Showbiz Mums

Ep12 Season finale - Margaret New and navigating tweens ~ Melissa Jacques

In this chat, Melissa Jacques (Just For One Day, Mamma Mia, Wicked, Spend Spend Spend) covers her experiences as a working mum in the theatre industry, including her pregnancies, her comedy descriptions of childbirth, and balancing work and family life. Mel talks about taking over the role of Margaret New in Everybody's Talking About Jamie in the West End and how her family adapt and make it work when she is on tour. Additionally, it explores the transition of children into their teenage years and the complexities of raising teens in the digital age. *Discussion around grief Find Melissa @melissajacques Chapters * 00:00 Introduction to Showbiz Mums * 06:01 Balancing Work and Pregnancy * 15:24 Childbirth Experiences * 26:34 Challenges of Parenting in the Entertainment Industry * 38:19 Impact of Social Media on Parenting * 56:56 Balancing Career and Motherhood * 01:06:06 Career Highlights and Future Aspirations Original music by Steve Rushton

Ep11 - The Tina Turner job share ~ Zoe Birkett

Zoe Birkett (The Bodyguard, Priscilla, Moulin Rouge, Great British Bake Off) chats today about her experience of doing a job share split when she played the role of Tina in Tina: the Tina Turner Musical with the lovely Karis Anderson. She talks about how well they got along and how she made the juggle of performing and parenting work for her family. We spoke about Zoe's pregnancy and her preference to give birth back home up North, and when she felt she was ready to rejoin the industry post partum. Zoe was so honest and open about how she felt getting back into the industry - and has been absolutely smashing it ever since. Find her at @zoebirkett @showbizmums Original music by Steve Rushton

Ep10 - America, Australia and Asia, oh my! ~ Stephanie Elstob

*Trigger warning - there is conversation around eating disorders and body image in this episode. Steph Elstob (Wuthering Heights, The Bodyguard and Oliver) joins me to talk about taking her son on 2 International tours, alongside her partner Sam, also a performer in the industry. We chat about how the company went above and beyond in order to keep both Sam and Steph on the show as they were 'too valuable not to try'. Steph also talks about founding her business - the Iris Clinic- a clinic specifically for performers/creatives who struggle with their relationship with food or their bodies. Find Steph on instagram @stephelstob of @irisclinicuk or on the website irisclinic.co.uk [http://irisclinic.co.uk] Original music by Steve Rushton

Ep9 - Paddington and Parenting ~ Jackie Hughes

This episode I chat to Jackie Hughes (Groundhog Day, Wicked, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) about how she manages the juggle of parenting her two boys and performing 8 shows a week. Currently in the Original West End cast of Paddington, Jackie shares her experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, returning to work, and the support network she relies on. Find her @jaxhughes1903 and as a coach for @prepyourrep_ldn Original music by Steve Rushton

Ep8 - The original job share proposal at Les Miz ~ Sarah Lark

Sarah Lark (BBC's I'd do Anything, Witches of Eastwick and Mamma Mia) talks all about her experience of working in Les Miserables for over a decade. Sarah is known for being one of the original pioneers of working in a job share in the West End. In this conversation, she explains how she proposed the idea to the company, when Jo Loxton was returning from her maternity leave. @misssarahlark Original music by Steve Rushton