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Mrs Mummy PhD

Journeys of Becoming...

Becoming A Children’s Author: How Creativity Gave Me New Hope

July 1, 2021 · Personal Growth & Wellness

Becoming a Children's Author: How Creativity Gave Me New Hope | Mrs Mummy PhD

Want to know how becoming a children’s author as a PhD Mum while pregnant, homeschooling and living through a raging worldwide pandemic, gave me new hope? Allow me to quench your curiosity!

Father’s Day Special: How My Dad’s Fatherhood Shaped My Motherhood

June 20, 2021 · Love, Family & Lifestyle

As the world prepares to celebrate Father’s Day, I dedicate this special blog post to my Dad, whose fatherhood has had a profound impact on who I am today and who I am becoming in my own motherhood journey. 

5 Powerful Lessons I Learned In The Forest About Doing A PhD As A Mum

June 15, 2021 · PhD & Beyond

PhD Mum Lessons from the Forest - Beautiful Forest | Mrs Mummy PhD

In this blog post, I reflect on a recent forest walk with my family and the 5 powerful lessons it taught me about doing a PhD as a Mum.

Living in Hope & Gratitude: Reflecting On A Pandemic Year

March 15, 2021 · Personal Growth & Wellness

Updated – 24.4.2023: When we reflect on the pandemic, especially the first year of it, it may seem impossible to feel any sense of hope or gratitude. But I want to reflect on this in today’s post. You see… on…

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Happiness is Homemade: Reflections From A Legendary Lockdown Birthday

February 15, 2021 · Love, Family & Lifestyle, Personal Growth & Wellness

As a scholarly Mama, with so many competing priorities, it’s easy to put our happiness to the bottom of our priority list. And even when we actively seek our own happiness, we do so in all the wrong places. We look for external validation to make us happy. We rely on accolades, titles, and scholarly achievements to make us feel good about ourselves. But chasing shiny academic success with all the prestige in the world won’t give us happiness. Read the post for my reflections on birthday with a twist!

What’s Holding You Back from Starting Your Journey of Becoming?

February 1, 2021 · Personal Growth & Wellness

As I waited to board the tube (train) in the hustle and bustle of the evening rush hour, I had a teachable moment that spoke to me in a such a way that I felt compelled to make it the subject of this blog post. Read it to find out!

Mrs Mummy PhD Was Designed for You and Here’s Why

January 15, 2021 · Personal Growth & Wellness, PhD & Beyond

With so many facing challenges and struggling to achieve that delicate balance between scholarly life and real life (myself included), making their journeys sources of frustration, guilt, unhappiness, I decided to look for solutions. You won’t believe that I found! Read the post to find out!

Marriage, Motherhood & A PhD: Why I Started the Mrs Mummy PhD Blog

January 1, 2021 · Love, Family & Lifestyle, Personal Growth & Wellness, PhD & Beyond

As this is the beginning of my ‘sharing’ journey as Mrs Mummy PhD, I thought it might be nice to begin by way of introduction and explain why I started the blog. Read this post to find out more!

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Meet Mrs Mummy PhD®

Hey! I'm Dr Michelle Gibbs and this little corner of the internet exists to help ambitious Mamas like you, achieve your life and academic goals without sacrificing what matters most. If you're juggling family, career, academia and everything else in-between, then it's time to say 'yes' to savouring the moments that truly matter, while doing what sets your heart on fire! So Mama, are you in? Fabulous! These are our journeys of becoming :-)

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“Balance” is a beautiful word… but a terribl “Balance” is a beautiful word… but a terrible standard.

For purposeful @scholarlymamas, life isn’t about keeping everything perfectly weighted — it’s about honouring the seasons as they ebb and flow, clarifying priorities, and remembering that you are allowed to matter in the mix.

Forget chasing balance. Let’s talk about rhythms, integration, and just being enough.

Which part of this resonates most with you? 

Share below.

Remember Mama, these are our journeys of becoming 🦋

#scholarlymama #mrsmummyphd #fromoverwhelmedtoenough #podcaster #journeysofbecoming
If you’re a Mama doing a PhD, you’re going to If you’re a Mama doing a PhD, you’re going to want to listen to this episode with Dr Blessing Adeniyi from @thephdrace 

If you’ve listen to it, share your top highlights in the comments! 

If you haven’t yet, listen to Episode 118 on the @mrsmummyphd podcast! 

Mama, these are our journeys of becoming 🦋

#scholarlymama #mrsmummyphd #thephdrace #journeysofbecoming #gradschool #phdjourney #jugglestruggle #success
Two Mamas with PhDs, one brutally honest conversat Two Mamas with PhDs, one brutally honest conversation about what it really takes to run your own PhD Race...

Dr Blessing Adeniyi from "The PhD Race" @thephdrace just completed her PhD in Sustainability Management while working full-time as a wife and Mama – and she's sharing the mindset shift that changed everything.

This isn't about surviving the juggle struggle; it's about discovering how motherhood can actually become your academic superpower.

If you've ever been told to 'wait until the kids are older' or felt guilty for wanting both intellectual fulfillment AND present motherhood, this conversation will hit differently.

Ready to rewrite the rules? New episode of the Mrs Mummy PhD® podcast is live – link shared in stories! 🎧✨

Follow @mrsmummyphd for more!

Remember Mama, these are our journeys of becoming 🦋

#ScholarlyMama #PhDjourney #PhDMama #AcademicMum #WorkingMum #PhDLife #MumLife #AcademicSuccess
If this sounds like you, Mama, you’re in the rig If this sounds like you, Mama, you’re in the right place! 

Subscribe to the podcast (link in bio) or join my email list and let’s help you finish well without sacrificing what matters! 

Follow @mrsmummyphd and @scholarlymamas for more!

These are our journeys of becoming 🦋

#mrsmummyphd #scholarlymama #journeysofbecoming #phd #dr #phdwithkids
In this raw and honest moment from the podcast, Dr In this raw and honest moment from the podcast, Dr Milensu Shanyinde @workacademicmum opens up about the invisible weight so many mothers in academia carry—but rarely speak about.

Juggling her PhD and work life, navigating pregnancy and raising two young daughters during a global pandemic, Milensu talks candidly about the guilt, the overwhelm, and the internal tug-of-war between ambition and motherhood.

If you’ve ever felt stretched too thin, questioned your choices, or wondered if you’re doing enough—this episode will hit home for you.

Listen to the full guest episode on the Mrs Mummy PhD® podcast for more on Milensu’s journey, the lessons she learned, and the quiet strength behind her success. 

Tune in to also find out the one thing she wish she had while she was navigating PhD life and motherhood simultaneously. 

What I really love about her story isn’t only how she was able to see her PhD through to completion while juggling all the things, but also how she managed to land the leadership role of her dreams in her post-PhD era. 

Listen to the Mrs Mummy PhD® podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Tune into my IG stories for a fun bonus clip from the episode!

Remember Mama, these are our jounreys of becoming 🦋

#phdmama #workacademicmum #scholarlymamas #podcast #resilience #theresilientrise #phdjourney
Mama, don’t be distracted by doubters👇🏽

…because your journeys of becoming and purposeful outcomes will always speak for themselves, even if you’re also a Mama!

You’ll have a quiet, peaceful confidence about you that speaks volumes 🗣️

You see, for me, delayed was never denied because I knew there was no ‘standard way’ of navigating a PhD journey. Being a Mama before I began this journey and growing our family further during my PhD enhanced my journey in ways I can never explain… it was definitely not a hindrance or barrier to my success. 

Was it harder? You bet! 

Did it take me longer? Yes, it did. 

Would I do it again? I’m not sure 🤔 

But was it impossible? Clearly not!

What I realised, is that I had to hold the belief in who I was and get clear on my why, because I was enough and so are you! You are more than your PhD.

Follow @mrsmummyphd for more of you’re a Mama doing a PhD and juggling all the things.
Here, we’re turning “I’m overwhelmed” into “I’m enough”. Join us @scholarlymamas 

These are your journeys of becoming 🦋

#phdgraduate #throwback #2024 #journeysofbecoming #scholarlymama #phd #mrsmummyphd #scholarlymamas #youareenough♥️
I nearly quit my PhD more than once... Not becaus I nearly quit my PhD more than once...

Not because I couldn’t do the work—but because I was exhausted, isolated, and felt like no one understood how hard it was to keep holding it all together.

These five truths could’ve saved me so much guilt, self-doubt and second-guessing.

Swipe through if you’re:
– Juggling all the things and writing your PhD thesis during nap times
– Wondering if you’re too behind to finish
– Feeling like both a horrible Mama and PhD student who is always in survival mode

If this sounds like you, you are not broken. You’re just juggling a whole lot alone—without the village/support you deserve.

💬If this hits home, DM me 'WELL' and let’s get you connected, refocused, grounded again, and back on track—without burning out.

#phd #gradschoollife #phdlife #workingmum #scholarlymama #mumsofinstagram #academiccoach
"I can't tell you how many failed grant applicatio "I can't tell you how many failed grant applications I have had in the past year. They've been quite a few!..." she said. 

This was a conversation I had last week with a very senior colleague... 

It was a powerful moment of exchange.... 

She went on to share how many unsuccessful grant applications she'd had in the past year... 

I also shared similar experiences of 'failure'...

The wins and successes we've had have been amazing but the failures have definitely stung HARD!

Two researchers, very different on paper...
And yet... 
The level of shared understanding between us was profound.
The shared experience of 'failure' was normalised.
The effort was valued and appreciated.
The mutual support was beautiful.

We both felt seen, heard and understood.

But we both left that call inspired and motivated to not give up!

And so, here's the thing.... there is so much power in these conversations.

Sometimes you may never know the impact that a mundane interaction / mutual exchange can have, but I believe these conversations are so needed - not to champion mediocrity or diminish standards of academic excellence, but to normalise unsuccessful attempts, to celebrate effort and intention even when they don't lead to the desired outcome, to help us realise the potential for personal or professional growth and to motivate us to keep going.

Want more? Tune into Episodes 85 and 86 of the Mrs Mummy PhD® podcast whereever you get your podcasts! 

These are our journeys of becoming 🦋

 #mrsmummyphd #scholarlymamas #scholarlymama #reframefailure #celebrate #youareenough #keepgoing
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