Vanessa Rio built Mothering Minds—the UK's first online network of perinatal therapists—after her own postnatal depression revealed the massive gap in maternal mental health support.

But even while doing meaningful work, she and her husband felt stretched thin, disconnected, and stuck in Cambridge's competitive rat race.

So they left. Packed up and moved to a remote island in the Philippines.

This is a conversation about matrescence, building alongside motherhood, and knowing when to stop optimizing the life you have and start creating the one you actually need.

We talk about competitive parenting culture, the unique mental health challenges of new motherhood, financial trade-offs, and what it really takes to choose intentional living over what's expected.

If you've ever felt like the life you built doesn't quite fit anymore—this one's for you.