The Goodmother Series | The Unspoken Truth

My Mum Left Me at 18 Months to Build Us a Better Life | The Goodmother Series Ep. 12

Sun, 24 May 2026 06:00:00 +0100

What does it cost a mother to leave her children behind so they can have a better life?

In this deeply personal episode of The Goodmother Series, Ezinne sits with her mother, Reverend Christiana Asinugo, the woman whose life and name helped shape the heart of this podcast. A Nigerian-born mother, midwife, and ordained minister, Reverend Christiana shares her journey through motherhood in Nigeria, migration to the UK, raising four children across continents, faith, sacrifice, and what it means to carry family, culture, and calling at the same time.

This conversation moves through birth, separation, prayer, generational strength, creative freedom, healing, grandmotherhood, and the quiet truth of becoming. It is a story of motherhood lived through the body, through faith, through memory, and through love.

Follow Reverend Christiana Asinugo:
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The Goodmother Series | The Unspoken Truth

A modern motherhood podcast documenting how becoming a parent reshapes identity, body, and cultural belonging across the African diaspora.

Hosted by Ezinne, this series centres on lived experience over advice. These are intimate, culturally rooted conversations about maternal identity, body transformation, inherited expectations, and the emotional realities of motherhood.

If this episode resonated, like, comment, and subscribe to help more women find these stories.

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New episodes every Sunday at 6am GMT.

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She Was Let Go Twice on Maternity Leave ft. Paula Oyinkan | The Goodmother Series Ep. 11

Sun, 17 May 2026 06:00:00 +0100

What happens when motherhood, ambition, redundancy, grief and identity all arrive in the same season?

In this episode of The Goodmother Series, host Ezinne Asinugo-Onyeka sits with Paula Oyinkan, Nigerian British podcast host, marketing professional, founder of The Paula Oyinkan Show, and founder of McCrory Studios, for a warm and honest conversation about motherhood, identity, confidence, work and becoming.

Paula shares what changed after becoming a mother of two, why motherhood made her more ambitious and how being made redundant twice on maternity leave became part of a deeper reckoning with purpose, stability and self-trust. Together, Ezinne and Paula explore the realities many women carry quietly, from the identity shift of motherhood to the pressure to perform strength, the loneliness that can exist even with support and the courage it takes to build something of your own.

This conversation is rooted in the unspoken truth of modern motherhood, especially for Black women, African women, Nigerian women and women across the diaspora who are navigating motherhood, marriage, career, confidence, body change, faith, grief and ambition without losing themselves.

Guest Links:
Instagram
YouTube

The Honest Cost of Becoming a Mum ft. Kyra Bruce | The Goodmother Series Ep. 10

Sun, 10 May 2026 06:00:00 +0100

What does motherhood ask of you when your identity, body, marriage, and sense of self are all changing at once?

In this episode of The Goodmother Series, host Ezinne Asinugo-Onyeka sits down with Kyra Bruce, a UK-based content creator and mother, for an honest conversation about young marriage, motherhood, and building a family life in the public eye. Kyra reflects on who she was before becoming a mum, the emotional cost of raising two young children, the realities of intimacy and body change after birth, and what it means to support a partner while still holding on to yourself.

This conversation moves through the everyday truths of motherhood, from nursery runs and unfinished laundry to relationship shifts, resentment, self-image, faith, family privacy online, and the small windows where mothers try to feel like themselves again.

Guest link:
Instagram

Body Confidence, Dance & Single Motherhood ft. Takkies | The Goodmother Series Ep. 9

Sun, 03 May 2026 06:00:00 +0100

What happens when motherhood changes your body, your home, your relationships and your sense of self?

In this episode of The Goodmother Series, host Ezinne Asinugo-Onyeka sits down with Takkies, South African dance queen, women’s wellness advocate and founder of Rockingnheels, a movement empowering women to reconnect with their bodies through dance.

Takkies shares her raw birth stories across South Africa and the UK, the shock and tenderness of body change after birth, moving countries while pregnant, navigating single motherhood, dating again with daughters watching, and raising body confident girls in a world that often teaches women to criticise themselves first.

This is a warm, honest and deeply embodied conversation about maternal identity, African motherhood stories, body confidence after motherhood, dance as healing, and the joy of becoming yourself again without needing to return to who you were before.

Guest links:
Instagram
YouTube

The Reality of Motherhood After Divorce ft. Korra Obidi | The Goodmother Series Ep. 8

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0100

What happens when motherhood strips away performance and forces a woman to meet herself more truthfully? In this episode of The Goodmother Series, host Ezinne Asinugo-Onyeka sits with Korra Obidi, dancer, performer, creator, and mother, for an intimate conversation about maternal identity, public survival, healing, and what it means to rebuild yourself in full view. This is a culturally rooted motherhood podcast episode about motherhood stories, modern motherhood, single motherhood, and the quiet, difficult work of becoming.

Korra opens up about discovering pregnancy while trying to build a life in Los Angeles, the way motherhood sharpened her sense of purpose, and the loneliness of feeling unseen inside marriage. She speaks candidly about divorce, co parenting, online judgment, sensuality, therapy, body confidence, and the discipline it takes to keep showing up for yourself and your children. What emerges is not advice, but testimony, a story about identity, body, and cultural belonging after motherhood shifts everything.

This episode will resonate with anyone navigating maternal identity, life after separation, body changes after birth, or the tension between being visible, desired, nurturing, and fully human at once.

Guest links
Instagram
YouTube, SYTYCD audition while pregnant
YouTube channel
Retreat

The Identity Shift No One Warns You About in Motherhood ft. Ruth Pokes | The Goodmother Series Ep. 7

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0100

What happens when motherhood stretches every part of who you are, your identity, your body, your marriage, your ambition, and your emotional capacity? In this episode of The Goodmother Series, host Ezinne Asinugo-Onyeka sits with Ruth Pokes, wellness entrepreneur, founder of Pure Celi, and mother of two, for an honest conversation about postpartum depression, maternal identity, partnership, resentment, emotional regulation, and the quiet evolution of self after children. Rooted in lived experience, this episode explores the inner shifts of modern motherhood through a culturally grounded lens.

Ruth reflects on who she was before motherhood, how becoming a mother reshaped her sense of self, and why the early postpartum period gave her a deeper understanding of emotional overwhelm and maternal mental health. She speaks candidly about raising children while married to a touring musician, the invisible load women often carry, the tension between ambition and caregiving, and what it means to feel stretched while still growing. Together, Ezinne and Ruth unpack marriage, identity, support systems, birth choices, children’s emotional intelligence, and the importance of patience as mothers become new versions of themselves.

This is a conversation about womanhood in motion, the body as evidence, and the unspoken truth of motherhood.

Connect with Ruth:
Instagram
R42 Collective
Pure Celi
Related links:
Nana Pokes
The Compozers

Motherhood, Sepsis & Survival (Rebuilding Life After Amputation) ft. Khedidja Teape | The Goodmother Series Ep. 6

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0100

What does survival look like when motherhood is interrupted by medical trauma, disability, and a body you no longer recognise?

In this episode of The Goodmother Series, Ezinne Asinugo-Onyeka sits with Khedidja Teape, a mother of four, to reflect on postpartum sepsis, septic shock, amputation, Black maternal health, and the reality of rebuilding life after survival. From becoming a teenage mother, to giving birth naturally to all four of her children, to waking from a coma and learning to mother through profound physical change, Khedidja shares a story of grief, resilience, adaptation, and purpose.

Khedidja speaks with honesty about the early signs that something was wrong after the birth of her twins, the medical emergency that changed her life, and the emotional process of navigating motherhood after the amputation of both legs below the knee, one arm below the elbow, and the loss of fingers on her right hand. She also reflects on identity, advocacy, disability, softness, faith, and using her lived experience to help protect other mothers.

This is a conversation about what the body remembers, what motherhood demands, and what it means to remain present through unimaginable change.

Follow Khedidja:
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Maternal Identity After 17 (Who Do You Become?) ft. Esther Areola | The Goodmother Series Ep. 5

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0100

What does it cost to become a mother before you have even had the chance to become yourself?

In this episode of The Goodmother Series, host Ezinne Asinugo-onyeka sits with Esther Areola for a deeply reflective conversation on young motherhood, faith, identity, church judgment, and generational healing. Esther opens up about becoming a mother at 17, grieving the girl she was, standing firm in her decision, and learning how to raise her son with intention while reclaiming herself in the process.

This is a conversation about what happens when motherhood arrives early and changes everything. Esther reflects on the emotional reality of teenage pregnancy, telling her family, navigating disappointment, and carrying the weight of shame in religious spaces. She also speaks candidly about the tension between faith and people, the pain of being judged by community, and the journey of finding spiritual clarity for herself.

As the conversation unfolds, Esther shares what it has meant to raise a Black teenage son with care, boundaries, softness, and vigilance. From overprotection to release, from grief to grace, this episode traces the long arc of becoming, not just as a mother, but as a woman learning to live truthfully inside her own story.

Connect with Esther:
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook

Why Mothers Struggle to Find Time for Themselves ft. Yemi Ogunmefun | The Goodmother Series Ep. 4

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0100

What does it really look like to care for yourself when motherhood makes time, energy, and even your body feel unfamiliar?

In this episode of The Goodmother Series, host Ezinne Asinugo-Onyeka sits with Yemi Ogunmefun, aka @yemisco, a family, fitness, and beauty creator whose warm honesty turns motherhood, movement, and self-care into something deeply lived, not performative. From routines that help her regulate, to the pressure of body change, emergency C-sections, miscarriage, feeding guilt, and the emotional labour no one sees, this is a conversation about what it takes to stay connected to yourself while raising children.

Yemi reflects on who she was before motherhood, what she assumed motherhood would be, and how pregnancy loss shaped the fear she carried into another pregnancy. She also opens up about learning that self-care is not indulgence, why routine protects her peace, and how movement became a real regulation tool in the middle of motherhood’s constant demands.

The conversation also goes deeper into postpartum body confidence, emergency C-section recovery, family pressure after birth, and the shame women are made to carry around how they deliver and feed their babies. By the end, Yemi names what so many mothers need to hear, that a good mother is not perfect, a good mother knows when she needs rest, reset, and care too.

Follow Yemi here:
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Run With Yem

The MENTAL Load of Motherhood No One Takes Seriously | The Goodmother Series Ep. 3

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 06:00:00 +0000

What happens when motherhood does not erase ambition, but changes what ambition is for?

In this episode of The Goodmother Series, Ezinne Asinugo-Onyeka sits with Tolani Thomas-Allinson, founder of Halisi Consults, to explore identity shift, maternal mental load, and what it means to redefine success after motherhood through a more honest lens. Guided by the show’s warm, grounded, and intimate editorial voice, this conversation stays with the emotional truth of becoming, not the performance of coping.

Tolani shares who she was before motherhood, a founder managing a team, building deals, creating content, and moving through life with clear momentum. She speaks candidly about how becoming a mother softened her, changed her priorities, and reframed success from money and output to family, legacy, and raising a child with intention.

This episode also moves through the parts of motherhood people often flatten or leave out, the mental load, work boundaries, bed rest, a short cervix diagnosis, cerclage, high risk pregnancy, pregnancy loss, feeding realities, and the invisible cognitive toll of trying to hold everything together. It is an honest conversation about body, grief, care, and the new self that emerges on the other side.

Follow Tolani Thomas-Allinson:
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Halisi Consults Instagram
Website
More links

The Identity SHIFT No One Warns You About in Motherhood | The Goodmother Series Ep. 2

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 06:00:00 +0000

What happens when motherhood does not just change your routine, but changes who you are?

In this launch episode of The Goodmother Series, host Ezinne Asinugo-Onyeka sits with Bisi Akins, presenter, voiceover artist, and founder of All Things Africa, for an honest conversation about identity after becoming. Together, they explore the quiet shock of no longer feeling like your old self, the emotional work of moving through new seasons, and the tension of holding both gratitude and truth at the same time.

This episode moves through the parts of motherhood many women feel but struggle to name. Bisi reflects on compartmentalising with joy, being kinder to yourself in a changed body, protecting privacy in marriage and motherhood, processing birth trauma without minimising it, and navigating the one to two transition without making a firstborn feel replaced. It is a warm, grounded conversation about becoming, capacity, and giving yourself permission to be who you are now.

If you have ever felt like motherhood reshaped your identity in ways no one prepared you for, this episode will meet you there.

Guest: Bisi Akins
Website: https://www.bisiakins.com/about
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bissakins/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BisiAkins
All Things Africa: https://www.instagram.com/allthingsafrica_/

The Fear Many Women Feel BEFORE Becoming a Mother | The Goodmother Series Ep. 1

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 06:00:00 +0000

What happens when motherhood arrives after a life shaped by elite sport, discipline, ambition, and public achievement?

In this inaugural episode of The Goodmother Series, host Ezinne Asinugo-Onyeka sits with former elite athlete Perri Shakes-Drayton for a deeply honest conversation about identity after becoming. Together, they explore athlete identity, what was lost and gained in the move into motherhood, how relocating to Dubai changed family life and friendship, and why movement became both an emotional anchor and a pathway to community. This is a culturally rooted motherhood conversation about change, embodiment, grief, belonging, and the woman you become when life no longer fits the version of you that came before.

Perri reflects on the pressure of success before motherhood, the parts of her athletic mindset that still show up in family life, and the quiet reality of closing one chapter without needing to return to it. She also opens up about friendship shifts after children, the difference between childbirth in the UK and Dubai, and the loneliness that led her to create community for Black mothers through movement.

As the very first launch episode of The Goodmother Series, this conversation sets the tone for what the series is here to hold, honest motherhood stories about identity, body, culture, and becoming.

Guest: Perri Shakes-Drayton
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itspsd/

Podcast Trailer | The Goodmother Series

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 06:00:00 +0000

What happens when motherhood changes everything, not just your routine, but your identity, body, relationships, and sense of belonging?

The Goodmother Series is a culturally rooted storytelling podcast exploring the unspoken truths of motherhood across the African diaspora.

Hosted by Ezinne, this series documents honest lived experiences of maternal identity, body memory, womanhood, and cultural legacy.

Catch Episodes 1 and 2 on Mother’s Day, March 15.