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, Mama of 3, RD and Dr (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
144 episodes
143. The Hidden Power of Failure: Reframing Success in Academia with Dr Katy Peplin
What if thriving in academia had less to do with doing more — and more to do with allowing yourself to be human, protecting your energy, and staying connected to your values? In this conversation, Dr Katy Peplin opens up about the realities of ...
142. Time or Experience: A Quick Reminder About the Journey
Sometimes the most important reminders come from the simplest moments—a conversation in the car, the everyday wisdom that's right in front of us if we slow down enough to see it.I was in the car with my boys. And asked my son to look up ...
141. Stop Looking Left and Right: How to Run Your Own Race as a Scholarly Mama®
You're looking left and right while running your race.And it's holding you back.I realised this at my sons' sports day. Some children were constantly checking if they were winning. Checking their position against everyone else. An...
140. When Less Becomes More
What would your Scholarly Mama® life look like if you gave yourself permission to want less?Not less ambition. Less striving at all costs.In this episode, I'm exploring the wisdom of wanting less—and why it's actually the path to ...
139. Tiny Decisions, Big Impact.
What would your Scholarly Mama® life look like if you made one tiny decision this week?Not a big overhaul or dramatic uproot. Just one small, intentional decision.In this episode, I'm breaking down how tiny decisions can create bi...
138. Reflective Replay of "Running on Empty? Do This First If You Want to Lead Well..."
REFLECTIVE REPLAY!Are you feeling stretched thin between your PhD, your family, and everything in between? In this episode, we’re diving into why filling your own cup first is essential—not just for your well-being, but f...
137. Navigating Motherhood, Grief, and Academia: A Journey of Resilience and Wellness with Dr Janelle Chase-Mayers
In this episode, Dr. Janelle Chase-Mayers (aka Dr Jay) shares her inspiring story of juggling motherhood and a PhD journey through grief, all the way to starting her own mental health consultancy business. Discover how her insights ...
136. Why Boundaries Feel Wrong.. Even 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...