Ready or Not

ODd Network

The podcast for and about mums who make work, work, brought to you by two sort of cousins Loz (mum of three) and Lu (mum of two). Each Monday, we banter on all things motherhood, feminism, career, ambition, and pop culture. Thursdays, we answer three listener questions on all things motherhood and career. As an extension of the motherhood/career conversation, each month, you'll also find an interview with a real mum that's definitely not doing it all, but rather, doing her best to navigate it all. Find us at https://www.instagram.com/readyornot.pod/?hl=en

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Episodes 28

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Yesterday · 14 min
Is your parental leave cover taking over your job?
DEAR READY OR NOT: Is going back to work when your baby is four months old too soon? Should workplaces plan for teams where everyone has young kids? And how do you protect your role when your parental leave cover starts being treated like your replacement? — Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Sunday · 32 min
The state of originality in 2026
Is copying really stealing? A creator has called out copycat culture online, but Loz isn't convinced. When everything from fashion to content is built on trends and dupes, who really gets to claim an idea as theirs? And what does all of this mean for women at work, where getting credit for your ideas can really matter? Plus, Lu goes deep on why dupe culture is so closely tied to capitalism, growth, and overconsumption. Here is the fashion/product quality analysis account that Lu mentions: @helloeveh Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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September 2 · 18 min
“How do I handle a toxic boss?”
DEAR READY OR NOT: How do you deal with a sexist manager? Does work travel count as time away? And what do you do when becoming a parent leaves you questioning your identity at work? — Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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August 30 · 23 min
The work and motherhood cliches we don't live by
Welcome back to the show! Coming up: light and fluffy things ahead, as Lu takes Loz through a list of motherhood and career cliches, and the pair rate them together. Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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August 26 · 11 min
“What’s the best day to take off when working part-time?”
DEAR READY OR NOT: Which day should you take off if you’re returning to work four days a week? Should you accept a 12-month contract extension when you’re pregnant and know you’ll be taking maternity leave a few months in? And is one too young to leave your baby for a week-long international work trip? — Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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August 23 · 36 min
Lindsey Clancy, Hayden Panettiere, and a labor senator's postpartum health push
CONTENT WARNING: Episode discusses death, addiction, and postpartum mental health. Welcome back to the show! Coming up: a look at some of the biggest stories in the news currently, and why postpartum health is at the forefront of our minds as we read about them. TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO ENTER THE MINGLE SEASONING TINY FOOD CRITIC COMP: https://www.mingleseasoning.com/pages/tiny-food-critics Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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August 19 · 11 min
“When should I start trying for baby number two?”
DEAR READY OR NOT: How do you juggle daycare sickness with a full-time job? Is there ever a right time to have baby number two? And should you list parental leave on your resume? — Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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August 16 · 30 min
The hardest (and most requested) conversation we’ve ever had
WARNING: Today we’re discussing child sexual abuse within the childcare system, and two recent stories of male childcare educators that have flooded our DMs. It was a hard episode to record, so take care and consider if it’s right for you right now. Get tickets to our rodeo with UKOO here: https://events.humanitix.com/one-night-off-boots-and-bubbles Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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August 12 · 11 min
“I was made redundant on maternity leave. Help!”
DEAR READY OR NOT: What do you do when you're made redundant on maternity leave? Should you feel guilty taking a second round of parental leave when you're still relatively new in the job? And is it time to walk away from a high-paying job that's boring? — Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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August 11 · 1 hr 5 min
The mythical history of women and work with Ashley Brooks-Garrett
When I noticed a new follower notification pop up just a few months ago, with some 300 followers and the Instagram handle @youwanted.this, I was intrigued by the name. Immediately, I had a pretty good idea of what the content might look like, and I was right: its creator - Ashley Brooks-Garrett – was clearly passionate about exploring feminism, life, and work through the lens of motherhood and womanhood. In the short time since I first started noticing her content, she’s built a much bigger following: an audience made up of people who are either enraged or in full support of the topics she explores so thoughtfully and thoroughly, through social media, Substack, and her mental load app, Tether, too. So today, we find out more about the mother and the brains behind it all: what her career life has looked like, what her motherhood journey has entailed so far, what drove her to the work she’s doing now, and why a woman that calls it how it is, is immediately branded as negative, complaining, and as you’ll hear from Ashley herself, far worse, too. This conversation set a fire within my brain, as we talk about so many of the issues that mothers and women face today, so I hope you like listening as much as I did. I’m Lucinda, this is Ready or Not, and here’s the clever and candid Ashley Brooks-Garrett. — Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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August 9 · 37 min
How society uses sex, money & beauty to control mums
Welcome back to the show! Coming up today: Does society have a weird sense of ownership over mothers? And if so, where does it stem from? What’s it connected to? And what does beauty, sex, and money have to do with it? Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review, it supports the show more than you think. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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August 5 · 14 min
Help! My kid only eats beige food or vegemite on toast
DEAR READY OR NOT: What do you do when your child will only eat beige food? How to manage being a working mum without a village and should I have a third baby at 40? — Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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August 2 · 32 min
What you're really saying when you call your mum friend boring
Welcome back to the show! Coming up today: What you're really saying when you call your mum friend boring: We came across this brilliant Substack by Jennie is Writing and we had to talk about it. Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 29 · 13 min
"Am I a bad mum if I don't sleep train?"
DEAR READY OR NOT: What do you do when your boss rejects your request to extend parental leave? What do you wish you'd done more of on mat leave? And should you feel pressured to sleep train before heading back to work? — Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 26 · 36 min
Why do we think the school years will be easier?
Welcome back to the show! Coming up today: Why do we all think that the school years will be easy? Mums need to be honest about the toll of school years, as Loz draws on her first year of navigating it all. If we could start from scratch, what would a genuinely feminist care ecosystem look like? — Episode links mentioned in the episode: For Parents segment. Ambition segment. Dads & flexibility segment. — Got a question for Dear Ready or Not? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 22 · 16 min
“How do you survive your first day back from mat leave?”
DEAR READY OR NOT: How do you make it through your first day back at work when your baby's starting daycare too? How do you say no to after-hours meetings? And what's the reality of working remotely with young kids? — Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 19 · 39 min
The red & green flags of fatherhood
Welcome back, moms! Today: Red, Green, or Just Normal? Should we be applying red and green flags to relationships and if so what are some of the ones you, our community have come up with. We deepdive a Substack piece titled ‘What I've Noticed About Moms Who Seem Less Stressed’ — Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 15 · 14 min
“Heart wants another baby, head says no. HELP!”
DEAR READY OR NOT: Should you have a second baby if your head says no but your heart says yes? Should you tell work you're struggling during probation? And how do you hold onto friendships when everyone seems too busy? — Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 14 · 51 min
Julia Busuttil Nishimura on figuring it out as she goes
Julia Busuttil Nishimura may have five cookbooks, a children’s book, a career as a teacher, and three children under her belt, but as you’re about to find out, just like the rest of us, she’s still figuring out this whole motherhood and career thing as she goes. And honestly, what a relief it is, to know that one of the country’s most loved and accomplished cookbook authors is just like us underneath it all. In fact, she had a massive freak out when she was pregnant with her third baby last year. She couldn’t see how she was going to make a new cookbook and a new baby work in amongst it all. And after her first baby, she went through an intense period of loneliness. In her own words, postpartum hit her like a tonne of bricks, and here, she tells us all about it. From what first time motherhood looked like at 26, compared to third time motherhood a decade later. From her career as a teacher to a chance meeting at a farmer’s market that would change her life, today we’re so lucky to go on her incredible journey with her. So let’s get into it. — Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July 12 · 35 min
What’s ACTUALLY behind the ‘us vs them’ divide in motherhood?
Welcome back to Ready or Not, the show for mums navigating paid work and unpaid work. On today’s show: SAHM vs Working Mums: Will we ever be on the one team? Mum Walk’s first Motherhood Connection Report reveals motherhood isn’t just one of the hardest jobs in the world - it’s become one of the loneliest, and we need to talk about it. — Got a question? Submit it here! — Thanks for listening! If you liked the show, please tell your friends, subscribe or write a review. You can also find us on Instagram: @readyornot.pod @laurentreweek_ @lucindamckimm_ And join us on DOME below! YEEHAW! homeofdome.com/ready-or-not/ — 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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