I love being a mum. What I don’t love is what modern motherhood has become: the overwhelm, the invisible labour, the financial squeeze, the loneliness. The Mama Circle Podcast is where we get real about all of it: the joy and the debt of modern motherhood. Honest talk for women who love their families but want a version of motherhood that feels more sustainable, more joyful and more supported. Hosted by writer and educator Natalie K. Martin, every episode mixes lived experience, social insight and practical permission to do things differently.
In the first episode of 2026, Nat reflects on finishing This Is Us and why the show stayed with her long after the final episode.
This isn’t a recap or a spoiler-filled review. It’s a conversation about motherhood, family, and the quiet expectations we absorb from TV.
Nat explores:
Why This Is Us feels both comforting and unrealistic
How motherhood and family life are idealised on screen
The invisible labour behind “magical” childho...
New Year can feel like magic or heaviness or absolutely nothing at all. In this short New Year’s Eve episode Nat invites you to pause, breathe and gently acknowledge the year you just walked through. No resolutions. No reinvention. No new-year-new-you.
This conversation is a soft reflection space where you’ll explore three grounding questions:
• What surprised you this year
• What challenged you more than you expected
• What di...
Christmas Eve is here and if you are listening as this episode lands, you are probably juggling excitement, pressure and a to do list too long for one day. This is a short and gentle episode to simply ask how you are, really. Not the polite answer, not the performance, but the truth.
We look at how Christmas amplifies everything. The magic and the mess. The joy and the grief. The overwhelm and the tenderness. Whether Christmas feels...
n this week’s episode I share something I hadn’t planned to, but it felt right in the moment. Motherhood has a way of piling a lot onto our minds and our hearts, and sometimes the most supportive thing we can do is speak the truth we’re carrying.
This episode is a very real, present-moment reflection on:
• the end of a ten-year relationship
• why the decision took months
• the complexity of co-parenting under one roof
• the ...
Motherhood is full of love and magic, but it also comes with expectations none of us signed up for. In this episode Nat breaks down seven common myths that keep mothers overwhelmed, burnt out, resentful and doubting themselves.
These myths are everywhere in our culture and in the conversations we inherit from generations before us. When we believe them, we push ourselves past capacity. When we question them, everything becomes light...
In this episode, I am finally sharing the full story of how my little boy came into the world. I have hinted at it so many times and mums often ask for it, partly because we do not get many chances to tell our birth stories in full. As I share in this episode, birth is one of the biggest experiences we ever go through, no matter how it unfolds.
I talk about:
• How my pregnancy actually felt behind the scenes
• The unexpected e...
Christmas can feel joyful, cosy and full of magic, especially when you have little ones. It can also feel busy and full of expectations. This week I am sharing how to have a Christmas that feels fabulous for you and your family. One that feels warm, fun and enjoyable rather than something you push yourself through.
Inside the episode I talk about choosing the Christmas energy that feels good for you, creating simple rituals, and set...
Childcare guilt shows up for so many mums, even when childcare is the thing that keeps the whole family afloat. One comment at a playgroup or one post on social media can send us into a spiral of “am I doing the right thing” and it needs to stop.
In this episode I talk about the real roots of childcare guilt. We look at cultural conditioning, gender expectations, financial realities, and the total lack of village support that modern...
What does real postpartum support look like?
In this episode, I’m joined by Geri Spicer and Hannah Warnes, founders of The 4th, a new London-based service redefining how we care for mothers after birth.
We talk about:
• The gap between birth prep and postpartum reality
• Why “you’ll be fine” isn’t enough for new mums
• How proper rest, nourishment and connection change everything
• What inspired two new mothers to create The ...
This week we’re diving into the mother-in-law problem: when support turns to control, and when well-meaning advice becomes a slow erosion of your confidence.
We’ll talk about:
Why mother-in-laws often overstep after a baby arrives
The emotional undercurrent of fear, loss of relevance, and control
Why “you’re too sensitive” is code for I don’t want to take responsibility
How to hold boundaries without blowing up the relationship
What ...
Food prices keep climbing — but what does it actually cost to feed a family right now?
In this episode, Nat takes you through her real grocery numbers (around €550–€600 a month for two adults and a toddler) and the small, realistic shifts she’s making to spend less without losing the joy of a full fridge.
You’ll hear:
What a €600 monthly grocery shop looks like for her family
Why constant “top-up shops” are quietly draining your bu...
In today’s episode, I’m taking a step back to reflect on the gifts motherhood has given me through my son, Jackson.
This is the softer side of the story... the one where motherhood gives more than it takes. From clarity and courage to the kind of love that remakes you from the inside out, these are the lessons that changed me.
It’s not a sugarcoated list, either. Some of these “gifts” came wrapped in exhaustion and tears. But they’ve...
You know that feeling when you’re wiped out but can’t explain why? You’ve been running on autopilot, juggling birthday gifts, nap schedules and meal plans, but it’s not just the doing that’s exhausting. It’s the thinking about everything.
In this episode, Nat dives into the real reason mums are exhausted: the mental load. She unpacks how it quietly drains mothers, how gender roles and social conditioning created it, and what to do w...
So many of us feel blindsided by how much motherhood changes our relationships. Nobody warns you how having a baby can completely rewrite the dynamics between you and your partner...the exhaustion, the resentment, the unspoken mental load.
In this episode, Nat reads two Reddit posts from mums whose marriages started crumbling after having kids and reflects on why it really happens. From the invisible load to unmet needs, shifting id...
Money is one of those things we don’t talk about enough, especially as mums. In this episode, I’m sharing my own money wake-up call and how motherhood completely changed the way I look at finances.
I open up about:
In today’s Reddit episode, we dive into a post that so many of us will relate to: “My husband slept through the baby crying -right next to her bassinet.”
This story isn’t just about night wakings. It’s about postpartum exhaustion, resentment when we say “yes” to things we don’t want to do, and how trust in our partner can wobble when we feel like we’re carrying everything alone.
Inside the episode, I talk about:
Why postpartum tra...
Going back to work after kids can feel terrifying. Will your brain still work? Can you juggle the home stuff as well as job deadlines?
In this episode, I’m here to remind you that not only can you do it - you’re already highly qualified.
Motherhood is like running a business. You’ve been project managing, negotiating, crisis handling, and leading every single day. These are not “soft skills.” They’re powerful, transferable, and exact...
Have you ever felt guilty because motherhood is easier than you thought it would be? Maybe your baby sleeps well, rarely gets sick, and you’re actually enjoying this season but instead of celebrating, you feel bad about it.
In this episode, Nat unpacks a Reddit post from a mum who admitted she was finding things surprisingly smooth, and the guilt and isolation that came with it.
We'll hear:
- why mums often expect only the hard p...
This week I’m opening up about something that feels raw but vital: financial independence for mums. It started with a viral comment I left on a reel by Tori Dunlap (Her First $100K). The conversation that followed showed me how many women still believe 'my partner handles the money, so I don’t need to worry.'
But is that really safe? What happens if life changes through divorce, illness, job loss or widowhood?
you’ll hear:
In this episode of The Mama Circle Podcast, Nat gets real about self-care — not the glossy Instagram version, but the kind that actually keeps you functioning as a mum.
She shares her take on the self-care hierarchy — a simple triage approach inspired by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. At the base are the survival basics: water, sleep, food, movement. Once those are in place, you can layer on soothing practices (like a shower or clean ...
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com