On yoga, leadership and motherhood on your 11th birthday

On yoga, leadership and motherhood on your 11th birthday

Dear Star,  You turned 11 yesterday. You wanted a sleepover with three of your best friends. Eleven short years after you made me a mother and were completely dependent on me to survive and thrive, all you wanted was to scream and giggle in your 

An ode to beach running in 2020

An ode to beach running in 2020

In all my 10+ years of running, I had never taken to beach running until 2020. I had first started with running on the famous gravel track around the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, enjoying the sound of the forgiving crunch under my feet. In Sydney 

How to Finish a PhD while Raising Small Children, and Keep Your Sanity Part 2: Mind Management

How to Finish a PhD while Raising Small Children, and Keep Your Sanity Part 2: Mind Management

Well, hello there! I feel very guilty for not following up with Part 2 of this series in a timely manner. Thank you for reading and commenting, and sharing amongst your fellow PhD mothers (and dads). The response to my first post on how to 

Dear Motherhood: a Gratitude Letter on our Ten Year Anniversary

Dear Motherhood: a Gratitude Letter on our Ten Year Anniversary

When you came along, I thought you would be different. I thought you would be a halo of peaceful luminescence, interspersed with cute yet amusing events such as laughing at how little sleep I had had. I thought my baby would look at me and 

To My Children: It’s Not You, It’s Me

To My Children: It’s Not You, It’s Me

When you were babies and I went back to work and a PhD, it was all about you. I worried that you may be somehow compromised by having a mother who left you on some days of the week to pursue a career. This was 

You are living someone else’s dream

You are living someone else’s dream

    Try not to complain about getting old. Many will not get the same privilege.   Try not to complain about having to see your family at Christmas.  Many will be extremely lonely with little human connection.    Try not to complain about your 

The Life-changing Magic of Saying Thank You

The Life-changing Magic of Saying Thank You

You may have heard about a tidying-up phenomenon known as Marie Kondo. Marie is a Japanese lady who wrote a book about throwing away things that don’t “spark joy“, and rolling up your socks so you can have a pristine sock drawer. I have to 

Why I’m Done with Impostor Syndrome

Why I’m Done with Impostor Syndrome

So a couple of months ago I got an email from a stranger. He’s a radiation oncologist from the USA. He is “really impressed” by the research I’ve been doing and wants to connect and collaborate. I did what every academic worth their salt does. 

A Love Letter To the Working Mum On the Bus

A Love Letter To the Working Mum On the Bus

It was 5pm on a busy Monday evening and I heard children. They sounded a lot like mine. You were waiting in line for my bus, with two toddlers and two strollers. You got on the bus and stood the entire way home because there 

The Struggle is Real, and How To Lean Into It

The Struggle is Real, and How To Lean Into It

This year, I feel like the Queen Elizabeth II that year when Fergie broke up with Andrew, and life in Buckingham Palace was generally falling apart. The queen remarked that she was having an annus horribilis. I’m having my own version, minus the papparazzi. I found