Keelin Moncrieff on motherhood, identity and embracing her inner Miss Rachel

In the final episode of this season of Mother, it's Keelin's turn in the hot seat as she answers your questions.

The final episode in the second season of Mother, our flagship parenting podcast sponsored by Dairylea has arrived, and we're going out with a bang.

This week our host Keelin Moncrieff is turning the tables on herself as she settles into the hot seat to answer our listeners' most pressing questions.

With over 120,000 followers on Instagram, Keelin is no stranger to sharing tidbits, advice and stories from her daily life, but on the season finale of Mother, she hones in on life as a parent and shares some words of wisdom with our listeners.

Many listeners had questions about motherhood and identity. How does becoming a parent change your sense of identity? And what can you do to hold onto who you are while caring for a tiny human? For Keelin, she had to make time for activities that would remind her of who she is outside of being a mother. Taking walks without listening to music or podcasts helped Keelin, and she also found it helpful to refrain from buying new things. To new parents hoping to hold onto their sense of identity, Keelin stresses the importance of taking care of yourself, rather than focusing on existential questions.

Another popular question our listeners had concerned the fine balancing act that is working and parenting. As a content creator, Keelin acknowledges that her work gives her a degree of flexibility that many other mothers don't get. She can work when she wants and where she wants. However, her self-employment status meant that she couldn't take maternity leave and she ended up editing videos just days after welcoming her daughter. In any case, Keelin heralds organisation as the key to striking a balance. As she explains on the podcast, having a shared calendar that tracks everything from chores to work to date nights helps her stay on top of everything.

As many of our listeners will relate, Keelin is familiar with the guilty feeling that mothers experience when they end up spending time away from their children. In Keelin's case, that guilt is alleviated when she tries to be productive, even in her down time. For instance, on a recent trip to Australia, Keelin squeezed in some book meet-ups, to not only work while on holidays, but to alleviate those guilty feelings. She also embraced her inner Ms Rachel and made a 30-minute video for her daughter to enjoy while she was away.

For all this and more, check out the latest episode of Mother wherever you get your podcasts today.