Today we're joined by Katie Harrison from Picture News, an organisation that's been working closely with schools for years to help children engage with the world around them in a thoughtful, age-appropriate way.

In this episode, we're diving into something so many parents are thinking about right now — children's mental health, and the role movement can play in supporting it. We'll be talking about what's really going on for children today, what schools are seeing on the ground, and why initiatives like The Big School Workout, taking place this Mental Health Awareness Week on 14th May, in partnership with Joe Wicks, are more important than ever.

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Show notes

• Join the live broadcast online.
• Insta @picturenewsprimary

What is My Baba?

My Baba provides the daily scoop on family, food and lifestyle - we're not just experts at all things parenting.

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The Content on this podcast is provided by My Baba and represents our sole opinions and views. For more information on our terms and conditions please refer to the website: https://www.mybaba.com/terms-conditions/

Travelling with children can feel overwhelming. From packing and planning to keeping little ones entertained on long journeys. But according to family travel expert Jen Carr, it doesn't have to be stressful or expensive.

Jen is the founder of The Travel Mum, a hugely popular online platform where she shares some of the best affordable holiday deals for families throughout the week, alongside practical advice for travelling with children. Through her website and community, she has helped thousands of parents feel more confident about taking trips with their kids, from newborns to school age.

Now, with the launch of her new book Yes, You Can Travel With Kids, Jen is on a mission to show parents that family travel really can be enjoyable — even with babies, toddlers and unpredictable schedules.

In this interview, Jen shares her own experiences of travelling with children, the biggest fears parents have about family holidays, the money mistakes many families make when booking trips, and the simple mindset shifts that can make travelling with kids feel far more relaxed.

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Show notes

Yes, You Can Travel with Kids - Out Now at Amazon: https://amzn.to/4bluqXb

What is My Baba?

My Baba provides the daily scoop on family, food and lifestyle - we're not just experts at all things parenting.

Visit mybaba.com

The Content on this podcast is provided by My Baba and represents our sole opinions and views. For more information on our terms and conditions please refer to the website: https://www.mybaba.com/terms-conditions/

There's no shortage of advice telling women how they should look, eat or exercise — and it's no wonder so many of us feel overwhelmed, confused or stuck when it comes to our bodies. In this episode, we're joined by Emma Simarro, Women's Health Coach and founder of Building Body Confidence, to cut through the noise and talk about what actually helps women feel strong, confident and well, especially through midlife.

Emma's work focuses on moving women away from restrictive diets and over-exercise, and towards strength, sustainable habits and long-term health. Drawing on her experience supporting women at every stage of life, she shares honest, practical advice on body confidence, strength training, nutrition, hormones and the mindset shifts that make lasting change possible.

This is a reassuring, down-to-earth conversation for anyone who's tired of fitness fads, frustrated by conflicting advice, or unsure where to begin — and a reminder that feeling good in your body doesn't have to be complicated or punishing.

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Show notes

• emmasimarro.com
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Website

What is My Baba?

My Baba provides the daily scoop on family, food and lifestyle - we're not just experts at all things parenting.

Visit mybaba.com

The Content on this podcast is provided by My Baba and represents our sole opinions and views. For more information on our terms and conditions please refer to the website: https://www.mybaba.com/terms-conditions/

Relationships don't usually fall apart overnight. More often, they unravel slowly through miscommunication, unmet needs and emotional distance. When connection feels lost, many couples are left wondering whether their relationship can be repaired — or whether it's already too late.

In this episode of Parental Control, Ellie Thompson is joined by Sophie Orozco, a relationship coach whose work is rooted in both professional expertise and lived experience. After saving her own marriage from the brink of divorce, Sophie spent over a decade studying psychology, communication and intimacy dynamics to help couples rebuild connection from the ground up.

Together, they explore what really happens when relationships reach breaking point, why traditional advice often falls short, and how couples can begin to repair trust, closeness and desire. This conversation looks beyond quick fixes, focusing instead on the deeper work required to create lasting change — and why it's possible to turn a relationship around, even when it feels deeply stuck.

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Website sophieorozco.com

Instagram @sophieorozcocoaching

TikTok @sophieorozcocoaching

Facebook @sophie.orozco.451411

What is My Baba?

My Baba provides the daily scoop on family, food and lifestyle - we're not just experts at all things parenting.

Visit mybaba.com

The Content on this podcast is provided by My Baba and represents our sole opinions and views. For more information on our terms and conditions please refer to the website: https://www.mybaba.com/terms-conditions/

Heavy periods affect millions of women, yet for many, they remain something to quietly endure rather than openly discuss. In this episode, Parental Control explores the real impact of heavy and painful periods on women's physical health, emotional wellbeing, work and relationships — and asks why period-related disruption is still so often dismissed or minimised.

Ellie Thompson is joined by Dr Nisa Aslam, GP and women's health expert, and Anna Maxwell, pharmacist and founder of healthcare brand Maxwellia, to unpack the findings of the Don't Go With the Flow report. Together, they discuss what actually counts as a "normal" period, when pain or heavy bleeding may signal an underlying condition, and why so many women feel uncomfortable seeking help.

From workplace stigma and iron deficiency to being dismissed by healthcare professionals, the conversation focuses on empowering women with clear information, reassurance and practical next steps — and challenges the long-held belief that period problems are simply something women should have to put up with.

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Show notes

Evana® and Ultravana®.

Follow Dr Nisa Aslam on Insta @drnisaaslam

What is My Baba?

My Baba provides the daily scoop on family, food and lifestyle - we're not just experts at all things parenting.

Visit mybaba.com

The Content on this podcast is provided by My Baba and represents our sole opinions and views. For more information on our terms and conditions please refer to the website: https://www.mybaba.com/terms-conditions/

In this episode, Parental Control takes listeners inside the IVF lab to understand how embryos are assessed and selected during fertility treatment, including PGT-A and time-lapse IVF. Ellie Thompson is joined by embryologist and founder of All About Embryology, Victoria Wigley, to answer key questions about genetic testing, embryo development and the complex decisions made behind the scenes.

Victoria explains what embryologists do during the IVF process and breaks down PGT-A testing, including what it can and cannot tell patients. She also discusses how recent reports of healthy babies born from embryos labelled aneuploid are challenging long-held assumptions. The conversation explores the difference between aneuploid and mosaic embryos, whether viable embryos may sometimes be ruled out, and how patients can interpret results when the science is uncertain.

The episode also looks at how time-lapse incubators have transformed embryo observation, allowing embryologists to track development over time and support clinical decisions. Drawing on both professional expertise and patient experience, the discussion highlights how fertility specialists balance transparency, uncertainty and hope, and examines the advances shaping the future of IVF.

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Show notes

Follow Victoria on Instagram:@allaboutembryology Book a consultation with Victoria today: https://www.allaboutembryology.co.uk/contact

What is My Baba?

My Baba provides the daily scoop on family, food and lifestyle - we're not just experts at all things parenting.

Visit mybaba.com

The Content on this podcast is provided by My Baba and represents our sole opinions and views. For more information on our terms and conditions please refer to the website: https://www.mybaba.com/terms-conditions/

Leading UK psychotherapist Julia Samuel MBE joins Ellie Thompson to talk about child loss and the lifelong impact of grief. Julia is one of the most trusted voices in the UK on bereavement, trauma and healing, and has spent decades supporting families through the unimaginable. Her work has shaped how we understand grief, not as something to "get over", but as something we learn to live alongside.

As many listeners will know, Ellie lost her son Billy, aka Billy the Brave, to DIPG, and grief has since become woven into everyday life in ways she could never have imagined. Like so many bereaved parents, she has learned that we don't move on from our children; we move forward carrying them with us.

In this conversation, Julia brings compassion, clarity and deep insight as we explore what it truly means to live with grief: how it shows up in relationships, how siblings experience loss, and how parents can find moments of meaning and hope again — while continuing to hold the profound love we have for the children no longer in our arms.

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Show notes

Child Bereavement UK - Child Bereavement UK helps children and young people (up to the age of 25), parents and families, to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies.

• Therapy Works — Julia's main podcast
• Grief Works
• A Living Loss

Grief Works – A compassionate guide to understanding grief and how it affects us.
This Too Shall Pass – On surviving life's challenges and finding strength through adversity.
Every Family Has a Story – Exploring family relationships, trauma and healing.

Grief Works App - A supportive grief app offering tools, reflections and guidance for those living with loss.

Instagram: @juliasamuelmbe
X (Twitter): @juliasamuelmbe

juliasamuel.co.uk — for therapy work, writing, speaking and resources

What is My Baba?

My Baba provides the daily scoop on family, food and lifestyle - we're not just experts at all things parenting.

Visit mybaba.com

The Content on this podcast is provided by My Baba and represents our sole opinions and views. For more information on our terms and conditions, please refer to the website: https://www.mybaba.com/terms-conditions/

Ellie welcomes world-renowned fitness trainer Ryan Shanahan, best known globally as The Kettlebell King. With over 35 years of experience coaching everyone from elite athletes to absolute beginners, Ryan is famous for making fitness fun, fast and completely achievable.

Ellie has trained with Ryan online since 2010, so she knows firsthand how his unique approach transforms not only bodies, but mindsets. In this episode, Ryan shares the philosophy behind his hugely popular training method, his early rise to global fame, and the insights from his two new books: Issues in Your Tissues and Muscles of the Mind: The Ripitude Method.

Together, Ellie and Ryan explore sustainable fitness, movement for longevity, motivation that actually lasts, and why your mindset may be the most important muscle you ever train.

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Show notes

• Youtube & Book Link: https://linktr.ee/ryanraw88
• Follow Ryan on Instagram @ryanraw88
• Signs, Laura Lynn Jackson
• Regan Hillyer

What is My Baba?

My Baba provides the daily scoop on family, food and lifestyle - we're not just experts at all things parenting.

Visit mybaba.com

The Content on this podcast is provided by My Baba and represents our sole opinions and views. For more information on our terms and conditions please refer to the website: https://www.mybaba.com/terms-conditions/