Transitions are part of every parenting journey, but they can often feel overwhelming—for both parents and kids! In this episode, I sit down with parenting expert Gen Muir to discuss navigating these pivotal moments with confidence and connection for both your child and you.

From starting daycare or school to navigating new situations, we dive into the common challenges children face during these transitions. Gen shares her expert tips on managing big emotions, building resilience, and creating a safe space for your little ones during times of change. We also explore how you can stay emotionally grounded as a parent amidst all the chaos (we know this can be challenging!).

This episode is packed with practical advice and heartfelt insights that every working mum needs in her toolkit. If you’re navigating or preparing for a big change such as starting daycare or school this conversation will leave you feeling equipped, inspired, and ready to tackle those transitions with a smile.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The emotional impact of transitions on kids and how to support them
• Why connection is key and how to strengthen your bond with your child during big changes
• Simple strategies to help your kids—and yourself—manage those tricky emotions
• How to create "pregame chats" and post-event moments that ease the adjustment process
• Hacks for balancing your own emotions while juggling the mental load with your children

Resources and Links

Connect with Gen Muir on Instagram: @ConnectedParentingAU

Visit Gen’s website: connectedparenting.com.au

Check out Gen’s book: Little People, Big Feelings

Connect with Carina on LinkedIn

Let's connect on Instagram @workingmummacommunity

Get your free 'How to share the mental load' checklist workingmumma.com.au/mental-load/

Subscribe & Review

Loved this episode? Make sure to hit subscribe so you never miss an empowering conversation. And if you found it helpful, please leave a review—it helps us reach more working mums just like you!

Returning to work after maternity leave can feel like stepping into a whole new world - one where your values, identity, and confidence may feel completely different from before you left. You may look the same on the outside, but on the inside, you feel like a new person.

I chat with Sarah Gibbins, a leadership coach, HR expert, and mum of four, to explore the unspoken truths of navigating career, identity shift, mum guilt, and motherhood.

We dive into:

• The identity shift women experience after becoming mothers
• Why guilt and “shoulds” weigh so heavily on working mums, and how to let them go
• The truth about confidence after kids and how to rebuild it step by step
• Why “balance” is a myth and what to focus on instead
• How to navigate the return-to-work transition with more confidence and self-belief

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m not the same person anymore… and I don’t know who I am now” — this conversation is for you.

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn or her website neonpeople.co

Connect with Carina and Working Mumma via Instagram: @workingmummacommunity or LinkedIn Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien and you can sign sign up to the Working Mumma newsletter

Why are there no senior part-time roles?

What started as a reel with recent guest Emma McLean exploded online with hundreds of comments from working parents sharing frustrations, missed opportunities, and moments of hope about part time roles.

What really struck me was how much emotion and old-school thinking remains towards part time work. For so many working mums, the lack of senior part-time roles isn’t just about jobs. It’s about identity, family, equality, and opportunity.

The main barrier to part time and flexible work isn’t logistics or the law. It’s cultural. Too many workplaces still equate hours with commitment, and presenteeism with performance.

But the stories, the data, and the law all show it can work.

In this episode, we dive deep into:

• The barriers and cultural beliefs holding back part-time senior roles
• Real stories of mums (and dads) facing career penalties for choosing part-time work
• Where flexible and part-time work is working well, from job shares to international examples
• What Australian law (Fair Work Act) actually says about part-time work and flexible arrangements
• The broader impact: missed talent, superannuation gaps, the mental load, and systemic inequality
• How businesses can rethink leadership, flexibility, and the future of work to support all working parents

This episode is a must-listen for working mums who want both a career and family life, and for leaders who want to unlock talent, improve retention, and create more inclusive workplaces.

Resources & Related Episodes:

• Prof. Leah Ruppanner on the mental load
• Deline Jacovides on childcare affordability & superannuation
• Natasha Janssens on money & confidence
• Elise Slavin & Laura Stewart on redefining career success after kids
• Episode with Emma McLean

Connect with Carina and Working Mumma

• Instagram: @workingmummacommunity
• LinkedIn: Working Mumma or Carina O'Brien
• Sign up to the Working Mumma newsletter