Parents Who Think

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 PWT 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

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 PWT 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

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 PWT 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

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 PWT 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

Journalist and author Matt Blake joins Parents Who Think host Danusia Malina-Derben for a candid conversation about what it actually means to co-parent equally. Since his daughter was born, Matt has shared care 50/50 with her mother, through relationship shifts, career trade-offs, and a system that still assumes mothers carry the load. Together, Matt and Danusia explore how parenting redefines ambition, what changes when men stop being treated as babysitters, and why the metrics of 'success' look very different when your week is split between deadlines and the school run. Matt shares his experience of being pushed to the sidelines by GP registration forms and playground assumptions and why he's stayed committed to showing up, even when it means saying no to work. This episode speaks to anyone reshaping the traditional script, whether you're a father, a mother, or rethinking what family looks like in real life. Discover more from us: • Join PWT 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