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 and doctor/scholar (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.
Mrs Mummy PhD®
134. I Quit... and Started Living Life By Design Again
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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 episode, I share a decision that surprised even me: I quit... Not because things weren’t working. Not because I couldn’t handle it. But because success, at least the way I was pursuing it, had become too expensive.
In the years after my PhD, I began to drift into living by default, finding myself lost in the pursuit of it all. Doing what looked right. What sounded impressive. What I thought I should be doing.
But recently I asked myself a different question: What would it look like to quit living my default and to start living by design again?
The answer required courage... and a series of powerful quits.
In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the things I’ve chosen to walk away from, why letting go felt so difficult, and how good it feels to become her again... the version of my that became lost in the juggle-struggle. If you’ve ever felt guilty for wanting to step away from something that no longer fits, this conversation is for you.
Because quitting isn’t always giving up. In some cases, it doesn't even require walking away...
But sometimes, it’s the most honest act of self-leadership there is...
Tune in now.
You can also read the related blog post here.
Want more?
- Check out the Mrs Mummy PhD® website.
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These are our journeys of becoming.
Disclaimer: All views are my own. Nothing shared on this podcast should be considered a substitute for medical/clinical advice or mental health support. Please seek assistance from a qualified professional who can help you if you are struggling or in need of advice/intervention.
