Matrescense: The Motherhood Brain Upgrade

Parenting on empty is a feeling most of us know too well. The endless negotiations, the resistance at every transition, the mornings when you just need shoes on and the bath times when you just need them in, and the exhaustion that comes from feeling like you're always pushing uphill. But what if there was a way to make those hard moments easier, not by doing more, but by adding just a little bit of play? In this episode of Things Nobody Tells You, Emmy sits down with Mim Rizvi, children's entertainer, founder of The Beanies and mother to a super cute toddler, Chester. They discuss the power of silliness, the magic of confusion and fear, and why plain instructions are like plain bread but adding sprinkles changes everything. Mim introduces The Sprinkle Theory, a simple framework that transforms boring tasks into playful moments without extra effort, mess or preparation. She shares how her son's hearing loss diagnosis led her to speech pathology sessions where she discovered that rewarding attention with play was not just effective but essential, and how that insight became the foundation for a parenting approach that works for tired parents, resistant toddlers and everyone in between. Emmy and Mim explore the SPARK framework for being silly and why children love it. They also talk about navigating hearing loss as a family, learning Auslan together, responding to playground questions with openness and clarity, going back to work and missing yourself, and why leaning into silliness is good for your child and good for you too. This episode is for any parent who feels too tired to be fun, too serious to be silly, or simply needs a reminder that play does not require preparation, perfection or extra energy. Because sometimes the best thing you can do is add sprinkles.

Mothers are notoriously good at managing everyone else's health appointments, schedules and needs. But when it comes to their own health, they often wait until something is wrong, until symptoms become impossible to ignore, or until they finally have a moment to stop and think. In this episode of Things Nobody Tells You, Emmy sits down with Dr. Michela Sorensen, GP, mother of two and founder of Elme Health, for a conversation about why women put their health last, the guilt that stops us from prioritising ourselves, and why preventative care is not a luxury but a necessity. Dr. Michela shares her deeply personal story of losing her mother to stomach cancer at just 49, after three years of vague symptoms being dismissed, and how that experience shaped the way she practices medicine and the reason she founded Elme Health. She talks about the emotional female trope that still exists in healthcare, the challenges of advocating for yourself when symptoms are nonspecific, and why continuity of care matters more than we realise. This episode is for any woman who has cancelled her own appointment to take her child to theirs, dismissed her symptoms as just stress or just hormones, or quietly wondered if what she's feeling is worth speaking up about. Because your health matters. And waiting until something goes wrong is not the only option.

Music has a way of meeting us in the hardest moments. In the sleepless nights, the endless days, the bath time battles, the bedtime negotiations and the moments when you just need something to shift the mood. In this episode of Things Nobody Tells You, Emmy sits down with children's musician and mother of two, Angie Who, for a conversation about the power of singing, the science behind music and why using your voice matters more than you think. Angie shares how motherhood changed her creative path, from playing in an alt country band to finding her muse in her daughter and creating music that has reached families around the world. She talks about the three years without sleep, the songs born at the dinner table, the sacred connection when your music reaches others and why singing is one of the most primal and powerful tools we have as parents. Together, Emmy and Angie explore the science of singing, how it syncs heart rates and brain waves, regulates oxygen levels and reduces stress for both parent and child. They unpack the shame so many of us carry around our voices, why Western culture has told us not to sing unless we're good at it, and why we need to bring singing back as community glue. This episode is for any parent who has forgotten to sing, feels too self conscious to try, or simply needs a reminder that if you can talk, you can sing. Because singing is not about being perfect. It is about connection, regulation, joy and making the hard things a little bit easier.

Trying to conceive can carry so much more than a hopeful timeline. There is the waiting. The testing. The wondering. The baby shower invitations you quietly decline. The guilt when it does not happen easily. And for some families, the heartbreak of wanting another child and not knowing whether that dream will happen. In this episode of Things Nobody Tells You, Emmy sits down with fertility nutritionist Monique Cormack to talk about fertility, infertility and the myths that can make an already emotional season feel even heavier. Monique shares her own journey through IVF, identical twins, premature birth and the unexpected natural conception of her third child, as well as what her experience taught her about the limits of control. This is a conversation about evidence, support and taking proactive steps without getting lost in overwhelm. Because fertility is not always predictable, and needing help does not mean you have failed.

Feeding kids can feel like one of the most emotional parts of parenting.