Moms, Mats and Manuscripts
Moms, Mats and Manuscripts is a podcast hosted by Ksenia Volkova Tomaz, a former molecular biologist, yoga teacher and mindset coach for scientists, and mom. This is a space for honest, unpolished conversations about the parts of academia and ambition we don’t talk about enough.
Here, we explore the mental and emotional load of being a young scientist or high-achieving woman: the pressure to constantly produce, the identity crises, the inner critic, the fear of slowing down, the guilt around rest, the invisible labour of motherhood, and the messy process of redefining success on your own terms.
I share personal stories, science-backed insights, and yoga-psychology tools to help you navigate burnout, self-worth, boundaries, and the overwhelming push to “do more.”
Think of this space as a friend's couch, where you can have a cup of coffee, relax, exhale and be seen.
Moms, Mats and Manuscripts
E45 - Not lost - becoming: matrescence, postpartum recovery, and radical rest (with Munirah Razak)
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After an emotionally challenging birth and a postpartum recovery marked by chronic pain, relationship breakdown, and identity crisis, my guest Munirah Razak, a yoga teacher, postpartum massage therapist, and matrescence coach, found her footing. Now she helps other mothers do the same.
In this conversation, we explored matrescence - the profound, multi-dimensional transformation of becoming a mother, and why most of us are navigating it without a map, a village, or even a word for what we're going through. We talked about radical rest as a path back to yourself, the myth of bouncing back, the identity earthquake of early motherhood, and how to find your people when everyone around you seems to be doing just fine.
Vulnerable, warm, and genuinely useful - this one is for any mother, whether in academia or not, who has ever felt not quite like herself, and needed someone to tell her that's not a problem to fix. It's a becoming.
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Connect with Munirah:
Instagram: @luminousyogalife
Website: https://luminousyogalife.com/
FREE RESOURCE: A 5-minute Breathwork for Exhausted Moms https://tinyurl.com/luminousyogalife-breathwork
Let's hang out! 🎙️ Follow Moms, Mats, and Manuscripts for more conversations on academia, motherhood, and mindful living. And if this episode sparked something in you, don't forget to like and share the podcast so that more people can join our coffee-fueled chats!
I'd also love to hear your thoughts and questions, and if you have ideas for future episodes, drop me a line.
We're also on Instagram:
@moms.mats.manuscripts
@shantiscience_yoga
Reach out: moms.mats.manuscripts@gmail.com
