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Mrs Mummy PhD

Journeys of Becoming...

Breaking Through: 7 Practical Tips for Overcoming A Creative Block

September 16, 2024 · PhD & Beyond

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Struggling with creative block during your PhD, Mama? Discover 7 effective strategies to reignite your creativity and make progress in your research. Perfect for Scholarly Mamas® juggling academia and family life.

Conquering the New Academic Year as a Scholarly Mama®: Your Ultimate Guide to Success

September 9, 2024 · PhD & Beyond

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Discover practical tips for Scholarly Mamas® to thrive in the new academic year. Learn time management strategies, self-care techniques, and how to balance family life with academic pursuits.

Travelling with Kids: A Simple Scholarly Mama® Guide

September 8, 2024 · Love, Family & Lifestyle

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Discover practical tips for travelling with kids as a Scholarly Mama®. Learn how you can blend family adventures and academic responsibilities while creating lasting memories.

“Mama, Take a Break!”: The Power of the Reflective Pause

July 29, 2024 · Personal Growth & Wellness, PhD & Beyond

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Is it time to take a break, Mama? In the whirlwind of academic pursuits and family life, Scholarly Mamas often find themselves running on empty, desperately needing to take a break but feeling guilty at the mere thought. If you’re juggling a PhD programme, research deadlines, and family responsibilities, the idea of pausing might seem impossible. However, taking a break—specifically, a reflective pause—could be the game-changing strategy you need to navigate these challenges and emerge stronger. Let’s explore this in this blog post.

PhD Mum Guilt: 10 Effective Ways To Quiet It

July 22, 2024 · Love, Family & Lifestyle, PhD & Beyond

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Navigating the complex world of academia while raising a family can be an overwhelming experience for many mothers. The constant juggle between research deadlines, writing, and family responsibilities often leads to that pervasive feeling known as “mum guilt.” This emotional burden can significantly impact both personal well-being and academic progress. As someone who has lived through this experience, I want to share my story and offer practical strategies to help you manage mum guilt effectively.

Feeling Unfulfilled In Scholarly Mama Life? This Old Saying May Be A Timely Clue

May 27, 2024 · Love, Family & Lifestyle, Personal Growth & Wellness, PhD & Beyond

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Are you feeling unfulfilled as a Scholarly Mama®? In this post, we will explore some key strategies for rediscovering purpose, investing in all life areas, and creating fulfilment in your life.

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Meet Mrs Mummy PhD®

Hey Mama! I'm Dr Michelle Gibbs and this little corner of the internet exists to help ambitious women like you, achieve your lofty goals without sacrificing what matters most. If you're juggling a family, career, scholarly journey and everything else in-between, then this space is for you! It's time to flourish on purpose, with less hustle and more harmony. So Mama, are you in? Fabulous! Let's begin. These are our journeys of becoming :-)

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So many Scholarly Mamas® are quietly hoping the ho So many Scholarly Mamas® are quietly hoping the holidays will finally bring relief.

More time. More space. More ease. More rest.

But rest doesn’t arrive just because the calendar slows down or says its mid-December.

You won’t feel rested if guilt follows you into the quiet…

If overworking still feels like the price of worth.

If ‘doing the most’ has become the way you keep everything together.

Rest isn’t seasonal. Rest isn’t a Christmas thing…

It’s structural and once you embed it, it’s transformational.

It comes when you stop trying to earn your right to slow down.

When you loosen your grip on proving and performing.

When you lead yourself differently… especially when no one is watching.

That isn’t laziness or self-indulgence.

It’s wisdom.

It’s self-leadership.

And for many @scholarlymamas

…that’s the real work of this season.

You’re allowed to choose a different way, because these are your journeys of becoming…🦋👩🏽‍🎓

Follow @mrsmummyphd for more!
🍂A seasonal reminder👇🏽 ⁠ Watching the leaves fall 🍂A seasonal reminder👇🏽
⁠
Watching the leaves fall this autumn reminds me that even the trees release what no longer serves them. They don’t cling. They don’t question their worth. They simply trust the process that is their becoming.
⁠
And maybe you’re in a season that feels a lot like falling… or even failing… The overwhelm. The high expectations. The creeping deadlines. The meetings, events, bookings, invites and appointments. The exhaustion. The mental load required to keep it all together. The quiet internal wondering that questions whether you’re still on the right path and making the right calls. All the things that come with juggling both academic work and motherhood…
⁠
But from one Scholarly Mama to another…

I’ve realised that sometimes those internal rumblings are the beginnings of your growth to become the woman this season is calling you to be…. a subtle sign to realign, to shake things up a bit, to do things a little differently this/next time.
⁠
Just like the trees, you’re allowed to let go of what no longer serves…
To release.
To rest.
To root deeper, so you can rise stronger.
⁠
Your becoming begins with a simple decision today… not tomorrow, not on 1st January 2026, not when you achieve this or that, not when someone else gives you the permission…. But right here, right now… in the “in-between”, in the messy middle.

The decision to choose purpose, presence and peace. The decision to give yourself grace for the season you’re in and trust that none of your growth is wasted. 
‘Tis the season for alignment…

❓What shift (big or small) is on the horizon for you? (Just know that I’m rooting for your joy & success!)
⁠
Mama, these are our journeys of becoming 🦋

Follow @mrsmummyphd for more!

#journeysofbecoming #jugglestruggle #scholarlymotherhood #autumn #autumnvibes #newseason #newyou #becoming
For the ambitious @scholarlymamas blending marriag For the ambitious @scholarlymamas blending marriage, motherhood, and a research career… I see you.

Because juggling all of this is its own kind of thesis, and busyness is not a badge of honour.

These are the gentle reminders I wish I had on the days I felt stretched thin:

You’re allowed to slow down.
You’re allowed to breathe.
You’re allowed to be brilliant and tender at the same time.
Your journey might look different, but it’s no less meaningful.
Your pace is worthy. And so are you...

These are your journeys of becoming 🦋
When I travelled recently for work—the solo suitca When I travelled recently for work—the solo suitcase, quiet hotel room, no mouths to feed, no one to get ready for bed… sounds like bliss (iykyk!), and yet my heart remained at home.

But instead of allowing the guilt to take over, I chose harmony:
- FaceTime during dinner
- Silly faces on screen
- FaceTime family worship
- Bedtime with the kids
- Uninterrupted chilled convos with my husband
- Letting connection travel with me.

Not perfectly. Not performatively. Just intentionally.

Then, I switched off completely and embraced the R&R!

For the @scholarlymamas navigating ambition + motherhood:

You don’t have to split yourself in half to make both matter.

You get to choose the personal mini-moves that keep you grounded, connected, and human.

Self-compassion is the bridge. Harmony is the goal.

Burnout doesn’t get to be the price of your dreams.

These are your journeys of becoming 🦋

#scholarlymama #workingmomwisdom #worklifeharmony #antiburnout #selfcompassionjourney #mrsmummyphd #journeysofbecoming #workingmama #minimoves
It’s the becoming, the growth, the evolution…👇🏽 T It’s the becoming, the growth, the evolution…👇🏽

This kind of freedom is priceless✨

To know oneself, to know one’s worth, to be able to embody grit & grace without the grind, to have clarity of purpose, to transform one’s PhD Motherhood journey it into something incredibly purposeful and beautiful… they offer the kind of joy that no one can take away.

So the next time you feel like you can’t do this without unpardonable sacrifice or without losing yourself in the process, remember that you can still pause to BE and success can still be yours regardless of the many other hats your wear.

Mama, these are our journeys of becoming 🦋
Growing up on a tiny Caribbean island, I had big d Growing up on a tiny Caribbean island, I had big dreams as a little girl, but there were no guarantees because options were limited.

Fast forward several decades and that little girl moved countries twice, married her high-school sweetheart, became an RD with 5 degrees, including her PhD, and had 3 amazing sons (+2 angel babies).

But it wasn’t all a walk in the park…

My PhD was the hardest thing I’d ever done, especially as wife and mother. Honestly, there were many moments I wanted to give up — nights when the weight of it all felt heavy, and the finish line felt out of reach. I often questioned if I could really see it through…

But then… there was him… My husband, my anchor, my ride or die guy — the quiet strength who held me when I wanted to let go. When I doubted myself, he reminded me who I was. He carried what I couldn’t, so I could keep pursuing my career dreams.

And then there were our 3 boys — their laughter, their little voices, reminding me why I started in the first place. They were my reason… my strength… my heartbeat through it all.

There were tears, prayers, and moments of doubt — but love kept me steady, faith kept me grounded, and family gave me purpose. I realised that love and ambition aren’t opposite ends of the spectrum, but they’re threads that can weave together into something extraordinary.

Because at the end of the day…
what is success if you have no one to share it with?

That PhD began as my dream — but it became our journey. Built on faith, held by love, and made real by the people who never let me forget why I began. 

So if I could go back to childhood me, I’d let that little island girl know that though it wouldn’t be easy, her dreams were 💯possible. I’d let her know that these will be her journeys of becoming 🦋

Tag all the @scholarlymamas who need to know that their dreams are possible too!

#scholarlymama #mrsmummyphd #journeysofbecoming #phd #scholarlymamas #phdmama #purposefulsuccess
If you’re in the throes of PhD Motherhood, this me If you’re in the throes of PhD Motherhood, this message is for you! 

Keep going Mama, cheering you on all the way to Dr [you]!

Secret to success: being intentional about your Scholarly Mama life!

Sometimes being intentional looks like taking breaks for rest, recovery and recharge. Sometimes it looks like embracing the new and shelving what isn’t working for you any longer. Sometimes it’s embracing the stillness of deep work or quiet reflection. 

Here are three questions to ask yourself when you’re in the trenches of the juggle struggle:

1.	What does success look like for me in this season, and am I giving myself permission to embrace it?

2.	What can I release — habits, expectations, or pressures — that no longer serve the woman I’m becoming?

3.	Where can I create small pockets of stillness to reconnect with my purpose and joy?

Which of these questions resonates with you most right now? 

Drop your thoughts in the comments — and tag another Scholarly Mama who needs to hear this today.

These are our journeys of becoming 🦋
"I met myself..." These were Dr Noni's words afte "I met myself..."

These were Dr Noni's words after an 8+ year PhD journey—one that led her from rejection and redirection to unexpected transformation.

This latest episode (Episode #121) is a powerful reminder that the academic path isn’t just about degrees or titles—it's a journey back to oneself.

If you’ve ever felt like your story doesn’t “fit” the traditional academic mold, this one is for you.

Remember, these are our journeys of becoming 🦋

#SelfDiscovery #PhDMotherhood #ScholarlyMama
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