7am. Freezing beach. 700 strangers. And we're about to get completely naked and run into the North Sea.

This episode isn't just about a skinny dip. It's about flexing the muscle of getting comfortable with discomfort.

Doing new things, scary things—not despite being mothers, but alongside it.

Here's the truth: so many women are so conscious of their post-baby bodies that they hold themselves back from living. We wait to feel ready. We wait for our bodies to look different. We wait for confidence to arrive.

But someday isn't guaranteed. So we said yes to something terrifying—afraid, unsure—and did it anyway.

And how we felt after? Phenomenal.

We talk about:→ Why "ready" is a decision, not a feeling→ Standing naked with 700 people and realizing your post-baby body is capable, not broken→ How obsessing over what people think of our bodies stops us from making life what we want it to be→ How discomfort compounds—the same muscle that got us into the water is the one that built this podcast

This is Mambition in action: saying yes while terrified, because the feeling after is worth it.

What's your skinny dip? What are you waiting to feel ready for?

A fire engine whizzed past me yesterday, and I instinctively said "WOW!" and waved. Then I realised—I wasn't even with my kids.

My 2 and 4-year-old have completely recalibrated what joy looks like for me. Their threshold for delight is impossibly low: a puddle can make their entire morning.

Meanwhile, I had trained myself that joy needed to be earned through massive achievements—big promotions, major milestones, spectacular moments. I was always waiting for the big wow, completely missing all the small ones happening around me every single day.

In this episode, I explore what happens when we let our children teach us how to notice wonder again. Joy isn't an interruption to the chaos—it's woven into the ordinary moments.

If you've been waiting for something spectacular to feel joy, this episode is your permission to find it in the small moments instead.

"If I'm leaving my child, it has to be worth it."

That one question led Jools Tyrer to completely reinvent her career.

Flight attendant → teacher → defense sector → transformational coach and podcaster (Mama's Flightpath).

She took redundancy twice. Once by choice to travel the world. Once unexpectedly—losing her identity and security overnight. Both times, she turned the space into opportunity.

In this conversation:→ How motherhood cracks us open and reveals what we're actually tolerating→ Self-care as the path back to yourself after losing yourself in early motherhood→ The motherhood penalty is real—so how do we navigate what works for us NOW?→ Living life alongside your children instead of waiting for "someday"

Jools isn't here to tell you to "have it all."

She's here to show you how to build something that doesn't require leaving yourself behind.

My 2-year-old daughter is genuinely upset every day that she's not yet 3. So this year, I'm taking a page from her book and celebrating my birthday loud and rebelliously.

Mambition light me up so it makes sense that I record an podcast episode sharing 36 lessons from 36 years.

I reflect on loss and perspective, motherhood and identity, resilience and action, self-care in the trenches, building and creating, growth and change, and knowing your worth.

From losing my mum at 9 to learning that integration beats balance, from embracing the cringe of starting a podcast to understanding that prepare your child for the world, not the world for your child—these are the truths that have shaped how I show up as a mother, a creator, and a human being.

If you're navigating the beautiful chaos of ambition and motherhood, feeling restless even after reaching life's "goals," or wondering how to live fully right now instead of waiting for "someday"—this one's for you.

This is how I celebrate: by creating, by sharing.

Life itself is the gift.

Another year is the celebration.

My daughter can't wait to be older.

I'm learning to be grateful I get to be.

Elena Shirokaya spent 12 years crushing it in private equity - until her body forced a reckoning. Now she teaches high-achieving women what she learned the hard way: your nervous system speaks a language most of us ignore.

She's not here to tell you to meditate more.

She's here to explain why your chronic fatigue, anxiety, and Sunday night dread are data - not weakness.

And how somatic practices create the kind of resilience that mindset work can't touch.

In this episode we explore how your body signals career misalignment before your brain admits it, what nervous system regulation looks like in real-life chaos, and why your regulation affects everything from business decisions to your kids' emotional development.

Her message: You don't have to choose between ambition and wellness.

Sustainable success is built from the body up, not despite it.

Topics: Nervous system regulation • Burnout recovery • Somatic practices • Ambitious motherhood • Emotional resilience

Nobody told me that going back to basics would feel this radical.

A month ago, I started a daily walking habit. 5,000 steps. Nothing fancy. Just trainers on and out the door.

In this episode, I share why this one small thing has made such a big difference—and why doing something for yourself, even something small, makes you a better parent.

Going through major life changes right now, being outside every day without planning has been exactly what I need.

If you're waiting for permission to do one small thing for yourself—here it is.

We did a thing! It's called Manbition! And Dr. Hasan Merali fits right in! He's not here for parenting advice, but to share what toddlers taught him about living.

This pediatric ER physician spent 15 years watching children maintain joy in their worst moments. Turns out, they were teaching him about curiosity, persistence, presence, and fearless question-asking.

In this episode we explore why kindergarteners outperform MBA students in creative challenges, how neuroplasticity means we can reclaim childlike wisdom as adults, and why his 6-month paternity leave became "the best period of his life."

His research validates what mothers already know: children don't wait for "someday" to live fully. They show us that fulfillment comes from being completely engaged in this moment, this season, this beautiful chaos.

From Harvard Medical School to his daughter Arya - discover how childlike wonder fuels adult achievement.

The science is clear: we once had these qualities naturally. We can return to them.

Topics: Child development, neuroplasticity, paternity leave, integration over balance

What happens when a stranger on the train says "You have such an amazing mummy" and it makes you glow for hours?

Why does recognition about our parenting hit differently than praise in any other area of life?

In this episode I explore the feedback vacuum of motherhood - where there's no performance review telling you you're succeeding. We dive into why effort doesn't equal outcome with children (you can parent perfectly and they'll still have a meltdown), and how the unpredictability makes us doubt our instincts daily.

Stop thinking you need to have it all figured out.

When someone affirms your parenting, they're cutting through the internal doubt spiral that never stops.

Motherhood is the only job where logic goes out the window and you're winging the most important role of your life.

That validation you crave? It's not weakness - it's the feedback system motherhood naturally lacks.