PODCAST · kids
Working Mumma
by Carina O’Brien
Working Mumma is the podcast redefining what it means to build and have a career after having children. From the emotional rollercoaster of returning to work, to navigating identity shifts, rebuilding confidence, pay, flexibility and redesigning work to match your new life, where real stories and practical strategies meet. Because motherhood doesn’t end ambition - it reshapes it.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.
Episodes
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Why Is Working Motherhood So Hard? And What Can We Actually Change?
The system needs to change. Childcare, workplaces, flexibility: we know it. Government policy and organisational cultures don't change overnight. While we wait for policy to catch up, how do we make working motherhood work for us now without accepting that the current system is good enough? In…
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Overcompensating After Work? How Working Mum Guilt Turns Into Over-Parenting, with Family Therapist Jenny Brown
Have you ever walked in the door after work and gone into overdrive? Extra cuddles, extra stories, saying yes to everything, because you feel like you need to make up for the hours you weren't there? You're not alone. And according to family therapist Jenny Brown, it might be part of what's…
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Lost Your Confidence After Becoming a Mum? How to Find It Again at Work
Have you recently said to yourself "I used to be really good at this before I had kids"? Returning to work after parental leave can bring a mix of emotions. You may have years of experience behind you, but suddenly you’re questioning yourself, worrying about how others perceive you, and…
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Returning to Work After Maternity Leave? The Emotions Nobody Prepares You For.
Are you dreading the morning you go back to work after parental leave more than you're letting yourself admit? In this episode, Carina breaks down the four emotional waves that hit when you're returning to work after maternity leave. Because going back to work isn’t one single emotion, and it...
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Returning to Work After Maternity Leave? Here's What I Wish Every Mum Knew
You're back at your desk, but half your brain is still at daycare. You said yes to the meeting, forgot to eat lunch, and you're already dreading tomorrow's drop-off. If that's your version of returning to work after maternity leave, this episode is for you. In this episode, Carina goes solo to...
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Running on Empty as a Working Mum? Why Taking a Break Might Be the Most Productive Thing You Do
Have you ever come back from a holiday feeling like you need another holiday? Or realised, only after you've stopped, just how exhausted you really were? That's exactly what happened to Carina. After a busy period of balancing her corporate role, work travel, Working Mumma, two young boys and the...
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Lost Yourself in Motherhood? How to Reclaim Who You Are Beyond Being Mum
Is it possible to absolutely love being a mum... and still feel like something is missing? For so many women, motherhood brings immense joy—but it can also bring an unexpected sense of loss. The loss of confidence, identity, ambition or simply remembering who you were before everyone needed a…
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Feeling Lost Returning to Work After Maternity Leave? How to Find Your New Rhythm
Returning to work after maternity leave is often portrayed as the final hurdle for new mothers, but what if it's actually just the beginning of a much more complex journey? In this eye-opening episode, Carina challenges the common narrative and reveals why the hardest part of motherhood may not…
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Why does "ambitious mother" feel like a contradiction? How to reclaim your ambition after kids, with Dr. Anne Welsh
Do you feel like you have to choose between being a good mum and having a meaningful career? Carina speaks with clinical psychologist and executive coach Dr. Anne Welsh, a mum of four who specialises in maternal mental health and works with women in leadership and working mothers navigating…
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Wondering If You Should Increase Your Work Days? 5 Signs It's Time
Most conversations about returning to work after maternity leave focus on the return itself: the first day back, childcare drop-off, the mental load of becoming "mum and professional" again overnight. But what about six or twelve months later, when the arrangement you came back on stops fitting…
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The Good Girl Trap: Why So Many Working Mums Are Burnt Out, Overwhelmed and Doing Too Much
Have you ever returned to work after parental leave and found yourself saying: “I should just be grateful I have my job back” even when the role doesn’t fit your life anymore? That feeling has a name. It’s good girl conditioning. And it’s one of the most quietly powerful forces shaping the lives…
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Returning to Work After Maternity Leave? How to Handle the Guilt and Separation Anxiety
Missing your baby at work? Feeling like your heart is in two places at once? You’re not alone, and more importantly, there is nothing wrong with you. In this episode, Carina talk's about one of the most common (yet rarely spoken about) parts of returning to work after maternity leave: that quiet...
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You're Not Less Ambitious. The World Around You Just Hasn't Caught Up Yet With Kat Francis
Since going back to work after maternity leave, has anyone - a manager, a colleague, a well-meaning relative - implied that you've changed? That you're not quite as driven as you used to be? Maybe your focus has shifted? Because here's the truth: you haven't changed. Not in the way they think.…
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Going Back to Work Pregnant? How to Tell Your Employer Without the Guilt or the Panic
Returning to work after parental leave is already a huge transition. But what if you're going back and you are pregnant? This week's episode comes straight from a listener DM, and it's one of the most relatable, raw, and important questions we've ever received on the show. In this episode, host...
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Why Don't I Feel Like Me Anymore? Matrescence, Identity & Returning to Work with Amanda Jackson
If you've ever returned to work after parental leave and thought, "I'm not the same person I was before I went on parental leave", you are not imagining it. And there's actually a word for what you're going through. In this episode of the Working Mumma Podcast, I sit down with Amanda Jackson,...
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Why the Mental Load Gets Bigger When Your Kids Start School (And What to Do About It)
When you're in the thick of the baby and toddler years, it can feel like that's the hardest it will ever be. But what nobody tells you is that the challenge doesn't disappear as your kids get older - it just changes shape. In this solo episode, I'm getting real about a phase of working motherhood…
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Feeling Lost Returning to Work After Maternity Leave? How to Rebuild Your Career Confidence with Natalie McDonald
What happens when you return to work after maternity leave… only to be made redundant six weeks later? In this honest and deeply relatable episode of the Working Mumma Podcast, I’m joined by Natalie McDonald, founder of Working@It, former LinkedIn editor, journalist, content strategist, and mum…
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Are You the Mum You Want to Be? A Simple Values Framework to Help Close the Gap
Have you ever felt like everything in your life looks fine on paper… but something still feels off? In this solo episode of the Working Mumma podcast, Carina explores the hidden tension so many working mums experience, the gap between the mother you are today and the mother you want to be. This...
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How to drop perfection in motherhood without dropping your standards with Lisa Taylor
Why does motherhood feel so overwhelming, even when you’re doing everything “right”? In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, I speak with Lisa Taylor, author of The Perfect Parent Trap, about the invisible pressure modern mothers are carrying and why so many working mums feel like they’re...
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Is the system set up for working mums to fail? What we can do about it (without burning out)
If you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly behind… like you’re failing at work, at home, or both…here is an episode for you. Because here’s the truth: You are not the problem. The expectations of you are. In this episode, I unpack why so many working mums feel overwhelmed, stretched, and stuck in…
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Carrying Most of the Mental Load? How to Get More Support at Home with Michael Ray
When we talk about working parents, we often focus on mums. But what if one of the biggest missing pieces in the conversation is dads? In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast, Carina speaks with fatherhood advocate Michael Ray about why working mums cannot carry the load alone, and why…
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The 90 Days Nobody Prepares You For: Returning to Work After Maternity Leave
If you're about to go back to work after maternity leave, or you're already back and wondering why it feels so much harder than expected, this episode is for you. The truth is, no one really prepares you for the emotional reality of the return. The guilt. The overwhelm. The strange feeling of…
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How to Reclaim Your Career Identity & Confidence After Maternity Leave with Rebecca Houghton
You came back from parental leave a different person - more resilient, more decisive, less tolerant of nonsense, and more capable. The question isn't whether you can do your role. It's whether you will give yourself permission to show up as the upgraded version of yourself. This week on the…
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Made Redundant on Maternity Leave: Rebuilding Career, Confidence & Direction with Karis Dorrigan
What happens when the job you thought you were returning to after parental leave no longer exists? In this episode, I speak with executive leader and solo mum Karis Dorrigan, who shares her experience of being made redundant while on maternity leave during COVID, and how that moment became a...
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Back at Work After Maternity Leave? How to Avoid the “Prove Yourself” Trap with Rachel Debeck
Returning to work after maternity leave can come with an unspoken pressure many women don’t realise they’re carrying - the need to prove that nothing has changed. In this episode of the Working Mumma Podcast, Carina sits down with Rachel Debeck, former lawyer, tech CEO, and mum of three, to…
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What Working Mums Need to Know About Sharing Their Kids Online - with Zsofi Paterson
Have you ever posted your child’s name, birth date or kinder photo online? Most of us have. And we did it with love. But in 2026, the digital landscape has changed. In this episode of the Working Mumma podcast Carina speaks with Zsofi Paterson, CEO of Tinybeans, about the growing conversation...
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Reflect: My Job No Longer Fit Me: Navigating Career Shifts After Motherhood”
Returning to work after having a baby isn’t just about logistics, childcare, or flexible hours , a big part of it is about identity. In this Reflect Summer Series episode, Carina revisits a powerful conversation with Laura Stewart, who shares her deeply honest experience of the identity shift…
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Reflect: Tips to help you manage the mental load with Leah Ruppanner
The mental load is exhausting, and a big issue for many working mothers. In this Reflect summer series special episode, I speak with Professor Leah Ruppaner. We delve into the complexities of the mental load for working mums, and explore strategies to help you manage it that works for you. Leah...
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How to Ask for Flexibility at Work - And Actually Get It - with Dr. Ellen Ford
You’ve proven you can do your job — and do it well — while working flexibly. But now that your employer wants more office time, how do you ask for what you need without feeling guilty or being seen as “less committed”? In this episode Carina O’Brien speaks with Dr. Ellen Ford, leadership expert…
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How to Co-Parent After Separation Navigating Divorce, Work, and Motherhood with Dignity
When a relationship ends, it’s not just the romantic partnership that dissolves - it’s the version of the life you imagined. For working mums, that loss can feel even heavier. You’re juggling career responsibilities, managing the daily needs of your children, and trying to make sense of an…
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Stuck “Should‑ing” Yourself? How to Stop the Guilt Spiral as a Working Mum
Are you caught in a constant loop of “I should be doing more”? In this reflective episode, Carina unpacks why the word "should" has become the secret source of guilt for working mums and how to replace it with kinder, more empowering language. Carina explores how should sneaks into our day…
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Going through IVF whilst leading at work: What No One Prepares You For with Marianne Marchesi
What happens when you’re managing a busy job or running a business and quietly going through IVF at the same time? In this powerful episode, Carina sits down with Marianne Marchesi, founder and Managing Director of Legalite, to talk about the emotional and practical realities of balancing…
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The "Good Girl" Conditioning That's Burning Working Mums Out and How to Break It with Dr. Michelle McQuaid
Have you ever caught yourself saying “I’ll just do it,” or “I don’t want to upset anyone,” or you’re simply tired of trying to do it all perfectly? This episode is your permission slip to stop being the good girl, and start being YOU. Dr Michelle McQuaid joins Carina to unpack Good Girl...
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Feeling Tired, Overloaded and Burnt out? How you can restore your energy with Dr. Kaitlin Harkess
Are you tired of feeling tired? You get through your workday, juggle drop-offs, dinner, and the endless to-do list - yet your mind never switches off. You’re not broken, lazy, or failing. You’re just overloaded. In this powerful conversation, clinical psychologist Dr. Kaitlin Harkess explains...
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THROWBACK: "Helping Your Kids Thrive Through Transitions (and How It Helps You Too) with Gen Muir
Transitions are part of every parenting journey, but they can often feel overwhelming—for both parents and kids! In this episode, I sit down with parenting expert Gen Muir to discuss navigating these pivotal moments with confidence and connection for both your child and you. From starting daycare...
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Who Are You Now? Reclaiming Your Identity After Maternity Leave
Returning to work after maternity leave can feel like stepping into a whole new world - one where your values, identity, and confidence may feel completely different from before you left. You may look the same on the outside, but on the inside, you feel like a new person. I chat with Sarah…
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Why Are There No Senior Part‑Time Roles? What Needs to Change (and What You Can Ask For)
Why are there no senior part-time roles? What started as a reel with recent guest Emma McLean exploded online with hundreds of comments from working parents sharing frustrations, missed opportunities, and moments of hope about part time roles. What really struck me was how much emotion and...
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Back to Work After Parental Leave? What No One Tells You (and How to Navigate It)
Returning to work after maternity leave isn’t just a date on the calendar, it’s a transition that unfolds over many months. In this episode of the Working Mumma Podcast, I share my tips and experiences of navigating the messy, emotional, and transformative season of going back to work after...
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Juggling Kids, Work and Caring for Parents? How to Cope Without Burning Out with Casey Beros
What happens when you’re caring for small children and aging parents at the same time? This is the reality for millions of women, now called the “sandwich generation.” In this heartfelt episode of the Working Mumma podcast, Carina O’Brien speaks with author, health journalist, and carer Casey…
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Feeling Held Back After Motherhood? How the Motherhood Penalty Impacts Your Career (and What to Do)
Motherhood changes everything - our identity, our priorities, our bodies, and our careers. But for too many women, it also brings a cost they never signed up for: the motherhood penalty. In this powerful episode, I sit down with Emma McLean, executive coach, speaker, and founder of Works for...
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Struggling to Return to Work? How Childcare Proximity Can Make It Easier with Lauren from BubbaDesk
Returning to work after having a baby can be one of the most emotional and challenging transitions in a parent’s life. Then finding the right care can be a daunting task. In this week's episode I chat with Lauren Parrot, the founder of BubbaDesk and mum of two, about her personal journey from...
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Overwhelmed by the Mental Load? How to Share It and Let Go of Mum Guilt with Leah Ruppanner
Are you feeling exhausted or burnt out from the mental load? In this episode, I speak with Professor Leah Ruppanner – sociologist, gender equity advocate, and founder of the Future of Work Lab at the University of Melbourne. Leah unpacks the mental load in a way you’ve never heard before - why…
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Ready to Chase a New Dream After Motherhood? How to Start with Donna Urquhart
Have you ever felt like becoming a mum meant putting your dreams on hold? You’re not alone. But what if motherhood is instead the start of something even greater? In this deeply inspiring episode, we meet Donna Urquhart, a clinical researcher, mum, and now Guinness World Record holder for running...
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THROWBACK: How to navigate unrealistic expectations of working mums with Renee Barnes
I speak with Renee Barnes, founder of the People Paradox, and fellow working mum about Superwoman Syndrome and why it is time to let go of the notion. Renee shares invaluable insights into the challenges and growth opportunities mothers face during this transformative journey and unrealistic...
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Returning to work: How to Talk to Your Manager and Advocate for What You Need
Returning to work after maternity leave isn’t just about showing up on day one. The transition starts with you going through a reflective process on your new identity, and what your terms are you want to return back to the paid workforce are. Then comes one of the most important (and often...
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Trying to Do It Alone? Why Every Working Mum Needs a Village and How to Build One
There’s a phrase we’ve all heard before: “It takes a village to raise a child.” But here’s something we don’t say enough, it also takes a village to raise a working mum. The “village” that used to exist, grandparents nearby, friendly neighbours, extended family, looks different for many of us. In...
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“Who Am I Now?" The Identity Shift No One Prepares You For With Motherhood
"Who am I now" is a question many mums have asked themselves, especially when they are navigating the transition back to work. I chat with Laura Stewart, mum, former executive leader, and founder of a social enterprise, to unpack her experiences of identity shift (matrescence) and navigating her...
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Money, Motherhood & Mindset: How to Rewrite Your Financial Story
Why do so many women feel uncomfortable talking about money, and how can we change it? Where does this come from? How can we change this mindset? Carina speaks with behavioral money coach and founder of Women with Cents, Natasha Janssens. From escaping war-torn Yugoslavia to becoming an…
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Navigating the Mum Juggle in the Country: How Lisa Balances Work, Kids & Farm Life
You think the school drop-off is tough in the city? Try doing it with two kids, 170 acres of farmland, no running water from mains, and a 90-minute commute to work. I chat with Lisa Judson, a working mum of two living in regional Western Australia. Lisa shares what life is really like juggling...
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Is Working Worth It After Childcare Costs? How to Weigh Your Career and Finances
Is childcare worth the cost when most of your paycheck goes straight to daycare fees? In this powerful episode, financial advisor and mum of two, Deline Jacovides, opens up about how much she and her husband have spent on childcare over seven years, and why, despite the eye-watering figure, she’d...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Working Mumma is the podcast redefining what it means to build and have a career after having children. From the emotional rollercoaster of returning to work, to navigating identity shifts, rebuilding confidence, pay, flexibility and redesigning work to match your new life, where real stories and practical strategies meet. Because motherhood doesn’t end ambition - it reshapes it.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.
HOSTED BY
Carina O’Brien
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Working Mumma have?
Working Mumma currently has 203 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Working Mumma about?
Working Mumma is the podcast redefining what it means to build and have a career after having children. From the emotional rollercoaster of returning to work, to navigating identity shifts, rebuilding confidence, pay, flexibility and redesigning work to match your new life, where real stories and...
How often does Working Mumma release new episodes?
Working Mumma publishes regularly with 203 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Working Mumma?
You can listen to Working Mumma on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Working Mumma?
Working Mumma is created and hosted by Carina O’Brien.
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