Why Do You Parent Like That?

WELL, I'M ALREADY FEELING A PRE-EMPTIVE VULNERABILITY HANGOVER. Be kind with me. Hold me gently. I'm giving you my feelings here, look after them. 

I hope that this episode is one you are interested in, let me know if it is and you'd like more! 

If you are in the early days of parenthood, I see you, you're great, and I'm rooting for you! Take some time to be proud of yourself. 

We have one more bonus episode coming out pre-Chrissy, but this is the last main episode for the year! Feel free to...

DECEMBER! DECK THE HALLS! LISTEN TO THIS GEM OF A HUMAN BEING! Lydia Tuaiti (@ifoundlydia) is the coolest. She's fun, she's a girls girl, she is reflective, and self-aware, and all-round just the coolest. I am so honoured that she was happy to sit down with me and talk about her experience of parenthood (including stepparenthood). This is a perspective I have wanted to share on the podcast for a long time, but I wanted to make sure I was being careful with all parties involved. Lydia is the most respectful, caring, considered lady and I love the way...

In this Parenting is Political episode, Sophie sits down to kōrero with Dr George Parker (they/them) for a conversation about why representation and inclusion matter in healthcare and social services - for all whānau but especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. 

George talks us through their journey from midwifery, to advocacy mahi with Women's Health Action, and then into academic research as they discovered gaps in the available data. We discuss the difference that safe, inclusive, whānau-centred care can make on people's wellbeing. 

George shares their knowledge and experie...

And so the tradition of having wonderful conversations with wonderful people continues! Di McHardy (who you probably already follow @_mamas_meals) is just the kindest, coolest, most easy-going lady. I will never get sick of speaking to parents who have seen the need for a new resource and created it themselves. Di has done that this year by self-publishing her cookbook 'Family Cooking'. You can see Di's work at her website, here! Family Cooking would be such a great Christmas present if you're looking for one for someone in your life. I say it in the episode, but I...

Nope, I cannot believe it. This simply cannot be real life. The Marama Davidson sat down on this lil old pod to speak with me about her parenting journey. 

As much as I want to shower Marama with praise and adoration, Marama is the first person to point out that she is as human as the rest of us. So I will suppress my natural instinct to rattle off compliments and instead opt to thank her so much for the vulnerability, generosity, and humanness that she imbued into our conversation. 

We know her as the bad...

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No intro from me today because there was no housekeeping! I'm still alive and well, don't panic! 

The podcast gods have blessed us because Sinead Corcoran is back for part 2 of her episode! This time she is answering episodes 2-5. If you haven't listened to part 1, head back and listen to it. Her story isn't all sunshine and rainbows and laughs, but this episode is definitely the laughs part of her story. She had me giggling (and I'd had two pal...

Chef Sophie is in the kitchen and she is COOKING! 

Welcome to the brand new podcast segment called 'Parenting is Political'! My fantastic pal Sophie Moskowitz (of Imperfect Parents fame) has been thinking about starting a podcast for a while, but has been wrestling with how much of a time commitment it is. So we decided why not give those conversations a home on the WDYPLT feed?!

Sophie has started her tenure here with a banger of an episode. She and writer/activist/journalist/mum/crack up internet personality Emily Writes chat about Emily's experiences in...

Did I or did I not tell you that season 2 was going to be bigger and better than ever?! I have followed and loved this lady for a good, long while, and you'll soon see that I really took the opportunity to yap. Sinead has recently released a book called It Nearly Killed Me but I Love You  which I insist you read. It is so fantastic, and there were so many moments that I felt so completely seen. 

Sinead is strong, authentic, funny, realistic, vulnerable, approachable, down-to-earth, witty, self-aware, and so much more. I basically never wann...

This season I wanted to introduce some new segments and styles of content, because this pod is a space for so much more than the main episodes (but they aren't going anywhere, don't worry, they are my lifelong love). So here is a new segment. Answering Burning Questions is a safe space where we can all come together with good faith and compassion, and ask and answer questions that we usually feel are too awkward or difficult to ask!

When I floated this idea to my friend Kate Zame (@katezameslt) she could not have been more on boa...

This episode feels like a really special one. It's one that I have been fostering for a long time, mainly because I wanted to make sure that Kate and her wife Kelly felt confident in my motivations and ensuring that they knew I was only approaching this with the most care and reverence. Kate Zame is a badass SLT, and that's how you might have come across her work (and, valid, cos her work is phenom). But, another reason why Kate is so cool is because she has a really unique experience of her journey to parenthood. I don't w...

AS IF WE DIDN'T LOVE HER ENOUGH ALREADY! Everyone's fave doctor, Morgan Edwards is back to answer some listener submitted questions! 

As with everything Morgan does, she answered them with grace, kindness, generosity, and wisdom. 

Content forecast: there is mention of sexual assault in the final question, so please look after yourself.

Healthy Homes Initiative information is here! 

Follow me on socials, or koha my work! 

If you have a story you reckon would be interesting to hear on the pod, flic...

Ohhhhh it feels good to be back. 

I'm so thrilled to be back with you all, and with Dr Morgan Edwards as my first guest, no less! I feel so honoured to have had Morgan on the pod with me. She is just an incredible wahine. I so admire her ability to stand on her ten toes about the things she believes in, even when she's copping flack for it. I really loved being able to hear more on her parenting journey, because usually what we see is the incredible health communication skills!

If you lo...

Hey, heeeeey! It's the season one finale!! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE FOR THIS LONG I LOVE YA SO DAMN MUCH! 

This episode is with my brother-in-law Hayden Donnell. He is the father of my sweet, sweet nephew and niece (whose voices you have all become very familiar with in my pod jingle) and our spouses are siblings. You will very quickly learn that Hayden and I have a bit of an unhinged dynamic, but that's why I knew it needed to be on the pod! And what a better way to wrap up s...

Kia ora ano! 

Welcome back to another episode of WDYPLT, our penultimate episode of Season 1! (But don't worry, we've already got heaps of good stuff cooking for season 2!!) This week on the pod I was joined by the one-of-a-kind, OG influencer, good vibes, keeping it real, not afraid to speak up Rebecca J Keil!! 

Rebecca (@rebeccajkeil) is such a cooool lady. She keeps it so real, and is so self-aware, but isn't a dick! She's fun, and makes you feel like her best friend. She also has a brain. She is smart, y'all. The way she...

Ohhhh, you guys, she's a gem, she's a gem! Caylin Dickson from Pēpi & Parent is here to answer and debunk alllll things baby sleep. 

She carefully and considerately answers 5 listener submitted questions, and as she is doing so I develop a massive crush on her because she is just so wonderful! 

Thank you SO much Caylin, for lending your expertise to the WDYPLT listener whānau, we are so grateful. 

If you would like to find out more about Caylin and her services this is her website, and this is her instagram! I hig...

Who's that giiiiiiiirl, it's Cass! 

Cassidy Skelton (@cassidyskelton), the lady, the myth, the legend joins me this week for an extra fun, extra chaos chat.

I mush so much about Cass in the intro and my pre-pod ramble so there isn't too much more I need to say here, but I was really thrilled to get the opportunity to sit down with my old pal and have a meaningful conversation about our parenting journey. Our younger selves would be so damn proud of us. The world is better for having Cassidy Skelton. Seeing her wee f...

Blow me down, we've got a couple! It has been on my wishlist for a wee while now to have a couple speaking on their parenting experience together, and we got that this week with Britt and MJ Meafou! 

You may know MJ as @dadbehaviour on instagram. He shares his life as a Dad on there, but also has created a stroller club for dads in Christchurch! An opportunity for Dads to get together with their kids and other Dads and catch up. MJ is passionate about creating community for Dads in the postpartum stage, the way M...

Abby Bridgeman (@theearlydaysnewzealand), y'all. She has quickly become one of my favourite people, and I am really grateful to this podcast for introducing me to her. 

She wears so many hats: nurse, mum, neurodivergent, parenting educator, total badass, and we get into most of them on the pod! 

I could yap on for a long time about how much I appreciate and value her education and her friendship, but I think it's pretty evident in the episode. I am so grateful to her for her vulnerability and trusting me to share her story on this pl...

Haaaaaayyyyyooooo! 

Welcome back for another week! I'm so glad you're here! 

You have found this podcast while I am in the depths of norovirus and coming to you live from my bed. Everything hurts, chills, shakes, fever, headache. It's a whole thing. Which is WHY you will hear a weird automated intro from me this week. It's my words, but I truly did not have the strength to get out of bed and get my microphone to record the introduction. So, THIS was my solution. I got a bit silly with it sorry, I'm blaming si...

It's episode 2 of our bonus EXPERT episodes! If you don't know what these are, listeners from the WDYPLT community have the opportunity to submit questions to parenting-adjacent experts for them to be answered. This week Shrenika has 5 questions that she answers from listeners in the WDYPLT community, and she answers them beautifully! 

If you want to find Shrenika this is her website and this is her instagram! If you're thinking about getting some first aid knowledge, Shrenika is your gal! As I say in the episode, I have done a session with her and found it so t...

This week I had the joy of sitting down and speaking with Hannah Porter AKA the owner of Bear and Moo NZ! Bear and Moo obviously have a special place in my heart after they became the first ever sponsor of WDYPLT. It was absolutely lovely hearing about Hannah's journey to becoming a parent and her experience of parenthood, as well as running a business and how those two things intertwine. 

Hannah is kind, switched on, funny, and you can tell that she is just such a loving and proud mum. 

Hannah's other baby Bear and M...

Holy friggin' moly can you believe that Aotearoa radio kuīni Sharyn Casey chatted with me for an hour about her parenting ~*jOuRnEy*~?! I certainly can't! 

Sharyn sat down with me and shared so much about her experiences raising her two boys Tyson and Reuben with her husband (also radio royalty) Bryce Casey. 

We talk fertility struggles, the 11 week early baby and NICU experience, raising boys to be loving and inclusive, instilling good values, not swearing til you're 18, dealing with parenting in the public eye, wiping poo off scrotums and so much more.

Sha...

I know I bang on about it a lot, but I will just never get over how lucky I am that people as cool and interesting as Rāniera want to talk to me. Rāniera Procter (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngāti Porou) joined me for an incredibly insightful conversation about his whānau and the values they live. In particular his mission to raise his children with te reo Māori as their first language, a taonga he was also raised with. 

Rāniera is a father who walks the walk, but he's very honest that it t...

Your political ranting, mother-advocate, chaos aunties are back for another week! Here for your listening pleasure is the second half of my conversation with Charlotte Kells Robertson (aka @phdmamanz). In this episode, Charlotte answers the third, fourth, and fifth questions and as you can probably tell from the title, we manage to cover quite a lot of ground! (Us? Chatting? It can't be!) Charlotte, thank you for your knowledge and honesty and humour and alllll the taonga you gave me during this conversation. 

I know by this point you are all absolutely in love with Charlotte and h...

The best thing about this podcast is that I get to approach people I admire and get them to have a conversation with me, and that is exactly what happened in this situation. I have followed Charlotte Kells Robertson (aka @phdmamanz) for a good, long while now. Her knowledge and insight on motherhood has always left me looking like the mind-blown emoji, and this time she got to see that reaction in person! I could have spoken to Charlotte all night, but I had to cut it off at 2 hours (which is still one hour longer than we were...

You guys.. I'm honestly lost for words. Jo Robertson is on the pod, and I'm cheesing so hard about it. If you can't tell by the grin plastered on my face throughout the whole episode, Jo is a bit of a personal inspiration for me professionally. She has done some seriously, seriously impressive work in the child advocacy and parenting education space, but she makes it so easy to digest! Her communication skills are next level, and you'll see those skills on display in this ep.

Jo was so generous with her story, and...

Welcome to the very first episode of Why Do You EXPERT Like That? A bonus episode that you'll see every 6-ish weeks. I'm gonna be asking experts in parenting-adjacent spaces questions that have been submitted by listeners (you guys!) and get their big, big, beautiful brains to get some answers!

This week we had five listener submitted questions and Jo answered with love, empathy, kindness, and was so helpful! (imo).

If you haven't listened to her main episode (also in your feed now!) go back and listen, because some...

If you've ever wanted to see me try and act cool and normal around someone I have a crush on, this is your opportunity! The absolute charisma-bomb that is Steph Monks joins me on the pod this week, and she's exceeded all expectations of funny, relatable, and insightful.

You'll know Steph from her illustrious career in NZ radio, but she is currently keeping us entertained on our drives home with the Edge Arvos show! Steph and her lovely partner Jake have a one year old named Rocco, and hearing Steph speak about her journey...

Don't ever say I don't treat you right, my babies!!! It's a whole new segment coming to your feeds!

Why Do You Expert Like That is going to be a bonus episode that features alongside the main episode every 6 weeks or so. I'll be asking a parenting-adjacent expert 3-5 listener submitted questions and give them space to answer in a long-form way. IT'S SO COOL, Y'ALL!

Our first expert is Jo Robertson (@jorobertson.therapy), a NZAC registered counsellor who takes private clients but also does heaps of awesome courses...

Shut the front door, we've got a Dad!!! As I say in the introduction, something I've wanted from the beginning of this podcast is for this to be a space for parents of all genders. There are a lot of resources out there for mums and femme-identifying parents, and I think dads and masc-presenting parents can get a bit lost in the chaos. So I am so grateful that the wonderful Nic Haldezos (@nic_haldezos @nuggetcreative) agreed to be our first pod dad!

Not only that, but he came on and literally told me "...

Renata (@renataroaming) is just so, so cool. She's the founder of the Roam with Kids app and is on your social media feeds sharing all kinds of baby/kid friendly events and spaces.

Renata chatted with me this week about so many great topics, but I was particularly impressed with how politically clued in she is. Renata is passionate about changing the landscape so that birthing parents have just as much opportunity to crack the business world as non-birthing parents do.

I found our conversation so inspirational, and it gave me the affirmation I needed...

Buckle in, cos this is a goodie! Sophie Moskowitz joins Abbey for a brilliant conversation about her parenting journey and the isolation of parenting during COVID being the experience that sparked the idea of her business Imperfect Parents NZ.

Sophie has been a nanny, an ECE teacher, a parent, and is now an antenatal facilitator and parenting group facilitator, so parenting is her thing. Her wealth of knowledge and wisdom will leave you yelling "YES, AMEN" (like Abbey does a few times throughout the pod).

I could talk with Sophie for hours, and have plans...

This week the Aotearoa baby naming queen taking TikTok by storm Sonya Prior (@thebbnamer) is here! I forced Sonya to be my friend after finding her content because I knew we were birds of a feather, and I was totally right.

Sonya generously shared so much of her parenting story with me this week, including surprise pregnancies, her non-perfect births, not letting your childhood affect the childhood you create for your kids, finding the fun in everything, and how to not panic about the world maybe being on fire?

I understand why she is the...

Testing, testing.. is this thing on...?!

Wow, here we are! A brand new parenting pod! A huge thank you to my gal pal Jessie Peters for bringing her insight and experience to the inaugural episode of WDYPLT. We got to chat about so many different aspects of parenting, including myth busting a bunch of lies we get told as new parents!

Resources mentioned in this pod:

- Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy

- The Invisible String by Patrice Karst

...