The New School Of Motherhood Podcast

Many of us want a business that can hold our ambition and our motherhood. And yet we keep building as if those two parts of us have to stay separate.In this episode, I talk about what a mother-centric business actually is. Not a smaller business. Not a child-centric one. A way of building where who we are as mothers sits at the centre of our decisions.I share what happened when I didn’t build this way. In my agency years, and in the early days of this platform. The health cost. The holiday I couldn’t enjoy. The friction of jumping between work and my kids. And what changed when I started using motherhood as the anchor, instead of treating it as a conflict.We talk about:what mother-centric actually means, and what it doesn’twhy separating work and motherhood always bleeds outhow everyday desires, like being done by school pickup, become real boundarieswhy hustle advice often fails motherswhy we minimise what we’re buildingand what happens when we stopIf you’re navigating this too, you’re invited into my private community, Building a Mother-Centric Business, on Substack. Each week I share what I’m actually working on, the decisions I’m making, and the realities of building The New School of Motherhood in real time, as a mother.Join here: https://thenewschoolofmotherhood.substack.com/subscribeAbout your host:Mandy Cai is the founder of The New School of Motherhood. She helps women build mother-centric businesses, and expands what’s possible for mothers who want to prioritise nurture.She spent a decade in branding and marketing. Now she brings that work together with what she’s learned in her own transformation as a mother.Join the communitySubscribe to her newsletterWork with her

What if your child doesn't need fixing, only understanding?As parents, it's easy to find ourselves asking, "How do I get my child to behave?" But what if the better question is, "What is my child trying to show me?"In part 2 of my conversation with Human Design Variables teacher Vaness Henry, we explore how children naturally process food, emotions, environments, and experiences differently—and what changes when we stop expecting one approach to work for every child.What begins as a conversation about Human Design quickly becomes something much deeper. We explore what it means to listen to our children without trying to change them, how our children's behaviours often reveal where we are disconnected from ourselves, and why the way we care for our own nervous system shapes the way we parent.If you've ever wondered whether your child is "too sensitive," "too stubborn," or simply hard to understand, this episode offers a different perspective. Not one that asks you to fix their behaviour, but one that helps you understand what might be underneath it.Key Insights:Why there is no one-size-fits-all approach to parentingHow Human Design Variables can help you understand your child's natural needsThe difference between correcting behaviour and responding to what's actually happening beneath itWhat our children's emotions can reveal about our own patternsWhy caring for yourself isn't separate from caring for your childMy hope is that you'll leave this conversation feeling less pressure to get parenting "right," and more confidence in your ability to understand yourself, understand your child, and trust what you're already noticing.If this episode moved you, begin here. ⁠⁠⁠The Mother They Remember⁠⁠⁠ is a guided reflection for women who are ready to meet the mother they are becoming, not just survive the one they've been handed.⁠⁠⁠About our guest:Vaness Henry is a journalist, shamanic practitioner, and Human Design Variables guide who helps people listen to their bodies and understand the patterns shaping their health and lives. A cancer survivor, her work is rooted in lived experience and a grounded, intuitive approach to healing and transformation.YoutubeVanesshenry.comthehumandesignvariables.comAbout your host:⁠⁠Mandy Cai⁠⁠⁠ is the founder of The New School of Motherhood, a philosophy platform built on a single conviction: motherhood isn't where you lose yourself. It's where you find the truest, most powerful version of her.⁠⁠⁠Begin the guided reflection⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to her newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Rednote / 小红书⁠