In this rich & energising conversation, I'm joined by writer, multi-award-winning blogger & long-time flexible working campaigner Vicki Broadbent - known to many as @honestmum - whose digital career began after leaving her role as a screenwriter & TV director when motherhood collided with an inflexible industry.

The author of Mumboss and Greek Myths, Folk Tales & Legends, Vicki has built one of the UK’s most recognisable digital platforms while raising her three children - & advocating for mothers’ rights, visibility & creativity along the way.

We explore how guilt showed up in Vicki’s early years of motherhood, how identity loss & creative reinvention shaped her path, & what 15 years online has taught her about women’s voices, misogyny, stigma, & the pressures mothers still carry today.

What we cover:

✨ The early career pivot that wasn’t really a choice

Vicki shares how the TV & film world made it almost impossible to combine directing with raising a baby - & the subtle (and not-so-subtle) stigma she faced for becoming pregnant at 27 in a male-dominated industry.

✨ The constant undertow of mum-guilt

We discuss guilt as the “side dish of motherhood” - from being physically separated from your child for work, to trying to work around them at home, to the emotional whiplash of being endlessly stretched, responsible & tired.

✨ Flexible work: blessing or burden?

Vicki shares how working digitally gave her more presence with her children - but also came with increased expectations & mental load, reinforcing gendered roles even when both partners wanted equality.

✨ Fathers, stigma and the pressure to “provide”

We discuss how stigma, financial norms & patriarchal expectations also constrain fathers - keeping equality stalled & mothers overloaded.

✨ The mental load and the quiet crisis of modern parenthood

From crying in the car after drop-off to the exhaustion of juggling kids, care, work, after-school clubs & emotional labour - Vicki names the hidden strain so many parents carry.

✨ The culture of comparison & social media’s influence on maternal guilt

We talk candidly about how curated feeds, beauty standards, pressures on girls, & toxic masculinity messages shape how children grow up - & how mothers feel.

✨ Creativity as the thread back to yourself

Vicki shares how blogging, writing & storytelling helped her rebuild a sense of identity after traumatic birth & career upheaval - & why creativity is still her anchor.

✨ Her new book: Greek Myths, Folk Tales & Legends

Vicki explains the emotional & ancestral pull behind retelling Greek stories for a modern audience, how she researched & reimagined characters, & why writing this book was unexpectedly grounding & healing.

Links

• Buy Vicki’s book: Greek Myths, Folk Tales & Legends
• Connect with Vicki: @honestmum
• Buy Belinda’s book: Challenge Your Guilt
• Apply for a free Motherload Breakthrough Call
• Subscribe to the Flourishing Mother newsletter

✨ If this episode resonated, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a mother who needs to hear that guilt was never hers to carry.