Ready or Not

Chantella Perera was familiar with the juggle before motherhood ever entered the picture. Before motherhood, she was working two jobs as a professional athlete playing WNBL and AFLW, because women's sport alone would never cut it as a pay check. And then, when becoming a mum, it became the double shift – navigating the paid work alongside what society dubs the world’s biggest job. And here, we talk all about it: the push pull and guilt that comes with being both the primary earner and the mother, how Chantella went from someone that went from hiding her motherhood journey at work to now being open about it, and how her relationship with feminism has changed over time.Chantella is also incredibly vulnerable in reflecting on what it’s like to become a mum after losing your own, and she’s really open about the fact that while she adores her kids and would never regret them, she’s not sure if she ever really considered what motherhood actually entailed before she became a mum herself. —Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_And join us on DOME below! YEEHAW!homeofdome.com/ready-or-not/— This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Ready or Not, the show where Loz and Lu try to figure out how to make work, work alongside motherhood. Today on the show:How early is too early to put your name on a childcare waitlist? And then, Flexibility for mums is great, but can we start talking about flexibility for dads, too?Plus, here’s the Rana Hussain article that Lu referred to—Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_And join us on DOME below! YEEHAW!homeofdome.com/ready-or-not/— This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Dear Ready or Not, our weekly Q&A where you send us your questions on work, motherhood and everything in between, and we answer them honestly.This week, you’re asking us:Should you stick it out in a job you don’t love if you’re planning to have another baby.How to let go of perfectionism when you’re already stretched and thinking about another baby.And how to actually prepare for starting kindergarten, particularly when it comes to lunchboxes.Got a question? Submit it anonymously here! —Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_And join us on DOME below! YEEHAW!homeofdome.com/ready-or-not/— This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Ready or Not, the show where Loz and Lu try to figure out how to make work, work alongside motherhood. Today on the show:What does seeing me work all the time do to my kids? We go deep on that piece on The Cut that’s gone viral. Then:“I’ve lost my ambition, and I’m okay with it…”: Amil Niazi is the author of a new book called Life After Ambition: A Good Enough Memoir, and she recently shared an excerpt of it on Chatelaine that had led us on a meandering conversation of what ambition means and where we’re at with it. —Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_And join us on DOME below! YEEHAW!homeofdome.com/ready-or-not/— This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Dear Ready or Not, our weekly Q&A where you send us your questions on work, motherhood and everything in between, and we answer them honestly.This week you’re asking us: How to do a full-time job in four days.How long to take off for baby number two without derailing your career.What to do when work wants you in the office more, even though it clearly makes life harder, not better.Got a question? Submit it anonymously here! —Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_And join us on DOME below! YEEHAW!homeofdome.com/ready-or-not/— This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Ready or Not, the show where Loz and Lu try to figure out how to make work, work alongside motherhood. Today on the show:Loz goes deep on the fascinating research that tells us how mums start the new year, and just a hint, it’s not “new year new me” and,How to go back to work at a job that makes you feel hollow. This is a brilliant post I stumbled upon on Instagram, and for those of us sitting at our desks feeling a little despondent, I thought this might be the pep in the step that we all need. And particularly today but also everyday, it feels particularly important to acknowledge that this podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too here.—Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_And join us on DOME below! YEEHAW!homeofdome.com/ready-or-not/— This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Witching Hour – the show where two mums and sort of cousins figure out how to make work, work. This week on Witching Hour, we flipped the script and answered your questions, the ones flooding our DMs every week about career, parenting, and everything in between. Some of the questions we chat about include:Can you get promoted part-time?How do I handle work guilt when my child is sick?How much parental leave should I take if I run my own business?How do I switch from work mode to mum mode?Is a boring but flexible job worth it?How do I deal with pass-ag colleagues when it comes to judgement on working within school hours?When can I “lean back in” after having kids?How do I make a career pivot on mat leave? This episode is a re-run, we have fresh content coming to your ears next week!—Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_— This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sophie Cachia is coming into her own in her mid thirties, and she’s been on quite the journey to get there. She had her first baby at 23, at a time when her career wasn’t certain and people assumed that pregnancy and motherhood would mean the end of it, and just last year, as a successful businesswoman in her mid thirties, her youngest baby entered her family – a family that, as Sophie will tell you herself, didn’t look exactly as she would’ve anticipated at the age of 20.In between all of that, there’s been separating with her older children’s dad, building her business, the online trolling that came with her growing success, and finding love again. Here, we talk about the petrifying feeling of knowing how quickly it’ll all pass and how that informs her mothering, why the fire in her belly is still aflame but burns differently now, what those OG mummy blogger days were like – from the good bits to the nastier side – and what it’s been like to build her multimillion dollar sweepwear label, Cachia.—Thanks for listening to Ready or Not! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_— This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Witching Hour – the show where two mums and sort of cousins figure out how to make work, work. Today on the show:Australia’s most toxic companies Why are we still acting like flexibility for working mums is a favour? —Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_— This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year! We’ve got some big things happening in 2026 and a few changes as requested by you. You can expect a little bit more of Loz and Lu this year - we hope you’re as excited as we are!—Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Witching Hour – the show where two mums and sort-of cousins figure out how to make work, work. Today on the show:We look back at last year’s New Year’s resolutions and give ourselves a very honest report card. We unpack what stuck, what didn’t, and what we actually learned.Loz and Lu also set their intentions for the year ahead… let’s see what actually sticks!In this episode we cover: default parent syndrome, saying no, mum guilt, post-partum self care, identity shifts, relationship reconnection, mental load pressure, kinder transitions and what resolutions look like when you’re raising small humans.—Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_— This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent and you can too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Witching Hour – the show where two mums and sort of cousins figure out how to make work, work. Except for today, where Loz answers a whole heap of questions with producer Kitch!  —Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Ask Ready or Not! It’s Ready or Not’s tip-based episode, landing in your ears every Friday.This week, Loz is talking about feeling stuck at work after maternity leave. A listener who returned to work three years ago has written in, she's feeling underpaid, overwhelmed by job hunting, and unsure of her next move. In this episode, Loz shares a step-by-step plan to get clear on what’s keeping you stuck, explore internal opportunities, tackle pay gaps, and job hunt in a way that feels manageable. If you’re wondering whether to stay or go, this episode will help you figure it out. — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_—This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we’re lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Witching Hour – the show where two mums and sort of cousins figure out how to make work, work. Except for today, where Lu answers a whole heap of your listener questions with producer Kitch! Next week, you’ll hear from Loz. —Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Ask Ready or Not! It’s Ready or Not’s tip-based episode, landing in your ears every Friday.This week, Loz is talking about how to negotiate a more flexible working situation that works for you.— Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_—This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we’re lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Frances Bilbao founded Mums Matter Psychology when her oldest child was just three months old, and now, alongside raising three children her  practice has grown into a social enterprise supporting more than 4,000 families each year with over 120 clinicians nationwide. So, as you might’ve guessed, she’s learned a lot of what parents need. And I love hearing from parents that are also psychologists, because they just get it, from both the professional and personal point of view.Here, we hear all about building her business alongside raising children, why we need to take sleep deprivation more seriously (which if you’ve listened to this show for a while, you’ll know is a hill I’d die on), how society is letting down families and why we need to stop gaslighting mums into thinking the struggle comes from within them. This episode is a warm hug, and while you’ll still hear Loz and I chat each week, this is the perfect way to finish off our interviews for 2025 before our schedule changes a little next year. But more on that in the new year. For now, let’s hear from Frances. —Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Witching Hour, the show where two mums and sort-of cousins figure out how to make work work. This week, we answer your biggest Christmas and end-of-year questions, including:• Are we all doing Christmas Day wrong by visiting multiple houses• What’s the actual etiquette for daycare and teacher gifts when budgets are tight• How to survive working through school holidays without drowning in mum guilt• What to say when your family expects long-distance Christmas travel with overstimulated kids• How to shut down parenting comments without causing a festive feud• Whether you’re entitled to return part-time after maternity leave• If it’s bad to ditch your mother’s group when the chat is only sleep schedules• And the spicy one: is accepting less responsibility for the same pay a feminist failure… or the smartest decision a working mum can make—In this episode we cover: Christmas family politics, emotional labour in motherhood, school holiday stress for working parents, teacher and educator gift etiquette, overstimulation in young kids, parenting boundaries with relatives, flexible work after maternity leave, Fair Work return-to-work entitlements in Australia, breastfeeding and pumping at work, inadequate corporate parents rooms, mother’s group expectations, maternal mental load, burnout in working mothers, identity shifts after returning to work, workplace discrimination and flexible work negotiations, and feminist debates around choosing balance versus ambition.—Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.Find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_—This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation,  the land on which we’re lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters. Always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent, and you can too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Ask Ready or Not! It’s Ready or Not’s tip-based episode, landing in your ears every Friday.This week, Loz shares her best tips on what to do if you're made redundant on maternity leave.— Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_—This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we’re lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephanie Vizard has thought and written a lot about parenting, relationships, and work. Her first novel, The Love Contract, was directly inspired by maternity leave and in her most recent release, A Smart Girl’s Guide to Second Chances, Steph explores the dynamics between mothers and daughters, and how their relationship is impacted by really different attitudes to work, ambition, and parenting.But when she’s not writing, she works as a lawyer. And here, we hear all about navigating both the corporate and creative sides of her career as a mum who wants to be as successful as her dad has been and as good to her kids as her mum has been to her. Here, we talk about drowning under the weight of it all even when on paper all your dreams have come true, starting a new job when you’re also newly pregnant, and what it feels like when your body starts to feel like yours again after years of sharing it with your children. —Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.You can also find us on Instagram:@readyornot.pod@laurentreweek_@lucindamckimm_ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Witching Hour – the show where two mums and sort-of cousins figure out how to make work, work. Today on the show:We unpack All Her Fault -  the film, the mindset, and the moment that made us rage. Is it really all her fault, or just the default?Loz and Lu reflect on some of the moments that they’re proud of and surprised by in both motherhood and career this year. —In this episode we cover: default parent syndrome, Christmas burnout, maternal identity loss, the mental load, gendered time inequality, stay-at-home vs working parent expectations, unpaid labour, household dynamics. —Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review.Find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_—This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation,  the land on which we’re lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters. Always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We Pay The Rent, and you can too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.