Orli Cotel walked away from her creative self for 20 years. Career. Kids. Life got in the way.

Then at 42, she started painting again. Sold her first piece at 44.

She also spent two decades in the climate movement before pivoting to fight for paid leave when she became a parent and realised how broken the system is.

Here's what's powerful about Orli's story: she didn't choose between personal reclamation and systemic change. The two feed each other.

Her painting fills her cup so she CAN fight for parents. Her advocacy gives her purpose beyond herself.

In this episode: Why "unicorn space" (something solely yours) makes you a better parent. How becoming a parent shifted her work from climate to paid leave advocacy.

Why you can't spreadsheet your way out of broken systems. Redefining ambition from "who will I crush" to "what will I create."

And why motherhood is the grounding place, not the summit.

We've been told good mothers sacrifice everything. What if that narrative is what's breaking us?

Personal reclamation and systemic impact aren't competing. They make each other possible.

My daughter played with cornflour and ice for 2 hours at nursery. My kids' favourite Christmas activity? Running to the Polar Express soundtrack.

And I realised: they're giving me the permission to keep it simple.

Before I became a mum, I volunteered with Shelter at Christmas. The people there had nowhere to go. They'd ask why I was "giving up" my Christmas. But it taught me: if you have people who love you, family to be with - you've already won Christmas.

So why are we overcomplicating it?

The toys we panic-buy. The elaborate experiences. The pressure to make it "magical." We're so stressed we can't enjoy it.

At the start of December, I went to a spa weekend. Started the month by putting myself first. And I think that's why this Christmas feels different.

In this episode: What children actually remember. What mothers can let go of. And why simplifying Christmas isn't about doing less - it's about being present enough to actually enjoy it.

Simple IS magic. That was always the magic.

For 14 years, Laura Styles was an executive PA. Then motherhood became her turning point.

Her first child's crying triggered something deeper than exhaustion — it exposed patterns she'd been running on autopilot since childhood. She knew she couldn't parent the way she wanted until she addressed what was happening beneath the surface.

So she retrained as a hypnotherapist. Now she helps high-achieving, heart-led mums rewire old patterns, break free from burnout, and stop just "getting through the day."

In this episode, we get into:

→ Why 95% of your decisions run on childhood autopilot

→ The patterns we unknowingly pass to our children: perfectionism, burnout, the inability to stop

→ What hypnotherapy actually does (it's not stage hypnosis or losing control)

→ Stress addiction: Why high achievers struggle to rest and how to break the cycle

→ Christmas pressure and social media comparison — why the need to "make it perfect" is a pattern, not just stress

→ Self-compassion vs self-sacrifice: Modeling what you want your children to learn

With Christmas 2 weeks away, this conversation about breaking generational patterns and rewiring your mind couldn't be more timely.