The Juggling Act - podcast cover

The Juggling Act

kidspot.com.auwww.kidspot.com.au

Hosted by Kidspot writer and mum-of-two Melissa Wilson, and businesswoman and mum-of-one Jules Robinson, The Juggling Act covers the latest opinions, challenges, expert advice, celebrity interviews, real-life stories plus much more for busy parents. This supportive, informative and totally relatable podcast aims to offer insight and advice for mums and dads to help them navigate their professional and parenting lives, plus the mess in between. 

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Episodes

Masterchef mum on the hardest thing about the show

Masterchef Australia is back with 24 contestants vying it out in the kitchen for the title. Landscape Architect and mum to three-year-old twin boys, Jess Hodge, is hoping her supportive family and tiny cheer squad will help her take out the top spot and change their lives. She joins us to chat about the hardest thing about the show and how her boys react to seeing her on TV. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 18, 202112 min

How to be a sick mum

Fleur Marks has now battled two chronic illnesses, one non-curable, and with that has had to learn that your role as a mum changes significantly when you get sick. Many people, including Fleur, have struggled with this, to the point where she feels unworthy of celebrating Mother’s Day because she wasn’t being the mother she wanted to be once her health deteriorated. Fleur is now a known wellbeing consultant and leadership coach, and as the founder of The Wellbeing, she's helping people live life...

May 17, 202117 min

Is it wrong to pick favourites?

A mum recently revealed to us that she's heard her husband telling their child that he loves him more than she does because they get along better. How would you react? Sarah and Mel share their thoughts and open up about their own experiences around parents picking a favourite child. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 16, 202113 min

Weekly Catch-Up

This week, Sarah and Mel chat about the random accidents our kids have and the things that happened to us growing up. Speaking of accidents, 'Accidental Weatherman' from Sunrise Sam Mac reveals he can’t wait to be a dad! Finance expert Renae Vercoe shares tips to juggling the complicated world of health insurance and getting the most out of it for your family. Melissa Doyle is in the studio and admits that there’s freedom to turning 50 and leaving TV. And Mindfulness expert Charlotte Tharup shar...

May 15, 20211 hr 4 min

How to ditch the anxiety and enjoy more family time

We’re almost midway through the year, can you believe it? And we are in need of some downtime. Anyone else? You’re in luck because today’s guest is a world-renowned mindfulness expert, transformative educator and director of The Mindfulness Clinic. Charlotte Thaarup is here to help us all ditch the anxiety, relax and enjoy family life more. And she says we can do it in just ten minutes a day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 13, 202113 min

Melissa Doyle: 'There is a freedom that comes with turning 50'

Nothing highlights the passing of time more than children who constantly ask how old you are and how old they’re going to be. That combined with pressure from society around aging can be tough! Today’s guest, journalist and TV / radio host Melissa Doyle, knows that feeling all too well. She turned 50 the year that she left TV and realised that she felt freer. So together with her bestie Naima (who is in her early 40s), she decided to create a podcast called Age Against the Machine, which looks o...

May 12, 202117 min

Navigating the complex world of health insurance

You don’t have to get health insurance in Australia, but it can have implications come tax time. So how do you know if you’ve got the right coverage for your family and make sure you’re getting the most of it? Renae Vercoe – Founder of Money Mode - joins us with some brilliant advice to navigating this complex world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 11, 202114 min

Sam Mac: 'I can't wait to be a dad'

Around 7 years ago now, Mel worked on a TV show for Channel TEN called Wake Up. The roving reporter was a young guy who showed a bit of promise. His name? Sam Mac. Sam went onto score one of the most coveted roles in TV, the weather guy on Sunrise. He’s now somehow found time to write a book called 'Accidental Weatherman', about the impact changing weather patterns have on the number of accidents people have. Kidding. It’s his memoir and it’s very funny. Sam joins us to chat about early wake ups...

May 10, 202113 min

The random accidents kids have

How many times have you been to the ER with your kids? It's a shame we don't get membership points for frequent visits. They just seem to do the most random things! Sarah and Mel open up about the strange incidents that have happened to their children and to them growing up! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 09, 202110 min

Weekly Catch-Up

This week, we catch up with the delightful Jimmy Rees about how COVID has completely changed his career. Tanya Hennessy joins us to chat about how she’s inspiring our tween girls. The founder of The Babes Project opens up about the personal reason she’s making sure vulnerable new mums have more support. We chat with a childcare educator about the crucial role early learning plays in a child's life. And Sarah and Mel talk about whether homework in primary school should even be a thing. See omnyst...

May 08, 20211 hr 7 min

Should homework in primary school be a thing?

Juggling work, pick up and drop-offs, lunchboxes, extra-curricula activities, dinner, bath and bedtime when your child starts school, is a lot! Then throw homework in the mix and it feels like there's just not enough minutes in the day. By the time you get home, cook dinner, eat, and get ready for bed, where is the time to fit it in? Sarah and Mel talk about whether or not homework is even needed in primary school and how to manage that juggle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

May 06, 202113 min

The crucial role early learning plays in a child's life

Sending your child to childcare can come with mixed emotions - often with a sprinkling of guilt. But once they start you can quickly see the incredible role that the educators and centres play in their development. We're joined by Helen Bailey from Goodstart Early Learning to tell us about the crucial role early learning plays in a child's life and how parents can best work with educators. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 05, 202111 min

'Why I've made it my mission to give all babies the chance to thrive'

It can be so overwhelming when you first fall pregnant. The exhaustion, the strange changes to your body, the worry of whether you're going to be a good mum. Imagine juggling all that and the stress of whether you're going to have enough money to care for them or whether your partner would hurt you - or the baby. During COVID there's been an increase in peri-natal depression and domestic violence, so today's guest, Helen Parker - founder and CEO of a non-for-profit group called The Babes Project...

May 04, 202113 min

Tanya Hennessy is your daughter's new honourary aunt

Our tweens are growing up in such a different world to us, and it can be hard to know how to help them thrive. During comedian Tanya Hennessy’s career, she found herself unexpectedly becoming an inspiration to young girls. So she wanted to try and find a way to help them, show them how to be more confident, tenacious and resilient. She’s written a kids' book called ‘Drum Roll Please … It's Stevie Louise’, and she opens up about how her own childhood inspired the idea. See omnystudio.com/listener...

May 03, 202118 min

Jimmy Rees: How COVID completely reshaped my career

We know him as Jimmy Giggle after hours spent watching Giggle and Hoot on the ABC (sometimes after the kids have left the room). But after finishing up with the ABC before the pandemic, Jimmy has been working hard to establish himself as an entertainer outside of his famous role. During COVID, he started creating hilarious videos taking the piss out of each Australian state and their reaction, as well as totally relatable parenting videos – and he has now reshaped his career. Jimmy is also worki...

May 02, 202115 min

Weekly Catch-Up

This week, Sarah and Mel open up about how you feel about your body after having a baby… Singer Kevin Mitchell (aka Bob Evans) reveals how losing his dad as a teen has changed the way he parents. We chat with a former childcare worker about the things she would like parents to know! We’re joined by an expert who claims feelings of hatred for your children can actually enrich the maternal love you feel. And we have a fantastic chat with the gorgeous Sam Johnson about what he would say to his late...

May 01, 20211 hr 8 min

Sam Johnson: 'My older sister is the unsung hero of our family'

If you could tell your mum anything at all, what would it be? It’s a massive question and one that's hard to answer off the top of your head. Actor and author Samuel Johnson – who first burst onto our screens in The Secret Life of Us, before winning the hearts of Australia with his charity work with his sister Connie, Love Your Sister – has asked some of the biggest names in the country that very question. They’ve written a letter to their mum in his new book Dear Mum, and he joins us to talk ab...

Apr 29, 202116 min

Can feelings of hatred actually enrich maternal love?

Have you ever had one of those days where you're just not loving this whole motherhood thing? It’s not that we’re ungrateful, or that we hate our child, but sometimes you hate being a parent. Today’s guest knows this feeling all too well. Dr Margo Lowy is a psychotherapist with a special interest in maternal ambivalence – an often taboo topic. Margo has a book out which explores this idea. It's called ‘The Maternal Experience: Encounters with Ambivalence and Love’ and she joins us to explore the...

Apr 28, 202116 min

What a former childcare worker wants parents to know

When Mel sent her first child to daycare and made it into work, she sat in the toilet and cried. It felt so unnatural leaving a child with total strangers surrounded by other strange children. Would she eat? Would she sleep? Would they cuddle her if she cried? Was I the worst mother in the world?! To reassure you if you’re feeling any of the same things, we’ve found a former childcare worker who has some words of wisdom to share about your child and what happens when they’re in care (don't worry...

Apr 27, 202113 min

'How losing my father as a teen changed how I parent'

Everyone is loving Pink’s new song Cover Me In Sunshine right now, it’s just the sunny joy that we all need right now. And that’s something Aussie singer Bob Evans aka Jebediah frontman Kevin Mitchell wanted to tap into with his new song Concrete Heart. Bob is also a dad of two and joins us to chat about how his work has been impacted by COVID and how losing his dad when he was a teenager has changed the way he parents his kids. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Apr 26, 202115 min

How do you feel about your body after baby?

When you're pregnant your body goes through incredible and often bizarre changes (pigmentation anyone?). You are growing a human after all. From stretch marks to saggy boobs, after you've had the baby, things are often not the way they once were! Mel and Sarah discuss the changes they experienced and how they feel about their bodies after having a baby. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 25, 202111 min

Weekly Catch-Up

This week, former Detective Gary Jubelin – who worked on the William Tyrell case – opens up about the huge toll catching killers has taken on his family life. Dr Sarah Woodhouse joins us to talk about trauma and says we could be passing our own experiences onto our children. You’ll need a cup of tea to process this one. Jules Sebastian is with us and opens up about why she's talking about the biggest loss in her life. We’re joined by a speech pathologist who shares the signs your child might hav...

Apr 24, 20211 hr 6 min

How to handle a runaway child

Do you remember running away as a child? Feels like a right of passage. But it doesn't seem as sweet when your own child does it. Mel opens up about how her daughter has run away a couple of times and how stressful it is, while asking how it should be handled and what the consequences should be. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 22, 202112 min

'What I've learnt about the power of self-care'

Sonia Bestulic has just a few balls in the air. She’s a speech pathologist and the founder of a clinic called Talking Heads. She’s also an award-nominated children’s author and host of the Chatabout Children podcast. And somehow, she manages to juggle all that plus three children just 2.5 years apart! Sonia joins us to reveal just how she does it and the powerful lesson she's learnt about self-care. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Apr 21, 202117 min

Jules Sebastian: Why I opened up about the biggest loss in my life

While it may have appeared that Jules Sebastian has taken a backseat to her husband Guy's career, the presenter and stylist has always worked hard in the background and is now stepping into the spotlight at the age of 40. The mum of two boys is the host of Tea with Jules on YouTube, and now she’s added author to her CV with the launch of her first-ever book Tea & Honesty. And being honest is exactly what Jules does in this chat - from missteps as a mum to why she decided to open up about the...

Apr 20, 202114 min

Are we passing trauma from our past onto our children?

In one way or another, we all carry some sort of trauma with us. In fact, up to 80% of women will experience a traumatic event at least once in their lives. It can manifest as anxiety, shame, depression, eating disorders and so much more. Leading us to repeat patterns of behaviour throughout our lives - often without us realising it. Research Psychologist and trauma specialist Dr Sarah Woodhouse is the author of You’re Not Broken and she joins us to chat about what trauma actually is and how we ...

Apr 19, 202114 min

The huge toll catching killers has taken on Gary Jubelin's family life

There are some jobs that would be impossible to leave at the door when you get home. After 34 years in the police and 25 years in homicide, retired Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin knows that all too well. Having spent his incredible career catching killers – including the high profile disappearance of William Tyrell – the emotional toll and impact on his family has been huge. Gary is now the host of the I Catch Killers podcast which is back for a whole new season, and he joins us now to open ab...

Apr 18, 202112 min

Weekly Catch-Up

This week, Kate Langbroek opens up about how scary it was living in Italy during the pandemic and reveals her biggest parenting fail! Sarah and Mel talk about how to handle sibling rivalry – is that race to be first doing anyone else’s head in?! Miranda Kerr is on the line from the US and reveals the biggest lesson her late nan taught her as a mother. Camilla Freeman-Topper from design duo Camilla and Marc joins us to chat about the pain of losing her mother when she was just a teen to ovarian c...

Apr 17, 20211 hr 2 min

The special bond between mums and sons

Ask any mum of a boy and she'll tell you there's something special about that bond. As mums of boys, Sarah and Mel talk about the connection they have with their sons and why they think it's so different to the way you interact with girls. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 15, 202111 min

'Losing my mum as a child was one of the most difficult things I've had to encounter'

Design duo and siblings Camilla and Marc have been kicking goals in the fashion world since 2003. Now, their focus has turned to raising funds for ovarian cancer research after losing their mum when they were just children. Last year, they launched the ‘Ovaries, let’s talk about them’ campaign which was so successful, it’s back again this year. Camilla opens up about how losing her mum changes how she parents and why she's so passionate about this worthy cause. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

Apr 14, 202113 min
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