My 2-year-old daughter was crying, desperately needing a toilet. The restaurant staff in Pisa looked at her and said no.

I exploded. Zero regrets.

Months later, when her grandparents crossed a boundary, I stood firm and silent. No scene. No explanation needed.

Both moments were protection. Just different tools.

I used to think consistency meant always responding the same way. But I've learned it means consistently protecting - with whatever tool the moment requires.

Sometimes love is loud. Sometimes it's quiet. Both are power.

In this episode, I'm working through how to know which battles need volume and which need stillness. Why some moments require rage and others require silent boundaries. And what our children actually learn when they see us use different tools for different threats.

The Pisa rage? Right tool. The grandparent boundary? Also right tool.

Battles, boundaries, and the wisdom to choose. That's what I'm building.

Alyssa Smith spent 17 years teaching other people's kids across America and Korea.

Then she had her own. And everything she thought she knew about parenting? She had to unlearn it.

Now she's a coach helping parents in life transitions raise resilient kids with voice & choice.

Here's what's powerful about Alyssa's story: she stopped performing the "expert parent" and started showing up as the "learner beside."

She models inquiry, not authority. She says "I don't know" when she doesn't know. She apologises when she messes up.

In this episode:

Why "learner beside" beats expert parent every time.

How gentle parenting without boundaries creates resentful

mothers and entitled kids.

Teaching voice and choice through everyday moments (blue hair, curly hair comments, task ownership).

Cultivating joy when you're running on fumes—it's intentional work, not something that just happens.

Why modelling growth matters more than performing perfection.

We've been told good parents have all the answers. What if that pressure is actually making us worse at this?

Your kids don't need you to be perfect. They need to watch you figure it out.

Works in progress raising other works in progress.

I was watching my 4-year-old son write his alphabet when he got the 'j' backwards.

I opened my mouth to correct him. "That should be on the other side—"

And I stopped.

Because in that moment, I saw myself as a child. My dad correcting me over and over until I got it perfect. African parenting. Strict. High standards.

It made me who I am today - disciplined, resilient, capable. But it also made me anxious, self-critical, perfectionist. I felt loved for being intelligent, not just for being me.

My son is sensitive. And I don't want to repeat the pattern.

But here's the challenge: How do you keep high expectations while also giving unconditional love?

In this episode, I'm working through how to break generational patterns while keeping what was good. How our children watch us more than we realize. And why building emotional security isn't about protecting them from the world - it's about preparing them for it.

High expectations AND a soft landing. That's what I'm building.

Orli Cotel walked away from her creative self for 20 years. Career. Kids. Life got in the way.

Then at 42, she started painting again. Sold her first piece at 44.

She also spent two decades in the climate movement before pivoting to fight for paid leave when she became a parent and realised how broken the system is.

Here's what's powerful about Orli's story: she didn't choose between personal reclamation and systemic change. The two feed each other.

Her painting fills her cup so she CAN fight for parents. Her advocacy gives her purpose beyond herself.

In this episode: Why "unicorn space" (something solely yours) makes you a better parent. How becoming a parent shifted her work from climate to paid leave advocacy.

Why you can't spreadsheet your way out of broken systems. Redefining ambition from "who will I crush" to "what will I create."

And why motherhood is the grounding place, not the summit.

We've been told good mothers sacrifice everything. What if that narrative is what's breaking us?

Personal reclamation and systemic impact aren't competing. They make each other possible.

My daughter played with cornflour and ice for 2 hours at nursery. My kids' favourite Christmas activity? Running to the Polar Express soundtrack.

And I realised: they're giving me the permission to keep it simple.

Before I became a mum, I volunteered with Shelter at Christmas. The people there had nowhere to go. They'd ask why I was "giving up" my Christmas. But it taught me: if you have people who love you, family to be with - you've already won Christmas.

So why are we overcomplicating it?

The toys we panic-buy. The elaborate experiences. The pressure to make it "magical." We're so stressed we can't enjoy it.

At the start of December, I went to a spa weekend. Started the month by putting myself first. And I think that's why this Christmas feels different.

In this episode: What children actually remember. What mothers can let go of. And why simplifying Christmas isn't about doing less - it's about being present enough to actually enjoy it.

Simple IS magic. That was always the magic.

For 14 years, Laura Styles was an executive PA. Then motherhood became her turning point.

Her first child's crying triggered something deeper than exhaustion — it exposed patterns she'd been running on autopilot since childhood. She knew she couldn't parent the way she wanted until she addressed what was happening beneath the surface.

So she retrained as a hypnotherapist. Now she helps high-achieving, heart-led mums rewire old patterns, break free from burnout, and stop just "getting through the day."

In this episode, we get into:

→ Why 95% of your decisions run on childhood autopilot

→ The patterns we unknowingly pass to our children: perfectionism, burnout, the inability to stop

→ What hypnotherapy actually does (it's not stage hypnosis or losing control)

→ Stress addiction: Why high achievers struggle to rest and how to break the cycle

→ Christmas pressure and social media comparison — why the need to "make it perfect" is a pattern, not just stress

→ Self-compassion vs self-sacrifice: Modeling what you want your children to learn

With Christmas 2 weeks away, this conversation about breaking generational patterns and rewiring your mind couldn't be more timely.

Two different days. Two completely different choices. Both felt impossibly hard.

Monday: I closed my laptop early, stopped working, and played with my kids instead.

Wednesday: I walked 30 minutes in the snow to go to the gym when I desperately wanted to stay in my warm house.

Both required discipline. Both required courage. But for years I only thought ONE of those counted.

Because we're really good at pushing through. But stopping? That feels like failure.

The skill isn't always choosing to push or always choosing to rest. It's knowing which one you actually need in that moment. That's where wisdom starts.

And here's the truth: how we treat ourselves is what we're teaching our children. If we want to raise kids who know when to push and when to rest, we have to model that balance first.

Giselle spent 25 years co-founding, growing, and selling three businesses while raising two daughters.

Then, she hit a point where something had to change so she returned to university in her 40s and completed a PhD on women, work, and well-being.

But instead of just researching the problem, she used it to solve something in herself - and created a roadmap for other women in the process.

In this episode, we discuss:

→ Building and walking away - why she exited three successful businesses she'd built

→ The honest answer to "can women really have it all?" - after living it and researching it

→ Setting boundaries as a woman and mother - why this isn't selfish, it's survival

→ Preparing for empty nest - what comes next when her daughters (now 15 and 17) leave home

Giselle didn't just study work-life balance. She lived it, broke under it, then rebuilt differently.

:Not many women go back to university in their 40s to study the exact problem they're living. Giselle did. And what she found will change how you see ambition and motherhood.