Eat Sleep Repeat

After four years, hundreds of conversations and more than a few opinions that aged terribly, Kee and Kel are looking back at the episodes, guests and listener messages that changed them the most. In this second-last episode of Eat Sleep Repeat, they revisit the conversations that stayed with them, the advice they still use, the topics they never expected to hit so hard, and the moments that made the whole wild ride feel worth it. It’s a love letter to the shitters, the mother’s group so many of us didn’t have, and a reminder that none of us are doing this perfectly - but we’re definitely not doing it alone.   LINKS OUR FAVOURITE EPISODES:Kelly Has A GhostTravelling Europe With A Toddler Will Be Fun (Said No One)When I Have Kids I Will NEVER Do THAT!A Good Old Fashioned Whinge About ToddlersDear Pregnancy, We Have A Few ComplaintsSh*t We’re Getting Done In 2024Sh*t We’re Getting Done In 2025 (And Everything We Didn’t Last Year)Sh*t We’re Getting Done in 2026The Wedding Car Was On FireAnd all of Season 1, but you can start here..Emergency C-Section Birth Stories EPISODES THAT CHANGED OUR PERSPECTIVE:“I Ended Up In A Psych Ward” - Postpartum Mental HealthWhen You’re The Only Parent GUESTS THAT STAYED WITH US:Kristy Bryant - My Son And I Shared A WombLarissa Leone - Why All New Mothers Need MotheringKate - Wait, What Do You Mean That Toy Isn’t Safe!?Luke and Sassy Scott - How Does Surrogacy Work?Gen Muir - Gen Muir On Catching Your Toddler On The Emotional ClimbGen Muir - Gen Muir Makes Us Feel Like Much Better ParentsChelsea Williamson - My Birth, My Choice: Chelsea Williamson On Doing It Her WaySara - Fed Is Best: Breastfeeding Doesn’t Always WorkMegan - The Dark Side of Postpartum: My Time In A Psych WardAlice - When You’re The Only ParentLem Zakharia - You’re Not Entitled To Your Child’s Emotions EPISODES WE’D FORCE NEW LISTENERS TO START WITH:Gen Muir On Catching Your Toddler On The Emotional ClimbGen Muir Makes Us Feel Like Much Better ParentsFed Is Best: Breastfeeding Doesn’t Always Work“I Ended Up In A Psych Ward” - Postpartum Mental HealthI Hate My Postpartum BodyAre Sleepovers Still A Thing?What It’s Really Like Raising Multicultural Kids In AustraliaTricky Family Dynamics   HOSTS & PRODUCERSKee Reece Searles @keereeceKelly McCarren @kelly_mccarren AUDIO PRODUCTIONMadeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Eat Sleep Repeat enters its final few episodes, Kee and Kelly are looking back at where it all began - lockdown lives, new babies, no village, and the hope of becoming the kind of mother’s group they wished they’d had. But this isn’t just a farewell lap. It’s a bigger conversation about identity, friendship, failure, ageing, motherhood, and the strange realisation that you can become a completely different person… and not really miss the old one.   HOSTS & PRODUCERSKee Reece Searles @keereeceKelly McCarren @kelly_mccarren AUDIO PRODUCTIONMadeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research says almost 60% of Australian parents are experiencing psychological distress. But for Kee and Kel, the most confronting part isn’t the statistic - it’s how familiar it feels. This week, they unpack the kind of burnout that doesn’t always look like falling apart. It looks like getting everyone to school, answering emails, remembering the lunchboxes, swallowing the guilt, and wondering why you’re so snappy when you’re trying so hard.  Maybe the problem isn’t that parents aren’t coping, but that they’re being asked to carry too much.   LINKS TO EVERYTHING WE MENTIONEDABC - Calls to support struggling parents as national survey reveals increasing psychological distress8 Signs of You Have Depleted Mother Syndrome and How To CopeBeyond BlueLifeline - 13 11 14 HOSTS & PRODUCERSKee Reece Searles @keereeceKelly McCarren @kelly_mccarren AUDIO PRODUCTIONMadeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Kee and Kelly are joined by Lem Zakharia - founder of Bedou, former executive producer of It’s A Lot with Abbie Chatfield, and the creator of the podcast Twice Displaced. Lem’s family story doesn’t fit the neat little boxes we’re used to. She fell in love with her wife Christina, and slowly became a parent to Christina’s two kids -— first from the sidelines, then right in the thick of tantrums, boundaries, bedtime battles and teenage emotional landmines. In this conversation, Lem opens up about step-parenting, queer family life, earning a child’s trust, and the moment she realised being “the other parent” wasn’t something she could claim - it was something she had to build.   LINKS TO EVERYTHING WE MENTIONEDLem Zakharia's Instagram @lemzakhariaTwice Displaced - PodcastOvershare - Podcast HOSTS & PRODUCERSKee Reece Searles @keereeceKelly McCarren @kelly_mccarren AUDIO PRODUCTIONMadeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the person you chose to have a baby with didn’t have to be the person you were in love with? This week, Kee and Kelly are deep-diving platonic co-parenting - from friends having babies together, to co-parenting apps, to the families choosing to raise children outside the traditional romantic relationship model. And the more they unpack it, the more the question becomes less “is this weird?” and more “did we just make parenting harder by doing it all in a nuclear family?”   LINKS TO EVERYTHING WE MENTIONEDImpact - Mixed-Orientation Marriage Mamamia - I'm a straight woman happily married to a gay manThe New York Times: In Search of a Platonic Co-ParentElective Co-Parenting Study HOSTS & PRODUCERSKee Reece Searles @keereeceKelly McCarren @kelly_mccarren AUDIO PRODUCTIONMadeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelly was pretty sure she was one and done. Mostly. Probably. Maybe. This week, she’s feeling unexpectedly clucky, and Kee is helping her unpack the very messy middle of deciding whether your family is complete. There’s the body clock, the fear of regret, the cost of another child, the trauma of postpartum, the sibling guilt, and the strange grief that can come with closing a door you’re not sure you wanted open anyway.   LINKS TO EVERYTHING WE MENTIONEDESR - Should I Have Another Baby?The Cut - I Feel Bad I Don’t Want A Second Kid HOSTS & PRODUCERSKee Reece Searles @keereeceKelly McCarren @kelly_mccarren AUDIO PRODUCTIONMadeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Mother’s Day comment from the Minister for Women lit up every group chat in Australia: are we really being told the earlier our babies go into childcare, the better? Kee and Lize unpack the guilt, the impossible maths, the daycare scramble, and the quiet truth so many parents are living with - childcare isn’t the problem, but having no real choice is. Because “just go back to work” hits differently when the village is expensive, waitlisted, or doesn’t exist.   LINKS TO EVERYTHING WE MENTIONEDOur Kids Our Choice: Expand the CCSParents Work Collective - Give Parents One Year HOSTS & PRODUCERSKee Reece Searles @keereeceLize Ratliff @lizaratliff AUDIO PRODUCTIONMadeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mother’s Day sounds simple enough… until it isn’t. This week, Kee and Kelly get into the joy, grief, pressure and weird expectations wrapped up in one very loaded Sunday. From wanting to be celebrated, to complicated relationships with mums, to the small moments that can make the day feel beautiful, brutal, or both.   LINKS TO EVERYTHING WE MENTIONEDA History of Mother’s Day An Ode to “Other Mothers” - Kee Reece HOSTS & PRODUCERSKelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kee Reece Searles @keereece AUDIO PRODUCTIONMadeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a word for the strange, disorienting shift that happens when you become a mum and realise you’re not quite the same person anymore: matrescence. In this episode, Kee and Kelly unpack the science behind how motherhood changes the brain, and hear from the shitters about what changed for them too: bodies, friendships, work, confidence, rage, softness, identity, and the sudden inability to hear a story about a child without crying.   LINKS TO EVERYTHING WE MENTIONEDMake Matrescence MainstreamIt’s hard to describe what it feels like to become a mum, but it has a name: matrescencePregnant women's brains shed grey matter to prime them for motherhood, study suggests HOSTS & PRODUCERSKelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kee Reece Searles @keereece AUDIO PRODUCTIONMadeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, Kelly thought she was just a bit dizzy, a bit tired, a bit dramatic. Then she discovered POTS, a little-known condition that can leave you lightheaded, foggy, faint and feeling absolutely awful, especially after pregnancy. In this episode, she breaks down what POTS actually is, how she finally joined the dots, and why so many women might be brushing off symptoms they’ve been told are “normal.” Because sometimes the thing you’ve always shrugged off as “just how I am” turns out to be something else entirely.   HOSTS & PRODUCERSKelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kee Reece Searles @keereece AUDIO PRODUCTIONMadeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jess Clark has packed a lot of life into one lifetime, and this episode proves it. Now working as Mamamia’s food and travel editor, Jess takes us through the chapters that shaped her: a religious marriage in her early 20s, a full-blown identity reset, a cancer diagnosis, heartbreak, egg freezing, and a plot twist that changed everything. LINKS:​​The one question I wish people would stop asking me about my baby.Jessica Clark at Mamamia GUESTJessica Clark @jess__Clark HOSTS & PRODUCERSKelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kee Reece Searles @keereece AUDIO PRODUCTIONMadeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chelsea Williamson’s first year of motherhood didn’t look the way a lot of people expect it to. From choosing an elective C-section to deciding to formula feed from birth, Chelsea opens up about making deeply personal choices in a world that always seems to have an opinion. This is a conversation about autonomy, confidence and trusting your gut when everyone seems to have something to say.   GUESTChelsea Williamson @chelseawilliamson_ HOSTS & PRODUCERSKelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kee Reece Searles @keereece AUDIO PRODUCTIONMadeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Postpartum can change a lot, including the way you feel in your clothes. When nothing fits quite right and your style feels off, getting dressed can feel harder than it should. In this episode, stylist Nat shares her take on the postpartum wardrobe crisis, what to buy, what to skip, and how to find your way back to feeling good in what you wear.   LINKSI Hate My Postpartum BodyOversized TeesTwo-Piece Sets HOSTS & PRODUCERSKelly McCarren ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kelly_mccarren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kee Reece Searles @keereece AUDIO PRODUCTIONMadeline Joannou - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mylk Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.