The Maternal Journal podcast

The Maternal Journal podcast

Join us for the second series of The Maternal Journal podcast. A deep dive into the power of journaling and creativity to support mental health and wellbeing through pregnancy, birth and parenting. Hosted by Maternal Journal founder, artist, writer and midwife, Laura Godfrey-Isaacs.

The new series focuses on graphic novels and illustrated books. We have some amazing guests who share their work and thoughts with us. Every podcast includes reflections from our guests on the relationship between motherhood and creativity, and tips on how to boost your journaling practice.

Catch up on Series 1 of our podcast

Coming soon - available to listen from 10 September 2025

In this first episode, we're joined by cartoonist and writer Becky Barnicoat whose recent graphic memoir, ‘Cry when the Baby Cries’, is described as ‘The most accurate account of becoming a parent I have ever read’ by Philippa Perry. Her daily cartoons in publications such as The Guardian and Buzzfeed offer a candid and often hilarious glimpse into the emotional landscape of motherhood.

Coming soon - available to listen from 24 September 2025

Bestselling American cartoonist Lucy Knisley’s book ‘Kid Gloves’ takes us on a journey through pre-conception, pregnancy and birth to the unexpected joys of parenting. Lucy's work brings warmth, wit, and vulnerability and explores how the graphic form can become a powerful space for advocacy, reflection, and solidarity as well as the means to highlight how some modern birth practices and cultures can let us down at one of the most important moments of our lives.

Trigger warning - this episodes includes dicussions around pregnancy loss, and a near-death birth experience.

Coming soon - available to listen from 8 October 2025

Artist and poet Mimi Kunz’s book ‘Mother Tongue’ brings a stunning combination of poems and drawings together. Made in parallel, whilst she was taking care of her new born daughter, Iris, in the first year of her life, it recounts moments of marvel, fear, and laughter. Mimi explores how the body of mother and child form our first language, our mother tongue. In this gentle conversation, we hear Mimi read some of her beautiful poems live and discuss her positive ideas on the framing of motherhood and creativity.

Coming soon - available to listen from 22 October 2025

In this episode we speak to Canadian writer and memoirist, Teresa Wong, who’s deeply moving graphic memoir ‘Dear Scarlet’ charts her motherhood journey, touching on how she moved from ‘tiredness to sadness’. Her experiences of postnatal depression shaped her early mothering experiences and is depicted in beautiful and economically drawn cartoons that communicate these Important issues in emotionally charged and redemptive cycles.

Coming soon - available to listen from 5 November 2025

Artist and poet Sophie Herxheimer shares her collaborative practice of gathering stories and making them visual. Through poetry, cut-up collage, and performance, Sophie invites us into a space where the maternal voice-often fragmented or unheard-can become powerful, plural, and deeply alive.

Coming soon - available to listen from 19 November 2025

In a wide ranging conversation with writer and historian Isabel Davis and artist and illustrator Anna Burel, we discuss their book, ‘Conceiving Histories’, which is illustrated by Anna and inspired by Isabel’s own experiences. The book brings together history, personal memoir and illustration to investigate the culturally hidden experience of trying to conceive. It follows myth, fantasy, science and pseudo-science to explore the (un)reproductive body in pursuit of a viable pregnancy.

Coming soon - available to listen from 26 November 2025

Writer and artist/illustrator Miriam Gold discusses her beautiful graphic memoir, ‘Elena – A Hand Made Life’, which is part memoir and part biography of her beloved granny, Dr Elena Zadik. By the time her granddaughter knew her, Zadik was a longstanding GP in the former mill town of Leigh in Lancashire but she also carried trauma and displacement stories of how she fled persecution and war in WW11. The episode discusses how we can honour family stories and memories through graphic form, using drawing, collage and photography.

Coming soon - available to listen from 3 December 2025

In the final episode of our second series we’re joined by writer and journalist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, well known for her insightful column on parenting in the Guardian, and illustrator Pia Bramley (Pandemic Baby: Becoming a Parent in Lockdown) to talk about their fearless and funny book The Republic of Parenthood. From the struggles of broken childcare systems to the hunt for toddler-proof socks, we explore how stories and sketches can bring comfort, courage, and laughter to parenting.