Ready or Not Ready or Not & Witching Hour

Welcome to Tits and Tricks! It’s Ready or Not’s new bite-sized advice-based podcast, and today is all about making the return to paid work a little bit easier via simplifying our wardrobes.
Look, I am no style expert. Although I love clothes, I’m not going to pretend to be your fashion correspondent. But I am a mum who needs to get dressed each day. And of all the things that bring unexpected stress in getting out of the door in the morning to get to work, a big one can be getting yourself dressed when you’re potentially trying to get little people fed, dressed, and out the door.
Your body might be different, you might have shoved your office wardrobe out of sight for six months or longer, and you might just feel different about the way you want to dress.
This episode is less about vanity and more about streamlining processes. It’s inspired by our Postpartum and Return to Work Planning Guide, and while that guide doesn’t cover fashion, the logistical advice we give in that guide has influenced so many areas of my life, including my work wardrobe.
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YOUR RETURN TO WORK WARDROBE CHECKLIST
Our full checklist referenced in the episode didn't quite fit the show notes limit, so please click here for the full checklist plus the items Lu mentioned, as well as links to some excellent return to work uniform sales happening at the moment.
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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod
This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

U-Fhern Chang was on a plane for a work trip when she had a pretty profound AHA moment. And while she didn't immediately act upon it, it would eventually lead her to completely revamp her priorities when it came to her career. Add quitting her job at a big four, four kids, and a few businesses into the mix, and it's fair to say that she's had a bit on.
After her children, I think it's fair to say that her other baby, Elan House of Wellness, the business dedicated to nourishing and supporting mothers, is one of her proudest projects to date. And as a paying customer, I think it should be. Her dry sweet and savoury packs were a staple in my early postpartum pantry, and her messaging encouraging rest and valuing the transitions of motherhood are incredibly important.
Here, we talk disappointing parents, postnatal depression as a pretty fair response to the way we're meant to mother in western society, and how she navigates four children and a business.
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THIS WEEK'S PARTNER
This episode of Ready or Not is brought to you by Mukti Organics, results-driven and award-winning skin care products made with certified organic ingredients & powerful actives.
Purchase the revised and expanded second edition of Mukti’s bestselling book ‘Truth in Beauty’ for $89 via www.muktiorganics.com and retailers Amazon, Booktopia and QBD Books.
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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod
This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Welcome back to Witching Hour: the show that looks at what's exciting, delighting, intriguing, and frustrating us as we make work, work alongside parenting. It's Ready or Not's loose little sister coming to your ears every Monday.
In today's episode, we cover:
Working families are more stressed than ever, a new report has found.‘Kinkeeping’ is the invisible workload that women take on—and it’s affecting the mental health, performance, commitment and bandwidth of employees, experts say. (NYT)And the Instagram community poll of the week: How do you navigate pregnancy and friendships when you're the Miranda or the Charlotte?---
THIS WEEK'S PARTNER
This episode of Witching Hour is brought to you by Mukti Organics, results-driven and award-winning skin care products made with certified organic ingredients & powerful actives.
Purchase the revised and expanded second edition of Mukti’s bestselling book ‘Truth in Beauty’ for $89 via www.muktiorganics.com and retailers Amazon, Booktopia and QBD Books.
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Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod
This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Since I last interviewed Phoebe Simmonds over a year ago and Ava Chandler Matthews just under a year ago, the two business owners, mothers, and friends have had just a bit going on. Ava is getting ready to launch her business Ultra Violette into the US and she's actually launching herself into second time motherhood very soon, too. So soon, I'm surprised she even let me convince her to come back on the show.
As for Phoebe, The Memo is having a big year. They've just opened their Fitzroy store, and they're opening their Highpoint store in just a few weeks' time. And as you'll hear here, they have no plans to slow down from there.
I wanted to get Ava and Phoebe back onto the show for many reasons. Firstly, you loved both of their episodes, which I'll link in the show notes, and secondly, they had sons at the same time as I did. They're also friends who have being co-founders in common, and as women in business who I really look up to, I wanted to know what's changed for them both as they continue to move through navigating career and motherhood.
So, this episode is a bit hodge podge by design. It's less of an interview and more of a check in. I wanted you to feel as if you were part of the car talk that mum friends have on the regular as they make their way to or from the office.
Here, we talk about the delight of two year olds, the things we still don't have the answers for, what Ava will grapple with until the day she dies and why Phoebe doesn't believe in imposter syndrome.

ORIGINAL EPISODES:
Listen to the interview with Phoebe on Apple here and Spotify here.Listen to the episode with Ava on Apple here and Spotify here.
THIS WEEK'S PARTNER
This episode is brought to you by Our Pilates – an online, physio led library of classes that you can seamlessly fit into a busy life. With prenatal and postnatal programs as well as membership options available, Our Pilates has every busy parent covered. Start your free 7-day trial now at ourpilates.com.au
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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod
This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Welcome back to Witching Hour: the show that looks at what's exciting, delighting, intriguing, and frustrating us as we make work, work alongside parenting. It's Ready or Not's loose little sister coming to your ears every Monday.
In today's episode, we cover:
Research shows that those who spend more time speaking tend to emerge as the leaders of groups, regardless of their intelligence.Jessica Biel Is Done Being A “Cool Girl” About PeriodsAnd your answers to a poll I didn’t anticipate being so popular – all about that elusive and important ‘me time.’THIS WEEK'S PARTNER
This episode of Witching Hour is brought to you by Elan House of Wellness, the mother-led brand that's dedicated to nurturing, nourishing and empowering new mothers and families. I have eaten my way through SO many of their incredibly nourishing dry food packs like the dark chocolate banana bread, golden kitchari, and blooming bites and you're in luck, because some of my favourite products are currently 20% off. Get 20% off until 30 June here: elan.house/collections/most-loved
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Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod
This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Stephanie Wescott is a feminist academic and researcher. She’s also the mother of a three year old boy, and at the moment, she’s conducting research into how extremist online influencers like Andrew Tate are shaping boys' behaviours and attitudes towards women. It’s a fascinating and important time to be raising a son and we talk about this – that we need feminists raising our boys and the fact that her partner was almost nervous – somewhat hesitant – when he found out they were having a son.
She completed a PhD with very little childcare, which is no small feat, but she’s quick to tell you that she dropped out of plenty of university courses in her former studying years, too.
Here, we explore how motherhood and feminism intersect with capitalism and the patriarchy, why it took some time for her to not only accept but embrace mother as being one of her titles, and what parents can do about navigating the misogynist content being served to our children online.

THIS WEEK'S PARTNER
This episode of Ready or Not is brought to you by Elan House of Wellness, the mother-led brand that's dedicated to nurturing, nourishing and empowering new mothers and families. I have eaten my way through SO many of their incredibly nourishing dry food packs like the dark chocolate banana bread, golden kitchari, and blooming bites and you're in luck, because some of my favourite products are currently 20% off. Get 20% off until 30 June here: elan.house/collections/most-loved
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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod
This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
We Pay The Rent and you can too here.