This Season has been a bit unique for me, as it’s the first time I’ve been pregnant while podcasting.

In this recap, I want to thank you for tuning in so far and go over some of the highlights from this latest stage of the Mixing Babies And Business™ Podcast…including what I’m doing to prepare for 2022, as I get ready to welcome a third baby!

I’ve spent the entire time planning it, booking in guests, recording interviews, editing, producing and promoting episodes throughout each trimester – I am nearing the final weeks and am preparing to wrap it up for now.

I originally started this podcast in the Summer of 2020, publishing my first episodes later that year, while I was working from home around my kids who were two and four years old at the time.

Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to interview 14 entrepreneurs and community leaders who are also parents, based in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

There are now over 45 mini episodes available for you to download!

All of them are under 20 minutes each and child-friendly, so you can stream them with or without headphones, while you go about your daytime routines or nighttime feeds.

This pregnancy has been a challenging one and I feel like as a parent and more recently, as a podcast host, it doesn’t always get easier, I just get better at adapting each time!

But I’ve also had some great highlights over the past eight months as I have been able to speak to other audiences about podcasting, bringing my kids into business settings and how I structure my remote work setup.

I’d love to keep talking about these topics in 2022, so if you know of any organizations focused on:

– entrepreneurship;
– flexible or remote work; 
– who are seeking to provide fresh content around creative workflows; or
– more inclusive business solutions for parents

Please do get in touch with me.

I’ll be taking a break during the first part of 2022 but I intend to keep speaking and writing about these topics alongside my baby, as I have done with my other two kids!

A few things I’m doing differently this time around include:

– unplugging from most social media and focusing mainly on LinkedIn to remain connected to my network and share future content over the coming year;

– participating in a six-month regional mastermind for women entrepreneurs, where I’ll be logging on to bi-weekly online sessions with my baby, instead of physically bringing them, their car seat, stroller or baby carrier into boardrooms and workshop sessions with me;

– setting up firm boundaries around my communications, availability and response times for community members or prospective clients…I don’t intend to have meetings, host online events or book in new project work until the second quarter of the year;

– giving myself time and space to rest, recover; and

– hopefully if my older kids can stay in school over the coming months (fingers crossed), remembering how to care for a newborn again!

I will miss not being able to meet up with other parents, their kids, family and friends.

I will miss not being able to enter business spaces as easily with a baby and continuing to invest in myself, while connecting with other humans, because of public health considerations.

I will miss not being able to go outside as often or for as long, as this will be my first baby born during Canadian winter, which is a very different experience to the summer time temperatures.

BUT like so many parents have done over the past few years, I will learn to adapt and do my best.

As with learning how to podcast, I’ve been trying to go through this pregnancy and planning for the fourth trimester, bit by bit, week by week.

Doing what’s in front of me or only focusing on the next thing I can do, trying not to worry about how the future experience will be.

Only time will tell and by then, this podcast will be going into Season 4 and I will have a better update for you – so wish me luck!

For now, let’s talk about the Season 3 recap:

During this latest series, I’ve interviewed four guests spanning the beauty, health, recruitment and publishing industries.

The first interview features Jennifer Harper, a mom of two and an award-winning entrepreneur, as the founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics Inc. in Canada.

You’ll find our conversation in episodes 33, 34 and 35, where we talk about building a sustainable Indigenous beauty brand and learning a new industry.

The second interview features Adonica Shaw, a mom of three, speaker, author and founder of Wingwomen in the United States.

You’ll find our conversation in episodes 36, 37 and 38, where we talk about advocating for maternal health and cultivating digital wellness spaces.

My third interview features Jane Downes, a mom of four, chartered accountant and the founder of Part-Time.ie and Jane Downes Finance Talent in Ireland.

You’ll find our conversation in episodes 39, 40 and 41, where we talk about transitioning to part-time and negotiating for flexibility as you return to work.

My fourth interview features Rashmi Sirdeshpande, a mom of two and a lawyer turned children’s author of non-fiction and fiction picture books based in England.

You’ll find our conversation in episodes 42, 43 and 44, where we talk about encouraging innovation in young readers and learning from our kids.

Despite the differences in their backgrounds, families and business structures, a few key themes have emerged which have also been echoed during previous seasons.

The ones which jumped out at me were the importance of:

– choosing a mission or vision which you are driven by during good times and bad;

– being adaptable to changing circumstances as your work routines are forced to change and your family expands and grows up alongside your business;

– having the courage to learn a new industry, the importance of networking, seeking out feedback and not being afraid of making mistakes; and

– practicing kindness with yourself, working through your own healing and treating yourself as you would treat a friend, when it comes to both parenthood and entrepreneurship milestones and challenges.

I also shared my experiences in episode 45, of becoming an accidental activist when I became a parent and started bringing my baby into business settings.

Listen back to it if you’re curious about how I’m encouraging corporations to create more inclusive business spaces and programming for primary caregivers and their families and how as a parent, you can continue to advocate for yourself and your needs.

I’ve really enjoyed hosting these conversations and sharing them with you through this podcast over the past two years and can’t wait to see what the next year will bring.

When I’ve been invited to speak prior to the pandemic, I’ve always said that I hope I’m not still talking about these things in another five years because they will have become redundant.

As awareness around the benefits and opportunities of flexible work grows, I hope we continue to welcome and keep having discussions like these, followed by testing out new ideas, ways of working and parenting in real time.

I hope these episodes so far have inspired you to design a life that works for you and your family.

Progress is happening slowly but if you’re a parent listening to this, don’t wait for permission to start showing up as you are, kids and all.

If you’re an employer or company decision maker listening to this, I hope you’re considering the barriers parents may be facing when it comes to fully participating in your workplace or programming and thinking about the steps you can take to address their needs.

It doesn’t need to be perfect, but if you want to attract and retain talent or your main target audience consists of parents, the topics of:

– accessible spaces for families;
– flexible work times or locations;
– the current state of childcare where you are based; and 
– the ways in which you hire, communicate with and invest in people.

Are a few areas you could start to examine and testing out new solutions for.

If you’ve enjoyed these episodes, please share them with your network, colleagues, clients and other corporate partners, especially if you’re also passionate about advocating for more inclusive business spaces and programming for primary caregivers.

I’d love if you would subscribe and leave a review because it helps other parents find the podcast too!

Stay tuned for Season 4 in the second half of 2022. Thank you for listening, spreading the word and supporting this work!

✨ For now, take care, look after yourselves and best wishes over the coming months.

– Amy (+ Family) xx
Founder of Mixing Babies And Business™

Looking for more info about Flexible + Remote Work?

Tune into the Mixing Babies And Business™ Podcast (hosted and produced by me, Amy Lynch, from my home during the pandemic).

Download the free template:
Remote Work (With Kids) Time Blocking Made Easy [DOWNLOAD]

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I wrote a book:

Startup Blogging: Validate A Business Idea and Build Your Audience is based on my journey as a blogger, writer, founder and parent to date.

You can download the Amazon Kindle app for free from the Apple Store and Google Play.

You can then purchase, download and read the eBook version of my book from your mobile, tablet or device!