The Motherkind Podcast

After 10 years of motherhood, I’m really glad I did some things in those first few weeks, and plenty I’d do completely differently.Nothing can quite prepare you for becoming a mother. Those early weeks can be full of love and joy while also feeling exhausting, overwhelming and completely identity-shifting. I certainly wasn’t prepared for the emotional whiplash of holding all of those feelings at once.In this special episode, created in partnership with Tesco Fred & Flo, I’m looking back at my first experience of new motherhood and sharing what I got right, what I learnt the hard way and what I wish I’d known before having a baby.We talk about setting boundaries with visitors (including my one rule that I still think was genius!), why new mothers need care rather than being expected to host, and the huge identity shift of matrescence that I knew absolutely nothing about when I had my first daughter.I also share how the mental load began creeping into my relationship almost without us noticing, and the practical change my husband, Guy, and I made to create a more equal division of parenting and household responsibilities. Plus, I share the newborn essentials I genuinely found useful, what I spent time and money on that I probably wouldn't again, and some very practical tips for making those sleep-deprived early weeks a little easier.Because when you're adjusting to life with a new baby, recovering from birth and trying to work out who you are now, the last thing you need is more pressure.💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:What I wish I’d known about new motherhood and matrescenceHow to set boundaries with visitors after having a babyHow to stop the mental load becoming yours by defaultThe newborn essentials I actually used, and what I wouldn't bother withWhy asking for and accepting help matters so much postpartumWatch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. This episode is created in partnership with Tesco Fred & Flo, whose newly refreshed range of everyday baby essentials is designed to make those early days a little easier. You can discover the range in Tesco stores and online, and Tesco Clubcard members can currently get 4 for 3 across the range.Exclusions apply. Clubcard event ends 7th September 2026. Clubcard or app required. Delivery charges may apply.  Connect with Zoe:Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTokGet Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’

During August, the Motherkind team and I try to practise what we preach by slowing down, taking some time off and making the juggle just a little easier over the summer holidays.So, throughout the month, we're bringing you some of our most listened-to episodes of the year so far.What if becoming a mother didn't make you less ambitious, less capable or less valuable at work,  but actually gave you skills that could make you better at your job?This week, we're revisiting one of our most listened-to Motherkind episodes of the year, and it's a conversation I think every working mother needs to hear.I'm joined by Vanessa Kingori, who became the first woman in British Vogue's history to become Publishing Director and found herself navigating pregnancy and new motherhood while leading one of the most powerful media brands in the world.Vanessa shares the extraordinary pressure she felt when she became pregnant in such a senior position, including being told that her pregnancy was exactly why businesses were reluctant to put women into these roles. Rather than hiding it, Vanessa did the opposite: she became deliberately visible and set out to make things easier for the women who would come after her.We talk about why working mothers so often feel they're failing at both work and home, even when they're actually performing brilliantly. Vanessa explains why motherhood can make women better at time management, decision-making, prioritisation and leadership — and why businesses that underestimate mothers are missing some of their greatest talent.We also get practical about the juggle: asking for help, having honest conversations with your partner about the division of labour, building your village and surrounding yourself with people who support the life you're trying to create.And Vanessa shares a powerful reminder for any mother questioning her career, ambition or identity: you don't have to choose one version of yourself. You can be ambitious and deeply present. A leader and a mother. Career-driven and family-focused. As Vanessa puts it, she's a better mother because she works — and a better business leader because she's a mother.This is a conversation about working motherhood, career confidence, ambition, mum guilt and redefining what success looks like after children.💡 What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeWhy motherhood can make you better at your jobHow to navigate career ambition after having childrenWhy working mothers often feel they're failing when they're notHow to ask for help and create a more equal division of labourHow to build a career and motherhood around what matters to youWatch this episode on YouTube and subscribe. Loved this episode?Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Zoe’s solo - The Problem Isn’t You, It’s Career Advice that Ignores MotherhoodFeeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat SheetConnect with Zoe:Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTokGet Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

During August, the Motherkind team and I try to practise what we preach by slowing down, taking some time off and making the juggle just a little easier over the summer holidays.So, throughout the month, we're bringing you some of our most listened-to episodes of the year so far.Pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding can be some of the most physically demanding experiences a woman's body will ever go through. So why are mothers expected to simply carry on afterwards?This week, Zoe is joined by nutrition scientist and bestselling author Dr Federica Amati for an eye-opening conversation about what a mother's body actually needs through pregnancy, postpartum recovery and the first years of motherhood.Federica explains why the first 1,000 days aren't only important for our babies — they're a crucial window for maternal health too. Pregnancy draws heavily on our nutrient stores, birth has an enormous physiological impact on the body, and breastfeeding can require significantly more energy than pregnancy itself. Yet this is often the exact moment mothers have the least time, energy and support to properly nourish themselves.Together, Zoe and Federica explore what to eat before and during pregnancy, the truth about pregnancy cravings and morning sickness, and why fertility shouldn't be treated as solely a woman's responsibility.But it's their conversation about postpartum depletion and recovery that every mother needs to hear. Federica shares practical advice for nourishing yourself after birth, why asking for and accepting help matters, and why we desperately need to move away from the expectation that women should simply "bounce back".They also discuss pregnancy spacing, breastfeeding, maternal burnout, the mental load and what happens when postpartum recovery begins to overlap with perimenopause.Above all, this is a reminder that your body isn't supposed to return to the woman you were before children. Motherhood changes us — physically, hormonally and emotionally — and perhaps the goal isn't to fight that change, but to learn how to support the body we're in now.💡 What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeWhat to eat before, during and after pregnancyWhy mothers can become so depleted after birthHow to nourish your body during postpartum and breastfeedingThe recommended recovery time between pregnanciesWhy we need to stop expecting mothers to "bounce back"Watch this episode on YouTube and subscribe. Loved this episode?Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Zoe’s conversation with Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat SheetConnect with Zoe:Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTokGet Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

Have you ever felt like maternity "leave" was the wrong word for what you were actually doing?In this powerful Moment, broadcaster and author Emma Barnett shares the phrase that changed how she — and so many mothers listening — understood motherhood: maternity service.Emma explains how the reframe came to her during an intense week of solo parenting, and why swapping just one word completely shifted her relationship to those early, relentless months. Together, Zoe and Emma dig into the "death and rebirth" of matrescence, the strange creative clarity that can show up in the fog of new motherhood, and why so few honest portraits of this stage of life exist. If you've ever felt blindsided by who you became after having a baby, this conversation will leave you feeling far less alone — and hand you some new language for what you lived through.💡 What You'll Learn in This MomentWhy "maternity service" fits better than "maternity leave"How the reframe came to Emma mid-heatwaveThe unexpected creative clarity of new motherhoodThe "death and rebirth" of matrescenceWhy honest portraits of new motherhood are so rareWatch this episode on YouTube and subscribe. Loved this episode?Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.If you liked this moment, listen to the full episode: Maternity Service, Not Leave: A New Perspective with Emma BarnettFeeling like you’re carrying it all? Download your FREE Mental Load Cheat Sheet and learn how to start feeling lighter, even if nothing in your life changes.Connect with Zoe:Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTokGet Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.Jurassic Oceans Exhibition at The Natural History Museum. Kids go half price.

If the summer holidays have left you feeling overstimulated, overwhelmed and like you haven't had five minutes to yourself, this Moment is for you.When the children are around more, routines disappear and the noise, demands and mental load feel relentless, it's incredibly easy for our nervous systems to tip into stress mode. You might find yourself snapping over something tiny, wanting to escape to another room, giving in because you can't handle one more request—or simply shutting down completely.In this Moment, Zoe explains what's actually happening in your nervous system when motherhood feels too much, and why these reactions aren't something to feel ashamed of. She shares simple techniques you can use in just a few minutes to move out of fight, flight, freeze or fawn, widen your window of tolerance and release some of the stress you've been carrying.You'll also discover why completing the stress cycle can be so important for preventing burnout, and how changing the way you speak to yourself can help you feel calmer and more regulated when family life gets intense.💡 What You’ll Learn in This MomentHow to recognise your own stress responseA simple breathing technique to calm your nervous systemHow to complete the stress cycle and release built-up tensionWhy your inner critic makes overwhelm feel even harderHow five minutes a day can help you feel calmer and more regulatedIf this Moment resonates, you can listen to the full episode here: Can 5 minutes a day really change your motherhood?And if you want to put these ideas into practice, Zoe teaches them step-by-step inside Five Minute Motherkind—21 days of simple five-minute practices designed to help you feel calmer, happier and more like yourself again. Get the first 3 episodes of the 21-Day Motherkind Reset - completely free. Watch this episode on YouTube and subscribe. Loved this episode?Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.Connect with Zoe:Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTokGet Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

Have you ever looked around at your life and wondered why it feels so hard just to keep up?In this powerful Moment, Dr Giselle Goodwin shares the personal turning point that changed the course of her life—and the research that followed.After reaching a breaking point on her 35th birthday while juggling two young children and two businesses, Giselle became convinced she simply wasn't coping. But years later, after completing a PhD in women, work and wellbeing, she discovered something that completely changed her perspective:It wasn't her that was failing. It was the impossible expectations placed on modern mothers.Together, Zoe and Giselle explore why so many women feel overwhelmed, burnt out and like they're constantly falling short, despite doing more than ever before. If you've ever wondered why motherhood feels so much harder than you expected, this conversation will leave you feeling seen, understood and far less alone.💡 What You’ll Learn in This MomentWhy so many mothers feel like they're failingThe three jobs modern women are expected to doThe hidden pressures driving burnout and mum guiltWhy motherhood isn't the problem—our expectations areThe one message every overwhelmed mother needs to hearWatch this episode on YouTube and subscribe. Loved this episode?Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.If you enjoyed this Moment, listen to the full episode: Women's happiness has been declining since the 1970s - this is why and what we need to do about it, with Giselle GoodwinFeeling like you’re carrying it all? Download your FREE Mental Load Cheat Sheet and learn how to start feeling lighter, even if nothing in your life changes.Connect with Zoe:Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTokGet Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.Jurassic Oceans Exhibition at The Natural History Museum. Kids go half price.

Do you ever sit down to rest... only to feel like you should be doing something else?In this Moment, Zoe is joined by psychologist and author Dr Nicola Jane Hobbs to explore why so many mothers struggle to slow down. The answer isn't that you're lazy, bad at resting or doing motherhood wrong. It's that your nervous system has learnt that being busy feels safe.Together they explore why matrescence can feel like such a shock to our system, how years of rushing make stillness feel unfamiliar, and why learning to weave tiny moments of slowness into your day can help your nervous system feel calmer, safer and more regulated.Nicola also shares a beautiful redefinition of rest: it's not just lying down or getting more sleep. Rest is anything that helps your nervous system switch off its stress response.If you've ever struggled with mum guilt or burnout, or found it impossible to truly relax, this conversation will completely change the way you think about rest.💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:Why your nervous system can experience slowing down as a threatWhy rest feels so uncomfortable after becoming a mumTiny ways to teach your nervous system that slowness is safeA new definition of rest that actually feels achievable in motherhoodWhy resting benefits both you and your childrenWatch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. Loved this episode?Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.If you enjoyed this moment, you can listen to the full episode here:  If you want to become an instantly relaxed mother, listen to this.Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat SheetConnect with Zoe:Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTokGet Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.Jurassic Oceans Exhibition at The Natural History Museum. Kids go half price.

On paper, Maria Hatzistefanis had everything she had worked for. A hugely successful business, a loving family and a life many people would envy. But behind the success, she was burnt out, running on empty and wondering why she didn't feel happier.In this powerful Moment, Maria shares the turning point that made her realise something had to change. She opens up about the reality of juggling work and family life, the pressure of always being the organiser, and why joy isn't something that simply arrives when we achieve enough - it's something we have to intentionally create space for.Maria shares the routines, boundaries and practices that helped her move from surviving to feeling more present, connected and in control. From scheduling "me time" with the same importance as a work meeting to discovering meditation, breathwork and moments of stillness, this conversation is a reminder that our wellbeing deserves a place in the diary too.If you've ever felt exhausted despite having a life that looks good from the outside, or wondered why success doesn't automatically lead to happiness, this episode is for you.💡 In this Moment, you'll learn:Why success doesn't always lead to fulfilmentThe hidden signs of burnout many mothers ignoreHow to create more joy and presence in everyday lifeWhy scheduling time for yourself is essential, not selfishHow breathwork, meditation and spirituality can help restore your energyPractical ways to feel more in control when life feels overwhelmingLoved this episode?Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.If you enjoyed this episode, you can listen to the full episode: The Rodial Founder on Burnout, Discipline and Why Hustle Culture Fails MothersFeeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat SheetConnect with Zoe:Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTokGet Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.