From McKinsey to Matrescence Coach and Redefining Success and Identity in Motherhood

From Educator to Bestselling Author — Here's What She Wants Every Parent to Know

What if the secret to raising confident, emotionally resilient kids isn’t doing more — it’s doing less? In this episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks sits down with Sarah Lucas, childhood education expert with over 25 years in the classroom, author of Atomic Parenting, and the woman parents have been begging to write a book for decades. Sarah breaks down why modern parenting culture is making us worse at parenting — and what to do instead. No jargon, no guilt, no unrealistic standards. Just real, actionable advice from someone who has seen it all from both sides of the classroom door. In this episode: * Why your parenting instinct is your most powerful tool — and how social media is making you distrust it * The case for lowering the bar: why “good enough” parenting is actually great parenting * Reflection over perfection — why repairing mistakes matters more than never making them * Potty training, fussy eaters, night terrors, sibling rivalry, sleep issues — what actually works * Screen time and social media: what Sarah wishes she’d done differently with her own teens * Why overscheduled kids show up to school on Monday more wired than rested * The dangerous myth of “enjoy every minute” — and why it’s okay to admit some parts of parenting are hard * From toddlers to teenagers: how emotional co-regulation skills translate at every age * Why children need boredom, slowness, and free play more than another activity * What’s next: a TED-style parenting and education platform launching in Malaga this November Sarah’s book Atomic Parenting is available now at atomicparenting.net [https://atomicparenting.net/]and on Amazon. She is also featured in the July issue of Mothered Magazine — read the full interview at motheredmagazine.com [https://www.motheredmagazine.com/]. 📲 Find Sarah: atomicparenting.net [https://atomicparenting.net/] | @atomic_parenting [https://www.instagram.com/atomic_parenting] on Instagram 🎙️ Between Meetings & Motherhood is hosted by Alexa Starks, founder of Mothered Media [https://www.motheredmedia.com/] and editor-in-chief of Mothered Magazine [https://www.motheredmagazine.com/] — and is a podcast for ambitious moms building businesses and raising families at the same time. Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe [https://likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

From McKinsey to Matrescence Coach and Redefining Success and Identity in Motherhood

She had the career most people dream about — McKinsey consultant, Alibaba leadership program, expat life in Shanghai, all the external markers of success. Then she had a baby. And six months later, she was standing in a forest telling her husband she wanted to quit everything. In this episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks sits down with Babette Lockefeer, leadership facilitator and matrescence coach, and founder Matermorphosis [https://www.matermorphosis.org/], a group coaching program helping ambitious mothers navigate the identity shift of motherhood and come out the other side more themselves than ever before. In this episode: * What matrescence actually is — and why knowing the word is just the beginning * The three phases of the matrescence arc: the shock, the long foggy middle, and what’s waiting on the other side * Why so many high-achieving women feel like they’re failing on all fronts after becoming a mom — and why it’s not their fault * The invisible motherhood script: why it’s designed to be impossible and why trying harder only makes it worse * What happens when you try to go back to your old self — and why it creates resentment * The difference between old ambition and new ambition — and why the second kind feels so much better * How Babette is raising three boys to see caretaking as something both parents do * Why matrescence is not something to survive — it’s the most powerful growth opportunity of your life * How to start navigating it: the arc of matrescence and the map she uses with every client * What a care-centric world actually looks like — and how supported mothers are the ones who go build it Babette’s next international cohort starts in September. Download her free map of matrescence here: https://www.matermorphosis.org/matrescence [https://www.matermorphosis.org/matrescence] Babette is also featured in the July issue of Mothered Magazine — read the full interview at motheredmagazine.com [https://www.motheredmagazine.com/]. 📲 Find Babette: LinkedIn — Babette Lockefeer [https://www.linkedin.com/in/babettelockefeer/] and on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/matermorphosis/] Between Meetings & Motherhood is hosted by Alexa Starks, founder and CEO of Mothered Media [https://www.motheredmedia.com/]and editor-in-chief of Mothered Magazine [https://www.motheredmagazine.com/] — a podcast for ambitious moms building businesses and raising families at the same time. Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe [https://likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Mom of 4, Therapist, Corporate Leader — She's Living Everything She Helps Other Women Through

She had four kids back to back. She’s a maternal mental health therapist, a keynote speaker, a global clinical researcher, and she’s doing it all while raising a seven-year-old, a five-year-old, a two-year-old, and a six-month-old. In this episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexastarks/] sits down with Tiffany Williamson, M.Ed., LCMHCA, founder of Transformative Destiny [https://www.tiffanywco.com/] — the woman who became the therapist she needed when she was a new mom herself. This one is raw, real, and full of the things nobody puts in the books. In this episode: * What nobody warns you about when you become a mom — and why the books only tell half the story * The identity shift of motherhood and what it really feels like to lose yourself and find a new, stronger version * Postpartum depression vs. postpartum anxiety vs. postpartum rage — why we only talk about one of them * How to prepare your village before the baby arrives — and what real support actually looks like * Being “touched out” with multiple kids: what it means, why it happens, and how to ask for what you need * Why high-achieving women struggle hardest to ask for help — and how to unlearn people-pleasing in motherhood * The difference between postpartum after baby one versus baby four — and what confidence looks like on the other side * Why giving 100% in every role every day is the fastest road to burnout * What she hopes her kids see when they watch her build her career alongside motherhood * The leadership skill motherhood built most: time management so efficient it’s almost supernatural * What she wishes someone had told her: “It’s gonna be okay. You will find yourself again.” Tiffany is also featured in the July issue of Mothered Magazine — read the full interview at motheredmagazine.com [https://www.motheredmagazine.com/]. 📲 Find Tiffany: tiffanywco.com [https://www.tiffanywco.com/] | @transformativedestiny [https://www.instagram.com/transformativedestiny/] on Instagram | Tiffany Williamson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-williamson1/] on LinkedIn Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe [https://likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

She Built a Maternal Mental Health Business From the Beach — While Raising a Toddler in the Philippines

She got angry. Really angry. And instead of swallowing it, she built a business out of it. In this episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks sits down with Vanessa Rio — cover feature of the July issue of Mothered Magazine, founder of Mothering Minds [https://motheringminds.uk/], and the woman quietly solving one of the biggest gaps in maternal mental health care in the UK. Vanessa went from journalist to maternal mental health entrepreneur after experiencing firsthand how completely unsupported new mothers are — and how long the NHS wait lists really are. She built Mothering Minds on no funding, part-time hours, and a team of passionate therapists who took pay cuts just to work with this client group. One year in: fully booked, revenue generating, and growing entirely on organic reach. Oh, and she’s doing it all from a beach in Palawan, Philippines — with a four-year-old. In this episode: * Why the NHS mental health system leaves most new mothers completely without support * What Mothering Minds does differently: no thresholds, no waitlists, self-referral from day one * Why she loves it when moms reach out preventatively — before things get hard * How she built the business on no funding, imperfect systems, and pure goodwill — and booked sessions almost immediately * Growing a team of specialist perinatal therapists who took pay cuts to join because they believed in the mission * Achieving organic growth with zero ads — because they were the only ones doing this * What channeling rage into purpose actually looks like as a founder * Uprooting her entire life and moving from the UK to the Philippines with a toddler — and why she’d do it again * Her daughter’s first day of school, learning Tagalog, and what slowing down has given their family * What’s next: training for adjacent professionals to better identify and support maternal mental health Vanessa is the cover feature of the July issue of Mothered Magazine — read the full exclusive interview at motheredmagazine.com [https://www.motheredmagazine.com/]. 📲 Find Vanessa: motheringminds.uk [https://motheringminds.uk/] | LinkedIn — Vanessa Rio [https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessario/] Between Meetings & Motherhood is hosted by Alexa Starks, founder and CEO of Mothered Media [https://www.motheredmedia.com/]and editor-in-chief of Mothered Magazine [https://www.motheredmagazine.com/] — a podcast for ambitious moms building businesses and raising families at the same time. Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe [https://likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The 8 Secrets to Building a Business While Raising Babies That No One Talks About

Nobody tells you the real truth about building a business while raising small children. Not the highlight reel version — the actual truth. In this solo episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks breaks down the 8 things she wishes someone had told her before she started building Mothered Media with two toddlers at home. This isn't a motivational pep talk. It's the unfiltered, been-in-the-trenches version of what it actually takes. In this episode: * Why consistency and discipline in the early days matter more than any strategy or tool you'll find online * How to stand out in a crowded market — and why doing what everyone else is doing is the fastest way to stay invisible * The power of showing your mess: why vulnerability and openness build more trust than a polished brand ever will * The truth about revenue — how long it actually takes, and how to survive the gap before it's consistent * Why visibility across multiple platforms isn't optional, and how to build a presence strategy that gets your name out there * The unsexy secret weapon every mom founder needs: networking, and how to do it when you have zero time * Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable — why the research and learning phase never actually ends * How to fail fast, adapt quickly, and pivot without losing momentum If you're a mom in the early stages of building something — or stuck in the messy middle — this one is for you. Connect & Learn More: Alexa on IG [https://www.instagram.com/alexa.starks/] Alexa on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexastarks/] Mothered Media IG [https://www.instagram.com/motheredmedia/] Mothered Magazine IG [https://www.instagram.com/mothered.magazine/] Interested in being featured in the next issue of Mothered Magazine? Learn more here https://www.motheredmagazine.com/be-featured/ [https://www.motheredmagazine.com/be-featured/] #MomEntrepreneur #BuildingABusiness #MomFounder #WorkingMoms #MomPodcast #BetweenMeetingsAndMotherhood #MotheredMagazine #ExecutiveMoms #MomBoss #FemaleFounder #StartupLife #BusinessTips #MomsInBusiness #Entrepreneurship #SoloEpisode Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe [https://likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]