Ready or Not
The podcast for and about mums who make work, work, brought to you by two sort of cousins Loz (mum of three) and Lu (mum of two). Each Monday, we banter on all things motherhood, feminism, career, ambition, and pop culture. Thursdays, we answer three listener questions on all things motherhood and career. As an extension of the motherhood/career conversation, each month, you'll also find an interview with a real mum that's definitely not doing it all, but rather, doing her best to navigate it all. Find us at https://www.instagram.com/readyornot.pod/?hl=en
Women don’t take advantage of passed out men
The Cornell 57 case has made headlines around the world and, rightly, sparked a huge amount of outrage and conversation about consent, sexual violence and male behaviour. But Loz came across one reel about the case that raised a different argument she hadn't really considered before, and she wants to play it before we get into it.
Here’s the post from Feminist Fabulous aka Liz Plank
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“Can I really do a full-time job in three days?”
DEAR READY OR NOT: What do you do when your mat leave cover takes your job? Is double the salary worth working five days? And what do you do when your three-day job doesn’t fit into three days?
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This podcast was recorded on the lands of t...
Atong Atem: “Gossip has been a tool to keep women safe”
As I listen back to the incredibly funny and clever and cool and curious artist and mother, Atong Atem, whose worked with the likes of Tate Modern in London and the NGV more locally here in Melbourne, the first question I ask in this interview is challenging me a little. You'll have to listen to find out why.
From motherhood to friendship to womanhood to racism to career to making work, work alongside parenting - this is a conversation about life more than anything, and I’m better for having it. I think you will be too. So...
Are these parenting decisions controversial?
Welcome back to the show all about motherhood and career!
Coming up on today’s show: What parenting rules do you live and die by in your house? A post from Paige Connell got us thinking, and our listeners weigh in!
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This podcast wa...
“I earn more than my husband but I still do more at home. Help!”
DEAR READY OR NOT: How do you announce another pregnancy when your boss has already judged you for it? What can employers ask you about having kids in a job interview? And what do you do when you earn more than your husband but still do more at home?
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The parenting phrases we’d take & toss from our own childhoods
Welcome back! Tough titties: Loz has been thinking a lot about the parenting phrases we all grew up with. So, which ones would we take, and which ones should we toss?
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This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. T...
“Should I stay in a job I hate for parental leave?”
DEAR READY OR NOT: How do you stop resenting your partner after having a baby? How do you tell a brand-new employer you’re pregnant? And should you stay in a job you hate for the parental leave benefits?
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This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon W...
Do not pass go, do not collect $200
Straight to jail or let it go? We’ve spoken a lot about the fact that weaponised incompetence AND maternal gatekeeping are both part of the problem when we look at the standard we expect a partner, particularly the secondary caregiver, to do things to within a household and with our kids, so today, we’re going to decide what household habits deserve jail time, and what rules and standards we need to let go of.
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“Will I regret working more before my child starts school?”
DEAR READY OR NOT: Is working an extra day worth it if you only make $150 after childcare? Will you regret working more in your child’s last year before school? And where’s the line between putting your family first and taking the piss with flexible work?
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Apparently, mums aren't allowed to say this out loud
Welcome back! Coming up on today's show: there are things you're still not allowed to admit about motherhood. A post by Natale Perkins struck a chord with Loz because you're damned if you glorify motherhood, and you're also damned if you don't love every minute. So let’s get into what mums still feel like they’re not allowed to admit about motherhood.
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“How do I ask for a pay rise after maternity leave?”
DEAR READY OR NOT: Can you ask for a pay rise after maternity leave? What do you do when you return after baby number three and suddenly hate a job you used to love? And how do you deal with a colleague who questions your commitment because they think you’re too young?
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How to talk about the mental load with Paige Connell (aka @sheisapaigeturner)
Paige Connell, who you might know as @sheisapaigeturner on social media, has become loved by her many hundreds of thousands of followers for her straight shooting, helpful, and intelligent reflections on the mental load of motherhood.
She’s a mum of four in America, with two adopted children of colour and two biological white children, and this somewhat unique experience of parenting has taught her a lot about racism… about how early it’s experienced, how naive she was to it before, and why she believes white parents need to talk to their kids about racism.
She’s...
Is this the biggest parenting lie we tell ourselves?
21% of our community answered a recent Ready or Not poll in the same way, but Lu’s not sure she believes it. Here, we talk through the myth of 50/50 parenting in a world that is not equitable and equal for men and women.
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Is your parental leave cover taking over your job?
DEAR READY OR NOT: Is going back to work when your baby is four months old too soon? Should workplaces plan for teams where everyone has young kids? And how do you protect your role when your parental leave cover starts being treated like your replacement?
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The state of originality in 2026
Is copying really stealing? A creator has called out copycat culture online, but Loz isn't convinced. When everything from fashion to content is built on trends and dupes, who really gets to claim an idea as theirs? And what does all of this mean for women at work, where getting credit for your ideas can really matter? Plus, Lu goes deep on why dupe culture is so closely tied to capitalism, growth, and overconsumption.
Here is the fashion/product quality analysis account that Lu mentions: @helloeveh
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“How do I handle a toxic boss?”
DEAR READY OR NOT: How do you deal with a sexist manager? Does work travel count as time away? And what do you do when becoming a parent leaves you questioning your identity at work?
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You can also find us on Instagram:
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@laurentreweek_
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This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon...
The work and motherhood cliches we don't live by
Welcome back to the show! Coming up: light and fluffy things ahead, as Lu takes Loz through a list of motherhood and career cliches, and the pair rate them together.
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This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The la...
“What’s the best day to take off when working part-time?”
DEAR READY OR NOT: Which day should you take off if you’re returning to work four days a week? Should you accept a 12-month contract extension when you’re pregnant and know you’ll be taking maternity leave a few months in? And is one too young to leave your baby for a week-long international work trip?
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Lindsey Clancy, Hayden Panettiere, and a labor senator's postpartum health push
CONTENT WARNING: Episode discusses death, addiction, and postpartum mental health. Welcome back to the show! Coming up: a look at some of the biggest stories in the news currently, and why postpartum health is at the forefront of our minds as we read about them.
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO ENTER THE MINGLE SEASONING TINY FOOD CRITIC COMP:
https://www.mingleseasoning.com/pages/tiny-food-critics
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“When should I start trying for baby number two?”
DEAR READY OR NOT: How do you juggle daycare sickness with a full-time job? Is there ever a right time to have baby number two? And should you list parental leave on your resume?
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This podcast was recorded on the lands...
The hardest (and most requested) conversation we’ve ever had
WARNING: Today we’re discussing child sexual abuse within the childcare system, and two recent stories of male childcare educators that have flooded our DMs. It was a hard episode to record, so take care and consider if it’s right for you right now.
Get tickets to our rodeo with UKOO here: https://events.humanitix.com/one-night-off-boots-and-bubbles
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“I was made redundant on maternity leave. Help!”
DEAR READY OR NOT: What do you do when you're made redundant on maternity leave? Should you feel guilty taking a second round of parental leave when you're still relatively new in the job? And is it time to walk away from a high-paying job that's boring?
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The mythical history of women and work with Ashley Brooks-Garrett
When I noticed a new follower notification pop up just a few months ago, with some 300 followers and the Instagram handle @youwanted.this, I was intrigued by the name. Immediately, I had a pretty good idea of what the content might look like, and I was right: its creator - Ashley Brooks-Garrett – was clearly passionate about exploring feminism, life, and work through the lens of motherhood and womanhood.
In the short time since I first started noticing her content, she’s built a much bigger following: an audience made up of people who are either enraged or in f...
How society uses sex, money & beauty to control mums
Welcome back to the show! Coming up today: Does society have a weird sense of ownership over mothers? And if so, where does it stem from? What’s it connected to? And what does beauty, sex, and money have to do with it?
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Help! My kid only eats beige food or vegemite on toast
DEAR READY OR NOT: What do you do when your child will only eat beige food? How to manage being a working mum without a village and should I have a third baby at 40?
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This podcast was recorded on the lands...
What you're really saying when you call your mum friend boring
Welcome back to the show! Coming up today:
What you're really saying when you call your mum friend boring: We came across this brilliant Substack by Jennie is Writing and we had to talk about it.
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This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Bo...
"Am I a bad mum if I don't sleep train?"
DEAR READY OR NOT: What do you do when your boss rejects your request to extend parental leave? What do you wish you'd done more of on mat leave? And should you feel pressured to sleep train before heading back to work?
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...Why do we think the school years will be easier?
Welcome back to the show! Coming up today:
Why do we all think that the school years will be easy? Mums need to be honest about the toll of school years, as Loz draws on her first year of navigating it all. If we could start from scratch, what would a genuinely feminist care ecosystem look like?—
Episode links mentioned in the episode:
For Parents segment. Ambition segment. Dads & flexibility segment.—
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“How do you survive your first day back from mat leave?”
DEAR READY OR NOT: How do you make it through your first day back at work when your baby's starting daycare too? How do you say no to after-hours meetings? And what's the reality of working remotely with young kids?
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This pod...
The red & green flags of fatherhood
Welcome back, moms! Today:
Red, Green, or Just Normal? Should we be applying red and green flags to relationships and if so what are some of the ones you, our community have come up with. We deepdive a Substack piece titled ‘What I've Noticed About Moms Who Seem Less Stressed’—
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“Heart wants another baby, head says no. HELP!”
DEAR READY OR NOT: Should you have a second baby if your head says no but your heart says yes? Should you tell work you're struggling during probation? And how do you hold onto friendships when everyone seems too busy?
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This podcast was recorded on the lands of...
Julia Busuttil Nishimura on figuring it out as she goes
Julia Busuttil Nishimura may have five cookbooks, a children’s book, a career as a teacher, and three children under her belt, but as you’re about to find out, just like the rest of us, she’s still figuring out this whole motherhood and career thing as she goes. And honestly, what a relief it is, to know that one of the country’s most loved and accomplished cookbook authors is just like us underneath it all.
In fact, she had a massive freak out when she was pregnant with her third baby last year. She couldn’t s...
What’s ACTUALLY behind the ‘us vs them’ divide in motherhood?
Welcome back to Ready or Not, the show for mums navigating paid work and unpaid work.
On today’s show:
SAHM vs Working Mums: Will we ever be on the one team? Mum Walk’s first Motherhood Connection Report reveals motherhood isn’t just one of the hardest jobs in the world - it’s become one of the loneliest, and we need to talk about it.—
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What your child needs most (it's not what you think) with Gen Muir
RE-RUN: 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 actual...
Are we making motherhood harder than it needs to be?
Welcome back to Ready or Not, or in this re-run, the show that used to be called Witching Hour… the show for mums navigating paid work and unpaid work. On today’s show:
Loz is sick of hearing from child attachment ‘experts’ and here's why. And, why has adjusting to my post-baby body been harder the second time around? Lu shares a brilliant piece published to UK Vogue by Nell Frizzell.—
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The lie of the girl boss with Genevieve Le Hunt
Using Gen's full name, which is Genevieve La Hunt feels a bit weird, and it's not just because she's a good friend of Loz's, my co-host, of course, and the host of Ask Ready or Not. It's because when I jumped off this recording, I felt like I had just chatted with a friend myself.
Gen is the founder of Sunday Agency. She works in publicity and PR she's had a really interesting career.
But what was more interesting about her was just how real she is. You will not meet anyone who talks as...
The internet thinks we’re doing motherhood wrong
RE-RUN: Welcome back to Ready or Not, the show for mums navigating paid work and unpaid work. On today’s show:
When will we stop judging the mums? Lu has seen so much unsolicited judgement on Instagram lately and she has some questions.The hidden bias in job applications: why women are being turned off by the questions we don’t ask men.—
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Is it normal to be jealous of mums who work less than you?
DEAR READY OR NOT: What should you be doing in your final weeks of mat leave to set up for the return to work? How to stop the envy creeping in when your friends work fewer days than you but somehow still have the house and the holidays. And how to keep your cool when you're stuck managing up.
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Just how undervalued is women’s work?
Welcome back to Ready or Not, the show for mums navigating paid work and unpaid work. On today’s show:
Pay me like a cop: A deep dive into the maths of who we actually value. Unpacking our very unofficial state of working motherhood report. We took to Instagram to find out how everyone is feeling, find out where everyone is at in the motherhood and work journey, and to ask some of the questions that are keeping working mums up at night.—
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Would you work if you didn't need the money?
DEAR READY OR NOT: The mum-guilt of choosing to work full-time when you don't have to. A co-worker has been bitching about you behind your back while you're on mat leave, do you confront her when you return or let it play out? And more life hacks, because you asked and we can never say no.
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