Rachel Maksimovic's 4 year old son Lenny came into the world pretty unexpectedly when she was living abroad in Bali, and with someone she had only been seeing for a few months. Given the cultural differences between them and some other challenges they faced once she fell pregnant, Rachel moved back home to raise Lenny on her own. As any single parent would know, there are some extremely tough moments that come with it, and in today's episode Rachel opens up about the mental and financial load that single parenting brings, her coping strategies and what she does when she needs to tap out for a moment, and what she finds helpful when friends and family offer support.  Listen to Rachel’s episode on the Australian Birth Stories podcast here. Listen to Rachel’s Mothering On My Own Podcast here.   FOLLOW US: KICPOD: @kicpod on Instagram Kic: @kic.app on Instagram, @kic on TikTok and kicapp.com Steph Claire Smith: @stephclairesmith on Instagram, @steph_claire_smith on TikTok Producer Mandy: @amanda.catalano on Instagram & TiktokSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Steph & Laura's catch up today, Steph shares her experience with something extremely difficult and humiliating that she went through in high school, plus the conversation is brought back about the mental load on women and ways to divide the chores at home so that it's equal. Speaking of things being equal, we also hear some alarming statistics of the gender pay gap in Australia.   SPECIAL SHARES: Steph – Miley Cyrus’ song ‘Used To Be Young’ Laura – Taking photos of your outfits before you go away so your packing is efficient Extra – The Imperfects - Hugh & Penny, the elephant in the room, podcast episode   Kic UPDATE: The KICRUN Club starts today and you’ve still got time to join us this week. You can pick from the 5km, 10km, or 21km program as we band together to take on the challenge over 8 weeks. Plus this Wednesday night you can join us for a live run meet up in Sydney at Centennial Park.The run is for all levels and there will be a pace to suit you. We’ll drop the link to the event in the show notes. We’d love to see you!   FOLLOW US: KICPOD: @kicpod on Instagram Kic: @kic.app on Instagram, @kic on TikTok and kicapp.com Steph Claire Smith: @stephclairesmith on Instagram, @steph_claire_smith on TikTok Laura Henshaw: @laura.henshaw on Instagram & Tiktok Producer Mandy: @amanda.catalano on Instagram & TiktokSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sydney Cassidy is the founder of Gym Girls Locker Room – a community of like-minded women looking to build strength and confidence at the gym where they can support, encourage and communicate with one another - which we are sure you’d agree aligns so perfectly with what we do at Kic. Sydney began her fitness journey at a low point in her life, mainly pursuing exercise for her mental health, saying "fitness is more about how it makes me feel than what I get from it, physically”, which many of us can relate to. Sydney explains how Gym Girls Locker Room came about, what is ‘gymtimidation’ and how to overcome it, being kind to your inner child, overcoming a lack of confidence and self worth, and accepting yourself for all of your imperfections.   FOLLOW US: KICPOD: @kicpod on Instagram Kic: @kic.app on Instagram, @kic on TikTok and kicapp.com Steph Claire Smith: @stephclairesmith on Instagram, @steph_claire_smith on TikTok Laura Henshaw: @laura.henshaw on Instagram & Tiktok Producer Mandy: @amanda.catalano on Instagram & TiktokSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Steph & Laura's catch up today, we reminisce about the days where prank calling someone as a kid was the most hilarious thing in the world - but Laura is shocked by one of Steph's mischievous childhood pranks (surprising since Laura is now quite the prankster herself)! This got us talking about some other hilarious nostalgic memories so enjoy the trip down memory lane! Also in today's episode, we hear your hilarious email fails after we shared some of ours last week. We learn some very valuable lessons on what not to do, that's for sure.   SPECIAL SHARES: Steph – After, novel series by Anna Todd but first look at the cover image of the movie so you know what the characters look like! Laura – Bend It Like Beckham, film on Disney+   Kic UPDATE: The KICRUN Club is coming back! We’ve partnered with New Balance to help you run your way and join together as a community to take on the 5km,10km or 21km run programs. The club starts next Monday the 25th and there is going to be free run meet ups, prizes from New Balance and plenty of surprises. Head into the Kic app to enrol in the club now so you’re set for next week.   FOLLOW US: KICPOD: @kicpod on Instagram Kic: @kic.app on Instagram, @kic on TikTok and kicapp.com Steph Claire Smith: @stephclairesmith on Instagram, @steph_claire_smith on TikTok Laura Henshaw: @laura.henshaw on Instagram & Tiktok Producer Mandy: @amanda.catalano on Instagram & TiktokSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You could say Charlotte Crosby is one of the OG influencers! She’s largely known for her role on Geordie Shore where the world fell in love with her.   In today’s KICBUMP episode, Charlotte speaks about her experience with a life threatening ectopic pregnancy, how she handled this among going through so many other challenges, her birth story and how life is now as a mum.    She also addresses how she's navigating life in the public eye with her little one, and how she feels about having Alba included in her life on the screen! Plus we got to know about how her and her partner Jake navigated falling pregnant only months after dating, and how their love life is going now.    Check out Charlotte's show 'Charlotte in Sunderland' now streaming on Binge.  FOLLOW US: KICPOD: @kicpod on Instagram Kic: @kic.app on Instagram, @kic on TikTok and kicapp.com Steph Claire Smith: @stephclairesmith on Instagram, @steph_claire_smith on TikTok Laura Henshaw: @laura.henshaw on Instagram & Tiktok Producer Mandy: @amanda.catalano on Instagram & Tiktok  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.