: https://a-fine-balance.com/2020/10/14/sarahs-story-motherhood-and-the-mental-load-marriage-self-employment-and-primary-care-giving/. It’s rare to hear a feminist extolling the virtues of home-keeping alongside career drive. And it’s equally unusual for the story of a mother building her career around her family to be told in of itself. Sarah’s story does both of these things, addressing the pursuit of balance for a woman whose ambitions include motherhood, home-keeping and a career. These things all result in a heavy “mental load”, which is both burdensome and the stuff of dreams for Sarah. In this podcast, we explore the concept of the “mental load” and working motherhood throughout the ages. We touch on some of the practical ways that Sarah keeps multiple plates of work and home life spinning and the approach that she and her husband take to ensure that within their partnership they both have what they need to feel balanced and fulfilled. We also talk about valuing taking time to do things that bring you joy, and we pick apart the dreaded “g-word” - #guilt- that is familiar to many of the women (less so the men) I’ve interviewed for my blog. And so much more, including a tangental discussion about arguably the most controversial mothering icon of our generation, Mummy Pig. I hope you enjoy the episode and if you do, please rate, review or subscribe – apparently it helps let others know about it too. For updates, follow @afinebalance_blog on Facebook or Instagram, or sign up at www.a-fine-balance.com to receive alerts directly to your inbox. In the meantime, happy listening!