Steph & Laura

Latest Episodes:

Steph’s therapy update Jun 09, 2024

Show notes

Steph’s been seeing a therapist for the past few months and in today’s episode she shares how it’s been going, what she’s learned from it, and she and Laura reflect on how valuable it’s been for both of them to speak to someone unbiased who you can be totally truthful with.

Then Laura reflects on completing the Kic Run 10 - 21km program and completing her first half marathon in a few years, including overcoming injury, showing up for every rehab session, and fuelling her workouts, rather than using running to lose weight.

Plus Laura’s dryer saga continues!

SPECIAL SHARES

Steph: Bridgerton on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/au/title/80232398?source=35
Laura: Your Place Or Mine on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/au/title/81045831?source=35

FOLLOW US

KICPOD @kicpod on Instagram
Join our closed KICPOD Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/630561419185145/
Steph Claire Smith @stephclairesmith on Instagram & @steph_claire_smith on TikTok
Laura Henshaw @laura.henshaw on Instagram & @laura.henshaw on Tiktok
Kic @kic.app on Instagram & @kic on TikTok and kicapp.com or download the app from the App Store and Google Play Store

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So…Do I Want Kids? - with Laura Henshaw & Dalton Henshaw Jun 04, 2024

Show notes

For the final episode of the miniseries Laura sits down with her husband Dalton. How does he feel about Laura doing this miniseries? What are his own fears around having children? Is it selfish if they never have children? And finally…do Laura & Dalton want kids?

Then we hear from you about what the series has taught you.

And Laura reflects on what she’s learned from creating the miniseries.

FOLLOW US

Laura Henshaw @laura.henshaw on Instagram & @laura.henshaw on Tiktok
KICPOD @kicpod on Instagram
Join our closed KICPOD Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/630561419185145/
Join Kic @kic.app on Instagram & @kic on TikTok and kicapp.com or download the app from the App Store and Google Play Store

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our thoughts on Sydney vs Melbourne Fashion Week Jun 02, 2024

Show notes

Sydney Fashion Week was a few weeks ago and it raised important conversations about who gets invited, who gets photographed, and how the event leaves people feeling afterwards, so this week we reflect on our own experiences of attending Melbourne and Sydney Fashion Weeks both as guests and walking in shows.

Then we take a trip down memory lane to reflect on some of the dorky and rebellious things we did when were teenagers, like wearing rainbow toe socks but ONLY on Thursdays (Steph) and creating a shrine of empty Vodka Cruiser bottles (Laura).

SPECIAL SHARES

Steph: Anyone But You https://www.primevideo.com/dp/amzn1.dv.gti.2143b543-ee98-479b-8c01-3e5e4da4aa6d?
Laura: A quote from Steven Bartlett “take nothing personally” https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stevenbartlett-123_everyone-needs-to-understand-this-when-activity-7149323742911893504-xEMa/

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"My partner wants kids and I don’t. Should we break up?" - with Laura Henshaw May 30, 2024

Show notes

The decision to have children is a personal one but if you’re in a relationship, the decision is one that you can’t make on your own. So what do you do if you find yourself in a situation where your partner wants kids but you’re not ready…or you want kids and your partner isn’t ready?

Or what if you want children…but you don’t have anyone to have them with?

In this episode Laura speaks with a KICPOD community member Madi who asked, “what if all the good partners are taken?”

Then Laura sits down with relationship coach Megan Luscombe to find out how she helps couples work through this decision. What happens in a relationship when one partner doesn’t want children and has them? Or when one partner does want children and doesn’t have them? Do couples with different desires have to break up? How do you distinguish your wants from your partners’ within a long term relationship? And if you are single and dating with the intention of finding a relationship…how soon do you bring it up?

Then you share your thoughts on the topic ❤️

FIND OUT MORE

Follow Megan https://www.instagram.com/meganluscombe_/

Work with Megan https://www.meganluscombe.com.au/

Listen to previous KICPOD episodes with Megan

My partner is perfect...why do I have doubts? Relationship coach Megan Luscombe is back to answer your questions https://pod.fo/e/22c46d

Should I break up with them? Relationship coach Megan Luscombe answers your questions https://pod.fo/e/228bb0

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Does our fertility really fall off a cliff at 35? - with Laura Henshaw May 28, 2024

Show notes

For many women in their 20’s and 30’s, the tick of the biological clock can be deafening. We’re told our fertility falls off a cliff at 35 years old, so if we want children, we’d better get moving. When you add on messaging around the desire to be a “young” mum to keep up with your children, this only adds to the pressure that many women feel to make a decision that they don’t feel ready to make.

But what if women’s fertility didn’t fall off a cliff at 35? What if it was a gradual decline rather than a sharp cliff? And what if we had role models of women having children later in their life to see that it’s not only possible, but can be just as good (and maybe even better!) than having children younger.

In this episode Laura speaks with two women at different stages in their motherhood journey. Leonie had her first child at 30 years old and wishes she’d waited longer. Sharyn had her first child at 43 years old and has no trouble keeping up with him.

Laura also speaks with Dr Karin Hammarberg, Senior Research Fellow in the Monash University School of Public Health, about the myth that women’s fertility falls off a cliff at 35.

Then you share your thoughts on the topic ❤️

FIND OUT MORE

Read these articles from Karin

‘Women are often told their fertility ‘falls off a cliff’ at 35, but is that right?’ https://theconversation.com/women-are-often-told-their-fertility-falls-off-a-cliff-at-35-but-is-that-right-189978

‘Don’t believe the hype. ‘Egg timer’ tests can’t reliably predict your chance of conceiving or menopause timing’

https://theconversation.com/dont-believe-the-hype-egg-timer-tests-cant-reliably-predict-your-chance-of-conceiving-or-menopause-timing-207008

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IUD or I-U-Don’t? Steph’s big decision May 26, 2024

Show notes

It’s a mixed bag this week! Steph has a raspy voice (the sick kind…not the sexy kind) and Laura has a story about a dryer gone wrong and she wants to know what you would do if you were in the same situation.

Then Steph shares the decision she recently made to get her IUD removed.

And we call relationship coach (and friend of the podcast) Megan Luscombe to ask for her advice on the question: “how do I start a conversation with my partner that I don’t want to have?”

SPECIAL SHARES

Steph: The Idea Of You on Amazon Prime https://www.primevideo.com/dp/0NRT15S2XG06SG5HBV5NQAW3E3?

Steph: 'Mad About You' podcast with Jadé Tunchy and Lachie Brycki https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/mad-about-you/id1744842826

Laura: Promising Young Woman on Stan (trigger warning: the film portrays sexual assault) https://www.stan.com.au/watch/promising-young-woman-2020?

FOLLOW US

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Career + children. Can I have both? - with Laura Henshaw May 23, 2024

Show notes

The most common fear we heard from you while planning this series, was what children would do to your career. Progression, relevancy, loss of superannuation, loss of identity, and comments like "why would you have kids if you're going to go back to work," all contribute to women making the decision to have children. And with increased rates of homelessness among women in Australia, and women retiring with 28% less superannuation than men, these fears are not baseless.

But having children doesn’t have to end or derail your career. Children could even help your career.

In this episode Laura speaks with two women on different sides of the career & motherhood journey.

Founder & coach Janey Martino had three children under 3 in her early 30’s while her career was on a high. She continued working and now that her children are teenagers, she is able to role model to them what working parenthood looks like.

Britt Austin loves her career in sports marketing so she created a plan that would help her return to work four months after giving birth to her first baby in April.

Then you share your thoughts on the topic ❤️

FIND OUT MORE

Check out Janey’s coaching business ‘The Kintsugi Way’ https://kintsugiway.co/

Read KPMG’s report ‘The Gender Superannuation Gap’ from 2021 which states “The median superannuation balance for men aged 60‑64 years is $204,107 whereas for women in the same age group it is $146,900, a gap of 28 per cent.” https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/au/pdf/2021/addressing-gender-superannuation-gap.pdf

Find out more about the increase in homelessness for women in the ABS Estimating Homelessness Census from 2021 which found that of those experiencing homelessness in Australia in 2021, 44.1% were female, an increase of 10.1% from 2016, compared to a 1.6% increase for men in the same period https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/housing/estimating-homelessness-census/latest-release

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Do I need to be 100% sure I want kids? - with Laura Henshaw May 21, 2024

Show notes

If you're talking to people about the decision to have children it’s likely you’ve heard a version of this - “parenting is really hard so if you’re not 100% sure that you want children…don’t do it”.

This episode is here to challenge that idea. The reasons people say not to have children are very convincing - you’ll never sleep again, your relationship will never be the same, you’ll never have sex again, you’ll lose your weekends. Basically your life as you know it will be over.

But it's also the best decision some people ever make.

In this episode Laura speaks with three women who didn’t feel an innate calling to be mothers, but now that they have children, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Rebecca was adamant she didn’t want children until she hit her 30’s and a death in the family made her reconsider. Alyssa’s pregnancy took her and her partner by surprise. And Melanie faced more hurdles than most conceiving her two children.

Then you share your thoughts on the topic ❤️

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We hate when people say “stay in your lane”. Get out of your lane!! May 19, 2024

Show notes

Laura came in with a rant this week! So the next time you think about commenting “stay in your lane”...think again.

And one of you asked a tricky question about splitting the bill when you go out for dinner. You asked: “Is it stingy to ask to not to pay for alcohol I haven’t drunk it? So Laura & Steph take it to the Kic Court to decide!

Do you agree? How do you navigate this in your friendship group? Have your say in the KICPOD Facebook group.

SPECIAL SHARES

Steph: Rebel Wilson on The Diary of a CEO podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/rebel-wilson-i-experimented-with-ozempic-childhood/id1291423644?i=1000654635382
Laura: The Idea Of You (Anne Hathaway’s new movie) on Amazon Prime https://www.primevideo.com/dp/amzn1.dv.gti.918b5f07-0744-4ada-ab44-979c14087b2b?
Check out Em Ruscian's review of the film https://www.instagram.com/p/C6s5ZjBv31h/

Kic UPDATE

We’ve partnered with Dineamic!! Inspired by your favourite Kic recipes, our ready made meals are packed with the same flavour, quality and wholesome ingredients you know and love. It’s feel-good food, made for you.

Meals include: Ginger Lime Fish Curry with Broccoli & Brown Rice, Free Range Tuscan Chicken with Broccoli & Pasta, Free Range Baked Chicken Enchilada with Tortillas, Free Range Chicken Pesto with Casarecce Pasta, Free Range Moroccan Chicken with Turmeric Rice & Currants, Cashew Satay Udon Bowl with Tofu. Order online now here: https://www.dineamic.com.au/pages/kic

(and Hack…sign up to Dineamic’s newsletter and you’ll get $25 of your first order!)

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Can I be childfree and still feel fulfilled? - with Laura Henshaw May 16, 2024

Show notes

Whether it’s biological, circumstantial, financial, environmental, a result of trauma, or simply because you don’t want to, the reasons why people decide to be childfree are as diverse as the reasons why people decide to be parents. For many people, the decision to be childfree is met with comments like “you’ll change your mind,” or “you won’t know real love until you have a child,” or “what if you regret it?”. And with so few childfree role models showing us what a childfree life could look like, these responses can be hard to deny.

In this episode, Laura speaks with three childfree women.

Danni Duncan is a New Zealand based childfree content creator who has dedicated her life to showing people that a childfree life is not only possible, but can be totally fulfilling and empowering.

Amelia is a member of our KICPOD community who made the decision not to have children based on her own childhood.

And finally, Karen made the decision to be childfree despite having the desire to be a parent. Now she’s in her 50’s she is so happy with the decision she made.

Then we hear your thoughts on the topic ❤️

FIND OUT MORE

Follow Danni on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/danni___duncan/

Check out We Are Childfree https://wearechildfree.com/

FOLLOW US

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