Have It All

Emily Parks
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Parenting
  • Biweekly

Welcome to Have It All, the podcast that says the quiet part out loud about motherhood, career, ambition and the chaos in between. I’m Emily Parks. Mum of two, marketer, and someone who’s learned that doing it all often means doing too much. Every second week, I chat with women navigating the juggle of working motherhood, identity and ambition. These are honest, thoughtful and uplifting conversations about what it really looks like to balance career, family and self. Because having it all doesn’t mean doing it all. And you’re not meant to figure it out alone.

  1. 1d ago

    The inner critic becomes so loud in motherhood with Biddy | holistic psychologist, coach & business owner, mum of two

    Biddy is a holistic psychologist and the founder of Biddy, a coaching business for ambitious women navigating burnout, stress and overwhelm. She’s also mum to Evie and Finn, and she launched her business when Finn was just two months old, while he was at home alongside her. We talk about what drew her away from clinic work and into coaching, and the pattern she sees again and again. The women who come to her are driven, high performing and love what they do. But they’ve hit a point where the way they’ve been operating just isn’t sustainable anymore, and their wellbeing, their relationships and how they show up as a parent are starting to feel it. Biddy gets really honest about going back to work after Evie and feeling like she’d lost all her vocabulary. Even with all her training she wasn’t ready for it ("it" being matrescence), because knowing the theory and living the reality are two very different things. We also get into: Negotiating four days as your version of full timeWhy the inner critic gets so loud in motherhoodPractical ways to look after yourself when you have no time (something is better than nothing)Losing your confidence and finding your way backWhat having it all means to her right now Let me know what you think of this episode! And thank you always to the incredible women who selflessly lend their time and inner thoughts to this podcast - I am so grateful to them all. Follow Have It All on IG @haveitall.podcast or find Biddy @biddy____

  2. Aug 30

    You don't own your work identity with Jo | GM and mum of two

    In her twenties, Jo had it all on paper: Colenso, Saatchi New York, flown from AKL to LDN just to pick up a camera, and more impressive stories for a Saturday BBQ than most. In this episode, Jo isn't afraid of saying the quiet part out loud: "I think I became addicted to being impressive." Jo and I talk about what happens when the career that built your identity stops being the thing that defines you. Then along came motherhood (a journey in itself), her role got restructured while she was on leave, and she had to rebuild who she was from somewhere other than a job title. We get into the nitty gritty: coming back from maternity leave to report to someone who used to report to her, the identity crisis of feeling replaceable at work, and why she eventually negotiated her way into a GM role on her own terms, working 9am to 3pm so she's the one doing school drop off and pick up. We also talk about: Why "where do you work?" can feel like the most annoying question in the room once you're a mumThe moment she realised the best years of her career weren't actually behind her, just differentParenting out loud at work (and why some workplaces still make you feel like you need to sneak out for pick up)Reframing ambition from climbing the ladder to mastering your own lifeWhat "having it all" really means once you stop comparing yourself to everyone else's highlight reel If you've ever felt like your job title used to say more about you than it does now, this one's for you. Follow Have It All on IG @haveitall.podcast

  3. Aug 4

    "I want it all, and I've tried so hard to have it all, but you can't" with Elle, business partner & mum of two

    There's a version of "having it all" that gets sold to ambitious women, and then there's the version Elle actually lives. In this conversation, we get into the three months' leave she took with each baby, the chronic fatigue that eventually stopped forced her to slow down, and the mum guilt that's actually hitting harder now (years later) as her kids get old enough to ask why she's not the one at pickup. We talk identity, ambition, the sacrifices no one tells you about going in, and why she's still figuring out how to keep work out of home time (spoiler: it's hard). Elle's honest about what she'd do differently. She's just as honest about what she wouldn't change for anything. This one's about seasons, about what it costs to be the person everyone can rely on, and about choosing a career you love while your kids are only this little once. Listen if you've ever been sitting with your kids and felt half your brain still checking your inbox — and you're over pretending that pull isn't there. Follow Elle on IG @fitr.at40Follow @haveitall.podcast on IG

  4. Jul 8

    Squiggly careers & raising three boisterous boys with Hannah McHugh | Community Partnerships Manager, ASB

    From finding the glimmers in every day to naming her inner voice, Hannah proves that a life lived intentionally is a life lived well. And she carries this intention into the way she and her husband parent their three boys. Hannah now works full-time for ASB while her tradie husband prioritises time at home with their youngest, but this hasn't always been the set-up. Across three maternity leaves she's worked part-time, three days, four days, and got through the 2020 lockdowns with a toddler and a newborn, before landing on the arrangement that works for her family now. Her advice for anyone navigating a squiggly career: "You don't need to start at the beginning, you just need to find the right in." Hannah's own path proves it, dietitian, then marketing and PR, then charity partnerships, now community partnerships at ASB, where she recently helped bring the first Kids Can Glow Run to life. In this episode we also talk about the small daily glimmers that keep her going, the Fair Play cards she and her husband use to split the mental load, and what it's taken to rebuild her confidence since returning to a workplace that changed while she was on leave. Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode! You can support the podcast by following, liking and sharing with a friend. Or find me on IG @haveitall.podcast

  5. Jun 16

    Society isn't set up for two working parents with Maxene London

    In her early 20s, Maxene was asked if she was planning on having kids soon, and actually passed over for roles because of the assumption that she would be. (Let's remember this is a completely illegal and highly inappropriate question to ask anyone!) When she became a mum, she was let go during her trial period because her child kept getting sick. Then, pregnant with her second, she asked for flexibility and was initially denied. Maxene and I reflect on the disappointment and injustice of it all and how that series of events led her to restart her business and go all in as a self-employed working parent. Follow Have It All on IG: @haveitall.podcast Follow Maxene on IG: @maxenelondoncreative Visit Maxene's website to learn more about her work: www.maxenelondoncreative.co.nz

  6. May 26

    A cancer diagnosis at 37 weeks pregnant with Tamara, radiographer & founder of Check Your Bits

    After a beautiful year off with her first baby, Tamara was expecting more of the same second time around. But at 37 weeks pregnant with Zach, she found a lump in her breast and within days had a breast cancer diagnosis. Chemo started when Zach was two weeks old. Tamara Milne is a radiographer, a mum of three boys and the co-founder of Check Your Bits, a brand born from one of the most confronting years of her life. In this episode we talk about the reality of parenting a newborn and a toddler while going through cancer treatment, the grief of a maternity leave that looked nothing like the first, and the "mum guilt" that still lingers. We also get into what it's really like returning to work with chemo brain on top of the standard mum fog and going from the senior your team leaned on to the one who suddenly can't find the words. Tamara's perspective on self-advocacy, knowing your normal, and finding purpose on the other side of something really hard is the kind of conversation that stays with you long after you've finished listening. I really hope this one reaches NZ women far and wide, as a reminder to check your breasts and get to know what's normal for you. And if you want to grab Tamara's Check Your Bits body wash, head to checkyourbits.co.nz and use code PODLOVE for 15% off your order. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Follow @haveitall.podcast on Instagram

  7. May 12

    Unapologetically All In: Sasha McLeod on motherhood, the journey to Dose Buddy and the art of saying no

    Can you be a present mum, a career woman and a founder all at once? Not perfectly. But Sasha McLeod is figuring it out in real time, and she's honest about every (messy) part of it. In this episode, I chat with Sasha, Dose Buddy founder and mum of two, about: Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurshipThe journey of launching DoseBuddyWork flexibility and support for mumsHow Sasha's own upbringing shaped the kind of mum she wants to beSasha also runs digital marketing at Sea Digital in Wellington, so she's not romanticising the juggle. She's living it. She brings the kind of clear-eyed perspective that comes from doing all of it at once and choosing what to say no to. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or watch the full episode on YouTube.Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and follow @haveitall.podcast on Instagram.If you love the show, a rating or review genuinely means everything!

  8. Apr 28

    The 4am wake up with Charlotte from Rose Studio

    Most conversations about “having it all” skip over the reality of what it actually takes. In this episode, I’m joined by Charlotte, founder of Rose Studio – a boutique design studio based in Auckland, New Zealand helping bold, passionate business owners to bring their vision to life with strategic and intentional design. Charlotte built her business while raising three young kids, including a high-needs autistic child, navigating life across countries, and spending long stretches solo parenting when her husband was overseas for his professional football career. We talk about what it really looked like behind the scenes – from waking at 4am to carve out quiet time for work, to rebuilding her confidence as a mum returning to the workforce. We cover: The reality of solo parenting and navigating motherhood without your usual support systemsHow Charlotte built her business around her life (not the other way around)The confidence shift that came from studying again as a mumWhat motherhood has taught her about leadership, resilience and capacityThe challenges of raising a high-needs child alongside career ambitionWhy “having it all” looks different for every woman — and why that matters Follow @haveitall.podcast on Instagram NEW episodes every second week.

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About

Welcome to Have It All, the podcast that says the quiet part out loud about motherhood, career, ambition and the chaos in between. I’m Emily Parks. Mum of two, marketer, and someone who’s learned that doing it all often means doing too much. Every second week, I chat with women navigating the juggle of working motherhood, identity and ambition. These are honest, thoughtful and uplifting conversations about what it really looks like to balance career, family and self. Because having it all doesn’t mean doing it all. And you’re not meant to figure it out alone.

Information

  • Creator
    Emily Parks
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    49
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Emily Parks
  • Show Website
    Have It All

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