The Mama Circle

Motherhood doesn’t exist in isolation.
Two women can love their children just as deeply, want motherhood just as much, and still have completely different experiences of it.
In this episode, I talk about one of the most overlooked and rarely named factors shaping motherhood: the person you have children with, or raise children with.
This is not about blame, judgement, or “choosing wrong”. It’s about understanding the environment you are mothering inside of, and why motherhood can feel heavier than expected for some women.
We explore:
Why your partner is part of your motherhood ecosystem

Emotional regulation, nervous system load, and co-regulation

Mental load, initiative, and the slow build of resentment

Capacity, illness, trauma, burnout and long-term compensation

Money, financial security, and the hidden costs carried by mothers

Why motherhood looks easier for some mums and not others

🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.
We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠

👉🏽 Reset from chaos to calm in minutes The Overwhelmed to Grounded Toolkit gives you three simple, real-life tools to help you recalibrate without adding more to your to-do list. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download it here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to share your thoughts on this episode? Comment on Spotify or:
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natalie.kmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
☕️ Support my work: if you’re enjoying my podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here! Thank you 🫶🏽 buymeacoffee.com/nataliekmartin⁠⁠
📢 Don’t forget to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode
New episodes every Wednesday🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a quick review — it really helps other mums find the show.

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” childhood memories

Why older family structures feel impossible to recreate today

What the show gets right about love, connection, and the village

And why modern motherhood often feels like failure when it’s actually a lack of support

A reflective episode for any mum who’s ever watched a family drama and wondered why real life feels so much harder.
🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.
We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠

👉🏽 Reset from chaos to calm in minutes The Overwhelmed to Grounded Toolkit gives you three simple, real-life tools to help you recalibrate without adding more to your to-do list. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download it here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to share your thoughts on this episode? Comment on Spotify or:
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natalie.kmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
☕️ Support my work: if you’re enjoying my podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here! Thank you 🫶🏽 buymeacoffee.com/nataliekmartin⁠⁠
📢 Don’t forget to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode
New episodes every Wednesday🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a quick review — it really helps other mums find the show.

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 did you get through without ever stopping to recognise it
You are not expected to sprint into January or reinvent yourself by midnight. You can walk, limp, sleep or drag yourself into a new phase of life. Nat offers an alternative to pressure: noticing what you want less of, and what you want more of. Not goals. Just truth.
If you need a gentle voice reminding you that what you carried was heavy and what you did this year matters, this is your moment. You’re doing big work. You really are.

🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.
We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠

👉🏽 Reset from chaos to calm in minutes The Overwhelmed to Grounded Toolkit gives you three simple, real-life tools to help you recalibrate without adding more to your to-do list. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download it here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to share your thoughts on this episode? Comment on Spotify or:
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natalie.kmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
☕️ Support my work: if you’re enjoying my podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here! Thank you 🫶🏽 buymeacoffee.com/nataliekmartin⁠⁠
📢 Don’t forget to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode
New episodes every Wednesday🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a quick review — it really helps other mums find the show.

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 beautiful this year or complicated, you are not behind, you are not failing, you are human.
Inside:
• a moment to pause and check in with yourself
• permission to do less even when tradition says more
• a one minute regulation tool for today or any day that spirals
• the reminder that you do not have to perform Christmas
If today feels joyful, soak it in. If it feels heavy, you are not the only one. However this season is meeting you, you are doing an incredible job.
We will meet again for the New Year episode next week.

🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.
We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠

👉🏽 Reset from chaos to calm in minutes The Overwhelmed to Grounded Toolkit gives you three simple, real-life tools to help you recalibrate without adding more to your to-do list. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download it here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to share your thoughts on this episode? Comment on Spotify or:
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natalie.kmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
☕️ Support my work: if you’re enjoying my podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here! Thank you 🫶🏽 buymeacoffee.com/nataliekmartin⁠⁠
📢 Don’t forget to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode
New episodes every Wednesday🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a quick review — it really helps other mums find the show.

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 fears and shame that have surfaced along the way
• my little boy’s biting phase and the worries underneath it
• how an unexpected tarot reading gave me a sense of peace
• why sharing honestly has always been part of my healing
If you’re going through something that feels heavy, confusing or hard to name, I hope this episode helps you feel less alone. You are doing big and important work, no matter how messy or uncertain things feel today.
🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.
We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠

👉🏽 Reset from chaos to calm in minutes The Overwhelmed to Grounded Toolkit gives you three simple, real-life tools to help you recalibrate without adding more to your to-do list. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download it here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to share your thoughts on this episode? Comment on Spotify or:
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natalie.kmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
☕️ Support my work: if you’re enjoying my podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here! Thank you 🫶🏽 buymeacoffee.com/nataliekmartin⁠⁠
📢 Don’t forget to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode
New episodes every Wednesday🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a quick review — it really helps other mums find the show.