Sam Smethers on juggling 'mental clutter'

Sam Smethers on juggling 'mental clutter'

Author: The Telegraph February 3, 2021 Duration: 27:00

Sam Smethers spent over five years calling on the government to do more to help working mothers. As the chief executive of the UK’s leading women’s rights charity, supporting women was her bread and butter. But last year, she decided to give it up to spend more time with her own family. She tells The Telegraph’s Claire Newell how she knew it was the right time, and why she thinks mothers worry more than fathers. 


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For anyone trying to navigate the complex transition back to a career after maternity leave, The Juggling Act offers a candid and necessary conversation. This podcast from The Telegraph moves beyond simplistic soundbites to explore the authentic, often unspoken realities of being a working mother. Each episode features frank discussions with guests from various demanding fields-including chief executives, politicians, and celebrities-who share their personal stories. Listeners will hear the genuine highs and lows, the logistical puzzles, the emotional trade-offs, and the small victories that define this phase of life. The dialogue delves into the societal pressures, workplace challenges, and personal identity shifts that accompany this journey, all while examining the broader cultural and family dynamics at play. It’s a resource that feels like a honest talk with well-informed friends, providing both solidarity and practical perspective for parents navigating similar paths. Tune into this podcast for a nuanced exploration of modern parenting within the structures of a professional world, where the act of balancing it all is both an art and a daily reality.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 10

The Juggling Act
Podcast Episodes
Breast cups, baby biscuits and boundaries: Our top tips [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:18
Having successfully navigated the juggling act of looking after children whilst working a busy job, this series' guests share their pearls of wisdom. Find out the tried-and-tested recipe for any fussy eater, and hear whi…
Nadine Coyle on feeling like an inadequate mum [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:26
Performing in front of thousands of fans comes naturally to Girls Aloud star and mother-of-one, Nadine Coyle. Motherhood, on the other hand, was terrifying. She tells The Telegraph's Claire Newell how one crucial piece o…
Jack Monroe on breakdowns and being a single mum on a budget [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:25
The pressures of being a working single mum left Jack Monroe in hospital, suffering from a breakdown. But her ability to feed her son on a shoestring budget also saw her shoot to prominence as a food writer. She tells Cl…
Bryony Gordon on mothering with mental illness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:27
Columnist and author, Bryony Gordon knows what it’s like to hit rock bottom - and to bounce back. Following a twenty-year relationship with alcohol and drugs, she tells Claire Newell why becoming a mother gave her the st…
Andrea Jenkyns MP on becoming a mum in your forties [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:01
Andrea Jenkyns and our host, Claire Newell have something in common. They’re both reluctant ‘geriatric mothers’, having given birth over the age of 35. The Yorkshire MP tells Claire how, three years on, she’s struggling…
Ruby McGregor-Smith on the myth of the supermother [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:30
To the outsider, she has it all: a stellar career, a family and even a seat in the House of Lords. But Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith tells The Telegraph’s Claire Newell she hasn’t always been a master juggler - and she’s…
Emma Pinchbeck on her 'car crash' return to work [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:42
On a normal day, CEOs like Emma Pinchbeck have enough on their plate. Then add to that a newborn baby. And a pandemic. The Chief Executive of Energy UK tells Claire Newell how Covid-19 left her returning to work without…
Stella Creasy on being a mum and a politician [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:19
It's a man's world - but our first guest is trying her best to change that. Stella Creasy made history as the first MP to get maternity cover. She tells Claire Newell why parliament hasn't always made parenting easy and…
Introducing The Juggling Act [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:15
Can you really have it all? Join The Telegraph's Claire Newell as she finds out whether successful women have managed to strike the elusive balance between baby and boardroom, starting with Labour MP Stella Creasy. Subsc…