Returning to work after having a baby is often described as a “juggle”, a “balancing act”, or even a “marathon”—but let’s be real. Sometimes, it feels more like stepping into turbulence without a seatbelt.

One moment, you’re navigating nap schedules and nappy changes, and the next, you’re expected to switch into work mode, ready to perform as if you haven’t just undergone one of the biggest identity shifts of your life.

Anthropologist Dana Raphael calls it matrescence—the process of becoming a mother. Like adolescence, it’s a period of profound physical, emotional and cognitive change. Scientists have even found that a mother’s brain physically restructures, with reductions in grey matter in areas linked to social cognition—likely to sharpen maternal instincts and deepen bonding (Source: Nature). Jools Raye

In today’s demanding world, the pressure to “have it all” often feels not only overwhelming but downright unsustainable. As working mums, many of us feel 'golden handcuffed' to our jobs—dual incomes keep households afloat—even as we strive to nurture our creative souls and honour our evolving identities. It’s time to challenge the narrative and embrace what I call the Return Reset: a deliberate pause to reassess our priorities, recognise our growth, and redefine success on our own terms.

"I felt broken trying to go back and be the same person after maternity leave. But I wasn't broken. The system is." Rediscovery Coach Jools Raye sits down with Dr Giselle Goodwin — mum, academic and author of Can Women Really Have It All? — to explore what it actually means to build a life that fits the woman you've become. Not the woman you were before.

When Dr Rebecca Troy missed her daughter's Halloween parade, she vowed to build a life that lets her choose what matters. In this episode Rediscovery Coach Jools Raye sits down with the woman who has helped over 3,000 families — and whose dyslexia coaching is moving children 50 percentile points in just four months. Because when you give mama the tools, she can change everything.

53% of mothers say their confidence has taken a hit since having children. 1 in 3 feel perceived as less committed after maternity leave. Rediscovery Coach Jools Raye makes the case for why supporting women back into the workplace isn't a nice to have — it's an economic necessity. And why the return isn't about going back. It's about rising.

Burnout isn't just exhaustion — it's your body waving a red flag. Rediscovery Coach Jools Raye sits down with burnout expert and author Jayne Morris to have the honest conversation nobody is having about what really happens when mothers try to return to work while running on empty. And why your return doesn't have to look like your life before children.

Formal mentoring programmes are great — if you have the time, the access and the right connections. Most women don't. Rediscovery Coach Jools Raye explores why podcasts have become the most powerful mentorship tool for women redesigning their lives after motherhood — and why sometimes the voice in your ear saying "I've been where you are" is exactly enough.

Formal mentoring programmes are great — if you have the time, the access and the right connections. Most women don't. Rediscovery Coach Jools Raye explores why podcasts have become the most powerful mentorship tool for women redesigning their lives after motherhood — and why sometimes the voice in your ear saying "I've been where you are" is exactly enough.

When burlesque performer and single mum Hayley Dixon appeared on First Dates she was met with strangers telling her she was "too much." Rediscovery Coach Jools Raye unpacks why society still struggles with women who hold more than one identity at once — and why wanting love, joy and freedom doesn't make you a bad mother. It makes you a whole one.

There comes a moment — often quietly — when a woman realises her life looks good on paper but doesn't feel good in her body.

She's done everything right. Built the career. Ticked the boxes. Kept going.

And yet something feels off.

That's where purpose enters the conversation. Not as a buzzword — as a felt experience.

Purpose isn't about doing more. It's not about fixing yourself or chasing someone else's version of success. It's about alignment. Listening inward. Letting meaning lead.

If you're craving change but can't quite name what that change is yet — you're not behind. You're early.

And sometimes all it takes is one conversation to open the door.

🎧 Listen to the full episode on Flocking Fabulous Next Chapter

What if instead of resolutions you chose one word to guide your whole year? Rediscovery Coach Jools Raye shares why her word for 2026 is Magic, what matrescence really does to a woman's identity, and how she's designing a life and business that fits — on her own terms.

Family gatherings, burnt dinners and someone always in a mood — sound familiar? Rediscovery Coach Jools Raye shares her simple ELF framework — Emotion, Listen, Fun — to help you navigate holiday chaos with calm, humour and a lot more joy. Because you can't control the chaos. But you can control how you show up in it.

SEO Description: Nobody warns you that motherhood comes with a side of public humiliation, zero instructions and someone always crying — often you. Rediscovery Coach Jools Raye sits down with comedian and Funny Mummy Alyssa Kyria to explore why sharing your messiest mum moments isn't embarrassing — it's actually how we build our village.

Stanford researchers call them weak ties — the loose connections you almost didn't make. Rediscovery Coach Jools Raye shares how a podcast, a few brave conversations and the people she barely knew became the catalyst for leaving corporate life, building a soul-led business and designing a life that actually fits her. If you're a mum wondering what's next — this one's for you.

You know IQ. You've heard of EQ. But Spiritual Intelligence — SQ — is the one nobody talks about. And according to Rediscovery Coach Jools Raye, it's the missing piece for every mum who's done surviving and ready to start actually living. No woo woo. Just science, soul, and the permission to want more than beige.