No Parental Guidance

Joining us on the sofa today is a true force of nature. Actress, dancer, podcaster, and brilliant entrepreneur Kelsey Parker sits down with Louise and Hannah for one of her most raw, unfiltered, and deeply moving conversations yet. From navigating the devastating loss of her husband, Tom Parker (The Wanted), in 2022, to tragically losing her baby son, Phoenix, last summer, Kelsey has faced a lifetime of unimaginable heartache before even hitting her mid-thirties. Yet, she remains a absolute beacon of hope, resilience, and infectious energy. In this episode, Kelsey opens up about the bittersweet joy of being pregnant again with her partner Will, the horrific reality of being trolled online while grieving her son, and why she refuses to let toxic internet culture dictate her timeline for happiness. She also shares the beautiful, undeniable spiritual signs Tom sends the family from beyond, and the hilarious, chaotic delivery room memories that keep his spirit alive in their household every single day. ✨ IF THIS EPISODE RESONATED WITH YOU, PLEASE LIKE, COMMENT & SUBSCRIBE! It helps our community grow more than you know. ✨ 🍏 THANK YOUR HERO TEACHER & WIN A £1,000 TESCO GRANT! 🍏 We are so incredibly proud to be partnering with Tesco to support the National Thank a Teacher Day campaign! We are celebrating the phenomenal teachers and school support staff who go above and beyond for our kids every single day. HERE IS THE GOOD BIT: By taking just two minutes to send a free thank-you e-card to a teacher or staff member who has been a lifeline for your family, your school will be entered into a draw to win one of 100 £1,000 Tesco Fruit & Veg grants to help boost children's nutrition and concentration! 👉 SEND YOUR FREE E-CARD HERE: https://thankateacher.co.uk 🚨 CLOSING DATE: You must submit your thank you by 1st July, 2026 to enter your school. Do it now before you forget! RESOURCES IF NEEDED Sands (Stillbirth & Neonatal Death Charity) Sands is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby. They offer a safe, completely non-judgmental space whether the loss happened recently or many years ago. Website: sands.org.uk Tommy’s Tommy's is a major pregnancy charity that funds ground-breaking research into miscarriage, stillbirth, and premature birth, while providing expert-led emotional support. Website: tommys.org Saying Goodbye (The Mariposa Trust) Saying Goodbye provides comprehensive support and advice to anyone who has suffered the loss of a baby at any stage of pregnancy, at birth, or in infancy. Website: sayinggoodbye.org The Miscarriage Association If you are dealing with pregnancy loss in the earlier stages, this organization is dedicated to ensuring you don't have to go through it alone. Website: miscarriageassociation.org.uk 🤍 A gentle reminder: If you are in immediate distress or need urgent mental health support, please reach out to your local NHS services, call 111, or contact the Samaritans on 116 123 at any time of day or night. You do not have to carry this alone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We finally did it! Our very first LIVE recording of No Parental Guidance with a community of mums and all because of Tea and Toast! After our "Tea and Toast" reel went viral, we realised two things: 1) Hospital toast is a spiritual experience, and 2) Way too many of you were robbed of yours! We gathered a room full of amazing women to celebrate International Women's Day and Mother's Day by doing what we do best; sharing the absolute chaos of motherhood. From "severing yourself in half" to sucking snot out of a babies nose, no topic was off-limits. Warning TMI ahead. We discused pregnancy cravings from eating pounds of cheese to craving the smell of exhaust fumes. There's a public apology from Louise to her sister sat in the audience, talk of a butt-naked run through M&S, and the "behind the sofa" poo incident. We started this podcast because there is no such thing as a perfect parent. We are all just "walking fails" trying to find our village. Whether you're a "Cheddar" mum, a "Spag Bol" mum, or a "farted on a stranger on a plane" mum, you belong here. Did you get your tea and toast? What was your first post-birth meal? Tell us your most embarrassing "Parenting Fail" in the comments! :point_down: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re joined by the brilliant Lou Beckett. Writer, former teacher, mum of two and author of Lessons from a Default Parent. And yes… this is a birth story for the ages. From going 2cm to 10cm in under two hours, to meconium panic and Rob taking his trousers off in the delivery room (no one asked him to), it’s chaotic from start to finish. But this episode goes way beyond labour. We talk about what it really means to be the default parent. Not just the mental load, the constant assumption of responsibility. The invisible admin. The tabs open in your brain at all times. The resentment that builds when your partner gets to leave the house and stay the person they’ve always been, while you’re at home wondering where your identity went. Lou opens up about leaving teaching while battling ulcerative colitis, PCOS and endometriosis, becoming the default parent almost overnight, and the quiet loss of self that can come with it. We get into the baby massage argument that perfectly sums up early motherhood, the Harvard sleep stats that prove mums are running on fumes, and why sometimes you just need your partner to say the words: you’re the most tired. There’s car naps outside nursery. School gate burping competitions. Accidentally driving into your own house because you’re that exhausted. A debate about bringing back 80s parenting. And the slow, delicious art of fact-checking your husband via his own podcast. It’s funny, brutally honest and deeply relatable. If you’ve ever felt like the CEO of your family, booked a baby class you instantly regretted, or wondered how you can love your kids more than anything and still miss your old life… this one’s for you. Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@NoParentalGuidance?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/no_parental_guidance/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@noparentalguidancepod No Parental Guidance is the unfiltered, laugh-out-loud parenting podcast that cuts through impossible standards with honesty, chaos and empathy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re joined by the brilliant Jordan Banjo. Diversity icon, radio host, two-time jungle campmate and dad of three who is not afraid to overshare. From panic-laughing at a positive pregnancy test to getting a vasectomy from a man called Dr Acorn, this episode is honest, chaotic and absolutely hilarious. Jordan takes us back to becoming a dad at 24. No plan. No friends with kids. No clue. He opens up about laughing for 20 minutes when he found out his wife was pregnant, refusing to talk about it for two months, and the guilt he feels now looking back. He talks about reflux, feeling disconnected in those early months, and the pressure to instantly “bond” when actually what he felt first was responsibility… not fireworks. We get into the reality of juggling a 3am breakfast radio alarm with three young kids. The night wake-ups. The teamwork. The falling asleep at 8.15pm mid-series. The dad guilt when tour dates clash with school runs. The moment he accidentally sighed when his son tried to talk to him and immediately wanted the ground to swallow him whole. There’s also a terrifying hospital story when his youngest became septic at just a few months old. The instinct his wife had that something wasn’t right. The fear. The viral meningitis diagnosis. And the reminder that sometimes you have to be the “annoying parent” and ask every question. And yes, we talk about the vasectomy. The lockdown cancellation. The honeymoon surprise pregnancy. The airport test in Doha. The shrivel. The tape. The swelling. The Spider-Man moment. Nothing is off limits. We also hear about doing I’m A Celebrity twice, crumbling the first time, coming back stronger the second, and cutting his honeymoon short while secretly panicking about an early pregnancy scan back home. It’s funny, raw and refreshingly honest about the bits dads don’t always say out loud. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, guilty, exhausted, terrified you’re doing it wrong, or laughed inappropriately in a life-changing moment… this one’s for you. Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@NoParentalGuidance?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/no_parental_guidance/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@noparentalguidancepod No Parental Guidance is the unfiltered, laugh out loud parenting podcast that cuts through impossible standards with honesty, chaos and empathy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re joined by the brilliant Ashley James. TV presenter, DJ, author of Bimbo, mum of two and a fierce advocate for women rewriting the rules. From lockdown love stories to parenting reality checks, this episode is packed with honesty, humour and a few very relatable fails. Ashley takes us back to meeting her partner on Hinge, moving in just before the world shut down, and finding herself pregnant only months into a new relationship. She opens up about becoming a mum when she wasn’t even sure she liked kids and the resentment that crept in when her partner went back to work. We get into the double standards that follow women everywhere. The labels like nag, ball buster and frigid. The pressure to shrink yourself to be liked. The way dads get praised for changing a nappy while mums carry the mental load without applause. Ashley explains why she refuses to accept mum guilt until there’s a collective term for dad guilt. The conversation also dives into body image. From her Made in Chelsea days and chasing perfection, to battling adult acne, quitting Photoshop and the Victoria’s Secret show moment that changed everything. It’s a powerful reminder of how deeply women are conditioned to hate their bodies, and what it takes to unlearn that. Of course, there’s plenty of chaos too. Pregnancy bloating confessions. Breastfeeding myths that are not true. Postpartum sex realities. Finger puppets during lockdown when you used to be DJing festivals. School detention drama involving a pen running out and an accidental ChatGPT email fail. Playground slide mishaps. WhatsApp group disasters. Sparkly tutu outfits for nursery. The everyday madness of raising small humans. Ashley shares how she’s parenting differently, raising her children without outdated stereotypes, and learning to be calmer with milestones the second time around. It’s warm, witty and completely unfiltered. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, judged, exhausted, resentful, in love, proud and slightly feral all in the same day, this one is for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices