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Now What? Podcast

Now What? Formerly, Mothering On My Own


Latest episode

  • The Mommune: Inside the Household Where Two Single Mums Raise Their Kids Together- with Bernie Sinclair

    01:01:33|
    When she became a single mum, Jen made a promise to herself: she was not going to live a smaller, harder life just because a relationship had ended. Years later, that promise turned into a "mommune" — a shared home in New York City with her best friend Annabelle, also a single mum, where they split rent, share dinners, divide the mental load of parenting, and raise their kids as one family unit. No romantic partners live in the house. No calendars or chore charts either. Just two women who decided that trust, presence and showing up for each other beats waiting around for a man to do it.In this conversation, Jen unpacks how the mommune actually started (hint: it wasn't a business decision, it was years of shared play dates and swapped babysitting), how she and Annabelle split money and domestic labour without ever discussing finances directly, how dating still fits into her life without ever entering the home, and why she believes isolation, not money, is often the real crisis facing single mums.This episode is for anyone who has ever sat alone on a Friday night after the kids are asleep and wondered if there's another way to build a home, a family and a life that doesn't hinge on finding "the one."In this episode:How a years-long friendship turned into a shared householdSplitting rent, groceries and bills without pooling financesWhy trust replaced micromanaging once a man was out of the equationThe "no men in the home" rule, and how dating still works around itThe moment Jen realised the mommune had given her her mental space backAdvice for anyone wanting to build this kind of support system, with or without moving in together

More episodes

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  • What Nobody Tells You About Doing It Completely Alone- With Jemima Fallows

    46:35|
    Jemima found out she was pregnant at 39. The father made it clear from the beginning — if she continued, she was on her own. She continued.This conversation covers what nobody prepares you for when you're doing it completely alone from the start — the shame of a pregnancy you're hiding in plain sight, the identity shift that hits harder when there's no one to hand the baby to, the sleep deprivation, the finances, the friendships that quietly disappear, and the strange grief of losing a spontaneous life you didn't realise you'd miss.Jemima is two years in, finally back at work, newly dating, and still figuring out who she is on the other side of it. She doesn't sugarcoat any of it — and that's exactly why this one is worth a listen.
  • What if you're not done with love. You're just scared of it?- With Hannah Rose Keys

    59:40|
    Four months out of a relationship breakdown, Rachel finds herself saying something she never thought she'd say: I'm never doing this again.She gets it now. The bitterness. The wall. The absolute certainty that closing off is safer than trying again.But she also knows there's a question worth sitting with — one that's harder than it sounds: is this protection, or is this avoidance? Because they feel identical from the inside. And the research says they have very different costs.Hannah Rose Keys is back. Six months ago she was done with men entirely. Something shifted. This is that conversation.Now What is hosted by Rachel Maksimovic. Follow @hannahrosekeys Follow @rachel.maksimovic & @nowwhat.podcast on Instagram.
  • I am grieving a marriage I needed to leave- with Tara Pavlovic

    36:11|
    Tara Pavlovic is a Gold Coast-based content creator and mum of two who recently announced her separation — and the response from women everywhere made it clear this conversation needed to happen.Rachel and Tara get into what the lead-up to leaving actually looks like from the inside. The years of therapy. The panic attacks. The couples counselling that didn't save the marriage but mattered anyway. The Fiji holiday they booked because they knew they could still have a good time together. And the moment Tara's body made the decision before her mind was ready to.They also go somewhere neither of them planned — into what it does to a woman's sense of self when she realises her version of the marriage and his were two completely different realities. And what it means to lose trust in yourself so completely that you can't imagine ever choosing again.Honest, raw, and at times genuinely surprising. This one will probably make you cry at least once.In this episode:Why the hardest part of leaving isn't what comes after — it's the decision itselfWhat couples counselling actually does when it doesn't save the marriageHow alcohol can hold a relationship together — and what happens when it's goneThe moment the panic attacks became impossible to ignoreWhy she doesn't believe anyone will truly love her nowWhat it feels like to lose all trust in yourself after a marriage endsWhat Tara would say to any woman sitting in that dark place right nowFind Tara: @tarapavlovic Now What is hosted by Rachel Maksimovic. Follow @rachel.maksimovic & @nowwhat.podcast on Instagram.
  • When the Second Breakup Hits Harder Than the Divorce- With Kylie Lately

    42:29|
    Rachel sits down with Kylie to talk about the parts of single motherhood and dating again that don't get said out loud enough — the fallout when a significant relationship ends and your kids are caught in it, the survival mode that masquerades as a personality, and the stories women tell themselves to excuse behaviour they should be walking away from. Kylie is five years out from her separation, has lived through a second major breakup, and speaks with the kind of hard-won clarity that only comes from actually doing the work. This is an honest conversation about blended families, self-trust, and what it really takes to be open to love again without losing yourself in the process.
  • Which Ball Do You Want Me to Drop? Catie Gett on Nourishment, Survival Mode and the Real Cost of Doing It All Alone.

    53:51|
    Catie Gett is a Melbourne-based naturopath, founder of The Staple Store, and single mum to her daughter Scout. She has spent her career making food and health accessible to people who can't afford a 20-step morning routine — and this conversation goes places neither of them expected.Rachel and Catie get into what survival mode actually costs you. Why the wellness industry has made health aspirational instead of accessible. Why telling women to self-care without changing any of the actual conditions they're living in is just another layer of guilt. And what it feels like to look back on your daughter's early years and realise you don't remember them — because you were so deep in stress you weren't really there.Rachel also gets honest about where she's at right now. And somehow, by the end of it, finds one thing she can actually change.This one is for every woman standing at the bench feeding her kids breakfast while she has nothing but a coffee. It's practical, it's honest, and it will probably make you cry at least once.In this episode:Why the wellness industry has made health a purchase, not a rightWhat survival mode does to your body — and your memoryThe breakfast change that shifted everything for KatieWhy "have you tried yoga?" is some of the most expensive free advice women getThe specific cruelty of heartbreak when you're parenting aloneFind Catie: @thestaplestoreNow What is hosted by Rachel Maksimovic. Follow @rachel.maksimovic & @nowwhat.podcast on Instagram.
  • The Divorce Diaries: Surviving Court, Betrayal and Starting Again, with Stephanie

    41:10|
    In this episode, Rachel sits down with Stephanie, the creator of The Divorce Diaries, who began documenting her divorce and court experience in real time from the US. Together they unpack what it’s really like to navigate a legal system when money, representation, and support feel out of reach, and the financial whiplash of going from being a stay-at-home mum to having to provide again almost overnight.Stephanie shares the turning points that made her leave, the layers of betrayal she uncovered, and why choosing to “settle” wasn’t giving up, it was a decision to step out of the chaos and protect her kids’ wellbeing. They talk co-parenting when communication is tense, how to stay grounded when things are done to derail your day, and the practical ways Stephanie rebuilt her strength through small daily acts of self-care, perspective, and boundaries.This is a candid conversation for anyone entering separation, facing court, or trying to rebuild a life that feels stable, safe, and yours again.Find Stephanie @stylewith.stephanie