Last time I interviewed Clare Stephens for Ready or Not (and just as a side note… if you haven't listened, I highly recommend you go back and listen to that one before this, which is here) she was just under a year into motherhood, she was working at Mamamia, and she'd just completed the manuscript for her now-published book, The Worst Thing I've Ever Done, which through the lens of fiction, examines what it means to be both at the bottom and at the top of a social media pile on. 

Two key themes emerged from that vulnerable and relatable episode for me: the idea of untangling shame that can come in motherhood, which, for Clare, particularly showed up in birth trauma and breastfeeding challenges, and the deep desire to give herself more grace.

Now, her daughter's nearly two, she no longer works at Mamamia, she's a published author, and she's here to tell us all about the journey she's been on; with motherhood, her book, her podcast, and more. 

From what still lingers when she thinks about some of the challenges she faced in birth and postpartum to her decision to leave Mamamia to what's often at the heart of a social media pile on, here, Clare Stephens is back to be every bit as reflective and vulnerable as she was when I first met her here a year ago. 

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In this episode, we cover the below topics: breastfeeding, writing a book, Mamamia, Clare Stephens, The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done, motherhood, quitting your job, freelancing, Substack, The Pile On podcast, birth trauma, navigating toddlers, press tours, the publishing world, and more.

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