Parents Who Think

The Fathers We're Not Talking About with Elliot Rae

What happens when a father dares to speak the truth the world hasn't made space for? In this episode of Parents Who Think, host Danusia Malina-Derben speaks with Elliot Rae—author, speaker, and founder of Music Football Fatherhood—in a conversation about emotional fluency, gender equality, and the revolution unfolding inside modern fatherhood. They explore what happens after traumatic birth and postnatal anxiety, how safe spaces for men are made (and misunderstood), and why organisations need to stop treating dads as optional extras. Elliot reflects on founding MFF as a form of self-therapy, the deep responsibility of public voice, and what it takes to show up as both a parent and a change-maker. From Black fatherhood to workplace policy, this episode asks what else becomes possible when we stop pretending dads don't feel—and let them lead with more than silence. Discover more from us: • Join the Parents Who Think community on Substack [https://danusiamalinaderben.substack.com/] • Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/parentswhothink/?hl=en] • Connect [http://www.linkedin.com/in/danusiamalinaderben] with Danusia • Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/school-for-mothers-podcast/id1440293611] • Advertising Inquiries here [team@parentswhothink.co.uk] Credits: • Hosted by Danusia Malina-Derben [https://danusiamalinaderben.com/] • Edited, Mixed + Mastered by Marie Cruz • Cover art by Anthony Oram

Motherhood: The Truth of It with Clover Stroud

What does it really mean to mother across time—through babyhood, adolescence, heartbreak, grief, and desire? On this episode of Parents Who Think, Clover Stroud joins Danusia Malina-Derben for a conversation that names the unspoken. They talk about what happens to a woman when she mothers across decades, not just in nappies and sleepless nights, but when her teenage son is getting expelled while her newborn cries in the next room. Clover talks openly about postnatal depression, intrusive thoughts, the violence of maternal rage, and the parts of motherhood that don't belong on Instagram. She also speaks to desire, ageing, long marriages, and the seismic shift in identity that comes with being responsible for so many lives, for so many years. This is a conversation about the kind of mother who doesn't perform perfection. The kind who wonders if she's alone—until someone like Clover says the hard thing first. Discover more from us: • Join the Parents Who Think community on Substack [https://danusiamalinaderben.substack.com/] • Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/parentswhothink/?hl=en] • Connect [http://www.linkedin.com/in/danusiamalinaderben] with Danusia • Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/school-for-mothers-podcast/id1440293611] • Advertising Inquiries here [team@parentswhothink.co.uk] Credits: • Hosted by Danusia Malina-Derben [https://danusiamalinaderben.com/] • Edited, Mixed + Mastered by Marie Cruz • Cover art by Anthony Oram

Why Traditional Workplaces Are Still Failing Mothers with Jessica Chivers

What happens when your child's diagnosis doesn't just change your daily routine, it changes your entire business model? In this episode of Parents Who Think, Danusia Malina-Derben talks with psychologist and executive coach Jessica Chivers about how motherhood redefines ambition, and reshapes working life in ways no corporate handbook prepares you for. Jessica opens up about navigating exclusions, assessments, and school meetings while building a business, and how that tension has led her to become even more ambitious. They discuss the myth that self-employment is the golden ticket for mothers, the grief of an underdeveloped self, and the underestimated power of honesty in leadership. This is a vital conversation for anyone balancing strategy decks with school runs, or wondering if the entrepreneurial dream is actually a backup plan gone wrong. Listen in, and feel seen. Discover more from us: • Join the Parents Who Think community on Substack [https://danusiamalinaderben.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile] • Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/parentswhothink/?hl=en] • Connect [http://www.linkedin.com/in/danusiamalinaderben] with Danusia • Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/school-for-mothers-podcast/id1440293611] • Advertising Inquiries here [team@parentswhothink.co.uk] Credits: • Hosted by Danusia Malina-Derben [https://danusiamalinaderben.com/] • Edited, Mixed + Mastered by Marie Cruz • Cover art by Anthony Oram

Risk it Like a Mother with Colleen Wong

What does risk really look like when you're a mother and when you're not willing to blow up your life to chase a dream? In this episode, Danusia is joined by entrepreneur Colleen Wong, who talks about building her business on calculated risks, not chaos. They get into what happens when your startup is hacked by a government body, how to run a company with four mothers in customer service and zero face-time expectations, and why Colleen feels absolutely no guilt about the way she works, or parents. This isn't about glorifying hustle or soft-focus family life. It's about building something that sticks, even when everything else tilts sideways. And if you want more conversations like this - the ones that go deeper than the usual soundbites - search Parents Who Think Substack in your browser and join the community. Come be part of it. Discover more from us: • Join the Parents Who Think community on Substack [https://danusiamalinaderben.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile] • Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/parentswhothink/?hl=en] • Connect [http://www.linkedin.com/in/danusiamalinaderben] with Danusia • Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/school-for-mothers-podcast/id1440293611] • Advertising Inquiries here [team@parentswhothink.co.uk] Credits: • Hosted by Danusia Malina-Derben [https://danusiamalinaderben.com/] • Edited, Mixed + Mastered by Marie Cruz • Cover art by Anthony Oram

How to Stay Connected to Yourself with Zoe Blaskey

In this episode of Parents Who Think, Danusia Malina-Derben sits down with Zoe Blaskey to explore what it really takes to stay connected to yourself when everyone else seems to come first. Zoe, founder and author of Motherkind and mother of two talks openly about the difference between performing wellness and actually tending to yourself. Together, she and Danusia unpack how easy it is to get lost in parenting, why journaling can be a lifeline (not a luxury), and the micro-practices that help keep self-worth on the radar. There's no preachy perfection here, just two women naming the quiet crisis of mothering without tending to the mother. This conversation is a gentle gut-punch for anyone who's been last on their own list for too long. If you've ever needed permission to prioritise yourself, you've just found it. Discover more from us: • Join the Parents Who Think community on Substack [https://danusiamalinaderben.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile] • Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/parentswhothink/?hl=en] • Connect [http://www.linkedin.com/in/danusiamalinaderben] with Danusia • Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/school-for-mothers-podcast/id1440293611] • Advertising Inquiries here [team@parentswhothink.co.uk] Credits: • Hosted by Danusia Malina-Derben [https://danusiamalinaderben.com/] • Edited, Mixed + Mastered by Marie Cruz • Cover art by Anthony Oram