The Motherkind Podcast

Zoe Blaskey

Motherkind is the podcast for women who know that motherhood changes everything — and want to grow forward, not “bounce back”. Hosted by Zoe Blaskey, Motherkind explores the profound personal, emotional and professional transformation that happens when you become a mother. This is a space for women navigating the wild, identity-shifting years of motherhood who want to reclaim confidence, redefine ambition, and build a life that works for who they are now. Each week, Zoe sits down with world-leading experts, thought leaders, psychologists, authors and well-known figures to unpack the real experiences of modern motherhood — from matrescence and identity loss to confidence, boundaries, work, relationships and self-worth. Expect honest conversations, evidence-based insight and practical tools that help you move through this season with clarity and strength. Motherkind is not about doing more, fixing yourself, or returning to who you were before children. It’s about becoming who you are now — with intention, compassion and growth. If you’re a mother who wants to feel more like herself again — confident, grounded and excited about what’s next — this is your place. Motherkind: for the woman behind the mother.

  1. 1D AGO

    MOMENT | Daily Resets: The Small Habits That Stop Motherhood Feeling Overwhelming

    What if staying on top of home life didn’t require doing more, but doing a few small things consistently? In this Motherkind Moment, Zoeis joined by Ingrid Jansen, co-founder of The Declutter Hub, to talk about daily resets and non-negotiables – a simple, realistic way to stop life at home from constantly tipping into overwhelm. Ingrid shares why having a handful of everyday tasks that always get done – like clearing the sink, loading the dishwasher, or running one load of laundry – can completely change how your home feels. Not because everything is perfect, but because you’re no longer starting each day already behind. They talk about how short, regular resets (just 10–15 minutes, once or twice a day) can support tired mums, especially in busy seasons where decision fatigue is high, and energy is low. This isn’t about rigid routines or unrealistic standards – it’s about doing small things that make life feel calmer for your future self. The conversation also explores toys, clutter, and the mental load of “stuff” – from organising play spaces in age-appropriate ways, to decluttering gently over time, to managing the constant influx of gifts. Ingrid shares why less really can be more for both children and parents, and how involving kids (and partners) builds shared responsibility rather than burnout. This is a compassionate, practical conversation for any mother who feels overwhelmed by the never-ending to-do list – and wants things to feel just a little lighter. In this Moment, they explore: Daily resets and non-negotiables that reduce overwhelm Why small, consistent habits help your future self Toys, clutter, and creating calmer spaces at home If you’ve ever thought, “I just want things to feel more manageable,” this Moment is for you. If you liked this moment, listen to the full episode: Toys Everywhere? They’re making you Stressed - Here’s How To Finally Tackle The Kid’s Clutter with Decluttering Expert Ingrid Jansen Remember to subscribe to Motherkind — it helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. Feeling 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  Get 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. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    13 min
  2. 5D AGO

    The Truth About Being the Default Parent: Why Mothers Feel Lost, Guilty and Overwhelmed with Lou Beckett

    Default parenting doesn’t start with a conversation – it creeps in quietly, until one day you realise you’re carrying the mental load, the guilt and the responsibility almost entirely alone. In this powerful Motherkind moment, Zoe is joined by Lou Beckett, author of The Default Parent, to name something so many mothers feel but rarely have language for. Together, they unpack the emotional, physical and invisible weight of being the default parent – the one who carries the responsibility, the mental load, and the constant background hum of guilt. Lou shares the moments that pushed her to write the book, the research that confirmed it’s not “just you”, and why so many women feel lost in motherhood even when they’re doing an incredible job. This is an honest, funny, rage-inducing and deeply validating conversation for anyone who’s ever felt unseen in the day-to-day reality of parenting – and especially for those who are carrying more than their fair share. In this conversation, you’ll learn: Why becoming the “default parent” often happens quietly – and why it’s so hard to undo once it’s set The invisible labour of motherhood, and why it’s exhausting even when you “have support” How guilt, comparison and unrealistic expectations keep mothers stuck – and how to start letting them go If you’ve ever thought, “Why does this feel so hard when everyone else seems to cope?” – this conversation is for you. Remember to subscribe to Motherkind — it helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. Feeling 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. If you liked this episode, listen to this next: Why the Mental Load Causes So Much Tension and how to Communicate Your Way Out Of It Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram  Get 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. Usbourne Books For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Sonic Rooms from Pop That Mumma is a guided audio album designed to help mums find moments of calm in everyday life – use code MOTHERKIND for 30% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    42 min
  3. FEB 9

    MOMENT | Maternity Service: The Reframe That Changes Everything

    In this Motherkind Moment, Zoe Blaskey is joined by broadcaster and journalist Emma Barnett for a deeply honest conversation about early motherhood, identity, and what really happens to us when we become mothers. Emma shares the reframe that changed everything for her: moving from the idea of maternity leave to maternity service. A season where you are always on call, constantly adapting, sacrificing parts of yourself, and often expected to carry on without much language for how profound that experience really is. Together, Zoe and Emma talk about those early months – the walking, the exhaustion, the heatwaves, the survival mode – and the surprising way creativity can sometimes re-emerge in the middle of it all. Not because motherhood is easy, or beautiful, or calm – but because so much else has been stripped back. They explore the tension so many mothers feel: how maternity can be deeply depleting and, at the same time, quietly expansive. How there can be grief for who you were, uncertainty about who you’re becoming, and moments of clarity that feel almost shocking when you’re in the trenches. This is also a conversation about what we’re missing culturally – the lack of space, language and stories for matrescence. Not parenting advice. Not baby manuals. But an honest reflection on the inner shift of becoming a mother. Because motherhood doesn’t just add something to your life. It changes you. In this Moment, they explore: Reframing maternity leave as maternity service Creativity, identity and thinking again in early motherhood The loss, rebirth and in-between space of matrescence If you’ve ever felt changed by motherhood in ways you couldn’t quite explain, this Moment is for you. If you liked this moment, listen to the full episode: Maternity Service, Not Leave: A New Perspective with Emma Barnett Remember to subscribe to Motherkind — it helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. Ready to feel like yourself again? Download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram  Get 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. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    11 min
  4. FEB 5

    The Happiest Countries Do Motherhood Completely Differently

    What if motherhood wasn’t meant to be this hard – or this lonely? In this episode of Motherkind, Zoe is joined by journalist and bestselling author Helen Russell to explore how culture shapes the way we experience motherhood. After becoming a mother in Denmark, Helen shares how living in a Nordic system gave her “permission to live differently” – with more rest, trust, parental support and far less guilt. Together, Zoe and Helen unpack why so many mothers in the UK feel under pressure to cope alone, and how much of that is cultural rather than personal. In this conversation, we explore: Why vulnerability in motherhood is normal – not a failure How parental leave, childcare and systems reduce guilt and burnout What Denmark gets right about raising children and supporting mothers Why happiness doesn’t mean feeling good all the time The power of community during big life transitions This episode is a gentle but powerful reminder that if motherhood feels overwhelming, it’s not because you’re doing it wrong – it’s because you were never meant to do it alone. Remember to subscribe to Motherkind — it helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and  download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet If you liked this episode, listen to this next: Motherhood transformed me into who I was meant to be all along | Megan Rose Lane Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram  Get 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. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Sonic Rooms from Pop That Mumma is a guided audio album designed to help mums find moments of calm in everyday life – use code MOTHERKIND for 30% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    38 min
  5. FEB 2

    MOMENT | The ‘Good Girl’ Trap That’s Burning Mothers Out

    Have you ever felt like you’re trying so hard to be a good mum… but somehow it still never feels like enough? In this Moment, Zoe talks about good girl conditioning – the deeply ingrained beliefs many of us carry into motherhood without realising it. The need to be agreeable, to keep the peace, to over-give, and to measure our worth by how much we do. When these patterns come into motherhood, they don’t disappear – they intensify. Suddenly, we’re not just trying to be a good girl, we’re trying to be a perfect mum. And that can leave us exhausted, resentful, and disconnected from ourselves. This episode is about recognising that there is nothing wrong with you. These are learned behaviours – and they can be unlearned. In this Moment, we explore: What good girl conditioning is – and how it shows up in motherhood Why people-pleasing and perfectionism lead to burnout, not fulfilment How meeting your own needs and setting boundaries creates real confidence If you’ve ever felt burnt out from trying to be everything to everyone, this one’s for you. If you liked this moment, listen to the full episode: Breaking Free From Perfectionism and People-Pleasing Remember to subscribe to Motherkind — it helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram  Get 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. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    10 min
  6. JAN 29

    Why Confidence Drops in Motherhood and How to Rebuild It

    If confidence feels like something you’ve lost since becoming a mum, this episode is for you. If you’ve been moving through motherhood feeling lower in confidence than you ever expected – second-guessing yourself, feeling like you’re “just surviving”, or wondering where you went, press play on this one. In this episode, Zoe is joined by confidence coach and founder of PepTalkHer, Dior Bediako, for a conversation that completely reframes what confidence actually is, especially in early motherhood. Dior shares why confidence isn’t about feeling fearless or having it all together, but about being willing to feel doubt, fear and insecurity… and still showing up. Zoe and Dior talk about how much motherhood asks of us internally, why survival is not a failure, and how the relationship you have with yourself quietly shapes your confidence, your choices and the example you’re setting for your children. This conversation is grounding, expansive and deeply reassuring, a reminder that you are not behind, broken or failing. You are becoming. In this conversation, you’ll learn: Why confidence often dips in early motherhood – and why that’s completely normal A powerful redefinition of confidence that allows fear and self-doubt to exist How tiny, compassionate actions can rebuild self-belief when life feels overwhelming Why the way you speak to yourself matters more than doing motherhood “perfectly” If you’ve been hard on yourself lately, if your inner critic has been loud, or if you need permission to meet yourself with more kindness, this episode is for you. Remember to subscribe to Motherkind — it helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and  download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet If you liked this episode, listen to this next: Work Series: If you're feeling low in confidence, listen to this - with Lauren Currie  Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram  Get 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. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    41 min
  7. JAN 26

    MOMENT | If Becoming a Mother Has Changed How You See Your Own Childhood, Listen to This

    “It’s how you were parented that lays the foundation – it sets the blueprint for your own parenting.” This is a short moment from a much bigger conversation on Motherkind. But it tends to stop people in their tracks. In this clip, Harriet and Zoe talk about something so many of us don’t fully look at until we become parents ourselves – the relationship we had with our own parents, and how that quietly shapes the way we show up with our children. Harriet shares what it can be like to grow up in an enmeshed relationship, where you’re very close, but boundaries are blurred, where you might have been the best friend, the emotional support, the one who grew up a little too quickly. And how becoming a mum can suddenly shine a light on things you once told yourself were “fine”. She shares a question she now asks her clients – and it’s a powerful one: Would you want your child to have the childhood you had? This clip gently explores some of the early signs that something might feel off – struggling to say no, feeling guilty for wanting things differently, having your boundaries minimised or dismissed. And how confusing that can be, especially when you rely on your parent for support or childcare. If this resonates, please know you’re not alone. And you’re not ungrateful. And you’re not making it up. This is just one small part of a much bigger, compassionate conversation about awareness, autonomy, and breaking cycles – without blame, and with a lot of kindness. If you liked this moment, listen to the full episode: Generational trauma expert: How to break unhealthy patterns and become the parent you wish you'd had - with Harriet Shearsmith Remember to subscribe to Motherkind — it helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. Ready to feel like yourself again? Download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram  Get 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. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    12 min
  8. JAN 22

    The Hidden Cost of Being the Selfless One

    If the word “selfish” makes you uncomfortable… this episode is for you. In this conversation, Zoe is joined by Suzy Reading for a deeply reassuring exploration of what mothers truly need – and why self-care alone is often insufficient. Together, they talk about how so many women have been conditioned to put themselves last, why resting, saying no or asking for help can feel so hard, and how unmet needs often show up as guilt, resentment or snapping at the people we love most. Suzy shares the thinking behind her new book How to Be Selfish, gently reframing “selfishness” as self-advocacy – and offers simple, practical ways to reconnect with yourself, calm your nervous system and let yourself matter too. In this episode, you’ll learn about: Why self-care alone isn’t enough – and how learning to receive care changes everything How motherhood and conditioning pull us away from our own needs (and why that matters) Why guilt, resentment and “shouty mum” moments are signals, not failures Simple, compassionate ways to reconnect with yourself and remember that you matter too 💛 This is a compassionate, validating listen for any mother who feels stretched thin, disconnected from herself, or quietly carrying too much. Remember to subscribe to Motherkind — it helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and  download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet If you liked this episode, listen to this next: 100s of self-care practices tested and the ones that work with The Self Care Club Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram  Get 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. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    36 min

Hosts & Guests

4.8
out of 5
104 Ratings

About

Motherkind is the podcast for women who know that motherhood changes everything — and want to grow forward, not “bounce back”. Hosted by Zoe Blaskey, Motherkind explores the profound personal, emotional and professional transformation that happens when you become a mother. This is a space for women navigating the wild, identity-shifting years of motherhood who want to reclaim confidence, redefine ambition, and build a life that works for who they are now. Each week, Zoe sits down with world-leading experts, thought leaders, psychologists, authors and well-known figures to unpack the real experiences of modern motherhood — from matrescence and identity loss to confidence, boundaries, work, relationships and self-worth. Expect honest conversations, evidence-based insight and practical tools that help you move through this season with clarity and strength. Motherkind is not about doing more, fixing yourself, or returning to who you were before children. It’s about becoming who you are now — with intention, compassion and growth. If you’re a mother who wants to feel more like herself again — confident, grounded and excited about what’s next — this is your place. Motherkind: for the woman behind the mother.

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