Welcome to Have It All, the podcast that says the quiet part out loud about motherhood, career, ambition and the chaos in between.
I’m Emily Parks. Mum of two, marketer, and someone who’s learned that doing it all often means doing too much.
Every second week, I chat with women navigating the juggle of working motherhood, identity and ambition. These are honest, thoughtful and uplifting conversations about what it really looks like to balance career, family and self.
Because having it all doesn’t mean doing it all. And you’re not meant to figure it out alone.
You don't own your work identity with Jo | GM and mum of two
In her twenties, Jo had it all on paper: Colenso, Saatchi New York, flown from AKL to LDN just to pick up a camera, and more impressive stories for a Saturday BBQ than most.
In this episode, Jo isn't afraid of saying the quiet part out loud: "I think I became addicted to being impressive."
Jo and I talk about what happens when the career that built your identity stops being the thing that defines you. Then along came motherhood (a journey in itself), her role got restructured while she was on leave, and she had to rebuild who she was from somewhere other than a job title.
We get into the nitty gritty: coming back from maternity leave to report to someone who used to report to her, the identity crisis of feeling replaceable at work, and why she eventually negotiated her way into a GM role on her own terms, working 9am to 3pm so she's the one doing school drop off and pick up.
We also talk about:
Why "where do you work?" can feel like the most annoying question in the room once you're a mum
The moment she realised the best years of her career weren't actually behind her, just different
Parenting out loud at work (and why some workplaces still make you feel like you need to sneak out for pick up)
Reframing ambition from climbing the ladder to mastering your own life
What "having it all" really means once you stop comparing yourself to everyone else's highlight reel
If you've ever felt like your job title used to say more about you than it does now, this one's for you.
Follow Have It All on IG @haveitall.podcast
4 Aug 2026
"I want it all, and I've tried so hard to have it all, but you can't" with Elle, business partner & mum of two
There's a version of "having it all" that gets sold to ambitious women, and then there's the version Elle actually lives.
In this conversation, we get into the three months' leave she took with each baby, the chronic fatigue that eventually stopped forced her to slow down, and the mum guilt that's actually hitting harder now (years later) as her kids get old enough to ask why she's not the one at pickup.
We talk identity, ambition, the sacrifices no one tells you about going in, and why she's still figuring out how to keep work out of home time (spoiler: it's hard).
Elle's honest about what she'd do differently. She's just as honest about what she wouldn't change for anything. This one's about seasons, about what it costs to be the person everyone can rely on, and about choosing a career you love while your kids are only this little once.
Listen if you've ever been sitting with your kids and felt half your brain still checking your inbox — and you're over pretending that pull isn't there.
Follow Elle on IG @fitr.at40
Follow @haveitall.podcast on IG
8 Jul 2026
Squiggly careers & raising three boisterous boys with Hannah McHugh | Community Partnerships Manager, ASB
From finding the glimmers in every day to naming her inner voice, Hannah proves that a life lived intentionally is a life lived well. And she carries this intention into the way she and her husband parent their three boys.
Hannah now works full-time for ASB while her tradie husband prioritises time at home with their youngest, but this hasn't always been the set-up. Across three maternity leaves she's worked part-time, three days, four days, and got through the 2020 lockdowns with a toddler and a newborn, before landing on the arrangement that works for her family now. Her advice for anyone navigating a squiggly career: "You don't need to start at the beginning, you just need to find the right in."
Hannah's own path proves it, dietitian, then marketing and PR, then charity partnerships, now community partnerships at ASB, where she recently helped bring the first Kids Can Glow Run to life.
In this episode we also talk about the small daily glimmers that keep her going, the Fair Play cards she and her husband use to split the mental load, and what it's taken to rebuild her confidence since returning to a workplace that changed while she was on leave.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode!
You can support the podcast by following, liking and sharing with a friend.
Or find me on IG @haveitall.podcast
Who has been a guest on Have It All
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Skye Ross
Becs Bradley
Shrenika
Hannah
Reach and audience
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Spotify
5.0 / 5
27 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 47 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
74
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
51
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