BONUS | WE WERE PERFECT PARENTS! Until We Had Children with Vanessa Raphaely & Karin Schimke

--:--
On this episode of TGE’s Current Read (and a special bonus episode of The Great Equalizer), two of the fiercest women in the publishing and parenting space – Vanessa Raphaely and Karin Schimke – join your hosts, Sam and Charlene, to talk about their book: We Were Perfect Parents Until We Had Children.

Through combined effort, Vanessa and Karin gathered together several key experiences and insights from members of The Village – a 60k-member-strong Facebook group that offers support, wisdom and a shoulder to cry on for parents across South Africa.

The group provided the gems and remedies that Vanessa and Karin drew on to draft the marrow of the book: Non-judgmental nuggets of wisdom from the real parenting experts – the parents who form The Village – gathered and bound to help readers raise their families in their own perfectly imperfect way.

Vanessa chats with The Great Equalizer about the origins of The Village, Karin gets vulnerable about her own parenting journey, and we touch on the vast array of subjects that the book covers, including mental health, discipline, sex, gender, money matters, and self love.

Parenting doesn't get easier, folks. It just challenges us in all new, different and scary ways. Luckily, we have each other – and this book – to guide us through the tough times.

About the Authors:

Vanessa Raphaely started her career on London’s Fleet Street before returning to SA to become the multi-award-winning editor of Cosmopolitan, and to run Associated Media. After 20 years, Vanessa left and launched The Village, a Facebook group 60 000 members strong, well known and much-loved among South African parents (which we will be talking about, at length, in just a bit).

For years, author, editor and writing coach Karin Schimke was a parenting columnist for Femina magazine and a journalist who contributed regularly to Parent24. Karin is author the weekly ‘Love Letter’, which tracks her adventures in her post-parenting years.
23 Oct English Explicit South Africa Kids & Family · Relationships

Other recent episodes

Episode 101: HIV AWARENESS with author and philanthropist Nozibele Mayaba

On this episode of The Great Equalizer: Sam has merit, Charlene’s perpetually hormonal, and we chat to author, content creator and philanthropist Nozibele Mayaba. Nozibele Mayaba has a long list of accolades: HIV activist, internationally recognised podcaster and TV host. She's partnered with Jacaranda FM and East Coast Radio to…
30 Aug 1 hr 13 min

THE LAUREN DICKASON TRAGEDY and IVF care, with Raylene de Villiers (PART II)

On this episode of The Great Equalizer, we continue to unpack maternal mental health in South Africa, against the backdrop of the trial and sentencing of Lauren Dickason and, more specifically, the IVF journey. Lauren Dickason is a mom of three and fellow South African who was convicted in the…
2 May 1 hr 12 min

BONUS | MOM RAGE! with author Minna Dubin

We have another all-new BONUS episode out today featuring the phenomenal Minna Dubin. Minna is a US-based journalist and author whose essays and articles on motherhood and identity have been featured across all the best known outlets, including the New York Times, The Times, The Philadelphia Enquirer, LitHub, and so…
23 Jan 1 hr 04 min