This wasn't the episode I had planned to record. My son woke up with a terrible chesty cough, slumped on the couch with no energy, and I had a call to facilitate with a group of learners that morning. I had a choice to make: try to make school work somehow, or keep him home and just figure it out. I kept him home. In this episode I share what that actually looked like for a real working mum, including the moment mid-session when I heard a crash downstairs, followed by "Mum, Mum, Mum!"

I also get into the mum guilt and professional guilt that so many of us carry when our kids are sick. A few years ago I would have panicked about being seen as the solo mum who can't get her act together, and worried it would cost me work. For most of the women I know, it's the mum who stays home when a child is unwell. So why are we still pretending we're not parents at work? I talk about owning that reality, setting boundaries around our time, and trusting that we're just as capable and professional as anyone else.

At the heart of it, this episode is about letting go of perfect. For a couple of days I allowed myself to be a good enough mum and a good enough business owner, and I was genuinely surprised at how little stress I felt. When we stop fighting what is, the problem shrinks. Surrendering isn't giving up. It's letting go of control, and it feels completely different in the body.

If you're having one of those weeks where nothing has gone to plan and you feel like you're failing, this one is for you. I finish with a journaling prompt: Where am I fighting what is, and what would it feel like to surrender?

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