Our Motherboard podcast is back, and this time we are chatting all things motherhood and social media.
Our panel is made up of a diverse range of mums, who have all experienced the ups and downs of social media. Meet our amazing panellists below.
Avril Flynn
Avril is Motherboard's fabulous presenter. She is our resident midwife and has recently become a first-time mum to baby Felix.
As a regular user of social media, Avril aspires to portray herself as honestly as possible online.
Since giving birth to her son Felix four weeks ago, Avril has decided not to show him on social media, only because he can't consent to her doing so.
Avril has noticed that there is a certain level of expectation for mother's to be perceived in a certain light online.
She wants to encourage mums that it's ok to take it slow at times and to not worry about what other people online think of you.
To hear more of Avril's thoughts on motherhood and social media check out the latest episode of Motherboard.
Kellie Kearney
Mum of four Kellie openly documents her life online through her blog My Little Babóg. Kellie approaches social media with honesty and transparency and will only ever post 'true-to-life' images.
She thinks that online, people can portray a perfect image and life, and this can, in turn, negatively affect the people viewing the content.
As well as documenting family life, Kellie uses social media to seek reassurance and support from other mothers through other parenting blogs and small online groups.
She finds comfort knowing that she isn't the only one out there having similar struggles with motherhood.
Joanna Fortune
Joanna is a mother of one and a Clinical Psychotherapist, specialising in child and adolescent Psychotherapy, with over twelve years of experience working with children and families.
She is also author of 15 Minute Parenting - a unique childcare method structured around 15-minute games that can be easily incorporated in existing busy routines.
Joanna believes that social media can be a very toxic and isolating place. She feels that it is essential for people to be mindful of what they share of themselves online and how much space it takes up in their lives.
Joanna shares quite little on social media, as she feels like it is not indeed yours once it is out in the world to see and she doesn't feel comfortable with that.
She mainly only uses social media to maintain relationships with friends who live far away.
Since becoming a mother, Joanna is more conscious of her phone and social media use, as she doesn't want her child seeing her gaze occupied by her phone continually.
Laura Doyle
Mother of four, Laura documents her family life on her blog Love, Life and Little Ones. She is a keen user of social media and shares insights into her life daily, covering her children, lifestyle and beauty.
Laura tries to be as honest as possible on social media and her blog and tries to keep things as positive as possible and not entertain negativity.
She also uses social media to seek support from other mothers through online communities but feels that a mother's natural instinct is just as important.
Although all her children are currently too young to use social media, she does worry about their future use and the threat of online bullying.
Motherboard is a podcast created by mothers for mothers. Listen to previous Motherboard podcasts & subscribe now.
