Miracle Working Mums – Details, episodes & analysis

In this first anniversary episode of the Miracle Working Mums podcast I reflect on the 31 episodes I have presented so far and highlight some of the key themes and lessons learned. These themes include the resilience of working mums, the importance of support and understanding in the workplace, overcoming organisational and societal barriers, the need for representation and leadership, creating supportive networks and communities, and redefining fatherhood. 

I am going to take a little break from recording while I reflect and think about what season two will sound like. If you have any ideas or would like to share your story, please email me: miracleworkingmums@gmail.com and you can still find me on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening along, I have LOVED sharing these stories, to my guests thank you again for trusting me with your stories and I look forward to bringing more stories to you soon.

• Working mums are resilient and capable of balancing their personal and professional lives.
• Support and understanding in the workplace are crucial for working mums to thrive.
• Organizations and society need to reduce barriers and create more equitable policies for women.
• Representation and leadership are important for diverse perspectives and better outcomes.
• Creating supportive networks and communities can provide a sense of belonging and help navigate challenges.
• Fathers play a vital role in supporting working mothers and promoting gender equality.
• Redefining parenthood to include fathers is essential for societal change.
• Both parents should feel empowered to take on parenting responsibilities.
• Engagement with the podcast can help reach more women and make them feel less alone.

Emily Dent, a partner in the innovation and transformation consultancy &Us, shares her journey of balancing career and family. She emphasizes the importance of building a supportive community and acknowledges the challenges faced by women in male-dominated industries. Emily discusses the pressure to have it all and the need to redefine societal expectations. She also highlights the physical and hormonal toll of pregnancy and the lack of understanding and support in the workplace. Emily shares her experience of transitioning to freelance work and eventually becoming a partner in her consultancy. The conversation covers topics such as socialization of children, creating an equitable workplace, the importance of dialogue, and redefining success. She emphasizes the importance of treating people like adults and tailoring work arrangements to individual needs. Emily also talks about her approach to growth in her consultancy and the value of creating a supportive and inclusive culture. She highlights the need for open dialogue and collaboration in both the workplace and at home.

Takeaways

• Building a supportive community is crucial when living far from family.
• Women in male-dominated industries face challenges in balancing career and family.
• Societal expectations of having it all can be overwhelming and lead to a lack of confidence.
• Pregnancy and postpartum experiences are often misunderstood and not adequately supported in the workplace.
• Transitioning to freelance work can provide more flexibility and control over work-life balance.
• Having male allies and supportive colleagues can make a significant difference in career opportunities.
• The COVID-19 pandemic had both positive and negative impacts on work and family life. Lack of socialization can have a significant impact on children's development.
• Treating people like adults and tailoring work arrangements to individual needs is key to creating an equitable workplace.
• Open dialogue and collaboration are essential for creating a supportive and inclusive culture.
• Redefining success as making a positive impact and leaving a legacy.
• Growth should be focused on creating the right environment and organization, rather than pursuing growth at all costs.
• Equity at home requires ongoing dialogue and sharing of responsibilities.

Today I share the story of Louise Cornish, who is the mum of two young boys and a fitness coach specialising in postpartum fitness. Louise studied Economics at Oxford and dabbled with career options in investment banking, where even as an intern she experienced some of the misogyny which is often associated with the industry. Louise has a really interesting career journey which combines her strengths and passions of your more typical "work skills" with a passion for being active. Louise decided to make the plunge and launch her own business after her mat leave following her second son in 2018 when her employer was unable to agree a flexible working arrangement for her so she could work from home one day per week. Yes you read that right, just five years ago, career choices were limited if you wanted to have the flexibility to work from home even just once a week. You just have to listen; Louise is enthusiastic and engaging and if you would like to know more about post-partum fitness you can find out more on instagram @louisecornishfitness or https://louisecornishfitness.com/

This week I talk to Minke Van Til who works for an all-female charity, Ella's. Minke and the team at Ellas work with traumatised and marginalised survivors of trafficking and exploitation, as well as their dependent children. Many of the women have been abused from a young age. Nearly half are refugees or asylum seekers. Most have complex mental health needs. They face many barriers to accessing the support they need to recover and build lives that are safe and free for themselves and their children. Without vital support from Ella’s, many of these families could fall back into danger. Ella's does everything it can to ensure survivors of trafficking and exploitation have all they need to recover and build lives that are safe and free. Their new Children and Families Caseworker will support survivors who are mums as they raise children while themselves recovering from the trauma they've been through. The caseworker will also provide direct support for children, as well as organise parents and family activities and referrals to other services. This Christmas if you have a spare £1, £5, £10, £20, £50, £100 or £500 please consider donating to support the work of Ella's and it you donate before Tuesday the funding will be doubled as part of the Big Give campaign. Links below ! And if you are listening after Christmas you can still contribute to their insanely meaningful work. Minke is definitely a Miracle Working Mum / wonderwerkende moeder

https://www.ellas.org.uk/

https://donate.biggive.org/campaign/a056900002RXsnJAAT

This week we hear the second half of Jane Carmichael’s story. The family is living within the wire on a closed-down base when she finds another opportunity to use her words for good. Jane experiences working remotely pre-pandemic, before the now well-trodden path of agile working was a thing, and it was very hard! Jane also sends her girls to boarding school, which is a great privilege but also a tremendous hardship. The cost of childcare was prohibitive to working outside the home when the girls were little, which has definitely reduced Jane’s ability to maximise her economic potential. But I leave this episode thinking that if being an Army Wife was a career of its own then Jane would be the CEO.

This podcast features Jane Carmichael, who is a powerful storyteller with a vocation to use words for good. She is a writer from within her bones and this surfaces at every opportunity in her life. Jane's career has many twists and turns due to being an "army wife" and regularly having to relocate, but she always finds another opportunity to use words for good. This episode was over an hour and a half long so to do it justice I have made it into two-parts, and after two parts we are still only just scratching the surface. I am going to stop summarising our conversation here - you just need to listen. It is golden.

Today I talk to Laura Harvey, a director at the Davies Group. Laura joined the Davies group aged 18 with no clear direction, apart from one day wanting to have a family. Despite this, she rose through the ranks and also met her husband within the same organisation. Laura and her husband had planned to become birth parents but this was not to be for them and in 2021 they adopted a pair of siblings aged 3 and 4, at the time. Laura's story is a great one to listen to to head about the path to adoption and it has made me wonder, when families are more intentional about welcoming children to the team, whether they are more successful in achieving a more equitable distribution of parental responsibilities. Have a listen and let me know what you think! Kind words for my guests are always welcomed so please do comment below. 

National Adoption Week was earlier in October, this year it was the 16th-22nd; here are some more resources regarding adoption if it is something you are interested in finding out more about: https://www.pac-uk.org/

There are statutory rights given to adoptive parents which you can read about on the Gov website, but why not also talk to your workplace to find out how they are able to enhance the experience and support adoptive parents?

https://www.gov.uk/adoption-pay-leave

This week I speak to Vona Aghoghovbia-Ezichi, Managing Director, Head of Finance Europe & APAC at Nuveen, an Asset Management firm. Vona is a force, taking control of her own future with her three-yearly life check-ins, but finding out that when it comes to becoming a mum, there are some things you can't control. Vona tells me that when she saw someone who looked like her doing what she wanted to do it gave her the confidence that she needed to recognise her own value and to go for it. I am so happy to be able to share this story of a truly phenomenal miracle working mum.

In this episode I talk to Reverend Rebecca Amoroso, whose mother, Bianca, arrived in England at Tilbury Docks from Trinidad in order to embark on a career as a nurse in the NHS. Rebecca became a mum to her son in-between finishing her A-levels and going to university, which was younger than most of her friends but became another wonderful opportunity in her life. Rebecca identifies the lack of affordable childcare as a barrier for women who want to return to work or study after becoming a parent and doubts she would have been able to access university education if it had not been for the grant system that was available to her. She also notes how taxing the path to ordination is for mothers of young children, especially as the hours of a vicar are often unsociable. Rebecca loves to seize a new opportunity and makes the best of any situation by following the mantra 'bloom where you are planted', inspired by her mother. We also salute Floella Benjamin as Black women who have made a difference to the lives of many and in particular to Rebecca in her life by being visible role models, and unashamedly being themselves.

Today I am talking to Lyle Steffenson, who grew up in Apartheid South Africa before moving to Australia. Lyle is a mum of four in a blended family, but until a few years ago was raising her children by herself. As a single mum, Lyle still managed to carve out a career for herself in insurance, protecting some of the most vulnerable people in her community. Her story is very moving and you just need to listen! During this Black History Month, I am definitely saluting Lyle who is an incredible role model professionally and as a mum.