We explore the cost of carrying it all - and how to lighten the load.

Synopsis: Join us for a five-part series on working motherhood from July 3-31 with episodes out every Friday.

For many mothers, every day is a balancing act: work emails, school messages, and trying to be fully present with their children while an endless mental checklist runs in the background.

In this episode, we unpack the feeling of never being enough at work or at home, the invisible mental load of being the “default parent”, and why some things in life are rubber balls that bounce back when they are dropped.

We also talk about burnout, sharing the load with your partner, and how becoming a mother reshapes what ambition and success looks like.

Host Vanessa Chelvan is joined by Jacinth Liew, parenting coach and founder of Our Little Play Nest.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:40 “It seems like I have it all, but I don’t”

7:25 Guilt is the only constant

10:45 What gets sacrificed when the juggle gets too much?

12:50 Juggling rubber balls and glass balls

14:55 Should working mums feel they have to do everything?

16:30 Being the “default parent”

18:25 The art of delegation and equal partnerships

25:42 Dads can take career detours too

31:25 Reframing personal ambitions as a working mum

33:35 Their ‘worth it’ moments: Jacinth and Vanessa share

Host: Vanessa Chelvan (vpchelvan@sph.com.sg)

Read Vanessa's articles: https://str.sg/gr5Z

Follow Vanessa on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/jHdJ

Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai

Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Elizabeth Law

—

Follow The Mother Load limited series every Friday (July 3-31):

Channel: https://str.sg/oMofY

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/8Kbv

Spotify: https://str.sg/DELD

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

—

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Watch Headstart On Record Podcast on YouTube: https://str.sg/3psqrx

---

Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

#themotherload

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.