Show Notes
This week on No Parental Guidance, Louise and Hannah are joined by the actual icon Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Pop star, kitchen disco queen, mum of five boys and proof that some people really can spin every plate without launching one directly at the wall.
We obviously have to talk about the Saltburn moment. Sophie reveals how she got an email back in 2022 asking to use her song Murder on the Dance Floor, thought it was lovely, signed it off, and then only found out much later exactly what kind of naked, chaotic, slightly sinister dancing was going to happen to it. The way she describes it is so funny and so alarming, and honestly, once you’ve heard it you can never listen to that track the same way again.
Sophie also gets properly real about the long game of parenting when you’ve got kids spanning nearly 15 years. She’s got one in his early 20s, two teens, and a youngest who’s just turned seven, and the dynamic is fascinating. She talks about the older sibling bond, how brothers tell each other things they will never tell you, and how weirdly emotional it can be watching relationships form in your house that have nothing to do with you.
There’s also a brilliant chat about how parenting trends have changed over the years, from naughty step culture to the era of “I see your anger”, plus the absolute noise of school WhatsApp groups and how everything now arrives at the same level of urgency. One minute it’s an email, the next it’s block capitals, and suddenly you’re spiralling because your mum hasn’t replied and you’re convinced she’s actually dead.
Then we get into identity and work, and Sophie is so refreshing about it. She talks about becoming a mum in her mid 20s and feeling like the world expected her to disappear into nappies and never be seen again. She opens up about how clunky it can feel at first, how the first baby knocked her sideways, and then how she actually found her flow the more kids she had. Including the casual reveal that she once recorded a vocal while feeding a baby, which is either iconic or witchcraft.
Before Sophie joins, Hannah and Louise are in full mum mode too. There’s a very honest rant about how most of parenting is just being asked to locate items from the third shelf down on the left. Plus the classic moment where your kid says “Mummy” and you brace for a crisis, sprint in like someone’s about to lose a limb, and they just want to show you their game score. Which somehow they interpret as you being thrilled, so they keep doing it forever.
Warm, hilarious, surprisingly emotional in places, and full of the kind of chaos that makes you feel less alone, this one is such a good listen.
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More from No Parental Guidance
🎙️ Baby Loss Awareness Special | Hope, Healing & Unfiltered Truths | Jorgie Porter, Alex Bowen, Danae MercerWelcome back to a very special, and deeply personal, episode of No Parental Guidance.This week, we are stepping away from our usual unhinged antics to hold space for an important conversation dedicated to Baby Loss Awareness. Baby loss and pregnancy trauma is something 1 in 2 of us experience, yet so few feel empowered to speak about openly. Louise and Hannah have both experienced the deep heartbreak of baby loss, and while this episode is close to our hearts, our aim is simple: to shine a gentle light into the dark days and help anyone listening feel a little less alone.If this episode feels like too much for you right now, please take care of yourself—our usual chaotic episodes are just a click away in - can I recommend Sara Pascoe’s recent episode for unhinged parenting hacks that work a treat!And if you’re joining us today, welcome, we are honored to share three incredibly honest, moving, and uplifting conversations with our wonderful guests:💖 Jorgie Porter opens up about her extraordinary journey of naturally conceiving quadruplets, the overwhelming shock of her diagnosis, navigating a silent/missed loss, and how going through extreme grief together brought her and her partner Ollie closer than ever.💙 Alex Bowen brings a vital father’s perspective to the table. He reflects on his journey from Love Island to fatherhood, and candidly shares what it felt like to navigate Vanishing Twin Syndrome with Olivia—reminding us why men’s mental health and emotional openness matter just as much during baby loss.✨ Danae Mercer joins us to discuss the heartbreak of missed miscarriages and chemical pregnancies, the silent obsession with early pregnancy tests, and why we need to strip away the stigma and talk about just how common early loss really is.Thank you for being part of our community. Together, let's break the silence. 🤍📍 Episode Chapters00:00 - Baby Loss Awareness Introduction01:57 - Jorgie Porter Quadruplet Pregnancy Scan07:00 - Jorgie Porter Quadruplet Miscarriage Grief11:55 - Men's Mental Health After Miscarriage13:09 - Alex Bowen Love Island Journey18:48 - Alex Bowen Vanishing Twin Loss28:15 - Danny Mercer Missed Miscarriage Diagnosis30:26 - Chemical Pregnancy and Fertility Testing33:38 - Baby Loss Certificates and Support 💙 Support & ResourcesIf you or someone you know has been affected by baby loss, pregnancy loss, or fertility struggles, please know that support is always available:Tommy's (Pregnancy & Baby Loss Charity): tommys.orgSands (Stillbirth & Neonatal Loss Charity): sands.org.ukMariposa International (Saying Goodbye) (Comprehensive Global bereavement support, remembrance services, and resources supporting miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal, and infant loss) sayinggoodbye.org4Louis (Baby Loss Charity providing support, memory boxes and in hospital care) 4Louis.co.ukThank you to Aldi and their Mamia Range for supporting this special episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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This week, we are joined by the absolute goddess herself, Lauren Cowell! 💕
This week, we are joined by the absolutely iconic comedian, author, and mum of two, Sara Pascoe!
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