Not Another Mummy Podcast

My guest on this episode is Stacey Duguid - former ELLE fashion editor, author of In Pursuit of Happiness and now founder of Encore, a community for midlife women who can’t get back into work.Stacey tells me how despite her glittering career in fashion, last year she sent out CV after CV and didn’t get so much as an auto reply. By March this year she was signing on for Universal Credit and then she uncovered a big reason for what was happening: AI.Stacey explains how AI recruitment tools are filtering out women over 40 before a human ever sees their application and how - when she posted about it on her Instagram Stories - thousands of women told her it was happening to them too.We also talk about:The legislative changes Stacey wants to campaign for, starting with better rules for the recruitment industryATS - what an applicant tracking system is and why your CV might never reach a humanBotoxing your CV - the advice she was given to hide her age and experience, and why she refusedWhat happened when perimenopause and undiagnosed neurodivergence hit at the same timeHow she feels about the “everyone’s got ADHD now” narrative and the headlines about over diagnosisFollow Stacey on Instagram at @staceyduguid, find Encore by downloading the Mighty app and searching for Her Encore, and check out her book In Pursuit of Happiness: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pursuit-Happiness-Mating-Marriage-Motherhood/dp/0349435197/If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating and review - it really helps other people find the podcast. And you can follow the podcast to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you!Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I’m a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It’s Twins now.Music: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer

My guest on this episode is Sunday Times bestselling poet Donna Ashworth, who Dawn French (gorgeously) once called "a human disco ball". Her poems are shared by millions of women online, and they put into words what so many of us feel but can’t quite say.During our chat, Donna talks about why touring makes her feel like a robot Hoover, and why she needs “staring at a wall time” to recharge. We also talk about being a mum to teenage boys, what happened when she asked them to describe her (a brave move!) and why she tells her sons they can take mental health days off school, no questions asked. Donna also tells me:How a blog called Ladies Pass It On, started in 2018 to find internet friends, turned into a poetry career with no business planHer rule of one spiritual step and one practical step to move towards something you wantWhat Vinnie Jones taught her about why life’s bags get heavier to carrySoul flu, and treating a bad mental health day the way you’d treat a virusWhat she’d say to every woman who’s been told she’s “too much”Why beginning has never been her problem, but finishing used to beThe best way to read her new book, and her free journaling groupYou can find Donna on Instagram: @donnaashworthwords, and on Facebook in her group Journaling with Donna Ashworth.Buy her new book The Art Of Being Easily Pleased: https://link.amazon/B09olbhkH If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating and review — it really helps other people find the podcast. And you can follow the podcast to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you!Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I’m a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It’s Twins now.Music: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer

I know a lot of parents with questions about the upcoming social media ban for under 16s and my guest on this episode is the best person to answer them. Ian Murray MP is the Online Safety Minister, and I put as many questions to him that parents have been asking. From what happens to your teen’s Snapchat memories come March 2027 to whether kids will still be able to watch YouTube on the family telly.We also cover:Roblox and Fortnite - why the focus is on strangers chatting to kids, loot boxes and chatbots, not stopping them playing with their friendsWhether parents who log their kids in are breaking the law Passport and ID checks - what’s still being decided, and how a third party could confirm your age without the platforms holding your dataKids who’ve found their people online - what he’d say to parents worried their child will miss out on plans made on SnapchatWhat changes for 16 and 17-year-olds - curfews, time limits and less contact from strangersWhy he changed his mind on a ban - from a police briefing on child exploitation to watching how his own daughter uses screensYou can find the government’s free online safety hub for parents here: kidsonlinesafety.campaign.gov.uk. Thank you to the sponsor of this episode, the Online Responsibility Network. Find out more here: https://www.onlineresponsibilitynetwork.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating and review - it really helps other people find the podcast. And you can follow the podcast to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you!Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I’m a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It’s Twins now.Music: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer

This brand new series of Not Another Mummy Podcast kicks off today with a stonker of a guest. I'm joined by the incredible Dr Shefali - clinical psychologist, New York Times bestselling author and founder of the conscious parenting movement, whose work has been championed by Oprah and Pink. Her two new books, Raising Conscious Daughters and Raising Conscious Sons, are hands-on guides to raising confident, resilient kids in a digital world.During our chat, Dr Shefali explains why seeing our kids’ wins as our own can actually push them away from who they really are, and why the question we should ask ourselves when we’re losing it with them is “is this about my child, or about me?”We also cover:Why watching Adolescence on Netflix prompted her to write two books, and why it was the well-meaning parents who stuck with herWhy we should raise our daughters to be heard, not to be good, and what that looks like from age three to 13How the algorithm targets boys and girls differently, and the “perception prison” she says girls can end up inWhy “I just want my child to be happy” can backfireThe three free things she says any parent can start this week: connect before you correct, protect them from the algorithm, and bring back boredomLetting our kids be ordinary, and why “average” has become such a dirty word for parentsReclaiming masculinity as something positive for boysWhat to do if you agree with all of this but just don’t have the headspace right nowFollow Dr Shefali on Instagram at @doctorshefali Check out Raising Conscious Daughters here: https://link.amazon/B04G1qsIv and Raising Conscious Sons here: https://link.amazon/B08ESURVpIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating and review - it really helps other people find the podcast. And you can follow the podcast to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you!Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I’m a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It’s Twins now.Music: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer

My guest on this special episode, brought to you in partnership with YouTube, is Dr Garth Graham. As well as being YouTube's Head of Health, Garth is also a dad of four, from age three up to a teenager.In this episode we talk about the UK's social media ban, whether YouTube counts as social media at all, and how it will impact older kids who use YouTube for school work and studying.We also chat about how screen time vs play time is balanced in his own house and why the notion of ‘screen time’ isn’t particularly helpful for parents.Plus, on this episode we cover:The three-tier system (YouTube Kids, kid accounts, teen accounts) lots of parents have never heard of, including whether it's too late to move an older teen onto one"Displacement theory" - the test Garth’s wife, a child psychiatrist, uses to work out when screen time's tipped into a problemThe family media contract his household swears by, and why it has to change as the kids get olderHis line for handling bedtime pushback - "dude, they must run a class in it"What he says when parents assume tech companies will always put profit over kids' healthYou can find out more about YouTube's parental controls and Family Centre here: families.youtube.com If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating and review — it really helps other people find the podcast. And you can follow the podcast to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now. Music: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer

My guest today is content creator Kelly Taylor (previously known as Kids and the Commute) who turns the chaos of the school run, class WhatsApp groups and the work-and-kids juggle into some of the funniest, most relatable content on social media. Since her eldest daughter has just left primary school and is about to start secondary school, I wanted to chat with Kelly about all of the emotions involved. She also tells me about how she's been preparing her daughter for Year 7 and why she's been deliberately stepping back and letting her fight her own battles for the past year.We also chat about:The most bonkers class WhatsApp drama she's heard aboutWhy non-uniform day is the most stressful day of the school year in her houseThe real cost of secondary school uniform versus primaryHer rule about phones staying in bags when her daughter's out with friendsThe secret safe word she and her daughter use if something's ever wrongWhere she stands on tracking apps like Life360You can find Kelly on Instagram and TikTok at @thisiskellytaylor.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating and review — it really helps other people find the podcast. And you can follow the podcast to ensure you don't miss future episodes. Thank you!Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.Music: Epidemic Sound Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Kate Silverton needs no introduction to most parents. She spent years as one of the most familiar faces on BBC News before retraining as a child therapist and writing two bestselling books There's No Such Thing as Naughty and There's Still No Such Thing as Naughty.In this episode, we talk about everything from the science of a toddler meltdown right through to what it's like when your teenager looks at you like you've just ruined their life.We also discuss the new BACP campaign on the parenthood preparation gap - why so many of us are prepare for parenthood with a changing bag and a birth plan but don't have the support to prepare for how parenthood actually feels. We also chat about:Kate's own journey from BBC broadcaster to child therapist, and the moment she knew she had to make the leapThe lizard, baboon and wise owl - Kate's brilliant way of explaining what's actually happening in a child's brain during a meltdownWhy "there's no such thing as naughty" and what that means for how we respond to big feelingsWhether teenage rebellion is something to fight or something to work withHow to help a child who's dreading going back to school, and the questions to ask themWhy Kate believes society, not parents, is failing children right nowYou can find Kate on Instagram: @katesilvertonHer books There's No Such Thing as Naughty and There's Still No Such Thing as Naughty are out now: https://link.amazon/B0hj4g1o3 If you want to know more about the BACP campaign, head to the Parenting Grind websiteFind a BACP reginstered counsellor: https://www.bacp.co.uk/ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating and review — it really helps other people find the podcast. And you can follow the podcast to ensure you don't miss future episodes. Thank you!Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood and confidence on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now.Music: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer

My guest today is Sarah Beeny - property expert, broadcaster and entrepreneur, mum of four boys, and the host of the podcast Seriously?, where she talks to her sons about pretty much every topic under the sun. She's also just relaunched My Single Friend, the iconic dating site everyone was talking about in the noughties, now reborn as a video app, and she's been working with the NSPCC on online safety.Sarah talks to me about why she took a hard line on screens years before it was fashionable - she once organised a school sit-in to keep iPads out of the classroom. She tells me why she thinks the under-16 social media ban is only the start, why we've all muddled up "quiet" and "happy" when it comes to our kids, and why talking to them about absolutely everything (yes, including sexting and foreplay) beats crossing your fingers and hoping it sorts itself out.We also chat about:Why the social media ban is just the beginning - and the bigger thing she'd ban tomorrowThe advice from her brother that made every awkward conversation with her kids easierWhat all four of her sons say to her now about growing up with phones (brace yourself)How watching her boys on Snapchat gave her the idea to bring back My Single FriendYou can follow Sarah on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarah.beeny/?hl=enListen to her podcast Seriously? with Sarah Beeny https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/seriously-with-sarah-beeny/id1784734492Find My Single Friend on the app store https://mysinglefriend.appFind out more about the NSPCC's work on online safety https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/If you enjoyed this episode, please do rate and review the podcast - it really helps. And you can follow the podcast to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Threads: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now. Music: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer