The podcast for parents like you
Words Nikita Oliver Metcalfe
Warkworth local, Matilda Green along with her Untidy Podcast co-host, Hannah Davison, are welcoming listeners into their community with honest, real and supportive conversations that honour the person within the parent.
After meeting through Matilda’s love of the My Big Moments books, created by Hannah in partnership with Flicka Williams and Jo Roca, their friendship quickly blossomed and the pair knew they were destined to collaborate professionally. But on what? The answer came at a regular coffee date when a rogue leak appeared that only breastfeeding mothers have experienced. Untidy was born out of the desire to create a safe space where parents can be honest about their experiences and most of all laugh together.
“We wanted to talk about the real moments of parenthood that often aren’t talked about or that you don’t see on social media,” says Matilda; commenting that with the amount of time we spend on social media it can skew our view of other people's reality, resulting in feeling alone in the rollercoaster of parenthood. The podcast is relaxed and informal, inviting listeners into a chat with mates, which is exactly the vibe the pair wanted to create.
Since February, weekly episodes of Untidy Podcast have been released, with quite the community of parents, all looking for support, advice or just a friendly chat, tuning in. Realising it can be hard to get out of the house or connect with friends and family, particularly when you have young children, Hannah says the podcast means “you can have that community in your ear wherever you want it, you don’t have to be dressed, you don’t have to talk back or engage in any way but you feel the benefits of being uplifted.”
With some really interesting guests offering invaluable insights, Matilda notes, “It’s really nice being able to share information for free.” Offering advice that is genuinely helpful and can be implemented straight away, in a fun and informative setting with zero boundaries means listeners can take it or leave it. Often covering topics that can be viewed as taboo or just aren’t topics we tend to discuss openly, Matilda and Hannah want you to leave each episode feeling a bit more empowered as a parent.
Excited about upcoming guest Les Elder, former Black Ferns captain and part of the 2017 Rugby World Cup winning team, who discusses re-entering the workforce as an elite athlete after childbirth, the pair also reflected on some of their favourite guests to date. Including Hamish Blake, of the Australian comedy duo Hamish and Andy, who both Matilda and Hannah are big fans of. Dr Lucy Hone, a resilience expert who has experienced tragedy herself, and Morgan Penn, a sexologist who delved into the evolution of relationships postpartum and garnered great feedback from listeners.
Engaging with their community on the Untidy Podcast Instagram page, Matilda and Hannah encourage listeners to get in touch. Providing topic suggestions, questions for upcoming guests or simply saying hello, listeners are very much a part of the show...and they do respond to every message received! While analytics are great they both say there's nothing more exciting than when they’re approached in public about the podcast; reminding the pair there’s actual people out there benefitting from their content.
Untidy Podcast recently held its first ever live recording; hosted by One Mahurangi, the event was held in Warkworth and featured special guest and fellow local, Hayley Holt. Spurred by their desire to extend the community aspect of the podcast, Matilda says “there’s something about having a bunch of like minded people in a room, having a shared experience and connecting with each other, that’s really powerful.” The event was a huge success and was hopefully the first of many with Matilda and Hannah saying they’d love to do more live events to have the opportunity to connect with listeners in person all over the country. If you missed out on tickets, the event sold out in three days, you can tune in to the episode with Hayley Holt now at the website below.