Mrs Mummy PhD®
This podcast is a reflective space for high-achieving mothers navigating scholarly work, home, and identity.
Hosted by Dr Michelle Gibbs — a wife, boy Mama of 3, RD and Dr (of the PhD kind) — the Mrs Mummy PhD® podcast is shaped by lived experience of holding ambition alongside family life, responsibility, and seasons of change. It speaks to the reality that meaningful work does not exist in isolation from the rest of our lives.
Scholarly motherhood is complex and deeply human. It is marked by transitions, pressure, and continual becoming — and without intention, it can quietly pull us away from ourselves.
Through thoughtful conversations and reflections, this podcast invites you to slow down, lead yourself first, and reconsider what sustainable impact looks like in this season of life. Rather than offering quick fixes or productivity promises, it offers insight, perspective, and permission to build a life that includes your work, your family, and yourself.
If you are a mother navigating intellectually demanding work — in academia or beyond — and are seeking steadiness, clarity, and a way forward that does not require self-sacrifice, this space is for you.
So Mama, are you in?
Fabulous!
Let's begin...
These are our journeys of becoming — and you’re welcome here.
Episodes
137 episodes
Why Boundaries Feel Wrong When You're Doing Them Right
You said no to something this week.And you've been replaying it in your head ever since. Wondering if you were being difficult. Questioning whether you should have just said yes. Feeling guilty for protecting your time/...
135. 4 Myths Keeping You Stuck In Survival Mode (And How to Become HER Again)
You're running on empty. Going through the motions. Stuck in a relentless cycle where every task feels like obligation with no space left for you.And you're starting to wonder: Is this just my life now?No. It's not...In thi...
134. I Quit... and Started Living Life By Design Again
What if quitting… isn’t failure?What if the thing you’ve been told to push through, stick out, or prove yourself in is actually the very thing keeping you from the life you want?In this deeply personal e...
133. Efficient and Empty: The Real Cost of Outsourcing (PART 2)
Last week, we talked about the outsourcing trap and how delegating everything doesn't always create the space you think it will.This week, we're continuing this conversation. And I'm sharing something that might challenge how you've been...
132. Efficient and Empty: The Real Cost of Outsourcing (PART 1)
You got the help, or hired it. You delegated everything you could.And you're still exhausted.Here's what no one tells you about outsourcing: on its own, it doesn't create the space you think it will. It just lets you keep up with ...
131. Are You Misaligned? How to Know When Your Success is Costing You Too Much
You slowed down. You created clarity. You can finally see the road ahead.But then you're faced with the question: are you on the right road?Sometimes burnout isn't about doing too much — it's about doing the wrong things entirely....
130. When You Can't See the Road Ahead: How to Create Clarity as a High-Achieving Mama
Have you ever felt like you're doing everything right and still the path ahead seems so uncertain?In this episode, Dr Michelle shares her experience of driving to work on a familiar road when the sun hit her eyes and she lost all clarity...
129. Rest Is Not a Reward: Reframing Rest as Self-Leadership
In this episode, Dr Michelle is talking about rest — not as something you earn after doing all the things, but as an intentional act of self-leadership. If you're a high-achieving Mama who struggles to rest without guilt, who tells herself she'...
128. Boundaries Are Acts of Self-Leadership (Not Selfishness)
In this episode of the Mrs Mummy PhD® podcast, Michelle explores boundaries as an act of self-leadership rather than selfishness. She unpacks why high-achieving mothers struggle to say no and how over-functioning can quietly lead to bu...
127. Are These 3 Things Quietly Burning You Out?
In this episode, Michelle discusses the subtle yet significant issue of quiet burnout among high-achieving mothers. She explores three hidden reasons why mothers may quietly burnout without realising it. Michelle emphasises the importance of re...
126. Self-Leadership for High-Achieving Mothers: Why You Need More Than Rest
In this episode of the Mrs Mummy PhD® podcast, Dr Michelle explores self-leadership for high-achieving mothers and why rest alone won’t resolve burnout if the way we lead ourselves doesn’t change. She unpacks the internal rules that ke...
125. Quiet Burnout: The Hidden Exhaustion of A High-Achieving Mama
In this episode of the Mrs Mummy PhD® podcast, Dr Michelle discusses the critical distinction between success and survival, particularly for high-achieving mothers. She shares her personal experiences with quiet burnout and emphasises the impor...
124. I'm Back! From Survival to Restoration: Let's Talk About Burnout in High-Achieving Mothers
In this return episode of the Mrs Mummy PhD® podcast, Dr Michelle Gibbs reflects on burnout in high-achieving mothers and why survival mode is not the same as success. After stepping away from the mic for 6 months, Michelle...
123. Be Right Back!
ANNOUNCEMENT: We're on break!Tune into the episode to find out why!While I'm on break, be sure to tune into the archives - I'm sure there's an episode there with your name on it! Make sure you also subscribe to ...
122. Before You Quit...
Thinking about quitting your PhD? You’re not alone—I've been there. But before you make that call, this episode walks you through 7 powerful questions and mindset shifts that could change everything...What if there’s still a ...
121. "I Met Myself": How PhD Motherhood Became a Path to Self-Discovery with Dr Nonhlanhla Dube a.k.a. Dr Noni
This week on the podcast, I’m joined by an incredible guest: a Zimbabwean-born academic, content creator, and mother - Dr Nonhlanhla Dube (a.k.a. Dr Noni) - whose path to a PhD took her across continents, through two undergrad degrees, a presti...
120. 10 Powerful Affirmations for Scholarly Mamas®
In this episode, I’m sharing (and discussing) 10 powerful affirmations specifically for Scholarly Mamas®—words to ground you when the workload is heavy, the juggle-struggle gets tricky, the guilt creeps in, or the doubt gets loud. ...
119. Is PhD Motherhood An Art or A Science?
Ever wondered if there was a perfect formula or set of steps for navigating your PhD journey well as a Mama? If you’ve tried all the time management hacks and productivity tools but still feel like something’s missing… you are not a...
118. Secrets to Running Your Own PhD Race (Even As A Mama) with Dr Blessing Adeniyi
What happens when a sustainability policy analyst decides to pursue a PhD (while juggling family life)? Most people would call it impossible. Dr Blessing Adeniyi called it her PhD Race.Fresh off compl...
117. Does Success Require An 'Unhealthy Obsession'?
What does it really take to achieve success— and is it worth the cost?In this episode, I reflect on a recent video I saw on YouTube, by a former doctor turned entrep...
116. The Resilient Rise: From Juggling a PhD, Parenthood and a Pandemic To Landing a Leadership Role in Academia with Dr Milensu Shanyinde
What does it really take to pursue a PhD while raising two children, juggling work life, and living through a global pandemic? In this special guest episode, I sit down with Dr Milensu Shanyinde from the
115. The Freedom of Yes
What if we've been conditioned to say 'no' by defalut, and this the thing that's holding us back?In this revolutionary episode, we explore the unexpected power of a well-placed yes—not the kind that drains you, but the ...
114. Reflective Replay of "What To Do When Your Best Doesn't Feel Good Enough"
Reflective Replay:Ever held back the tears after receiving a rejection letter, email or phone call so your kids wouldn't see you cry? In this raw and real episode, we're tackling the gut-punch moments of academic life as a M...
113. Editing the Script and Leaving Academia: How Dr Paulina Cossette Redefined Success
What happens when the academic dream and motherhood collide? In this eye-opening episode, former political science academic Dr Paulina Cossette reveals her journey from working seven exhausting days a week as a tenure track professo...
112. Becoming More of You in Scholarly Motherhood
What if the version of success you’ve been chasing isn’t actually yours? In this episode, we crack open the myth of the “ideal Scholarly Mama®” and ask a bold question: What does real freedom look like for Mamas juggling Ph...