The SEN Mums’ Career Club
There is no shortage of content for women balancing parenting with a career. Ditto for those caring for a child with a disability. But what about the women doing both? The SEN Mums’ Career Club is a place for women raising children with complex and additional needs to find support and inspiration from fellow mums who are also endlessly juggling hospital appointments, DLA forms and EHCP reviews with climbing the career ladder. Every week, journalist and SEN mum Leisa Millar speaks to women in fascinating and diverse roles – from medicine to law, PR to business – to find out how they make work work for them in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Listen on:
Episodes
Wednesday Dec 20, 2023
Wednesday Dec 20, 2023
For this Christmas special, host Leisa Millar sits down with Lauren Fenton and Rina Teslica - hosts of the 'Fucking Normal' podcast - for a celebratory and sweary chat through taking extended time out of the workforce, rebuilding your confidence after trauma and reassessing your priorities when it comes to both career and life.
Wednesday Aug 23, 2023
Wednesday Aug 23, 2023
In the final episode of the series, host Leisa Millar is joined by educator, speaker and author Charlie Beswick for an emotional conversation about what success and achievement really mean, plus how brothers and sisters fit into the SEN family picture.
The SEN Mums' Career Club, brought to you by DC Thomson, is produced by Morven McIntyre with graphics from Gemma Day.
Wednesday Aug 16, 2023
Wednesday Aug 16, 2023
In episode five, award-winning PR director Natalie Trice sits down with host Leisa Millar to discuss how her son’s diagnosis of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) as a baby turned their lives upside down.
The SEN Mums' Career Club, brought to you by DC Thomson, is produced by Morven McIntyre with graphics from Gemma Day.
New episodes every Wednesday.
Wednesday Aug 09, 2023
Wednesday Aug 09, 2023
In episode four, Leisa sits down with friend and fellow Kabuki Syndrome mum Kate Blackmore to learn how she manages a high-stakes job as a paediatric ENT surgeon alongside parenting a child with ENT care needs.
The SEN Mums' Career Club, brought to you by DC Thomson, is produced by Morven McIntyre with graphics from Gemma Day.
New episodes every Wednesday.
Wednesday Aug 02, 2023
Wednesday Aug 02, 2023
In episode three, serial entrepreneur – and mother to three children with a number of disabilities – Debs Aspland joins host Leisa Millar for a deep dive into making money and as parent carer.
The SEN Mums' Career Club, brought to you by DC Thomson, is produced by Morven McIntyre with graphics from Gemma Day.
New episodes every Wednesday.
Wednesday Jul 26, 2023
Wednesday Jul 26, 2023
In episode two, host Leisa Millar is joined by civil servant-turned-online business manager Lizzy Parsons. Lizzy recently took her local authority to court to fight for her daughter’s education – and won.
The SEN Mums' Career Club, brought to you by DC Thomson, is produced by Morven McIntyre with graphics from Gemma Day.
New episodes every Wednesday.
Wednesday Jul 19, 2023
Wednesday Jul 19, 2023
In episode one, host Leisa Millar is joined by legal marketer Helen Burness to discuss navigating the world of law while caring for a daughter with special educational needs.
The SEN Mums' Career Club, brought to you by DC Thomson, is produced by Morven McIntyre with graphics from Gemma Day.
New episodes every Wednesday.
Wednesday Jul 12, 2023
Wednesday Jul 12, 2023
Welcome to The SEN Mums' Career Club: a new podcast for and about women in work also raising children with special educational needs.
Episode 1 lands 19 July 2023.
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From your host, Leisa Millar
Every working mother understands the conflicting demands of work and parenting. But as a mother of a disabled child, I contend with a largely unseen but additional, equally all-consuming, third element: care.
It’s little wonder to me that only 3% of UK women with a disabled child are also in full-time work. I first read that stat in Joeli Brearley’s 2021 book Pregnant Then Screwed: The Motherhood Penalty And How To Fix It and it’s been on my mind ever since.
Where are we all, I wondered? I couldn’t find stories of other women having to ghost on work calls to speak to doctors they know by name, or who cruise into Monday morning meetings with relief after a relentless weekend of managing meltdowns and care-related paperwork.
And so this podcast, The SEN Mums’ Career Club, was born. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoy recording it!