The Juggling Act

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Being a working mum. The highs and lows. Chief executives, politicians and celebrities lift the lid on what it’s really like to go back to work after having a baby.


    • Mar 17, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 25m AVG DURATION
    • 10 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Juggling Act

    Breast cups, baby biscuits and boundaries: Our top tips

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2021 8:11


    Having successfully navigated the juggling act of looking after children whilst working a busy job, this series' guests share their pearls of wisdom. Find out the tried-and-tested recipe for any fussy eater, and hear which gadgets transformed breastfeeding from stressful to straightforward.Fill in our podcasts survey for your chance to win one of three £100 John Lewis vouchers: www.telegraph.co.uk/the_juggling_act_survey |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio |Get in touch: podcasts@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Nadine Coyle on feeling like an inadequate mum

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2021 36:19


    Performing in front of thousands of fans comes naturally to Girls Aloud star and mother-of-one, Nadine Coyle. Motherhood, on the other hand, was terrifying. She tells The Telegraph's Claire Newell how one crucial piece of advice from her sister helped her get over the ‘crippling' anxiety she felt as a new mother, and shares her own top tips for coping when work trips keep her and her daughter apart.How have you found returning to work after having a child? Tell us your story: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/work/have-found-returning-work-having-child-want-hear/ |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio |Get in touch: podcasts@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Jack Monroe on breakdowns and being a single mum on a budget

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2021 38:18


    The pressures of being a working single mum left Jack Monroe in hospital, suffering from a breakdown. But her ability to feed her son on a shoestring budget also saw her shoot to prominence as a food writer. She tells Claire Newell why she wishes she'd asked for help sooner when times were tough, and why she believes that upping benefit payments for low-income families would see the government save money in the long-term.If you need non-urgent information about mental health support, call Mind on 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk |How have you found returning to work after having a child? Tell us your story: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/work/have-found-returning-work-having-child-want-hear/ |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio |Get in touch: podcasts@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Bryony Gordon on mothering with mental illness

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2021 31:19


    Columnist and author, Bryony Gordon knows what it's like to hit rock bottom - and to bounce back. Following a twenty-year relationship with alcohol and drugs, she tells Claire Newell why becoming a mother gave her the strength she needed to turn her life around, and to reinvigorate her career.If you need non-urgent information about mental health support, call Mind on 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk |How have you found returning to work after having a child? Tell us your story: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/work/have-found-returning-work-having-child-want-hear/ |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio |Get in touch: podcasts@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Sam Smethers on juggling 'mental clutter'

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2021 26:53


    Sam Smethers spent over five years calling on the government to do more to help working mothers. As the chief executive of the UK's leading women's rights charity, supporting women was her bread and butter. But last year, she decided to give it up to spend more time with her own family. She tells The Telegraph's Claire Newell how she knew it was the right time, and why she thinks mothers worry more than fathers. How have you found returning to work after having a child? Tell us your story: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/work/have-found-returning-work-having-child-want-hear/ |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio |Get in touch: podcasts@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Andrea Jenkyns MP on becoming a mum in your forties

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2021 22:54


    Andrea Jenkyns and our host, Claire Newell have something in common. They're both reluctant ‘geriatric mothers', having given birth over the age of 35. The Yorkshire MP tells Claire how, three years on, she's struggling to shift the ‘baby brain', and why being married to a fellow parliamentarian wreaks havoc on childcare.How have you found returning to work after having a child? Tell us your story: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/work/have-found-returning-work-having-child-want-hear/ |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio |Get in touch: podcasts@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Ruby McGregor-Smith on the myth of the supermother

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2021 31:22


    To the outsider, she has it all: a stellar career, a family and even a seat in the House of Lords. But Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith tells The Telegraph's Claire Newell she hasn't always been a master juggler - and she's not afraid to admit it. Plus, the Tory peer reveals just how vulnerable she felt returning to work, and calls on companies to make flexible working a more viable option.How have you found returning to work after having a child? Tell us your story: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/work/have-found-returning-work-having-child-want-hear/ |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio |Get in touch: podcasts@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Emma Pinchbeck on her 'car crash' return to work

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2021 35:34


    On a normal day, CEOs like Emma Pinchbeck have enough on their plate. Then add to that a newborn baby. And a pandemic. The Chief Executive of Energy UK tells Claire Newell how Covid-19 left her returning to work without childcare, and having to breastfeed on calls with Downing Street.How have you found returning to work after having a child? Tell us your story: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/work/have-found-returning-work-having-child-want-hear/ |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio |Get in touch: podcasts@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Stella Creasy on being a mum and a politician

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2021 26:12


    It's a man's world - but our first guest is trying her best to change that. Stella Creasy made history as the first MP to get maternity cover. She tells Claire Newell why parliament hasn't always made parenting easy and why she believes the lockdown is disproportionately affecting women. Plus, she reveals how she's been discouraged from taking on big roles because after having a baby.How have you found returning to work after having a child? Tell us your story: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/work/have-found-returning-work-having-child-want-hear/ |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio |Get in touch: podcasts@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Introducing The Juggling Act

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2021 2:07


    Can you really have it all? Join The Telegraph's Claire Newell as she finds out whether successful women have managed to strike the elusive balance between baby and boardroom, starting with Labour MP Stella Creasy. Subscribe to this feed to make sure you don't miss it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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