• 5 minutes 26 seconds
    Burnt Out, Overwhelmed and Running on Empty? Listen to This.
    On paper, Maria Hatzistefanis had everything she had worked for. A hugely successful business, a loving family and a life many people would envy. But behind the success, she was burnt out, running on empty and wondering why she didn't feel happier.

    In this powerful Moment, Maria shares the turning point that made her realise something had to change. She opens up about the reality of juggling work and family life, the pressure of always being the organiser, and why joy isn't something that simply arrives when we achieve enough - it's something we have to intentionally create space for.

    Maria shares the routines, boundaries and practices that helped her move from surviving to feeling more present, connected and in control. From scheduling "me time" with the same importance as a work meeting to discovering meditation, breathwork and moments of stillness, this conversation is a reminder that our wellbeing deserves a place in the diary too.If you've ever felt exhausted despite having a life that looks good from the outside, or wondered why success doesn't automatically lead to happiness, this episode is for you.

    💡 In this Moment, you'll learn:

    • Why success doesn't always lead to fulfilment

    • The hidden signs of burnout many mothers ignore

    • How to create more joy and presence in everyday life

    • Why scheduling time for yourself is essential, not selfish

    • How breathwork, meditation and spirituality can help restore your energy

    • Practical ways to feel more in control when life feels overwhelming

    Loved this episode?

    Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

    Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

    If you enjoyed this episode, you can listen to the full episode: The Rodial Founder on Burnout, Discipline and Why Hustle Culture Fails Mothers

    Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

    Connect with Zoe:

    This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

    • Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

    15 June 2026, 5:00 am
  • 13 minutes 37 seconds
    Why Mothers Need Time Alone (And Why It's Not Selfish)

    When was the last time you were completely alone - with nobody touching you, talking to you or needing something from you?

    In this episode, Zoe explores why so many mothers crave alone time and why that need isn't selfish - it's essential. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, overstimulated, touched out, exhausted or guilty for wanting space from your children, this episode will help you understand what's really happening in your mind and body.

    Zoe unpacks the psychology of modern motherhood, the invisible mental load, emotional labour and the impact they have on a mother's nervous system. She explores why highly sensitive mothers and introverted mothers often experience overwhelm more intensely, how overstimulation can lead to burnout, resentment and mum rage, and why rest is not a luxury but a necessity.

    You'll learn why guilt so often accompanies the need for space, how cultural expectations of motherhood keep women trapped in cycles of self-sacrifice, and how protecting even small moments of solitude can help you become a calmer, more present and more connected parent.

    If you've ever wondered why you feel constantly needed, emotionally drained or like you've lost yourself in motherhood, this episode is for you.

    💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • Why craving alone time is a healthy response to modern motherhood

    • How overstimulation, emotional labour and the mental load affect a mother's nervous system

    • Why highly sensitive mothers and introverted mothers often feel more overwhelmed

    • The difference between healthy solitude and signs of burnout, anxiety or depression

    • Practical ways to create guilt-free space and restoration in everyday life

    • Why taking care of yourself helps you show up more calmly for your children

    Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

    Loved this episode?

    Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

    If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Zoe’s solo episode Why Relaxation Feels Impossible for Mothers – and How to Finally Feel at Ease

    Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

    Connect with Zoe:

    This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

    • Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

    11 June 2026, 5:00 am
  • 10 minutes 24 seconds
    The Hidden Reason You're Becoming Resentful
    This episode is for every mother who's ever felt overwhelmed, resentful, or quietly stretched beyond her limits.

    If you're holding everything together, saying yes when you want to say no, and wondering why you're exhausted, this conversation might change the way you think about boundaries forever.

    In this powerful moment episode, Zoe explores why boundaries aren't selfish; they're essential. She shares the simple mindset shift that helped her move from people-pleasing to protecting her energy, her time, and her wellbeing, and explains why resentment is often the clearest sign that a boundary is needed.

    Through honest stories from early motherhood and practical examples you can use immediately, Zoe shows how setting boundaries isn't about pushing people away - it's about creating the limits that allow you to show up as the mother, partner, friend and person you want to be.

    💡 In this Moment, you'll learn:

    • Why boundaries are simply recognising that you are not limitless

    • The hidden link between resentment, overwhelm and burnout

    • How motherhood can help you become better at speaking up for your needs

    • The small boundary shifts that can transform your relationships

    • Why disappointing other people is sometimes necessary

    • A simple exercise to identify where you need stronger boundaries right now

    If you've been carrying too much, feeling emotionally overloaded, or struggling to ask for what you need, this episode will leave you feeling validated, empowered and ready to make one small change that could make a big difference.

    Loved this episode?

    Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

    Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

    If you enjoyed this episode, you can listen to the full episode: You are not limitless: How to use boundaries

    Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

    Connect with Zoe:

    This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

    • Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

    8 June 2026, 5:00 am
  • 39 minutes 52 seconds
    GQ Jordan: The Postpartum Nutritional Advice Every Mother Needs to Hear
    Why do so many mothers feel exhausted, foggy and depleted - even years after giving birth?

    In this episode, Zoe sits down with nutritionist GQ Jordan to talk about the realities of pregnancy, postpartum recovery and the nutritional foundations that help mothers feel more like themselves again.

    Drawing on both her professional expertise and personal experience as a mother expecting her second child, GQ shares practical, reassuring advice on everything from managing sugar cravings and energy crashes to recovering from birth, supporting your mental health and letting go of the pressure to do everything perfectly.

    This is a conversation for any mother who feels tired, stretched thin, constantly reaching for sugar, or wondering why looking after herself feels so difficult.

    💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • Why so many mothers experience brain fog, exhaustion and sugar cravings - and the simple nutritional shifts that can help

    • How to support your recovery after birth, including the key nutrients often overlooked in postpartum

    • Why "bounce back" culture is keeping mothers depleted, and what to focus on instead

    • The mindset shift that helps ambitious mothers care for themselves without guilt

    Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

    Loved this episode?

    Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

    If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Zoe’s conversation with Dr Federica Amarti - Birth Is The Equivalent of 10 Marathons, And It's Why You're Still Tired (Even Years Later)

    Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

    Connect with Zoe:

    This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

    Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

    4 June 2026, 5:00 am
  • 6 minutes 22 seconds
    Dr Alex George: Why We Struggle With Our Children’s Emotions - And How to Change It

    Have you ever found yourself saying to your child, "You're OK, don't cry," whilst knowing you mean well, but feeling like something deeper is happening?

    This week’s Moment explores a powerful idea: we can only hold our children's emotions to the extent that we can hold our own. So many of us grew up believing resilience meant pushing through, staying strong and keeping it together. But what if real resilience is actually the opposite?

    In this conversation, Zoe and Dr Alex George explore the emotional patterns we inherit, why so many of us struggle to sit with difficult feelings, and how learning to hold our own emotions changes the way we parent. There’s a moment where Zoe shares a huge realisation: the reason she struggled with her children’s big feelings wasn’t because of them - it was because no one had ever taught her how to handle her own.

    If you've ever felt uncomfortable with your child's tears, frustration or meltdowns, this episode might help explain why.

    💡 In this episode, you'll learn:

    • Why resilience isn't about "pushing through"

    • The parenting patterns we pass on without realising

    • Why many millennial parents were never taught emotional processing

    • How our early years shape the way we respond to stress

    • A simple reframe that can help you hold difficult feelings - yours and your child's

    Listen now and see whether this changes the way you think about emotions, resilience and parenting.

    Loved this episode?

    Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

    Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

    If you enjoyed this episode, you can listen to the full episode - Why Raising Resilient Kids Starts With Us with Dr Alex George

    Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

    Connect with Zoe:

    This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

    Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply

    1 June 2026, 5:00 am
  • 14 minutes 17 seconds
    Why You’re Snapping, Overthinking and Feeling Constantly On Edge (And What To Do To Stop)

    You’re not failing. Your nervous system is overwhelmed, and there’s a reason why.

    If you’ve been snapping, overthinking, lying awake at night, or feeling strangely disconnected from your own life, this episode will help you understand why.

    Because it’s not a mindset problem.
    It’s your nervous system.

    In this solo, Zoe goes deeper than typical “nervous system” advice to explore what’s really driving overwhelm in motherhood and why so many of us feel stuck in survival mode, even when nothing is “wrong”.

    This is about understanding the root, not just managing the symptoms.

    💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • Why your nervous system feels stuck in survival mode (and why that makes sense)

    • How your past experiences shape your reactions in motherhood today

    • The hidden beliefs driving overwhelm, guilt, and reactivity

    • Simple, practical ways to calm your body and come back to baseline

    This episode will help you stop blaming yourself and start understanding what’s really going on underneath.

    Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

    Loved this episode?

    Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

    If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Zoe’s conversation with Nicole Jane Hobbs and her episode, Why Relaxation Feels Impossible for Mothers – and How to Finally Feel at Ease

    Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

    Connect with Zoe:

    This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

    Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply

    28 May 2026, 5:00 am
  • 7 minutes 56 seconds
    Why Returning To Work After Maternity Leave Feels So Much Harder Than You Expected

    Returning to work after having a baby isn't just a practical transition - for many mothers, it can feel like returning as a completely different person.You expected to feel rusty. You didn't expect to question your confidence, your identity, or whether you're still capable of doing the job you once knew so well.In this Moment, Zoe sits down with Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, to unpack one of the most overlooked parts of motherhood: the return-to-work transition.Joeli shares why this period can feel so overwhelming, how matrescence and brain changes can affect our confidence and sense of self, and why so many mothers believe they're failing when, in reality, the systems around them are failing them.This episode is a powerful reminder that if returning to work felt harder than you expected, there was never anything wrong with you.

    💡 In this Moment, you'll learn:

    • Why returning to work after maternity leave can feel so emotionally challenging

    • The surprising brain changes of matrescence and how they affect confidence

    • Why do so many mothers struggle socially and professionally after having a baby

    • The hidden leadership skills motherhood develops

    • What better support for mothers could actually look like

    Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe.

    Loved this episode?

    Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

    If you enjoyed this episode, you can listen to the full episode - The Exhausted Mother’s Guide to A Successful Return to Work with Joeli Brearley

    Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

    Connect with Zoe:

    This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

    • Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

    25 May 2026, 5:00 am
  • 19 minutes 44 seconds
    Steven Bartlett’s CEO: How I Make Career Decisions Around My Family

    What happens when the dream career opportunity arrives… just as motherhood asks more of you than ever before?

    In this deeply honest conversation, Zoe sits down with Amy, CEO of Steven Bartlett Private Office, to talk about the impossible equation so many ambitious mothers are trying to solve. From taking a huge new role whilst pregnant, to the tension between career ambition and wanting to be the primary attachment figure for your children, this episode is an incredibly raw exploration of modern motherhood, identity and work.

    Amy shares the internal conflict so many mothers carry but rarely say out loud: that sometimes we don’t just work for our children, we work because part of us still deeply wants ambition, creativity, challenge and growth too.

    This is an episode about intuition, guilt, love, matrescence and learning to live inside the contradictions of motherhood.

    💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • Why motherhood completely changes the way you approach ambition, career decisions and success

    • The honest reality of trying to balance leadership, ambition and being the primary attachment figure at home

    • What happened when Amy told Steven Bartlett she was pregnant during the hiring process for her CEO role

    • How becoming a mother reshaped Amy’s leadership, priorities and understanding of happiness

    This episode will especially resonate if you’ve ever felt torn between the part of you that wants to achieve… and the part of you that wants to be fully present at home.

    You can connect with Amy via LinkedIn

    Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe.

    Loved this episode?

    Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

    If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Zoe’s conversation with Emma Grede on ambition, motherhood and self-expression.

    Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

    Connect with Zoe:

    This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

    • Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

    21 May 2026, 5:00 am
  • 9 minutes 55 seconds
    What Your Child Is Really Triggering In You with Gabor Maté
    What if your child’s behaviour isn’t something to control… but something to understand?In this powerful conversation, Zoe sits down with one of the world’s leading voices on trauma, attachment and child development to explore the invisible patterns many of us carry into motherhood.Why do our children’s big emotions feel so triggering? Why do we instinctively want to shut down tears, tantrums or "difficult" behaviour? And what if so much of what we’re reacting to has very little to do with our children at all?This episode is a compassionate invitation to look beneath behaviour - theirs and ours - and understand how our own childhood experiences shape the mothers we become.💡 In this moment, you’ll learn:

    Why your child's "acting out" may actually be communication

    The difference between behaviour that needs controlling and needs that need understanding

    Why motherhood can bring unresolved parts of our own childhood to the surface

    What it really means to be "triggered" by our children

    Why caring for ourselves is one of the most important things we can do for our childrenThis conversation may completely change the way you think about tantrums, emotions and your own reactions.

    Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

    Loved this episode?

    Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

    If you enjoyed this episode, you can listen to the full episode - How our childhood shapes every aspect of our lives with Dr Gabor Maté

    Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

    Connect with Zoe:

    This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

    Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

    18 May 2026, 5:00 am
  • 57 minutes 25 seconds
    The NEW Career & Motherhood Playbook From The Woman Who Ran British Vogue Whilst Pregnant

    What if the reason you feel like you’re failing… isn’t you?

    In this powerful conversation, Zoe sits down with Vanessa Kingori OBE - former Publishing Director of British Vogue, Chief Business Officer at Condé Nast Britain, and one of the most influential women in global media.

    Vanessa made history as the first woman to lead the commercial side of British Vogue in its 100+ year history, after already breaking boundaries as the first female publisher of GQ. 

    She’s worked at the very top of global brands, including Condé Nast and Google, and is known for driving significant commercial growth while reshaping workplace culture.

    But alongside all of that, she’s also a mother.

    Vanessa shares the truth so many women feel but rarely say out loud: that motherhood is harder than we expected, not because we’re doing it wrong, but because the system around us isn’t built to support us.

    From taking on one of the biggest jobs in media whilst trying for a baby to challenging outdated workplace norms around motherhood, this is a conversation about rewriting the rules for ourselves and the next generation.

    This episode will leave you feeling seen, validated, and more confident in the way you’re navigating both work and motherhood.

    💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • Why feeling like you’re failing at both work and motherhood is so common - and why it’s not the truth

    • The hidden strengths motherhood gives you (that workplaces massively undervalue)

    • Why we need to stop “hiding” motherhood at work and what happens when we don’t

    • How to build your “village” in a modern world where it no longer exists naturally

    • Why involving men in the parenting conversation is essential and how we’re getting it wrong

    Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

    Loved this episode?

    Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

    If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Zoe’s conversation with Joeli Brearley OBE - The Exhausted Mother’s Guide to a Successful Return to Work

    Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

    Connect with Zoe:

    This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

    Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

    14 May 2026, 5:00 am
  • 44 minutes 14 seconds
    My Biggest Mistakes and Regrets in Motherhood and Work (and What I’d Do Differently)
    Zoe has never shared her story like this before.💡 In this episode, she takes you behind the scenes of her journey through motherhood and work over the past nine years - the decisions, the trade-offs, the moments she’s proud of… and the ones she’d change if she could. This is the first episode in Motherkind’s special work series, and it starts here for a reason. Because from the outside, it can look like everyone else has it figured out.But the truth? No one does. In this conversation, Zoe shares what it really looked like to leave corporate, build Motherkind alongside early motherhood, and navigate burnout, loss, ambition, and identity… and how she’s learned (sometimes the hard way) to design a life that works for her.It’s honest, unfiltered, and deeply reassuring for any mother questioning her path. 💡 In this episode, you’ll learn: . The biggest mistakes Zoe has made in motherhood and work - and what she’d do differently now . What burnout actually felt like for her (and how she pushed herself into it) . The real tension between ambition and being a present mum . How to make peace with trade-offs and build work that fits your life Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe.  Loved this episode? Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Zoe’s conversation with Neha Ruch - Work Series: The Truth About Stepping Back from your career — And Coming Back even Stronger Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’ This Motherkind episode is sponsored by: Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    7 May 2026, 5:00 am
  • More Episodes? Get the App