The Sisterhood of MummyImperfect Podcast

S2, Ep 24: The Side Hustle

More and more of us are now running some kind of side hustle...an additional job or business venture that you do in addition to your main job or career.  

While it's true that many millennials are exercising their entrepreneurial spirit through their side gigs, women have been Queen's of multi-tasking since the beginning of time!

In this episode, I speak to dancing doctor, Nirja Joshi about how she balances a career as a doctor with her passion for dance.

Solicitor and mum of three Ashley fills me in on how and when she fits in time for her side business, and HR Consultant/Mum of two/Baker, Mercy, talks about how she does it all and being inspired by OG Mumpreneurs!

S2, Ep 23: Puppies Are For Life Not Just Lockdown

In my house there is a constant debate about which family pet to get...or whether we should get one at all!

It seems like many more families are having these debates because since the beginning of the covid-19 lockdown, online searches about getting a puppy surged by 120%. 

But just how difficult is looking after a pet?

What makes the perfect family pet?

And what happens to your puppy once lockdown is lifted and life goes back to normal? 

As me and my partner in crime/and sometimes co-host Rummy ponder over which puppy/guppy to buy, Mum of two kids and one dog, Eesha Arthanayake answers all our questions and more.

S2, Ep 22: Colourism in the South Asian Community

In this episode, I delve into the complexities of complexion....more specifically colourism within the South Asian community.

This week matrimonial website shaadi.com removed its controversial skin tone filter, and Unilever has committed to renaming the popular skin lightening cream Fair and Lovely.

But is this enough for a community obsessed with skin colour?

And how does it feel when you're a dark skin girl growing up hearing constant comments about your complexion? What impact does that have on your self-esteem? And how can we move forward and make changes so that brown skin is celebrated instead of looked down upon?

I speak to mum of two and businesswoman, Rupinder Virdee, and we hear some really honest and deep messages from the sisterhood.

 

 

S2, Ep 21: Men and Mental Health

In the light of Indian actor Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide, this week's episode is all about men's mental health.

I'm joined by Rummy and we discuss the differences between the ways that men and women approach depression, anxiety, and reaching out for help.

Actor, presenter, and father of two, Surj shares his struggles with mental health and what helped him through a difficult divorce and custody battle. We also hear from Raj (@singhspirational), a father of three whose wife passed away two years ago causing him to consider taking his own life.

If you or anyone you know has been affected by any of the issues that we discuss in this episode please get in touch with/or share the helplines below:

Anxiety UK

Charity providing support if you have been diagnosed with an anxiety condition.

Phone: 03444 775 774 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 10pm; Saturday to Sunday, 10am to 8pm)

Website: www.anxietyuk.org.uk

 

CALM

CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably, for men aged 15 to 35.

Phone: 0800 58 58 58 (daily, 5pm to midnight)

Website: www.thecalmzone.net

Men's Health Forum

24/7 stress support for men by text, chat and email.

Website: www.menshealthforum.org.uk

Mental Health Foundation

Provides information and support for anyone with mental health problems or learning disabilities.

Website: www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Mind

Promotes the views and needs of people with mental health problems.

Phone: 0300 123 3393 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm)

Website: www.mind.org.uk

 

 

PAPYRUS

Young suicide prevention society.

Phone: HOPELINEUK 0800 068 4141 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 10pm, and 2pm to 10pm on weekends and bank holidays)

Website: www.papyrus-uk.org

Rethink Mental Illness

Support and advice for people living with mental illness.

Phone: 0300 5000 927 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4pm)

Website: www.rethink.org

Samaritans

Confidential support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair.

Phone: 116 123 (free 24-hour helpline)

Website: www.samaritans.org.uk

SANE

Emotional support, information and guidance for people affected by mental illness, their families and carers. 

SANEline: 0300 304 7000 (daily, 4.30pm to 10.30pm)

Textcare: comfort and care via text message, sent when the person needs it most: www.sane.org.uk/textcare

Peer support forum: www.sane.org.uk/supportforum

Website: www.sane.org.uk/support

 

 

S2, Ep 20: Raising Mixed Race Children

Choosing to be in a relationship with, or get married to a person from a different race, comes with a lot of challenges. But raising mixed-race children is a new territory altogether.

With they face more discrimination than if they belonged to just one race?

Will they be accepted by their extended families or communities if they look different?

Do they end up choosing one side of their race or heritage over the other?

Or do they benefit from having two or more diverse cultures?

In this current climate of exposing and challenging racism against black people, will a part-black child be seen as just black? How does the non-black parent feel about this and how can they understand and talk to their child about the prejudices that they may face?

These are all issues that I explore in this episode through my conversations with two mums on two sides of the Atlantic.

 

S2, Ep 19: Talking Race, Identity, and Raising babies, with Athena Kugblenu

In this week's show I'm joined by stand-up comedian Athena Kugblenu.

Athena is a former BBC New Comedy Award Finalist. She's a member of the BBC Comedy Room 2019/20 and was awarded the BBC Felix Dexter Bursary for BAME up-and-coming comedy writers in 2020. She's written for numerous radio shows and makes regular appearances on TV and radio. She also has her own podcast called 'Keeping Athena Company' where she interviews interesting people whilst eating fried plantain!

 

In a conversation that could easily have continued for hours, we discussed raising babies, identity, race, and reflected on the events of the past week following the death of George Floyd and the protests that followed.

 

Special thanks to Nanzoscoop for the brand new theme music.

 

S2, Ep 18: The MummyImperfect TV Guide

One of the things we now have more time to do is watch TV.

But due to no live events, no sports, and no new shows being made, telly is pretty bleak at the moment. If endless bewildered scrolling through Netflix sounds all too familiar, don't worry The Sisterhood of MummyImperfect brings you an expertly curated watch list.

My ride-or-die Rummy and I discuss family films that have hit the mark, and the best dramas, comedies, and documentaries available to stream. Plus Amn from The Biggest B Podcast and Raj from The Reality Tea podcast give us their recommendations too.

 

S2, Ep 17: Silver Linings

Despite the seriousness of the covid-19 pandemic, there are some positives that have come out of 9 weeks of lockdown.  

For some people, the stillness of quarantine has lead them to discover/rediscover things about themselves. 

I speak to Cece Philips who left her job in advertising to follow her passion for art. She tells me what lead to her decision and where she gets the inspiration for her paintings.

Supermums from the sisterhood talk about their silver linings of the lockdown and also how they deal with the tough times.

 

S2, Ep 16: Schools Re-opening and Stranded Miles From Home

In this week's episode I discuss the possible re-opening of schools in a few weeks time. How do parents feel about this? and how can school children be expected to socially distance?

My guest this week is Radio and TV Presenter and Mum of two, Saima Ajram. She fills me in on what it's been like stranded thousands of miles from home and how she's keeping herself and her children positive during lockdown.

We also hear from my mum who, along with my dad, is also stranded home from home in Delhi.

 

S2, Ep 15: Children's Mental Health

This week's episode is all about how kids are coping with the lockdown. 

We hear from children themselves - their thoughts about coronavirus, how they feel about homeschooling, things they miss about going out, and the good things that have come from being at home.

I speak to children's mental health expert, Shahana Knight, about the impact that social isolation is having on kids and what parents and carers can do to support them. Shahana shares lots of useful tips on helping children to express themselves, teaching them to be resilient, how to support children who don't have any siblings, and ways that you can help your children (and yourselves!) unwind and de-stress.