The Mama Circle

Most of us expect that going back to work will make things easier, but for many mums, it doesn’t. Costs increase. Illness increases. The mental load expands. And suddenly, you’re holding a job, a household, and a child at the same time.

In this episode, I’m unpacking why going back to work often feels harder than expected, and the structural tension behind it. Because the issue isn’t your ambition. It’s the conditions you’re working inside.

🎧 If this resonates, the free audio guide The 5 Villages Every Mum Needs explores the kinds of support that are often missing in moments like this: 👉🏽 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The 5 Villages Every Mum Needs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.
We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to share your thoughts on this episode?
TikTok ⁠⁠@nataliek.martin⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natalie.kmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠
☕️ Support my work: if you’re enjoying my podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here! Thank you 🫶🏽 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/nataliekmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

New episodes every Wednesday🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a quick review — it really helps other mums find the show.

Living together after a breakup is one of the least talked about stages of separation.
You’re not fully together.
You’re not fully apart.
And you’re not fully independent.
From the outside, everything can look the same.
Same house. Same routines. Same family structure.
But internally, everything has shifted.
In this episode, I’m naming what actually happens in that in-between space:
The emotional tension of sharing space while detaching
The constant nervous system activation
Why the mental load and division of labour suddenly feel sharper
How the “contract” of your relationship quietly disappears
Why home can stop feeling like home
And why this stage, as hard as it is, can also bring clarity
This is a relationship debt episode, with threads of emotional and identity debt running through it.
If you’re in this stage, or heading towards it, you’re not imagining how hard it feels.
And you’re not the only one living it.
🎧 If this resonates, the free audio guide The 5 Villages Every Mum Needs explores the kinds of support that are often missing in moments like this: 👉🏽 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The 5 Villages Every Mum Needs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.
We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to share your thoughts on this episode?
TikTok ⁠@nataliek.martin⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natalie.kmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠
☕️ Support my work: if you’re enjoying my podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here! Thank you 🫶🏽 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/nataliekmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

New episodes every Wednesday🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a quick review — it really helps other mums find the show.

Today, I’m talking about something that feels deeply uncomfortable for a lot of us, needing help when the numbers stop adding up.
Through the lens of motherhood, separation, and navigating finances, I share what it’s been like to realise that I can’t actually do this alone. Not because I’ve done something wrong, but because the reality of modern motherhood often doesn’t add up financially.
I talk about the shame that can come up when asking for help, especially financial help, and where that shame actually comes from.
This isn’t just about money. It’s about identity, independence, and the stories we carry about what it means to be someone who “should be able to manage”.
In this episode:
what happens when your income and expenses stop aligning in motherhood
why asking for help can feel so uncomfortable
the difference between personal failure and structural reality
how cultural and class conditioning shapes our relationship with money and support
why systems like benefits and subsidies exist in the first place
If you’ve ever felt like you shouldn’t need help, this episode is for you.
🎧 Free resource: The 5 Villages Every Mum Needs
A short audio guide exploring the types of support modern motherhood requires, and where those gaps often are.
👉🏽 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The 5 Villages Every Mum Needs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.
We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to share your thoughts on this episode?
TikTok @nataliek.martin Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natalie.kmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
☕️ Support my work: if you’re enjoying my podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here! Thank you 🫶🏽 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/nataliekmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

New episodes every Wednesday🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a quick review — it really helps other mums find the show.

In this episode, I’m sharing the idea that sits underneath so much of this podcast: the motherhood debt.
It’s the hidden cost of becoming a mother, not just financially, but emotionally, relationally, mentally and practically too.
I talk about the moment I realised I felt like I was drowning, why so many mums end up blaming themselves, and what I started to notice in conversations with other women.
Different struggles. Same underlying weight.
I also break down the different debts so many of us carry, from identity and relationships to time, energy, support and money.
This episode is the foundation for everything that follows. If motherhood has ever felt heavier than you expected, this will put language to it.

🎧 Mentioned in this episode:
The 5 Villages Every Mum Needs, where I talk more about the support structures modern mothers are navigating.
👉🏽 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The 5 Villages Every Mum Needs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.
We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to share your thoughts on this episode? Comment on Spotify or:
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natalie.kmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
☕️ Support my work: if you’re enjoying my podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here! Thank you 🫶🏽 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/nataliekmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
📢 Don’t forget to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode
New episodes every Wednesday🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a quick review — it really helps other mums find the show.

In this episode, Natalie reflects on how expectations around Mother’s Day can quietly shift after children arrive. What was once about celebrating your own mum can suddenly become multi-generational, bringing different traditions, assumptions, and sometimes tension about how the day should be spent.
Natalie also explores a deeper question: do mothers actually need one day of appreciation, or something more consistent than that?
Flowers, cards, and breakfast in bed are lovely, but they are not the same as everyday support. In modern motherhood, the small, practical moments of care and shared responsibility often matter far more than symbolic gestures once a year.
This episode looks at how resentment in relationships often builds through tiny moments over time, and why the opposite is also true. Small acts of support can quietly strengthen a partnership and help mothers feel less alone in the weight of family life.
Natalie also introduces the idea behind her Five Villages Every Mum Needs framework, which explores the different forms of support mothers need in modern life.
If Mother’s Day has ever felt more complicated than joyful, this conversation will likely resonate.
If this resonates, you can download my free audio guide, The 5 Villages Every Mum Needs, where I talk more about the support structures modern mothers are navigating.
👉🏽 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The 5 Villages Every Mum Needs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.
We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to share your thoughts on this episode? Comment on Spotify or:
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natalie.kmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
☕️ Support my work: if you’re enjoying my podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here! Thank you 🫶🏽 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/nataliekmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
📢 Don’t forget to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode
New episodes every Wednesday🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a quick review — it really helps other mums find the show.