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PODCAST

The Mama Circle

Natalie K. Martin

I love being a mum. What I don’t love is what modern motherhood has become: the overwhelm, the invisible labour, the financial squeeze, the loneliness. This is what I call The Motherhood Debt, and this podcast is where we get real about all of it: This is honest talk for women who love their families, but want a version of motherhood that feels more sustainable, more joyful and more supported. Hosted by writer and educator Natalie K. Martin, every episode mixes lived experience, social insight and

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

00:18:51

73. Going back to work after maternity leave? This is...

The Mama Circle ·

2026/04/07

Most of us expect that going back to work will make things easier, but for many mums, it doesn’t. Costs increase. Illness increases. The mental load expands. And suddenly, you’re holding a job, a household, and a child at the same time.In this episode, I’m unpacking why going back to work often feels harder than expected, and the structural tension behind it. Because the issue isn’t your ambition. It’s the conditions you’re working inside.🎧 If this resonates, the free audio guide The 5 Villages

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00:19:15

72. Living together after a breakup (the part of...

The Mama Circle ·

2026/03/31

Living together after a breakup is one of the least talked about stages of separation.You’re not fully together.You’re not fully apart.And you’re not fully independent.From the outside, everything can look the same.Same house. Same routines. Same family structure.But internally, everything has shifted.In this episode, I’m naming what actually happens in that in-between space:The emotional tension of sharing space while detachingThe constant nervous system activationWhy the mental load and division

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00:25:22

71. I Can’t Make My Money Stretch (But I’m...

The Mama Circle ·

2026/03/24

Today, I’m talking about something that feels deeply uncomfortable for a lot of us, needing help when the numbers stop adding up.Through the lens of motherhood, separation, and navigating finances, I share what it’s been like to realise that I can’t actually do this alone. Not because I’ve done something wrong, but because the reality of modern motherhood often doesn’t add up financially.I talk about the shame that can come up when asking for help, especially financial help, and where that shame

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00:17:20

70. The Motherhood Debt: The Hidden Costs of Becoming...

The Mama Circle ·

2026/03/17

In this episode, I’m sharing the idea that sits underneath so much of this podcast: the motherhood debt.It’s the hidden cost of becoming a mother, not just financially, but emotionally, relationally, mentally and practically too.I talk about the moment I realised I felt like I was drowning, why so many mums end up blaming themselves, and what I started to notice in conversations with other women.Different struggles. Same underlying weight.I also break down the different debts so many of us carry,

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00:25:46

69. We Don’t Need Mother’s Day Cards. We Need Support.

The Mama Circle ·

2026/03/10

In this episode, Natalie reflects on how expectations around Mother’s Day can quietly shift after children arrive. What was once about celebrating your own mum can suddenly become multi-generational, bringing different traditions, assumptions, and sometimes tension about how the day should be spent.Natalie also explores a deeper question: do mothers actually need one day of appreciation, or something more consistent than that?Flowers, cards, and breakfast in bed are lovely, but they are not the same

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00:28:31

68. I stopped negotiating with my toddler - FAFO...

The Mama Circle ·

2026/03/03

You’re told to stay calm. Keep explaining. Offer choices. Negotiate gently. But what happens when you’ve repeated yourself ten times and nothing changes?In this episode of The Mama Circle Podcast, Nat shares a shift she’s been experimenting with during the toddler years: stepping away from endless negotiation and allowing safe, natural consequences to do the teaching instead with FAFO (F*ck Around, Find Out) parenting.This isn’t about abandoning gentle parenting or becoming stricter. It’s about

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00:42:11

67: Love is not a custody plan: why parenting prenups...

The Mama Circle ·

2026/02/24

When we fall in love, we don’t sit down and map out how we’d separate.We assume love will carry us.But love is not a custody plan.In this episode, I talk about something that might feel uncomfortable at first: what if we treated parenting like the structural commitment it is? What if we had the hard conversations about childcare, money, mobility and decision-making before resentment, betrayal or grief enter the room?Because most couples only negotiate structure once they’re already hurt.I share how

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00:24:50

66. Leaning Into a Maintenance Season

The Mama Circle ·

2026/02/17

This week, I’m recording from my bed, feeling that familiar end-of-day heaviness where you’ve done a lot but couldn’t neatly list what it was.Life doesn’t feel chaotic.It just doesn’t feel spacious either.In this episode, I talk about what a maintenance season actually looks like in motherhood, especially after separation, when logistics increase and capacity doesn’t.Waking at 5am when it works, not forcing it when it doesn’t.Batch cooking to reduce decisions.Letting non-urgent emails sit.Filling

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00:23:56

65. Is Modern Motherhood a Scam?

The Mama Circle ·

2026/02/10

This week I’m responding to a Reddit thread titled:“How the heck are we all okay with this scam?”The post describes what so many families are living:• Dual income just to stay afloat• Hyper-scheduled days• Childcare costs exploding• Zero margin• No real time with your own childrenAnd the question underneath it all:Is this just what family life is now?In this episode, I’m not fixing it.I’m naming it.We explore:• Why shrinking your life isn’t a universal solution• Why “just spend less” misses the

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00:28:30

64. Why do I do all the hard stuff and he gets to be...

The Mama Circle ·

2026/02/03

Why does one parent end up carrying the routines, the logistics, the emotional regulation, while the other gets to be the fun one?In this episode, I’m talking about the dynamic so many families fall into quietly, the default parent and the fun parent. It’s not usually chosen. It forms over time, shaped by outdated structures that no longer fit modern motherhood.Often, one parent holds the weekday grind. School or nursery logistics, sick days, emotional regulation, planning, remembering, keeping

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00:17:50

63. The 5 Villages Every Mum Needs (yes, five!)

The Mama Circle ·

2026/01/27

This episode explores why so many mothers feel like they’re parenting without a village, even when they’re surrounded by people who care.I break down the five different kinds of support mothers actually need, and why expecting them all from the same people creates disappointment, resentment, and exhaustion. When we understand that the village isn’t one thing, it becomes easier to stop blaming ourselves for what’s missing.You’ll hear about:Why loneliness in motherhood is often structural, not

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00:27:30

62. My motherhood feels different than I expected...

The Mama Circle ·

2026/01/21

One year into The Mama Circle Podcast, I’m revisiting one of the most listened-to episodes and checking in with myself.In episode two, I shared what I wanted my motherhood to feel like. Ease. Fun. Flow. A sense that my child would naturally fit into my life.A year later, a lot has changed. My son is older. I’m working. My relationship has ended. And my assumptions about how motherhood would feel have been quietly challenged.In this episode, I reflect on what actually shifted, what surprised me, what

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00:45:06

61. Nothing shapes your motherhood more than who you...

The Mama Circle ·

2026/01/13

Motherhood doesn’t exist in isolation.Two women can love their children just as deeply, want motherhood just as much, and still have completely different experiences of it.In this episode, I talk about one of the most overlooked and rarely named factors shaping motherhood: the person you have children with, or raise children with.This is not about blame, judgement, or “choosing wrong”. It’s about understanding the environment you are mothering inside of, and why motherhood can feel heavier than

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00:26:05

60. This Is Us and the fantasy of modern family life

The Mama Circle ·

2026/01/06

In the first episode of 2026, Nat reflects on finishing This Is Us and why the show stayed with her long after the final episode.This isn’t a recap or a spoiler-filled review. It’s a conversation about motherhood, family, and the quiet expectations we absorb from TV.Nat explores:Why This Is Us feels both comforting and unrealisticHow motherhood and family life are idealised on screenThe invisible labour behind “magical” childhood memoriesWhy older family structures feel impossible to recreate

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00:09:54

59. A little New Year’s Eve check-in

The Mama Circle ·

2025/12/30

New Year can feel like magic or heaviness or absolutely nothing at all. In this short New Year’s Eve episode Nat invites you to pause, breathe and gently acknowledge the year you just walked through. No resolutions. No reinvention. No new-year-new-you.This conversation is a soft reflection space where you’ll explore three grounding questions:• What surprised you this year• What challenged you more than you expected• What did you get through without ever stopping to recognise itYou are not expected

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00:05:52

58. A Christmas Eve check-in

The Mama Circle ·

2025/12/23

Christmas Eve is here and if you are listening as this episode lands, you are probably juggling excitement, pressure and a to do list too long for one day. This is a short and gentle episode to simply ask how you are, really. Not the polite answer, not the performance, but the truth.We look at how Christmas amplifies everything. The magic and the mess. The joy and the grief. The overwhelm and the tenderness. Whether Christmas feels beautiful this year or complicated, you are not behind, you are not

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00:16:44

57. The honest share I didn’t plan to make, and the...

The Mama Circle ·

2025/12/16

n this week’s episode I share something I hadn’t planned to, but it felt right in the moment. Motherhood has a way of piling a lot onto our minds and our hearts, and sometimes the most supportive thing we can do is speak the truth we’re carrying.This episode is a very real, present-moment reflection on:• the end of a ten-year relationship• why the decision took months• the complexity of co-parenting under one roof• the fears and shame that have surfaced along the way• my little boy’s biting phase

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00:24:02

56. Seven motherhood myths keeping you stuck

The Mama Circle ·

2025/12/09

Motherhood is full of love and magic, but it also comes with expectations none of us signed up for. In this episode Nat breaks down seven common myths that keep mothers overwhelmed, burnt out, resentful and doubting themselves.These myths are everywhere in our culture and in the conversations we inherit from generations before us. When we believe them, we push ourselves past capacity. When we question them, everything becomes lighter.Inside this episode you will hear:• Why instinct is not the same

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00:39:27

55. My birth story - The birth I planned versus the...

The Mama Circle ·

2025/12/03

In this episode, I am finally sharing the full story of how my little boy came into the world. I have hinted at it so many times and mums often ask for it, partly because we do not get many chances to tell our birth stories in full. As I share in this episode, birth is one of the biggest experiences we ever go through, no matter how it unfolds.I talk about:• How my pregnancy actually felt behind the scenes• The unexpected emotions, the exhaustion and the early anxiety about scans• Choosing a

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00:40:14

54. How to have a fabulous Christmas (even if you're...

The Mama Circle ·

2025/11/25

Christmas can feel joyful, cosy and full of magic, especially when you have little ones. It can also feel busy and full of expectations. This week I am sharing how to have a Christmas that feels fabulous for you and your family. One that feels warm, fun and enjoyable rather than something you push yourself through.Inside the episode I talk about choosing the Christmas energy that feels good for you, creating simple rituals, and setting gentle expectations with family so things stay calm. I also

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