Show Notes
Writer and comedienne Olga Thompson reflects on the challenge of raising teenagers—learning how to support them without overstepping. She explores the shift from hands-on motherhood, where your identity is wrapped up in caring for young children, to a more uncertain stage where you have to step back. In doing so, she describes entering a phase that is both exciting and scary, where you rediscover yourself and ask: who am I now, and what do I truly enjoy?
A Few Things I've Learnt is a podcast for when parenting gets hard and you're in need of some soothing words. Every guest answers the same three questions:
• What’s been the toughest challenge you’ve faced as a parent? • What did you learn about yourself? • What soothing words do you wish you’d heard at the time?
Across 32 seven-minute episodes, the podcast offers an audio library of wisdom and comfort for parents — no advice, no answers, just lived experience.
LINKS: @big_fat_greekmother Website: www.olgathompson.com Olga’s new book: https://www.publishwithsynergy.com/split-ends-olga-thompson/
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Executive Producers: Sophie Powling and Abby Hollick Music: Joseph Benoliel Artwork: Tania Estevez
Get in touch: [email protected] or [email protected] Follow us on Instagram and Substack: @a_few_things_ive_learnt and afewthingsivelearnt.substack.com
More from a few things i've learnt
New York Times bestselling author Catherine Newman (Wreck, Sandwich) reflects on three questions:
DJ, broadcaster and writer Annie Macmanus, explains why she decided to leave her successful radio show at BBC Radio 1 to focus on family time and how she came to understand that there is something feminist about being able to make choices for yourself.
British comedian Ria Lina (Mock the Week, Pointless) reveals what she has learnt from being an autistic mum raising neurodivergent children. She shares the realisation that standing up for her kids was not always helpful for them.
English poet and author Hollie McNish recalls the difficulty she felt when explaining death to her child as a non-religious parent. From visiting the sick person in hospital, to the death and beyond, there are many stages of questions that are hard to answer.
Playwright and screenwriter Jack Thorne (Adolescence, Enola Holmes and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) recalls the pain of leaving his young son at school, when his son would cling to him, upset by the sudden rejection. To navigate those mornings, they invented a secret code, turning the walk to school into a shared adventure that allowing them to cope with the world.