The Secret Life of Mothers

Abigail Yardimci is a neurodivergent author who helps other neurodivergent people find their voice through writing.She writes novels that spark joy and connection and believes in everyone’s stories being heard and celebrated. Abi is a Geordie girl living by the sea in South Devon with her Turkish husband and two terrifying teenage boys. Herexperiences of neurodivergence in motherhood are tumultuous to say the least, especially considering they are set against a multi-cultural background as she and her Turkish, Muslim husband navigate parenthood together. Abi’s writing inspiration comes from scratching the surface of everyday life to find the underlying magicthat connects us all. The fire beneath the frustration, the creativity beneath the boredom, the stillness beneath the chaos.www.abigailyardimci.com FREE mini writing app to help with stress and overwhelm –particularly good for neurodivergent people or parents who just need space tobreathe and come back to themselves for a moment.Direct link: https://hello.abigailyardimci.com/mini-app

Lily Redwood writes poems that connect us to the mess and the magic of being human. Described as "visceral, loving and brave", her work explores the tangled landscape between birth and death.Her debut pamphlet, You Make Me Think of Swifts, is a raw navigation through the landscape of early motherhood. The book features a foreword by Lucy Jones, author of Matrescence. Lucy says: "Electrifying and radical; anoasis, a healing balm [...] a generous, consoling and powerfulcollection which swells with imagination, meaning and hope”. You Make Me Think of Swifts recently earned a place on the shelves of the National Poetry Library. Lily is currently working on her new collection, exploring the complexity of the mother-daughter bond, through an unflinching, intimate account of caring forher mother at end-of-life. She performs extensively across the South West. Originally from South East London, Lily now lives off-grid in South Wales, where she is establishing a regenerative farm with her partner and two children. Insta: @lilyredwoodpoetInsta: mothers_uncovered

Hannah Turlington is an artist, writer and creative practitionerliving and working in North Yorkshire. Her work explores her own lived experiences through her work, such as being an adoptive mother. It also creates opportunities for the viewer toshare their own narratives. She runs community based projects that focus on connecting people with their creativity alongside running skills specific workshops from a shared studio space in Malton where she is also a director of AHH CIC. www.mothersuncovered.com

Caro Giles is an author and single parent-carer. She livesin Glasgow with her four daughters. Her first book, Twelve Moons is a memoir about her wild life in Northumberland with the girls, and her new book,Unschooled, is out now. Caro also writes a monthly column for Psychologies magazine. Instagram @carogileswritesInterviewed by Maggie Gordon-Walker for Mothers Uncoveredwww.mothersuncovered.comInstagram: @mothers_uncovered @maggiegordonwalker @matrescenceuk

Maggie Gordon-Walker is delighted to speak to Becky Barnicoat, a mother to two boys, about her #matrescence, the juggle of motherhood with her creativity and much more.Becky is a cartoonist and writer for The New Yorker, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Grazia, and many more. Before becoming a full-time cartoonist, she spent 10 years working as an editor and writer at The Guardian. She is the author of the graphic memoir Cry When the Baby Cries, a darkly funny account of her first years as a parent. Instagram @beckybarnicomicsMaggie is the founder and director of Mothers Uncovered; which runs peer-led creative groups for mothers to share experiences. She is an award-winning advocate for matrescence, having written articles and spoken at events. www.mothersuncovered.comInstagram: maggiegordonwalker; mothers_uncovered

Alisha Samms described making friends as a mother to be as hard as making friends in adulthood. You introduce yourself and don't feel like you're getting much from other mums. You're just left on your own. So she founded the group The Mamahood Space, a relaxed group that meets up twice a week. The groups in Birmingham and Wolverhampton and where participants just have a chat about anything and everything. Interviewed by #MaggieGordonWalker for #SecretLifeofMothers www.mothersuncovered.com

Kelly Thistlethwaite is a trauma informed yoga and breath work instructor and nervous system educator working with pregnant women and new mothers to aid their general health and well-being. She is a #matrescence coach, combining it with her skills and passion of somatic approaches. She has a particular interest in supporting women following birth trauma and loss. The passion for this comes from her pain of experiencing pregnancy loss and a rare ectopic pregnancy. This led her to co-founding a pioneering online support platform called FLY Mama. https://www.flymama.co.uk/ Kelly believes that we can all heal following our experiences and be the women and mothers that we desire and deserve to be. Edited by Vladimir Jaksic https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimir-jaksic-37629640/

Beverley Pannell is from Sussex but was living in Aberdeen when she gave birth to her child. She tells the story of the birth that was traumatic and she felt very unprepared for and also about the baby loss that preceded it. She now lives in Horsham with her partner and two year old daughter. Beverley found her transition to motherhood very uphill, and often felt like she wasn’t thinking or feeling the ‘right’ things. Once she eventually stopped blaming herself for this she started to see the myths, misogyny and nonsense that surround motherhood and she has since founded a charity, Motherhood Uncensored, to try and shed light on these issues.