As a youngest child with three older brothers, I've always been fascinated by sisters and the way I witnessed sisterhood play out among friends and family as a kid, and I think that's why I found today's guests and co-founders of The Big Sister Experience so interesting.

As they're about to tell you, while their best friends, business partners, perhaps even each other's soul mate in a lot of ways, Bianca and Kritz Sciessere could not be more different in a lot of ways. Bianca longed for and dreamed of motherhood her entire life, and while I wouldn't describe Kritz as apathetic towards motherhood, it certainly didn't consume her thoughts in the same way.

And so as you can imagine, this led to tensions when Bianca took her first parental leave. The training wheels were on as the two were thrown into the deep end of figuring out how to manage their booming business while Bianca was finding her feet as a first time mum, and with both sisters feeling lonely and challenged in their own unique way, it led to their first and only big fight in five years of business. And they're here to tell us all about it.

But not only are the two navigating motherhood and business, through their work, they're offering a transformative journey for girls and gender-diverse students, dedicated to inspiring the next generation.

So not only was I deeply interested to hear about their journey of navigating motherhood and sisterhood in business, I also wanted to learn about the youth of today - what gives them hope, what the common themes are, and what's challenging them. I learned so much that I will apply to my own children and I know that you will to.

What a special chat. I hope you love it as much as I loved talking to them.

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Shop the Ready or Not Go To Guides now, for $29 each or $69 for the trio and 10% off with code READY10:

• Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
• Childcare 101
• Postpartum and Return to Work Planning

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Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

When I sat down to record this chat with my friend and the founder of Emeldo Emily Dornbusch, I warned her that I might sound a little bit more professional and a little less like me. But on listening back, it's actually the listeners that I need to warn, because this conversation is probably about as honest a depiction of making work, work alongside motherhood as you'll get. We have a baby that magically discovered a cough just as the mother of two who's pregnant with her third sat down to join us and you can only imagine the anxiety that gave me. We have a tech failure that means we're very cosily sharing the same mic, and at the start of the interview, you can hear Posie feeding.

So, it's a little chaotic. There's background noise and a lot more chatter than you might be used to here, but I hope that it mirrors the sort of conversations we all have with the friends that we make through motherhood. There was so much of Emily's story that I've never heard and it was really fun to get to know the version of her that existed before kids.

She founded her jewellery brand during the glory days of Instagram and has had incredible success. But, as money pressures have mounted as her family has grown, she's recently taken on another paid role on top of running her business, raising two children, and navigating her third pregnancy.

Here, we talk about the sometimes harsh realities of small business, how she made the decision to seek employment outside of Emeldo, and what she's looking forward to as she gets ready to welcome her third baby.

And she's actually giving our listeners 20% off her incredible collection - all you have to do is use code READY20 at emeldo.com.

EMELDO DISCOUNT CODE

Listeners of Ready or Not can use code READY20 for 20% off Em's incredible collection of colourful jewellery and accessories, until 19th September at emeldo.com.

And head to our Instagram to enter a cheeky giveaway!

Shop the Ready or Not Go To Guides now, for $29 each or $69 for the trio:

• Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
• Childcare 101
• Postpartum and Return to Work Planning

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Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

 I've been having a lot of those days where you feel absolutely in the thick of it. I have a seven month old and a two and a half year old. Posie, the seven month old, isn't really sleeping. And I've often felt like pulling my hair out, like I'm going a little bit crazy. And then today I listened to my conversation with best friends and creatives, Annika Hanne and Bobby Clark.

Something lit up inside of me. I was reminded of something important, something that I'd almost forgotten. And that is that motherhood, while it can be mundane, while it can be hard work... It really is magic. And so as I get ready to release this episode, I think it might be one of the most important conversations I have ever had on motherhood.

And because of that, I don't want to over introduce it. All I want to say is that you're about to listen to something profound. We talk a lot about how these two make work, work, but we go a bit deeper than that. We talk about embracing the joy in motherhood. We talk about how, what Bobby has grown up with and what she's been exposed to informed her mothering journey.

And we as listeners get to take the box seat in what is a beautiful friendship. The way these two explore mothering concepts together and how they want to live their lives is nothing short of beautiful. And it's an honour to sit and listen to the sort of conversation that you don't often hear about friendship, mothering, different fertility journeys, and all of the emotions that come with it.

So without further ado, let me peel back the curtain on a conversation between two best friends on growing babies, careers, and lives together.

Join us in Melbourne:

• Buy your ticket to Careers Night for the Mums, here.

Shop the Ready or Not Go To Guides now, for $29 each or $69 for the trio:

• Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
• Childcare 101
• Postpartum and Return to Work Planning

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Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

As a mother of three, Peleina Guthrie has had her fair share of return to paid work experiences, and each one has taken a slightly different turn. On her first rodeo, she went back to work earlier than she'd planned after landing a new job opportunity that she couldn't refuse. Six months into settling into that new workplace, she was pregnant with baby two and she was terrified. And, the third time around, at about five months into the return to work, she experienced burn out, resigned and found a new role.

She's tried different work week set ups, her partner has taken parental leave for all three babies, she's navigated all of the emotions and pressures that come with navigating the return to work, and she's learned a lot along the way.

Here, we talk about the most challenging transition, feeling touched out, what it means for a secondary caregiver to be able to take advantage of a supportive parental leave policy, and the pressure and guilt so many mums face when navigating career and motherhood.

Shop the Ready or Not Go To Guides now, for $29 each or $69 for the trio:

• Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
• Childcare 101
• Postpartum and Return to Work Planning

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Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

You know those people that you look at and think if I had my time again, I would’ve liked my career to look a little more like theirs? For me, that person is Jessie Stephens. It’s not that I expected her level of success for myself, but I always dreamed of being a journalist and a published author.

So, perhaps it’s a little embarrassing to admit all this, but I was always curious about if or when she’d embark on motherhood. I admire her thoughts and feelings and work so much that I wanted to know: what would making work, work look like for Jessie Stephens?

So, you can only imagine that to be able to sit down and find out had me equals parts excited and nervous. And nervous, I needn’t be. Because this incredibly successful podcaster, author and journalist is sort of just like you and me.

She’s been open about her history with mental illness and how that showed up in pregnancy, and she’s spoken a lot about expecting the worst during pregnancy but getting something better. In fact, better doesn’t even cut it. She’s flat out loved motherhood in a way that the content she was consuming during pregnancy didn’t prepare her for.

Here, we talk about how her definition of success has changed, the mythical career finish line that so many of us race against in preparation for motherhood, and the tension that exists between being absolutely thrilled to be a mum and still wanting (or maybe even needing) to do paid work that lights you up.

Shop the Ready or Not Go To Guides now, for $29 each or $69 for the trio:

• Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
• Childcare 101
• Postpartum and Return to Work Planning
• You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

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Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Olivia Mioni always knew that her mum was an inspiration, but when she stepped into motherhood herself, she appreciated her even more. Her mum was single, she worked full time, she made a career when she was 40, and Olivia never felt like she was left to the wayside.

And as a lawyer, Olivia was always worried about how she'd make work, work alongside motherhood. It wasn't necessarily the career stuff. More so, she was worried about how she'd be able to dedicate herself to family life while navigating a demanding job. But as she's here to tell you, working five days a week doesn't mean she has no time with or for her daughter.

Here, we talk about the plot twist that was taking on a new role while on parental leave that would lead her back to the workforce five days a week and her husband reducing his paid work schedule, why being a full time working parent doesn't mean you love your kids any less and how motherhood has influenced her relationship with imposter syndrome and confidence for the better.

I'm Lucinda, this is Ready or Not, and here is the kind and clever Olivia Mioni.

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THIS WEEK'S PARTNER

This episode of Ready or Not is brought to you by La La Noon, a children’s store founded by two mothers offering a range of local, sustainable brands with a focus on well made, timeless and stylish clothing, toys and gifts.

From brands like Olli Ella to The Wholesome store to Lenn Label, you’ll find one of a kind quality pieces that can be played with and worn again and again and then passed on to loved ones. Shop their thoughtful edit now at lalanoon.com.au.

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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

Nine pregnancies, two living babies and three businesses: Keira Rumble, the founder behind Krumbled Foods, Habitual Beauty, and Mini and Me, has experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. And as her many Instagram followers will know, she keeps it incredibly real. I think that's why her story is so compelling; why she's so loved and admired by mothers and business owners across the country.

She's navigated IVF, hyperemesis, both perinatal and postnatal anxiety and depression. She's had the sort of rage that has scared her, received an ADHD diagnosis, and she's done it all while navigating three growing businesses.

And while her businesses might look glossy on the outside, it has not been without its trials and tribulations. Sending emails from the floor of your bathroom while just trying to get through another day of pregnancy meant that her businesses sometimes were hurting as she was.

So, she's not exactly sure how she got through it all, but luckily for us, she's here to tell her incredible tale.

Here, we talk about how each brand came to be, how she's navigated tumultuous conception and pregnancy journeys alongside business, and what she's most proud of now, as she begins to process it all.

And just to note, this episode discusses pregnancy loss and suicidal thoughts. So, please take care when listening.

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THIS WEEK'S PARTNER

In this episode of Ready or Not, we are excited to partner with Youha, trusted and loved for premium breast pumps since 2010. Their portable and wearable designs provide comfort and convenience. They empower you to pump effortlessly anywhere, keeping you connected to what matters most.

Discover the complete collection of Youha Australia’s premium breast pumps and handy accessories and use the code READY15 during the month of July for 15% off the Embody pump here.

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Thanks for listening to Ready or Not If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.

When Neha Ruch decided to take a career pause for family life, the mothers that she met weren’t exactly the image that society had painted of them. These mothers weren’t baby-obsessed, one dimensional people without a clever thought and they weren’t people that didn’t know how to do anything outside of changing a nappy.

These were smart women with thoughts and passions and ideas. They were choosing to shift gears. Ambition was not left at the threshold that they crossed when they entered the door marked motherhood, in fact, dedicating themselves to motherhood was able to coexist with their ambition, despite what the world had told them.

Cue Mother Untitled, Neha Ruch’s business that has been on a mission to update the perception of stay-at-home motherhood in America since 2017. Neha has become an absolute champion for the grey area of motherhood, because as she knows well, we’re not just working mums or stay at home mums. There’s so much space in between.

Here, we talk about the problem with aligning our value to our titles and our productivity, the outdated stereotypes that mothers face, and how to return to paid work after a career pause.

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THIS WEEK'S PARTNER

In this episode of Ready or Not, we are excited to partner with Youha, trusted and loved for premium breast pumps since 2010. Their portable and wearable designs provide comfort and convenience. They empower you to pump effortlessly anywhere, keeping you connected to what matters most.

Discover the complete collection of Youha Australia’s premium breast pumps and handy accessories and use the code READY15 during the month of July for 15% off the Embody pump here.

---

Thanks for listening to Witching Hour! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram at readyornot.pod

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurong people of the Kulin Nation. The land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

We Pay The Rent and you can too here.