Mamamia

Australia's largest independent women's media group. Read, listen, watch and start the conversation on news, entertainment, opinion, kids, style, TV and more...

← Back to all Publications

Featured Writers

Emily Smith

I write, create content and edit for a variety of brands, publications and individuals in the nutrition, fitness and wellness space, including MamaMia, Good Food Australia, Emilia Thompson PhD, The …

Alyssa Forato

SEO Copywriter and Editorial Journalist

Hannah Vanderheide

I'm a freelance journalist, copywriter, actor, and mum to a perfect little maniac named Finn. I'm also a disability and rare disease advocate, eating disorder survivor, and wellness industry sceptic …

Stefanie Reilly

Public relations practitionerFreelance writer and copywriterCasual public relations academic tutor

Alex Davies

I'm a London-based writer and editor with a print and digital background in the UK and Australia. Although I love telling any great story, my main focus is health and …

Sheridan James

Latest Articles

Why we should be focusing on glimmers in the 'hard years' of parenting.

It’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times and just when your head can’t take one more hours-long whine-athon, your little people go exploding your heart with paralysing joy. Last Wednesday, I got a call from a frazzled friend (also a working mum of an almost three-year-old) to …

By Hannah Vanderheide
13th May 2024 • Mamamia

'I stopped getting my nails done years ago because of this viral hack.'

I've never been one to have nice natural nails. Ever since I was a child, I would bite and pick at my nails until there was nothing left for my little teeth or fingers to grip onto (my mum even has a photo of me from when I was a …

By Alyssa Forato
23rd March 2024 • Mamamia

We need to talk about the cost of divorce in 2024.

Talking about divorce when you’re in a happy marriage can feel a bit like planning for your death on your sweet 16th — it just feels… wrong. But, much like making a will (while we’re here, take this as your cue to get on that), becoming divorce-literate is one of …

By Hannah Vanderheide
29th February 2024 • Mamamia

Always feel like crying on your birthday? There's a reason why.

I recently turned 42. It’s a bit of a blah number, sure. But for the most part, I'm not particularly bothered by getting older. Having unexpectedly lost a friend when we were both 39, every subsequent year feels like something to be especially grateful for, which I am. Be that …

By Emily McGrorey
29th December 2023 • Mamamia

'Our three-year-old son has a brain tumour. There's still so many moments of joy.'

After Henry, who was just two at the time, fell over and hit his head while chasing a bird, he was taken to hospital for tests as a precaution. But the results revealed something much worse than Alex and Mark could've ever imagined – there was tumour the size of …

By Hannah Vanderheide
1st November 2023 • Mamamia

‘My daughter was fat shamed by a stranger. She's 2.’

*Kayla was sitting with her little girl, freshly two years old, sharing a pastry on the bench at the playground. It was a sunny Wednesday and the two were having a lovely snack break when an older woman strolled past and remarked, “She’d better slow down on those with a …

By Hannah Vanderheide
14th September 2023 • Mamamia

'I was forced to completely rethink how I exercise in my 40s. I wish I'd done it sooner.'

I firmly believed I had to end up red-faced and dripping in sweat every time I exercised or it didn’t count. This new program has turned all that on its head. I don’t feel like I’m going to my edge every time I train, but I’m getting great results and …

By Emily McGrorey
1st September 2023 • Mamamia

Move over love languages, what you really need to understand is relationship 'fight styles'.

When you think of healthy relationships, chances are the first thing that comes to mind isn’t conflict. However, according to podcaster, author, life coach and former monk, Jay Shetty, being aware of how you and your partner ‘fight’ is a key component to any successful partnership. Shetty believes that just …

By Emily McGrorey
27th August 2023 • Mamamia

'I just got rid of the last of our baby gear and it made me ridiculously happy. Here’s why.'

It’s been one of those jobs I’ve been avoiding for months, unable to cross it off my to-do list no matter how many weeks in a row it appeared. In hindsight, I guess I’d been avoiding it because a) it’s time-consuming and b) it requires a reasonable amount of energy. …

By Emily McGrorey
20th August 2023 • Mamamia

‘I’m a dietitian with endometriosis. Here’s what I’d love you to know.’

By Alex Davies
19th August 2023 • Mamamia

'Can exercise snacking really change your life? I tried it for a week.'

By Alex Davies
13th August 2023 • Mamamia

Millennials are hitting middle age. Here's what they want Gen Z to know.

In a society that lauds youth and beauty above much else, especially where women are concerned, ageing is something that makes many of us uncomfortable. We’re told the pretty are privileged and women of a certain age become invisible. So, understandably, we worry. About our place in this culture when …

By Emily McGrorey
11th August 2023 • Mamamia

I spent 22 years not knowing how to style my hair. Then I tried the 'bowl method'.

This process is popular among people whose curls usually look like stringy spaghetti, or refuse to form without a little extra help. A lot of people who grew up thinking they have wavy hair (like me) are using the 'bowl method' to find out that their hair has actually been …

By Alyssa Forato
19th July 2023 • Mamamia

'I tried the "Let Them Theory" on my kids... Here's what happened.'

So, what did I let them do? With my curiosity piqued, I decided to try the ‘Let Them Theory’ on my kids for a week. Keeping in mind that my kids are nine, seven and four, it wasn’t as if I was about to let them do every little thing …

By Emily McGrorey
6th July 2023 • Mamamia

'Say goodbye to your Saturday mornings!' 7 parents and an expert on kids' extracurriculars.

Pull out your puffer vests and say goodbye to your Saturday mornings, because it’s term two and weekend sport is back. We have three kids aged nine, seven and four, so we said goodbye to our Saturday mornings quite some time ago. In all seriousness, with two of our three …

By Emily McGrorey
2nd May 2023 • Mamamia

From menstrual leave to 'pet illness leave': Businesses are adopting new leave benefits and we have questions.

“Fertility leave is one I feel really positive about,” Hardie says. “We’re 81 per cent women in our business and there are always a lot of staff who are having babies and trying to get pregnant. I think that IVF is something people tend to keep pretty private, but it …

By Hannah Vanderheide
28th April 2023 • Mamamia

'My life-sustaining medication is out, everywhere. This is what it’s like.'

I reached the counter of my twelfth pharmacy, heart pounding, eyes brimming with tears, and choked out, “I called earlier about the hydrocortisone”. “The woman on the phone said you had three bottles of the 20mg,” I said. She scanned the shelves quizzically. “Nope, we have one left that’s about …

By Hannah Vanderheide
24th April 2023 • Mamamia

'I'm a primary ethics teacher. Here are the 5 biggest things it teaches kids.'

When our eldest child started kindergarten at the local public school, we were given the option of her attending weekly lessons in religion, ethics, or neither. Not being religious, my husband and I liked the idea of her attending ethics classes, which are described on the NSW Department of Education’s …

By Emily McGrorey
25th March 2023 • Mamamia

'For years, I subscribed to 'hustle culture'. It landed me in hospital.'

From my vantage point on my far-too-comfy couch, as I make my way through the day’s to-do list (carefully curated to allow ample room for cup-a-soup breaks, accidental naps and social media k-holes), it occurs to me that I may have finally liberated myself from the clutches of hustle culture. …

By Hannah Vanderheide
18th March 2023 • Mamamia

'I never looked sick.' In 2023, eating disorders don't look how you think.

Content warning: This story includes descriptions of disordered eating that may be distressing to some readers. Close your eyes for a moment and picture someone suffering, in the grips of an eating disorder. Imagine them struggling to eat a full meal, being tormented by obsessive thoughts surrounding weight and calories, …

By Hannah Vanderheide
16th March 2023 • Mamamia

Please don't ask me when I’m having my second child.

"What a gorgeous little boy! Must be time to go again soon?" I paused, briefly processing the intimacy of such a question coming from someone I’d spoken with for just three short minutes. I’d chatted with the check-out clerk casually in between unpacking groceries onto the belt, and then replacing …

By Hannah Vanderheide
10th March 2023 • Mamamia

'I've started wearing shorts for the first time in more than 15 years. Here's why.'

Me and my legs. It’s complicated. Like a lot of women, I have been waging a rather futile war against a body part of mine for decades now. Ever since I was in my teens, I’ve been self-conscious about my legs. They’re short, thick and being that I have very …

By Emily McGrorey
4th March 2023 • Mamamia

Why do you get sick when you stop? Two experts explain.

When we’re really busy and stressed, like a lot of us are these days, it’s pretty common to delay R&R until you can take some proper time off, such as when you go on a holiday. The trouble is, if you head into a break completely exhausted, your immune system …

By Emily McGrorey
25th February 2023 • Mamamia

From avoiding trends to cost-saving measures: 5 things to consider when planning a renovation.

Have a few (hundred) lockdowns and countless kitchen-bench Zoom meetings seen you cast a more critical eye over your living quarters? Maybe those creaky floors and cracked bathroom tiles seemed charming when you first moved in, but now you fantasise about taking a sledgehammer to your leaking kitchen sink each …

By Hannah Vanderheide
22nd January 2023 • Mamamia

'You're not lazy. You just don't know your energy type.'

• Role: Hybrid of Manifestors and Generators – they are the multi-passionate, multi-taskers. • Percentage of the population: 33 per cent. • How they use energy: They have consistent energy, but can have inconsistent motivation, depending on how satisfying they find their work. • Strategy: Respond to what is presented …

By Emily McGrorey
14th January 2023 • Mamamia

6 ways to maintain your sex life after kids, according to the experts.

Listen to Sealed Section. On this episode, Chantelle delves into the complicated but incredibly important topic of postpartum sex, and answers questions from listeners who are trying to reconnect with their partner, and themselves, after having a baby. Story continues below. Often when it comes to advice around sex after …

By Emily McGrorey
20th November 2022 • Mamamia

"Rest and laziness are two different things." 5 things that took me 40 years to learn.

It’s taken me a really long time to learn that I’m absolutely no use to anyone when I’m tired. Taking care of yourself and prioritising rest does not mean that you’re lazy. (Say it again with me, millennials.) Rest is an essential and necessary part of life, not just something …

By Emily McGrorey
5th November 2022 • Mamamia

Kelly* is a single mum of two. The rental crisis has been 'traumatising' for her.

Moving house for anyone can be stressful enough, let alone as a single mother with two children. This is what Kelly* has had to endure each year for the past three years with her children, aged eight and four - her eight-year-old has autism. She is now seeking a rental …

By TRACEY CHEUNG
19th October 2022 • Mamamia

"Create a to-don't list." 5 practical ways to feel better about doing less.

There was once a time in my life when I felt like I had more control over my days. When I could determine what time I went to bed and what time I woke up. I could come up with a zealous to-do list and have a good chance at …

By Emily McGrorey
4th September 2022 • Mamamia

'6 things I was surprised to learn about women's health in my 30s.'

I was getting into bed last night at 9:30pm because I'm a grownup (and the mum of a toddler), and I suddenly felt my lower back go into spasm. This is new, I thought to myself, rummaging through draws and cupboards for the heat pack my Nan had gifted me …

By Hannah Vanderheide
16th August 2022 • Mamamia