We Just Happen To Be Mums

Nicky Crosby and Ellie Fanyinka

We Just Happen To Be Mums is the podcast for women who are mums, but not only mums. Nicky Crosby and Ellie Fanyinka are two friends who became mothers and then realised nobody had handed them the full picture. So they started talking about it. Every episode is an honest, warm and often very funny conversation about real life with children, and real life beyond them. The invisible load. The pressure to get it all right. Friendships that shift. Bodies that change. Turning 40 and wondering what's next. Reinvention, ageing, desire, and the big question: who are you when no one needs you? Some weeks it's just Nicola and Eleanor. Other weeks they're joined by guests who bring real expertise and lived experience, from sleep coaching and gut health to raising autistic children, single parenting and redefining what success as a mum actually looks like. No perfect answers. No judgement. Just two women who happen to be mums, saying the things you've probably thought yourself. New episodes every Tuesday. Watch the full episodes on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@happentobemums Follow along on Instagram and TikTok: @happentobemums Get in touch: happentobemums@coreagency.uk Produced by Core LDN. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. 6d ago

    From Phone Sex Operator to Dominatrix to Coach: Lady Velvet on Ditching Shame

    Teenage single mum. Phone sex operator. Professionally trained dominatrix. Award-winning coach. Grandma of four. Lady Velvet, the Mistress of Choice, has lived many lives, and she’s done hiding any of them. She tells us how a conversation on a bench by Tower Bridge led to seven years of phone sex work to feed her boys, what thousands of calls taught her about what men really want, and the moment she finally owned her story in front of 200 women. Then she leads us through the Velvet Command (try it at home), a releasing ritual, and a conversation about shame, pleasure, people-pleasing and who we are underneath all the labels. Explicit, honest and surprisingly emotional. You’ll walk away with your shoulders back. Follow us: @happentobemums ▫️https://www.LadyVelvet.co.uk ▫️IG: @Lady_Velvet_Official ▫️Birmingham Fetish Weekend https://www.instagram.com/birminghamfetishweekend/ ▫️Big and Buff Bespoke https://linktr.ee/bignbuffbespoke? 00:00 Cold open: "What's your book about?" 01:05 Meet Lady Velvet, the Mistress of Choice 01:50 Teenage single mum, boarding school in Jamaica 06:45 Gut and Glory (partner) 08:35 "Why don't we do phone sex?" 16:02 How Lady Velvet was born 18:08 What men really want in bed 20:19 From dominatrix to owning the label "sex worker" 23:38 "I don't want to be a lady, Grandma" 28:32 The Velvet Temple 37:00 Telling 200 women the truth 41:17 The Velvet Command (say it with us) 47:36 Swallowing your no 54:53 "Who are you?" 1:01:32 "My children saved my life" 1:06:34 Gifts and goodbyes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    From Phone Sex Operator to Dominatrix to Coach: Lady Velvet on Ditching Shame

  2. Oct 20

    Rejected for Being “Too Much”: Autism, EHCP Waits & Home Ed

    Two mums, one very real week. Nikki opens up about her son George, who is autistic and minimally verbal, being turned away from a home ed class and a mainstream school in the same week, the long wait for an EHCP, and whether school is really for the kids or for the parents. Then Ellie tries a period facial (yes, really), we ask why we’re still calling it menopause, and we imagine we’re on the government’s new misogyny task force. First to go: “the missus”, “female CEO”, and dads who “babysit” their own children. Plus why motherhood should be at the centre of everything, “Spermageddon” and falling birth rates, and what the world’s blue zones can teach us about connection. The good, the bad and the ugly. What would YOU do if you were on the task force? Tell us in the comments. Follow us: @happentobemums 00:00 Coffee, guts and why “sunshine” is patronising 01:59 The gilet ick 03:22 Splattering foundation on a stranger 04:21 A tough week: hives in the woods 05:54 George, autism, EHCP and home education 07:03 Rejected from a cooking class 09:22 Turned down by a mainstream school 09:58 Leaving Qatar: was it the right call? 10:50 Who is school really for? 14:56 I tried a period facial 17:20 Why we need a new word for menopause 19:23 The misogyny task force 20:26 Retire “the missus” 20:56 Drop “female” from job titles 21:37 “Who’s looking after the kids?” 22:19 Dads don’t babysit 22:59 Why are balls the measure of bravery? 23:58 Put motherhood at the centre 26:42 “Spermageddon”: falling birth rates 28:43 Humankind, blue zones and connection 30:54 Wrap up and next week 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every Tuesday 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/happentobemums 🎵 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@happentobemums ✉️ Get in touch: happentobemums@coreagency.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Rejected for Being “Too Much”: Autism, EHCP Waits & Home Ed

  3. Oct 13

    Toddler Sleep Without Cry It Out: A Child Sleep Specialist Explains

    Is your child’s bedtime a nightly battle? We sit down with Gemma, a child sleep specialist and former children’s nurse, to talk honestly about cry it out, co-sleeping, dummies, night waking and what really helps when you’re running on empty. We play Bin It or Bed It with the sleep trends all over your feed (melatonin gummies, magnesium, white noise, the SNOO, blackout blinds, lavender and the bath before bed), share our own bedtime chaos, and ask the big question: what if your sleep setup is working fine as it is? No shame, no one-size-fits-all rules. Just real mums and an expert who’ll help you find the one change that makes the biggest difference. Find Gemma: childsleepspecialist.co.uk Follow us: @happentobemums 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every Tuesday 🎧 Watch on YouTube: @happentobemums 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/happentobemums 🎵 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@happentobemums ✉️ Get in touch: happentobemums@coreagency.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Toddler Sleep Without Cry It Out: A Child Sleep Specialist Explains

  4. Oct 6

    Am I Enough? Single Mum Resentment, EHCP Battles and a Red Fleece Nightie | We Just Happen To Be Mums

    Nicky and Elle are back for episode two, and it swings from tears to stitches and back again. Nicky is fighting for her son George, who is six, autistic and minimally speaking. She's working three jobs, homeschooling while the family waits on an EHCP, and asking why getting your child into school can take a tribunal and two years. She also gets through a day of sickness with a kitchen knife, a mango and no backup. Elle opens up about a weekend with friends' young families. It brought up something she didn't expect: resentment, exhaustion, and the question every single mum asks herself at some point. Am I giving her enough? Then an unexpected message from a friend brings it full circle. Plus: the neighbour who said "I just feel so sorry for you in there with those children" (and then delivered the triple whammy), the dark world of Jerry Springer and Jeremy Kyle, Celine Dion's comeback, and this week's icks, which turn out to be each other. One gilet, one red fleece nightie with a side zip, and no apologies. Finally, we settle it: what IS Celine singing in Think Twice, and what does Gabrielle have inside her shoe? Real, funny and honest. Because we just happen to be mums. 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every Tuesday 🎧 Watch on YouTube: @happentobemums 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/happentobemums 🎵 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@happentobemums ✉️ Get in touch: happentobemums@coreagency.uk Produced by Core LDN. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Am I Enough? Single Mum Resentment, EHCP Battles and a Red Fleece Nightie | We Just Happen To Be Mums

  5. Sep 29

    Ex-Pat Living vs UK Living, Botox Routine & Period Facials | We Just Happen To Be Mums

    Is life as a mum actually easier abroad? This week Nicky and Ellie compare ex-pat living with raising a family in the UK, what you gain and lose when home is somewhere else. Then things get personal. We talk about Botox, plus period facials and why you might want to try it. 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every Tuesday 🎧 Watch on YouTube: @happentobemums 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/happentobemums 🎵 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@happentobemums ✉️ Get in touch: happentobemums@coreagency.uk Produced by Core LDN. This episode shares personal experiences only and is not medical or skincare advice. #WeJustHappenToBeMums #MumPodcast #ExPatLife #Botox #PeriodFacials Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Ex-Pat Living vs UK Living, Botox Routine & Period Facials | We Just Happen To Be Mums
  • 5 Episodes

About

We Just Happen To Be Mums is the podcast for women who are mums, but not only mums. Nicky Crosby and Ellie Fanyinka are two friends who became mothers and then realised nobody had handed them the full picture. So they started talking about it. Every episode is an honest, warm and often very funny conversation about real life with children, and real life beyond them. The invisible load. The pressure to get it all right. Friendships that shift. Bodies that change. Turning 40 and wondering what's next. Reinvention, ageing, desire, and the big question: who are you when no one needs you? Some weeks it's just Nicola and Eleanor. Other weeks they're joined by guests who bring real expertise and lived experience, from sleep coaching and gut health to raising autistic children, single parenting and redefining what success as a mum actually looks like. No perfect answers. No judgement. Just two women who happen to be mums, saying the things you've probably thought yourself. New episodes every Tuesday. Watch the full episodes on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@happentobemums Follow along on Instagram and TikTok: @happentobemums Get in touch: happentobemums@coreagency.uk Produced by Core LDN. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Nicky Crosby and Ellie Fanyinka
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Core LDN
  • Show Website
    We Just Happen To Be Mums

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