Full Timers Club

Welcome to today’s episode! Ellie is currently 37 weeks into her pregnancy with her third child. Just a few weeks ago, at 34 weeks, Ellie woke up to a bleed; a terrifying situation that put the realities and dangers of pregnancy right in front of her. This took her from the hospital right to her couch, where she’s been on doctor-ordered bedrest for the rest of her pregnancy. Having experienced two natural births, Ellie was looking forward to doing it a third time. However, as with many things in life, it doesn’t always go as planned. And she is scheduled for a cesarean in a week. For someone who thrives on planning and control, you would think she would be excited about a routine c section, but it has brought on quite a bit of anxiety.As if that weren't enough, Ellie is also in the midst of wrapping up work commitments, leaving her feeling like everything has veered off course. But as we all know, that’s just part of the rollercoaster ride of parenting! Join us as Ellie shares her story, the uncertainty she faces, and the resilience it takes to navigate these surprise twists in the path to motherhood.

Welcome to a new season of the Full Timers Club, now featuring Pen on the podcast!Ellie and Pen have been friends for over 20 years, sharing plenty of memories and stories along the way. In this episode, they explore what it’s like to live life as Full Timers and dive into Pen’s personal journey.This season will unpack insights and experiences as they navigate this way of life together. So enjoy this first episode of season 3!

We're super excited to have Sera from The Reoutfitter on the podcast this week. Bec and Ellie have never been shy about how much they've struggled with what to wear as they've transitioned through the various changes in their life, from their 20's to married life and then inevitably, the biggest change they've both experienced - motherhood. In our chat with Sera, we explore the role clothes play in our lives. From shaping how we feel to influencing how others perceive us. Sera shares why style isn’t about following rules, but about tuning into your preferences, using clothes to amplify emotions, and finding joy in dressing for every version of yourself. We also dive into the realities of motherhood and style: how bodies, priorities, and perspectives shift after kids, why so many mums feel disconnected from their wardrobes, and why waiting to “lose the baby weight” before shopping only fuels frustration. With practical tips on building a personal style you’ll actually love, creating a functional wardrobe, and giving yourself permission to wear what fits your life now, this conversation is a refreshing reminder that clothes don’t define us - but they can help us feel more like ourselves.https://www.thereoutfitter.com/https://www.instagram.com/thereoutfitter

Hey Full Timers, we've got something special for you this week. You know how Ellie's always talking about her dad? Well, we finally got him on the mic. Ross MacDiarmid, Ellie's personal cheerleader and voice of reason, sat down with her while visiting Singapore for a conversation that's both heartwarming and eye-opening.Ever wonder how much workplaces have really changed over the decades? Ross offers some fascinating perspectives on women's evolving roles in the professional world, calling it not just a revolution but a "necessary evolution" (gotta love dad wisdom).They also get into the stuff that keeps parents up at night: raising kids in today's world. As a father-daughter duo, they chat openly about the challenges of raising boys who are both kind and strong, emotionally intelligent but still confidently masculine. It's that tricky balance we're all trying to figure out these days.Ross might be our first man on the show, but he brings it. There's something really special about eavesdropping on this father-daughter conversation.So grab a coffee, get comfy, and join us for what feels less like a podcast and more like being invited to a really good catch-up between two people who just get each other.

When Bec’s mum was in town, we couldn’t help but think what a beautiful opportunity to sit down and have a chat with her - mother to daughter. From what it takes to keep the passion alive at 71 and 43 years into marriage, to reminiscing about her 18% mortgage repayments on her first flat, to the day your daughter tells you she's leaving for another country. Bec and Rhonda have a deep, poignant and heartfelt conversation that’s sure to make you want to call your mum, or better yet, wrap your babies up and never let them leave you.

This week on the show, we're so excited to welcome Amy Bell - mum to two beautiful girls, wife to a wildly successful franchise owner, and a formidable entrepreneur in her own right. Amy is the founder of The Meat Club, Singapore’s first online meat trade business, and her journey is nothing short of remarkable.In this heartfelt and deeply honest conversation with Ellie, Amy shares how being made redundant while six months pregnant became a turning point that led her away from a legal career and into the world of startups. From launching a pioneering business to navigating the chaos of entrepreneurship alongside her husband - just as they were starting a family- Amy opens up about the highs, the lows, and everything in between.With over a decade of experience running her business and raising her daughters, Amy brings a wealth of wisdom, grit, and grace. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a working parent, or just love a good story of resilience and reinvention, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.Tune in now - we promise you’ll leave inspired.

Making the decision to have a baby is already a big life decision. But what happens when it’s not as easy as it seems? When it comes with miscarriages, fertility issues, and years of struggling to get pregnant?It’s a common reality yet prior to thinking about babies, it’s not something we’re aware of nor do we have honest conversations about it. In this episode, we talk to high performing career woman, Charlotte, who spent years on the fertility and IVF journey. She gives an honest and open point of view that’s got the benefit of hindsight - now that she’s got one and two twins on the way. And we’ll have that critically important conversation - when’s the right time to start trying and when’s the time to say, we’re done? Enjoy the authentic, real, raw, honest conversation between two pregnant ladies and one who’s still sitting firmly on the fence.

Ellie & Bec are back in the studio for the first time together in 2 months, with A LOT to catch up on! It has been a busy two months for the Full Timers, with Ellie navigating her first trimester whilst travelling quite a bit for work. And Bec has started an exciting new job, just now four weeks in. The girls are experiencing quite a multitude of emotions - Ellie worried about how she is going to do it all with three kids, and Bec feeling the hangover effect of her Meta redundancy that looms over her as she begins her new role. But as they always do, they hash it out together and end up both feeling excited and positive about what lies ahead.

Menopause.Something that happens in your 50s and 60s, right?Not exactly. While menopause itself marks the official end of our periods, the lead-up—perimenopause— starts much earlier in our 40s, and sometimes even in our 30s. It’s not that menopause is happening younger; we’re just becoming more aware of the changes our bodies go through in the years before it.So if you’re dealing with irregular periods, sudden bursts of rage at your perfectly innocent partner, insomnia, or mood swings that make no sense—perimenopause could be the culprit. Or, of course, it might just mean you are a full-timer in dire need of a holiday.In this second episode, Dr. Biff joins us again to talk about how to recognise perimenopause, the myths and misconceptions surrounding it, the impact it can have on women, and—most importantly—what we can actually do about it. And good news: managing it might be simpler than you think.

We are so excited to announce a new segment on Full Timers club with our new resident doctor, titled Riff with Dr Biff. Dr Laura Biffin (MBBS, GDFM, B.Pharm, SCHP) is the definition of a Full Timer. Mother to 3 beautiful children, doting wife, daughter and friend, Laura has embarked on the terrifying but very rewarding journey of starting something of her own. Late last month, Laura opened her first GP practice in Singapore, River Valley Doctors. Our segments with Laura will cover everything you can possibly think of, but today, we discuss why she started her own practice and what are the issues and challenges many modern day women face today. This includes fatigue, weight gain, irritability and lack of focus. You are not going to want to miss this one! Enjoy!Ellie & Bec xFor more info on Dr Laura Biffin's GP practice, please click here: https://rivervalleydoctors.com.sg/

We’re back for part two of our first interview with Beata Justkowiak, ex-athlete, Psychologist and Life Coach. If you tuned into the first episode, we left on Ellie getting a little emotional with some confronting conversations. This episode you’ll hear what struck a chord and what has triggered her feelings, including the impact COVID had on family, work and personal lives. Beata also covers her experience with men and therapy - including why they come and see her and what motivates them to seek help, which she attributes to a strong relationship with their partners. All in all, this episode is all about how to develop the right strategies to work on you, that work for you, and help you navigate the madness, delight and reality of being a Full Timer in a demanding, uncertain and constantly changing world.

We're really excited to introduce our first episode with Full Timer Beata Justkowiak, Ex-athlete, Psychologist and Life Coach. As a mental wellness advocate, she takes life with its ups and downs, and mixes psychology with life coaching, making it practical for her clients to improve their daily lives.We had the pleasure of sitting down with Beata from Energising Goals to chat about the difference between life coaching, therapy, counselling, psychology and everything that sits between. Both of us have had experiences with therapy which is why we know you are going to love this episode. She had us nodding along when she said Full Timers were grappling with purpose during COVID, post-COVID we’re busy and anxious and barely coping, and she foresees an attention-deficit-like pandemic hitting us soon. For some, all three of these are hitting us at once.She gave so many practical tips that we can all start to implement from today, ways to increase our “coping mechanisms”, building a bank of tools and resources to build our resilience, and giving us permission to be kinder and more tolerant to ourselves.It was such a big episode, we ended up pausing halfway to gather our own thoughts and feelings. But not to worry, we’ll be launching Part 2 of our chat with Beata very soon. We hope you enjoy! And if you want to reach out to Beata for a free 15-min consultation, click here: https://www.energisinggoals.com/

Gym memberships, pilates, trainers, facials, bio hacking, 7-step skincare regimes - we’re constantly finding ways to optimise our physical health and appearance, yet we seldom give the same amount of investment and time to our mental health. We wait until we’re in the midst of a storm, or struggling, before we seek out therapy or coaching. But what if we took a more proactive approach to our mental health, building up our repertoire of coping tools so that we are more resilient and better equipped to deal with situations when they arise? We’ll explore our own experiences with therapy, and where it’s had the most impact for us.

This has to be one of our favourite episodes. We discuss what is the Value of Time - a concept we all think about but rarely break down. How do we measure the value of our time? Are we spending it wisely? How do we build quality over quantity when time is poor? And does it mean something different for men and women? It's a bit longer than previous episodes but there's just too much to cover, including:  ⚖️ A Woman’s Value vs. A Man’s Value: How society places different expectations on time for men and women—career, relationships, aging, and beyond. 💃🏼 Carving Out Time for Ourselves: In a world that constantly demands more, how do we ensure we invest in quality time? 🚗 Taking a trip down memory lane: Reminiscing about the "good old days" and our youth are a part of getting older.  💡 ChatGPT as the greatest Life Hack: From getting words onto paper, to streamlining daily tasks - we've got some good hacks for how AI can actually give us more time back. So settle in, and we hope you enjoy!

How many times a day do you find yourself comparing your cooking skills, parenting, careers, marriage, wrinkles, handbags and everything else in between with others? If you don't, well, you're only 10% of the female population. Over 90% of women say they compare themselves, their success (or lack of it) with others. Women are also more likely to compare what they don't have versus what they do have - leading to a feeling of inadequacy, discrepancy or failure. This is despite the fact that we all know social media is a series of highlight reels, and we never truly know what is going on behind closed doors. So, we're advocating for more transparency and authenticity in how we portray our lives, more empathy over envy, and using people's success as both reason for celebration (after all, one woman's success is a gain for all women!) and for inspiration to push ourselves forward.

Out with the old (year) and in with the new! So bring on 2025!We're back for Season 2 of Full Timers Club and cannot wait to get into the good, the bad, the funny. This season we have some new guests including the infamous Annette Male, coming to you in February, we’re bringing in a resident doctor to answer your questions about women’s health - such as perimenopause, ADHD, and contraception once you're done pushing out the kids - as well as bringing back Alexis, our finance goddess to bring you more money matters advice. Today we catch up on the Chrissy holidays, analyse what 2024 was both personally and professionally, and finally identify some themes they want to see through in 2025. It's a good episode to kick off Season 2. So pop in the headphones and welcome back to the Full Timers Club!

The craziness of Q4 and end of year. Christmas presents and gifting. Preparations for Christmas lunch, dinner and whatever else you need to do. Going away or going home and holiday planning and who sleeps where and who's hosting Christmas. Navigating family dynamics and catch ups and get togethers. As if there's not enough for Full Timers to do throughout the year, the Silly Season takes it to a whole new level.We'll share our own experiences, frustrations and joys, how we're starting to think about 2025 and finally, give a huge amount of gratitude for the season we've just launched and the community we've built. Thank you for listening and we can't wait to bring you more in 2025. Happy holidays Full Timers!

<p>We are so excited to introduce our first guest on the show, financial advisor and mediator, Alexis Livanes from Eight Wealth at St James Place. It’s no surprise that when women consider their finances, they often consider the family or themselves as part of it - but rarely, do we think about ourselves.</p><p>We chat to Alexis about the need for women - even those in happy, long term relationships - to consider their own financial position, especially as women live longer lives and as women are incredible value accumulators. </p><p>We will also cover the different things women should consider at the different stages of their lives - from their selfish, independent 20’s through to their 30’s and 40’s where income potential is peaking but so are the bills and family stresses - and what women can start doing TODAY to get financially savvy and independent.</p><p>If you'd like to contact Alexis to get more confident with your finances, please do so via this link: https://eightwealthinternational.asia/alexis-livanes/</p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Often when you look back at the biggest lessons you’ve learned in life, or beliefs you hold, it’s not from one big grand event, it’s from small interactions, little moments that have built up over time and you’ve built upon them. Could be things like being reminded to say “we" over "I" or sending out Friday emails to staff to wrap up the week, or observing our favourite leaders in action and taking little observations and lessons to inject in to your own leadership style. Sometimes it’s not even the positive things that create the most impact, but actually the small negative experiences that leave the greatest impact on you. </p><p><br /></p><p>We never know the impact we might have on those around us so be open with your colleagues, with your friends and with strangers, because you never know how your little moment might have a big impact on others.</p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>As Full Timers, we are incredibly aware of the weight of all our responsibilities. But is that because we’ve been conditioned to bear the burden? </p><p> From a young age we are told, You can have it all. Be who you want to be. The sky is the limit! </p><p>And while the intention is good, have we been set up to fail? </p><p>Today we unpack three narratives we wish we could change. </p><p>1) Women can have it all.</p><p>2) Big boys don't cry. </p><p>3) Men as the provider. </p><p>But we don’t want to spoil it for you. Have a listen and let us know if you agree. </p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>