Author Mum Academy

Aoife Proudfoot
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Author Mum Academy is for mums who want to build a real writing career — without sacrificing the life they love. Hosted by Aoife Proudfoot, mum of three and author of 40 books as Vi Carter, this podcast is honest, intimate, and built for the hours you actually have. Aoife built a full-time writing income on three hours a day, five days a week — around school runs, bath times, and the messy reality of motherhood. Every week she shares what she's learned, what didn't work, and the small shifts that made the difference. This isn't a podcast about writing craft, marketing tactics, or hustle. It's about time, energy, organization, and mindset — the things that actually decide whether you build a career or burn out trying. If you're a mum with a story to tell and not enough hours to tell it in, this podcast is for you. New episodes every Tuesday.

Episodes

  1. Jul 21

    The Hours Before the House Wakes Up

    There are two kinds of mornings for a mum-author. The kind where the alarm goes off and you're already behind before your feet hit the floor. And the kind where you wake up in the quiet before anyone else does, you have a rhythm, and by the time the kids are up, you've already got half your soul back in your body. In Episode 5, Aoife Proudfoot walks you through her actual morning routine — the nine steps that decide which of those two mornings she has. This is the routine that runs a full-time writing career on three hours a day. In this episode: Why the first 90 minutes of your day decide the other 14 hoursWhy the snooze button is where mornings go to die (and how to break it)Sunlight, water, and the walk that filters your whole dayWhat Aoife listens to on the walk and why it mattersHer 5-minute gratitude practice and how she reviews her dayWhy the point of a morning routine isn't perfection — it's ownershipHow to build a routine that fits YOUR season of life (not an influencer's)This week's homework: Pick ONE thing from the list. Just one. Maybe it's the phone across the room. Maybe it's a 15-minute walk in daylight. Maybe it's water before coffee. Try it for seven days. Then next week, if it stuck, add a second. Don't try to do all nine steps this week. That's how routines fail. Connect with Aoife: Substack: authormumacademy.substack.com Instagram: @authormumacademy YouTube: @AuthorMumAcademy Tiktok: @authormumacademy1 I always love hearing other people's morning routines. If you have one that's working for you — or a piece of one — reply to the Substack or DM me on Instagram. I read every one. New episodes every Tuesday. Send us Fan Mail

  2. Jul 14

    Where Did the Week Go?

    It's Sunday night. The kids are finally in bed. And you're doing that thing where you scroll through the week that's just gone, trying to figure out what actually happened. You meant to write. You meant to walk. You meant to call your mother. Somehow everything felt urgent all week, and none of the important things got done. In Episode 4, Aoife Proudfoot walks you through the Sunday-night sheet that changed how she saw her week — and reveals the counterintuitive move (three 20-minute blank windows) that keeps the whole plan holding when life inevitably shows up. In this episode: Why you don't have less time than everyone else — you just can't SEE your timeThe 168-hour reframe every mum-author needsStep by step: how to build the Monday-to-Sunday grid that shows your real writing hoursWhy leaving three 20-minute blank windows every day is the difference between a plan that holds and a week that unravelsThe truth that 15 real hours you protect beats 40 fantasy hours you keep missingThis week's homework: Grab a piece of paper. Grid it out Monday to Sunday. Fill in your immovables (dental appointments, Zoom calls, coffee dates, school runs). Then daily maintenance (meals, cleaning, walk, gym). Leave three 20-minute dead-time windows per day untouched. Whatever's left is your real writing time. Do it before Sunday. It will change how you feel about your week. Connect with Aoife: Substack: authormumacademy.substack.com Instagram: @authormumacademy YouTube: @AuthorMumAcademy If this episode resonated, please share it with one mum-author who's been asking herself where the week went. New episodes every Tuesday. Send us Fan Mail

  3. Jul 7

    Every Yes Is a No.

    You had a plan. A good one. Write the book. Release the book. Run the marketing. Simple. Achievable. And then someone told you about a thing. A niche. An opportunity. A shiny new idea that "wouldn't take long." Six weeks later, your original plan is in pieces. In Episode 3, Aoife Proudfoot tells the story of the quarter she lost to three short stories that were supposed to be quick — and reveals the seven-word question she now asks before saying yes to anything. In this episode: Why "yes" is never neutral, and always costs you somethingThe three short stories that turned into three covers, three marketing plans, and total overwhelmWhy the shiny object always looks harmless in the momentThe truth about small yeses (including the ones to your own kids and friends)The seven-word question that protects your planThis week's homework: The next time someone — including you — pitches a new project, a new app, a new "small thing," pause before you respond. Ask the question: What does this break, and am I willing to pay that price? One question. Use it for one week. Watch how many things you don't actually say yes to anymore. Connect with Aoife: Substack: authormumacademy.substack.com Instagram: @authormumacademy YouTube: @AuthorMumAcademy If this episode resonated, please share it with one mum-author who keeps saying yes to shiny things and losing her plan. New episodes every Tuesday. Send us Fan Mail

  4. Jul 7

    You Didn't Lose the Hour. You Let It In.

    You found your high-energy hour. The kids are at school. The coffee is fresh. The laptop is open. And by 10:45, you've written 200 words and somehow ended up watching a YouTube video about your starsign. In Episode 2, Aoife Proudfoot shares the morning she finally realised that finding the right writing hour is only step one — and reveals the third layer of protection most of us never put in place. In this episode: Why energy and time alone aren't enough to protect your writingThe Shopify spiral that destroyed Aoife's perfect morningThe horoscope notification she never saw comingWhy you've been guarding the door of your writing time and leaving every window openThree small things you can do TODAY to silence the invisible interruptionsThis week's homework: Silence every notification on your phone. Not vibrate. Silent.Close your inbox tab during your writing hour. Email is letters in a mailbox.Pick one slightly-funny, non-negotiable rule for your family. (Aoife's: "Only knock if someone's head is hanging off.")Connect with Aoife: Substack: authormumacademy.substack.com Instagram: @authormumacademy YouTube: @AuthorMumAcademy If this episode resonated, please share it with one mum-author who's been losing her hour to invisible interruptions. New episodes every Tuesday. Send us Fan Mail

  5. Jul 7

    You're Not Lazy. You're Depleted.

    Have you ever told yourself you were going to write 2,000 words today, looked at your calendar, found the time waiting — and then sat down at 8 p.m. and produced 47 words before closing the laptop and calling yourself lazy? In the very first episode of Author Mum Academy, Aoife Proudfoot shares the story that changed how she built her writing career, and reveals why the advice you've been getting about time management has been pointing you in the wrong direction. In this episode: Why you're not lazy, even though it feels like you areThe difference between time management and energy managementHow Aoife built her career on 4 a.m. mornings — and why that hour shifted as her kids grewWhy your best writing hour is a snapshot, not a personality traitA simple two-step practice to find YOUR high-energy hour this weekThis week's homework: For the next seven days, three times a day, track your energy on a scale of 1 to 10. Morning, midday, evening. At the end of the week, look at your map and find the hour that's actually highest. Then start protecting it. Connect with Aoife: Substack: authormumacademy.substack.com Instagram: @authormumacademy YouTube: @AuthorMumAcademy If this episode resonated, please share it with one mum-author who's been calling herself lazy when she's actually just running on empty. New episodes every Tuesday. Send us Fan Mail

  6. Trailer

    Welcome to Author Mum Academy

    I'm Aoife Proudfoot. Author Mum Academy is a podcast for mums building a real writing career on the hours they actually have. Episode 1 drops July 7th. Follow now.  Send us Fan Mail

Trailer

About

Author Mum Academy is for mums who want to build a real writing career — without sacrificing the life they love. Hosted by Aoife Proudfoot, mum of three and author of 40 books as Vi Carter, this podcast is honest, intimate, and built for the hours you actually have. Aoife built a full-time writing income on three hours a day, five days a week — around school runs, bath times, and the messy reality of motherhood. Every week she shares what she's learned, what didn't work, and the small shifts that made the difference. This isn't a podcast about writing craft, marketing tactics, or hustle. It's about time, energy, organization, and mindset — the things that actually decide whether you build a career or burn out trying. If you're a mum with a story to tell and not enough hours to tell it in, this podcast is for you. New episodes every Tuesday.

Information

  • Creator
    Aoife Proudfoot
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Author Mum Academy