Just Winging It

When Clare and I discussed the idea of her coming onto the podcast I have to admit I was a little nervous. I’ve been able to relate in some way or another to all of my other guests but with Clare, I couldn’t. No one can ever prepare you for child loss so how the hell do you move on? Well Clare had no choice. Finding out she was pregnant weeks after suddenly losing her youngest daughter was a huge shock but Clare explains how she managed and still manages the grief to this day. Self employed marketer and mum to three, Clare is an inspiration to us all.

This episode was such a joy to record, I actually forgot we were recording! I've never met Cat before so it was lovely to chat to her about parenting especially as she works in the same industry. Cat's little boy is only 3 but she’s already overcome some huge challenges in her short stint at parenting. Finding out she was pregnant on the day Boris announced lockdown was one of the happiest and worst days of her life. Facing her pregnancy alone, Cat battled with perinatal depression. She shares her experiences of solo scan appointments, midwife checks and the lack of support when little Paddy arrived. *Disclaimer* In this episode we do cover topics that some listeners may find hard to listen to. https://maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/ https://pandasfoundation.org.uk/

Jennie Green is a full time marketer and mum to two young children. After chatting to her, I now see how much she resembles some sort of super hero. And to be honest, I could with her in my every day life. Find out how Jennie managed to survive early motherhood whilst struggling with gall stones. And wing parenting without a 'village' to help.

When Luke said he'd come on the podcast, I wasn't sure how we'd get everything in. Separated dad of two now young adults, and freelance Graphic Designer, Luke naturally has a lot of experience to share. And I think you'll agree, he's certainly great at story telling. During our chat, Luke shared some of his dearest and funniest moments about becoming a father, and accepting that it was actually happening, including self admittedly taking the glory for childbirth. 😂 He's the first guest to have two children, and one of each gender so I was really interested to probe him about any possible differences. I have to say, Luke and I had a right laugh, as we battled through my WIFI issues. (Sorry about that 🫣) But, I also learnt a lot from him and his perspective of being a single dad raising two children.

Cat is a mum, full time Head of English across two schools and a very good friend of mine. She works extremely hard to not only raise her own 5 year old daughter (my Goddaughter) Scarlett but also teach secondary aged children. I asked Cat if she would be willing to join me on this podcast and share her story. Struggling with multiple eating disorders when she was younger, her pregnancy wasn't an easy one. This episode was a tough one as Cat honestly opened up about how much she struggled. Not only with the effects of pregnancy on her own body but also her strive for perfection. During our chat Cat opened up about eating disorders, childbirth, pre post natal depression. As I appreciate some of it may be triggering for others I needed to link Minds list of available support guidelines. Additional Links: Support with Eating Disorders Support with Pregnancy Nomnom Kids

Danny is a bit of a local celebrity so I had to get him on the podcast. Him and his wife, are the true picture of winging parenting. Both working whilst at the same time bringing up their now 6 year old Imogen who has global development delay. During our chat I challenged Danny on mum guilt, being the only dad at toddler groups and I asked him for some guidance on raising a child with special needs. I think you'll all agree, Danny is an inspiration to every parent (and non parent) out there. You can follow Imogen and Danny on their Instagram account @chefimogen

As a single mum and business owner, Annabel really does know how to 'wing it'. Annabel was more than ready for her baby girl, but she wasn't prepared for her premature arrival. She tells us all about that experience and good old 'mum guilt' makes an appearance. Knowing Annabel, I expected some good answers, and I wasn't wrong. For the record if I ever get stuck on a dessert island, I hope it's with her.