The Secret Life of Mothers

Resisting Good Mother Myths

Alex Bollen is a researcher, writer and postnatal practitioner. She was previously a director at the research agency Ipsos MORI and is now self-employed. She qualified as a Postnatal Practitioner with the NCT and has been running groups for new mothers for more than a decade. Her book Motherdom: Breaking Free from Bad Science and Good Mother Myths was published by Verso in 2025. The Washington Post described Motherdom as “a thorough investigation into the intense pressures mothers face” and TheNew Yorker praised the book for being “irascible, informative.” www.matrescence.uk

Life After A Mormon Upbringing

Audra Phelps founded Mama Audra to help moms unravel the web of old beliefs after leaving the LDS church to discover her own identity as a woman and mother. With over 15years of experience in international education and coaching, she discovered her passion in supporting moms grappling with grief, mom guilt, and identity loss after a faith crisis. When she finally made the life-altering decision to leave the church, she found herself sinking in uncertainty, lonelier than she'd everbeen before, and constantly feeling like she was failing her children. Through years of coaching, she has walked the path to uncovering beliefs that resonate,building relationships with her children based on love and trust, and navigating the loneliness that comes from starting all over again. She is now focusing her work on the unique challenges that ex-Mormon moms are navigating, helping them feel confident in who they are and blaze their own path, on their ownterms. https://mamaaudra.com [https://mamaaudra.com] Masterclass - 5 Shifts Every Former Mormon Mom Needs to Make: https://mamaaudra.com/training [https://mamaaudra.com/training]  www.mothersuncovered.com www.matrescence.uk www.maggiegordon-walker.com

Eve Canavan: Perinatal Mental Health Champion

Eve Canavan is the Co-Founder and Coordinatorof Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week. Having experienced Postpartum Psychosis after the birth of her son, Eve began blogging about her experience and established the voluntary group Perinatal Mental Health Partnership anddevised the Awareness Week, a free yearly global resource, highlighting Perinatal Mental Health, how to access support and focusing on the organisations and services that support recovery. She is the UK Coordinator for Postpartum Support International and a media volunteer for Mind and Action on Postpartum Psychosis. She also shaped the character Stacey Slater's postpartum psychosis storyline on #Eastenders. Eve received the British Empire Medal for Services toMental Health in Her Majesty’s New Year Honours in 2017.  Insta: @eviecanavan

Carving My Own Story

Madhu Senaratne is a lecturer, researcher and writer. She holds a PhD, and her work focuses on voice, power, and ethicsin storytelling. She currently lectures in areas of humanitarian reporting, and media and development. She has previously worked as a journalist and with the United Nations in conflict and post-conflict contexts. She has published numerous academic and creative pieces. Her debut poetry pamphlet Mother Self explores the everyday realities of motherhood, focusing on identity, care, andthe emotional complexity of that experience, capturing both its vulnerabilities and its strengths. Instagram: motherselfstory mothers_uncovered

Parenting After Twin Loss

Elaine Gregersen is an award-winning writer, public speaker, and podcast coach based in the North East of England. She writes and speaks about baby loss, caring, grief, and creativity. In 2025, she won the Allyson Kent Prize for Fearless Writing. She has also been shortlisted for the Bath Flash Fiction Prize and the Curae Literary Prize. Her pop culture podcast, The Honeymoon Period, reaches listeners in over 60 countries and has beenfeatured in The Guardian and Film Stories.   Instagram: elainegwrites