Show Notes
The phrase having it all used to sound like freedom. Now, for many women, it feels like pressure to do everything perfectly, all at once: raise the kids, run the meetings, look good doing it, and never drop the ball.
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Giselle Goodwin, author of Can Women Really Have It All?, to unpack how that idea shifted from empowerment to exhaustion.
We talk about what having it all really means in 2025, why women are statistically less happy than they were 50 years ago, and how we can start letting go of the myths that keep us stuck. We also explore what needs to change - not just in our mindset, but in the systems around us - so that women can build full, joyful lives without burning out trying to prove themselves.
What You’ll Hear:
The real story behind Giselle’s leap from entrepreneur to full-time writer and researcher on women, wellbeing and work
The hidden cost of perfectionism and performance in modern womanhood
Why our idea of success needs a serious rethink
How to start building a life that feels good, not just one that sounds good
More from Giselle:
You can get your own copy of Can Women Really Have It All? on Amazon and Audible
🌐 gisellegoodwin.com – download her free Personal Happiness Manifesto
📬 Sign up to her newsletter
📷 Instagram: @gisellegoodwinwrites
🔗 LinkedIn | Facebook
If you enjoy the podcast please help us grow by sharing this episode, or writing a review ✨
You can also connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniella-bell/ or on instagram @wdig.podcast
More from Where Did I Go...?
Welcome back to the final episode of WDIG for this year, and we are ending with a BIG one as I sit down with the author, activist, podcaster and all round legend that is: Elliott Rae.
Anna Pawlowicz's life looked like so many others: a fulfilling career, a happy family, one son at home and another on the way. Then her second son, Matias, was born with an ultra-rare genetic condition causing lifelong disability, followed later by an autism diagnosis. Everything changed.
Hey — grab a cuppa and settle in. This episode is a heartwarming, kick-in-the-pants reminder that motherhood doesn’t have to mean the end of you. Zoe and Claire, founders of The Bored Mums Club, walk us through how two friends turned a midlife identity slump into a joyful, messy, welcoming community at the skate park.
AHHH this is a big one!! In this week's episode, I sit down with the legend herself, Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed and now Growth Spurt, one of the UK's most relentless advocates for parents in the workplace. After being fired by voicemail two days after announcing her pregnancy, Joeli turned her personal story into a movement, one that has changed laws, secured billions in government investment, and supported hundreds of thousands of mothers.
As working mothers, we're told that flexible working is the solution. Work from home two days a week. Do compressed hours. Start at 10am instead of 9am. But if these solutions actually worked, why do we still feel like we're constantly drowning? Why are we still apologizing for our lives? Why does the motherhood penalty persist?