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:

• It’s not your hormones, your diet or your exercise routine. It’s your husband: why mums aren’t broken, it’s the unequal load that’s breaking us.
• 
  
• The working mum conundrum: Lu unpacks the logistics of daycare waitlists, kinder half-days, and how any of it is supposed to fit with an actual job.

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.

Wowee we really did consume culture and talk trash. We also apologise for the slight internet delay we run into at times, as well as Lu’s screaming children towards the end. BUT! For the first time ever, welcome to The Low Battery Book Club, a bonus monthly three-parter in collaboration with Charley from Book Smut, where we consume way too much culture and talk way too much trash. 

On the show today:

• We share our favourite recs of the month (something old, something new, something high, something low)
• We deep dive Loved by Aisha Muharrar (and pick our next book which includes a giveaway!!!).
• Are literary awards actually worth the hype? From the Booker to the NYT bestseller list, do they reflect what we really want to read, or just what looks good on a coffee table?
• All your book rec questions, answered.
• We land on the books we promise to read before we meet again.

EDIT! We assigned the wrong author to Booth! It’s Karen Joy Fowler, not Geraldine Brooks!

LINKS!!

Here are our something old, something new, something high, something low lists:

Charley:

Old: I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

New: Heart The Lover by Lily King, Seed by Bri Lee

High: The Cult of Trad Wives on SBS On Demand (watch here) & Can You Be A Big Workout Pants Person? (read here)

Low: The Summer I Turned Pretty ending :( Instead, she's turning to Broadchurch and Slow Horses.

Lu:

Old: Leviathan by Paul Auster

New (well…to her anyway): The Names Florence Knapp

High: You must refill the hot tub after your parties: A letter to Joan Rivers from her daughter/landlord (read here)

Low: Donald Trump talking. Shut up. 

TIME CODES

Haven’t read the book or looking for a particular segment? 

Skip ahead to segments here: 

20:35: Something old, something new, something high, something low 

38:05: Loved One by Aisha Muharrar book discussion 

1:03: We discuss all things Book Prize & New York Times bestseller list 

1:14: We answer all of your book recommendation requests.

—

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

@book_smut 

@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.

If you’re burnt out from cooking, sick of dinner battles, or dealing with kids who only want white foods, this episode is for you. Ashleigh from Ashleigh Cooks joins Loz to share real-life, guilt-free food hacks for busy families.

From the genius “no thank you bowl” to freezer tricks, fussy eater strategies, and how to throw together quick dinners without blowing the budget, Ashleigh proves you don’t need Instagram-worthy meals to keep everyone happy and fed. Looking for easy recipes? Ash has heaps! You can find them here at https://ashleighcooks.com.au/

—

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.

Hey, it's Loz here! Lu was too sick to record this intro so I’m jumping in to let you know about  today's guest. If you’re not already familiar with her, Luka McCabe is the founder of Boob to Food. She's also a mum of three, a midwife by background, and now an author and business owner. In this episode, Luu chats with Luka all about her journey from life as a midwife to motherhood and building Boob to Food into the incredible brand that it is today.

—

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

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 can’t afford our friends anymore: how cost of living pressures are reshaping friendships.

• Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should: why being the office ‘doer’ is holding women back  and how to start saying no.

This episode was brought to you by Yoto. Head to yoto.space for free audio, offline activities and 15% off with the code READY15.

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 Ask Ready or Not! It’s Ready or Not’s tip-based episode, landing in your ears every Friday.

If you’re stuck in leggings, feeling ‘meh’ about your wardrobe, or just want to look a little more like yourself again post-kids, this one’s for you. Style expert Victoria Latu joins Loz to share the hacks every mum needs to feel confident, polished, and put together without spending a fortune or overhauling your entire closet.

From the outerwear that does all the heavy lifting, to budget-friendly buys that outlast designer price tags, Vic’s practical tips will help you level up your everyday outfits while keeping comfort (and sanity) front of mind.

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This episode was brought to you by Yoto. Head to yoto.space for free audio, offline activities and 15% off with the code READY15.

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.

Prabha Nandagopal is a force. She’s a human rights and discrimination lawyer who’s worked on big national enquiries on immigration detention law and policy and Respect@Work. She’s also a woman of colour who became a single mum at just 10 days postpartum. 

And when you add those things together, it’d be easy to conclude that in life and in work, the odds have been stacked against her. But, as you’re about to hear, Prabha has always considered herself a rebel and a changemaker, and she’s made a career out of it. 

From her experience navigating a challenging conception journey and life as a single mum to the ways in which motherhood has impacted her for the better, this is a story that is inspiring and comforting in equal measure. 

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This episode was brought to you by Yoto. Head to yoto.space for free audio, offline activities and 15% off with the code READY15.

—

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 

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:

• Gen Z vs everyone else: How does our generation define how we show up at work? Is questioning the ‘why’ of the task at hand lazy or smart?
• Feminism isn’t to blame for why mothers are overwhelmed and exhausted. This is a post Lu saw from motherhood studies sociologist Dr Sophie Brock and it got her hook, line and sinker. 

This episode was brought to you by Yoto. Head to yoto.space for free audio, offline activities and 15% off with the code READY15.

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 Ask Ready or Not! It’s Ready or Not’s tip-based episode, landing in your ears every Friday.

Today, Loz is joined by Gen Muir, obstetric social worker, parent educator and founder of Connected Parenting, to talk about the number one thing parents crave when the juggle feels impossible: connection with their kids.

From public meltdowns to sibling fights, ‘giving in’ guilt, and the constant testing of boundaries, Gen shares practical tools to help you stay calm, hold limits with confidence, and reconnect even when you feel completely drained.

Whether you’ve got toddlers pushing buttons, school kids giving you nothing about their day, or you just need quick connection rituals that actually work, this episode is packed with realistic hacks from someone who gets it

—

This episode was brought to you by Yoto. Head to yoto.space for free audio, offline activities and 15% off with the code READY15.

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.

Often, when work is feeling stressful, I think to myself, Lucy, you’re not saving lives, why are you letting this get to you so much? And then I think to myself, wait, how do the parents that ARE saving lives in their day job navigating it all? So I had to bring on Dr Katie to answer that question. 

She’s an emergency doctor, she’s a mother of three, she’s much loved for the content she creates for social media, her husband is a stay at home dad, and her beautiful boy Alexander is autistic and non-speaking. And so, as you can imagine, her life is very full, and she’s here to tell us all about it – how her sense of identity has changed while moving through her career and parenting journey, the unique challenges and joys that come with parenting an autistic child, why finding community support is crucial and what a week in the life actually looks like for the busy mum.

This conversation is particularly close to my heart as an auntie to a very similar child, and I thank Katie for sharing her story so vulnerably with us.

—

This episode was brought to you by Yoto. Head to yoto.space for free audio, offline activities and 15% off with the code READY15.

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

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 was brought to you by Yoto. Head to yoto.space for free audio, offline activities and 15% off with the code READY15.

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 Ask Ready or Not! It’s Ready or Not’s tip-based episode, landing in your ears every Friday.

Today, Loz is joined by sexologist and mum Aleeya Hachem otherwise known as great.sexpectations on Instagram to talk about one of the trickiest parts of motherhood we don’t discuss enough: intimacy after kids. From low libido and exhaustion to shifting body confidence and rediscovering pleasure, Aleeya shares honest, practical advice that every working mum needs to hear.

If you’ve ever thought, ‘I’m too tired,’ ‘I don’t feel like myself,’ or ‘It has been a while… I don’t know where to start,’ this episode is your permission slip and playbook to rebuild intimacy in realistic, pressure-free ways. Aleeya also recommended these resources:

- ‘Come As You Are’ and ‘Come Together’ by Emily Nagoski

- ‘How Not to Let Having Kids Ruin Your Sex Life: Navigating the Parenting Years with Your Relationship Intact’ by Dr Karen Gurney

- Sex? After Kids? Tell Me More, Esther Perel

- Demystifying painful sex with sexologist Aleeya Hachem

- The Orgasm Expert: Women Don’t Like Penetrative Sex As Much As Men! This Is How Often You Should Be Having Sex

—

This episode was brought to you by Yoto. Head to yoto.space for free audio, offline activities and 15% off with the code READY15.

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.

Odette Barry is one of those people that you just want to learn from. She’s a publicist, PR mentor, and the founder of PR agency Odette & Co, and she’s found her niche and passion in amplifying the voices of purpose-driven leaders.

But while her business and place within it might look crystal clear now, it wasn’t always the case. She became a mum at 22, and at the time, she felt as though she didn’t have any goals or ambitions for herself outside of motherhood. 

Here, she tells us all about this journey, including the dark times she’s had to overcome and why sometimes the hardest bits are always followed by great change; she likens it to that transition phase, the “I can’t do it” stage of birth. In amongst it all, we also talk raising teenagers, navigating perimenopause, why she’s trying to work less, and navigating using AI in business while facing the reality of its impact on climate collapse.

—

This episode was brought to you by Yoto. Head to yoto.space for free audio, offline activities and 15% off with the code READY15.

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

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:

• The screen-time reality check
• Climb cringe mountain or stay stuck forever: why is ‘trying’ so uncool and does this whole notion hold us back from achieving what we want to in life? 

—

This episode was brought to you by Yoto. Head to yoto.space for free audio, offline activities and 15% off with the code READY15.

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 Ask Ready or Not! It’s Ready or Not’s tip-based episode, landing in your ears every Friday.

Today, Loz is joined by midwife, baby and toddler sleep expert, and author Jazz Kostov from Let’s Sleep. Together they unpack the real challenges of trying to function at work when your little one isn’t sleeping from early risers and night wakers to daycare naps that don’t go to plan.

If you’re about to return to work, stuck in a cycle of 5am wake-ups, or just trying to survive on broken sleep, this episode is packed with practical hacks, realistic strategies, and permission to do what actually works for your family.

—

This episode was brought to you by Yoto. Head to yoto.space for free audio, offline activities and 15% off with the code READY15.

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.

In 2014, Sarah Davidson stumbled upon what she calls the great happy accident, which set her on a journey of quitting her job as a lawyer to become an entrepreneur, bestselling author, MC and host of the Seize the Yay podcast. 

She loved her job, and she loved the idea of feeling as though she was successful in the traditional sense, but after a life changing trip, she started to realise that actually, success and happiness are two completely separate concepts. And here, we hear all about the journey she went on, which almost feels like the career version of matrescence. A metamorphosis of self. 

Here, we talk about the importance of exploring great instead of good, how she actually made her career pivot, how detrimental a lack of sleep feels as a new mum, and what it was like to go to a speaking gig just days after a D&C procedure for her pregnancy loss. 

—

This episode was brought to you by Yoto. Head to yoto.space for free audio, offline activities and 15% off with the code READY15.

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. Today on the show:

• The best age for women to have kids – let’s go through the science, stats & real talk.
• The old you is dead, she’s never coming back. So what do we do with that information?

—

This episode was brought to you by Yoto. Head to yoto.space for free audio, offline activities and 15% off with the code READY15.

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 Ask Ready or Not! It’s Ready or Not’s tip-based episode, landing in your ears every Friday.

Thinking about quitting? Loz walks you through the signs it might be time to go, what questions to ask yourself first, and the practical steps to make the leap without the panic. Because life’s too short to stay stuck in a job that doesn’t work for you anymore.

—

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.

Holly Garber is one of those people that you just want to learn from. Before she shifted her focus to career advisory and coaching, she ran her successful communications agency Golightly PR, where she worked with the likes of camilla and marc, Dion Lee and UNIQLO. 

But, the all consuming nature of that job coupled with mothering two small children eventually led Holly to reconsider her career life. And, she noticed it among others too, too often seeing people strive to build businesses that didn’t bring them joy, and that led them to give up too much life along the way.

And so in amongst hearing about her motherhood and career journey, in this incredible chat with Holly, I feel like I received a mini working mum therapy and coaching session that I feel better off for having. 

—

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. Today on the show:

• Are type a and type b parents actually different and does it change how you parent?
• Would you raise your kids with your best friends? 

—

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.