September Life Update ~ Ep 54

SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe Mum duty calls for the next two weeks! Keep an eye out for an After Dark + a Bonus Bedtime (Subscribers Only) episode in the meantime & I'll chat to you in two weeks! Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats... the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 30-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.

SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe I love being a mum. I love my girls more than anything in the world. But do you know what I don't particularly love? Mum culture. And I think it's time we talked about the difference. This week on Up Past Bedtime, I'm unpacking all the things about modern motherhood that have absolutely nothing to do with raising children, but somehow make being a mum feel ten times harder. From the unofficial Mum Olympics and competitive parenting, to the pressure to make motherhood your entire personality, the glorification of maternal sacrifice, performative parenting on social media and the judgement that so often comes from other mothers. Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats... the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 30-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.

SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe I used to know exactly what my life was going to look like. Marriage. A big family. At least four kids. A home. A career. I had a very clear picture of where I was going and what I was working towards. Now? I have absolutely no fucking idea. In this episode, I’m talking about the death of my five-year plan and the uncomfortable reality of finding myself at 30 with more freedom to decide what comes next than I’ve ever had… but absolutely no idea what I actually want to do with it. After learning the hard way just how quickly life can change, making long-term plans doesn’t feel as easy as it once did. And after spending the last two years keeping myself incredibly busy, slowing down and deliberately creating more space in my life has left me with a lot more time to think about the questions I may have been avoiding. Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats... the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 30-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.

SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe Life has been doing what life does best lately… changing 🥹 In this month’s Life Update, we’re having a proper bestie catch-up about everything that’s been happening behind the scenes, including one pretty big decision I’ve finally made about my future: I don’t think I want to have any more children. I’m talking about how I came to that decision, the grief that can exist alongside knowing something is right for you, and what it feels like to close a chapter of your life you once assumed would look completely different. Up Past Bedtime with Bella Messina is your go-to for late-night, unfiltered chats... the kind of conversations you’d have with your closest girlfriends. From relationships to motherhood, no topic is off-limits as Bella, a 30-something mum of two, invites you into candid conversations with inspiring women and shares her own raw stories. This podcast is where you’ll feel seen, heard, and completely understood. So get comfortable, because the best conversations happen when you’re up past bedtime.

SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/up-past-bedtime-messina/subscribe For the last six months, I feel like I’ve been operating on a financial model of: money comes in… and money goes straight back out. And honestly? I’m fucking sick of it. I’m constantly telling myself that life is SO expensive, but recently I’ve had a bit of a realisation: maybe it’s not just life that’s expensive. Maybe it’s the pressure I put on myself to constantly have, do, buy and upgrade MORE that’s expensive. This week, we’re talking about lifestyle creep, overconsumption, the “little treat” economy and how social media has completely warped our perception of what a normal lifestyle should look like. From clothing hauls and beauty maintenance to takeaway, home renovations, kids’ stuff and the never-ending pressure to keep up, when did all of these little luxuries start feeling like necessities? And as someone whose literal job involves influencing people to buy things, I’m very aware that I’m part of the problem. So, I’m setting myself a challenge for the rest of 2026: spend LESS. Fewer purchases, fewer trades, less eating out and an actual personal entertainment budget. I want to reuse, rewear and rework what I already have and see if I can get the same dopamine from creativity that I’ve been getting from consumption.