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 shares what led her from constant striving to a season of restoration — and how self-leadership, not self-sacrifice, became the turning point.

This episode marks an evolution of Mrs Mummy PhD®, expanding beyond the PhD journey to support mother scholars at any stage — pre-PhD, PhD, or postdoctoral — who want more sustainable ways of learning, leading, and living.

If you’re ambitious, thoughtful, and quietly exhausted, this conversation invites you to pause, reflect, and redefine success on your own terms.

If you'd prefer to read the related blog post, you can here:

Burnout in High-Achieving Mothers: From Survival to Restoration

You're also invited to join Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter, a monthly newsletter for thoughtful reflections on ambition, motherhood, and leading yourself first as a purposeful Scholarly Mama®.

Send me a text message.

Support the show

Want more?

1. Check out the Mrs Mummy PhD website.
2. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Threads, Pinterest or TikTok.
3. Join the newsletter family at Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter
4. Check out my Doodle Dozen® children's book series

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.

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 the podcast so you don't miss when my next new episode drops!

You can also sign up here to receive periodical check-ins from me by email as I will be touching base there in between...

See you soon!

Send me a text message.

Support the show

Want more?

1. Check out the Mrs Mummy PhD website.
2. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Threads, Pinterest or TikTok.
3. Join the newsletter family at Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter
4. Check out my Doodle Dozen® children's book series

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.

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 way forward that honours both your ambition and your motherhood?

In this episode, I’m sharing what I wish someone had told me when I was ready to give it all up. Whether you decide to stay or go, let’s make sure it’s your choice—not one made in exhaustion or isolation.

Tune in and let’s talk about the real stuff behind the decision.

Plus, if you'd like support from someone who’s lived this journey, I'd love to help you finish well—join me inside Scholarly Mamas® to find out how.

Send me a text message.

Support the show

Want more?

1. Check out the Mrs Mummy PhD website.
2. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Threads, Pinterest or TikTok.
3. Join the newsletter family at Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter
4. Check out my Doodle Dozen® children's book series

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.

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 prestigious scholarship, and finally, a research post in the Netherlands.

We talk about:

• How rejection redirected her toward purpose
• What it was really like finishing a PhD as a new Mama
• Why she’s now showing up on TikTok to help others find joy in academic writing
• And what she wishes more people actually said out loud about being a Mama in academia

Whether you're deep in your PhD or just figuring out how to hold it all together as a parent in academia—this one is for you.

Make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode about the real, raw, and beautiful mess of PhD Motherhood. And if you love what you hear, leave a kind review—it helps more Scholarly Mamas® find us!

Follow Dr Noni on Tik Tok or YouTube for more :-). Find her co-founded SWAN community here.

Send me a text message.

Support the show

Want more?

1. Check out the Mrs Mummy PhD website.
2. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Threads, Pinterest or TikTok.
3. Join the newsletter family at Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter
4. Check out my Doodle Dozen® children's book series

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.

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.

Whether you’re deep in PhD mode while juggling little ones, or just trying to hold it all together, these affirmations are here to remind you: you are not alone, and you are more capable than you think!

Tune in now—and don’t forget to grab your FREE printable copy of all 10 affirmations so you can keep them close when you need them most: get them here.

Send me a text message.

Support the show

Want more?

1. Check out the Mrs Mummy PhD website.
2. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Threads, Pinterest or TikTok.
3. Join the newsletter family at Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter
4. Check out my Doodle Dozen® children's book series

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.

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 alone.

In this episode, we’re unpacking a big question: Is scholarly motherhood an art or a science? Spoiler — it’s not what most productivity advice would have you believe.

Join me as I share real stories from my own PhD journey — the messy days, the surprising wins, and the mindset shift that changed everything. You’ll walk away with permission to ditch the impossible pursuit of perfect balance and embrace a more sustainable, creative approach to navigating both academia and motherhood.

Tune in to discover why embracing the art of scholarly motherhood might be the key to finishing well — without sacrificing yourself or your family.

Send me a text message.

Support the show

Want more?

1. Check out the Mrs Mummy PhD website.
2. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Threads, Pinterest or TikTok.
3. Join the newsletter family at Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter
4. Check out my Doodle Dozen® children's book series

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.

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 completing her PhD in Sustainability Management, Dr Blessing joins us for an honest conversation about doing her PhD as a Mama. Through The PhD Race, she's been documenting the unfiltered reality of navigating a PhD journey and in her case, juggling that with research, full-time work, and motherhood.

You can follow her on Instagram here.

You'll want to listen if:

• You're tired of choosing between academic dreams and being present for your children
• You've wondering if you can even keep up with the pace of PhD life as a Mama and vice versa
• You need to hear from someone who's done it, not just theorised about it

This isn't typical work-life balance advice. This is just two Mamas, who have walked the PhD road, getting real about how you can make your PhD dreams come true and build the life you actually want along the way.

Ready to run your own PhD Race? No problem, just press play to tune in!

Send me a text message.

Support the show

Want more?

1. Check out the Mrs Mummy PhD website.
2. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Threads, Pinterest or TikTok.
3. Join the newsletter family at Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter
4. Check out my Doodle Dozen® children's book series

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.

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 entrepreneur who suggested that financial success requires an “unhealthy obsession” and intense personal sacrifice.

Join me as I unpack his perspective and why it may not apply to other types of success pursuits, why this mindset won't work for Scholarly Mamas® and why there are several unhelpful assumptions unpinning this thinking. I offer a slightly different viewpoint grounded in my lived experience of PhD Motherhood, that challenges grind culture and explores a more sustainable, fulfilling path to success.

If you've ever wondered whether you have to sacrifice what matters most to finish your PhD well as a Scholarly Mama®, this episode is for you!

Send me a text message.

Support the show

Want more?

1. Check out the Mrs Mummy PhD website.
2. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Threads, Pinterest or TikTok.
3. Join the newsletter family at Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter
4. Check out my Doodle Dozen® children's book series

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.