Welcome back to the Maternal Journal podcast - a deep dive into the power of journaling and creativity to support mental health and wellbeing through pregnancy, birth and parenting.

In this episode, host Laura Godfrey-Isaacs is joined by artist and poet Sophie Herxheimer who shares her collaborative practice of gathering stories and making them visual. Through poetry, cut-up collage, and performance, Sophie invites us into a space where the maternal voice-often fragmented or unheard-can become powerful, plural, and deeply alive.

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Welcome back to the Maternal Journal podcast - a deep dive into the power of journaling and creativity to support mental health and wellbeing through pregnancy, birth and parenting.

In this episode, host Laura Godfrey-Isaacs speaks to Canadian writer and memoirist, Theresa Wong, who’s deeply moving graphic memoir ‘Dear Scarlet’ charts her motherhood journey, touching on how she moved from ‘tiredness to sadness’. Her experiences of postnatal depression shaped her early mothering experiences and is depicted in beautiful and economically drawn cartoons that communicate these Important issues in emotionally charged and redemptive cycles.

📱Connect with Theresa Wong

⚡Follow Maternal Journal on Instagram

🌐Check out the Maternal Journal website

💬 Connect with our host, Laura Godfrey-Isaacs

🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production

Welcome back to the Maternal Journal podcast - a deep dive into the power of journaling and creativity to support mental health and wellbeing through pregnancy, birth and parenting.

In this episode, host Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, is joined by artist and poet Mimi Kunz. Her book ‘Mother Tongue’ brings a stunning combination of poems and drawings together, made in parallel, whilst she was taking care of her new born daughter, Iris, in the first year of her life. The book recounts moments of marvel, fear, and laughter with Mimi exploring how the body of mother and child form our first language, our mother tongue.

In this gentle conversation, we hear Mimi read some of her beautiful poems as well as her positive ideas on the framing of motherhood and creativity.

📱Connect with Mimi Kunz

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🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production

* Trigger warning, some of this episode discusses pregnancy loss, and a near-death birth experience*

Welcome back to the Maternal Journal podcast - a deep dive into the power of journaling and creativity to support mental health and wellbeing through pregnancy, birth and parenting.

In this episode, host Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, is joined by Bestselling American cartoonist Lucy Knisley. We hear about her book, ‘Kid Gloves’ which takes us on a journey through pre-conception, pregnancy and birth to the unexpected joys of parenting. Lucy's work brings warmth, wit, and vulnerability and explores how the graphic form can become a powerful space for advocacy, reflection, and solidarity as well as the means to highlight how some modern birth practices and cultures can let us down at one of the most important moments of our lives.

📱Connect with Lucy Knisley

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🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production

Welcome to the second series of The Maternal Journal podcast - a deep dive into the power of journaling and creativity to support mental health and wellbeing through pregnancy, birth and parenting - hosted by Maternal Journal founder, artist, writer and midwife, Laura Godfrey-Isaacs. This new series focuses on graphic novels and illustrated books, and we have some amazing guests who share their work and thoughts with us. Every podcast includes reflections from our guests on the relationship between motherhood and creativity and tips on how to boost your journaling practice.

In this episode, we're joined by cartoonist and writer Becky Barnicoat whose recent graphic memoir, ‘Cry when the Baby Cries’, is described as ‘The most accurate account of becoming a parent I have ever read’ by Philippa Perry. Her daily cartoons in publications such as The Guardian and Buzzfeed offer a candid and often hilarious glimpse into the emotional landscape of motherhood.

📱Connect with Becky Barnicoat

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🌐Check out the Maternal Journal website

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🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production

In this episode, Laura interviews Julie Phillips, an award-winning author, biographer and book critic who wrote the influential book - Baby on the Fire Escape, where she explores the complex relationship between creativity and motherhood through the lives of some of the most important women artists of the 20th century..

Together, they unpick the challenges and stereotypes of motherhood and creativity, highlighting the conflict between societal expectations and personal desires. Julie advocates for the importance of maintaining individuality as a parent, shares her personal experiences with journaling, and emphasises the need for structural support for mothers, including paid parental leave and affordable childcare.

Your host is writer, artist and midwife, Laura Godfrey-Isaacs.

To find out more, head to https://www.maternaljournal.org/.

In this episode, Laura interviews Katherine May, the bestselling author and podcaster of books such as Wintering and The Electricity of Every Living Thing.

Katherine discusses the struggles she faced during her pregnancy, including depression and feeling out of place. She shares her insights as an autistic mother and the importance of finding one's own path in parenting. In addition we talk about her approach to writing, highlighting the importance of a supportive environment and open discussion.

Your host is writer, artist and midwife, Laura Godfrey-Isaacs.

To find out more, head to https://www.maternaljournal.org/.

In this episode, Laura speaks with memoirist and bestselling author, Cathy Rentzenbrink, writer of The Last Act of Love and Write it All Down.

Together, they consider the power of writing for mental health, advocating for a focus on process over content. Cathy elaborates on how writing has helped her understand and manage traumatic experiences in her life, and stresses the importance of authenticity in journal writing, contrasting it with the partial truths often portrayed on social media.

Your host is writer, artist and midwife, Laura Godfrey-Isaacs.

To find out more, head to https://www.maternaljournal.org/.