
Claire Warren on motherhood, mum guilt and letting go of perfection
Authored by Thomas Andrew Porteus, MBCSOriginally published 13 Jan 2026
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Modern motherhood can feel overwhelming. The advice is endless, the expectations are high, and the pressure to get everything right can quietly erode confidence and wellbeing. This episode of Yorkshire Talks offers something many parents rarely get. Permission to breathe.
Matt Jameson and Christine Talbot are joined by Claire Warren, the award-winning creator behind My Kinda Mum. With more than half a million followers across Instagram and Facebook, Claire has built a community around honest, funny and deeply relatable reflections on parenting. Not the polished version. The real one.
This conversation is warm, candid and reassuring. It explores motherhood as it is actually lived, messy, joyful, exhausting and often full of self doubt.
In this article:
Claire Warren: Motherhood, Mum Guilt & Keeping It Real
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An unexpected path into motherhood and content creation
Before becoming My Kinda Mum, Claire worked in radio production and PR. Her career was fast paced and demanding, and like many women, she assumed she would find a way to fit motherhood neatly around it. What followed was something very different.
Claire speaks openly about the emotional shift that came with becoming a mum, and the identity questions that followed. She describes the surprise of struggling despite having a successful career behind her, and the sense of isolation that can creep in when expectations do not match reality.
It was during this period that she began creating content online. What started as a creative outlet became a lifeline, not just for Claire, but for thousands of parents who recognised themselves in her words.
The realities of modern motherhood
At the heart of this episode is an honest discussion about what it means to parent today. Claire talks about the constant comparison enabled by social media, and how easily gentle parenting ideals can morph into quiet pressure and guilt.
She reflects on the belief that parents should be endlessly patient, endlessly present and endlessly capable, all while juggling work, relationships and their own mental health. Her humour cuts through the noise, but the message is serious. Parenting perfection is not only unrealistic, it can be harmful.
Claire’s reflections echo what many health professionals now emphasise. Parental wellbeing matters. Burnout, anxiety and low mood are common among parents of young children, particularly when people feel they are failing invisible standards.
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Mum guilt and the mental load
One of the most powerful sections of the conversation focuses on mum guilt. Claire describes it as something that seeps into everyday decisions, from work choices to bedtime routines, and how difficult it can be to silence the internal voice telling you that you are not doing enough.
She speaks about the mental load many mothers carry, the invisible planning, remembering and emotional labour that rarely switches off. By naming it, and laughing at it, she helps normalise something that many parents struggle to articulate.
Her approach is not dismissive. It is compassionate. You can care deeply about your children and still feel overwhelmed. You can love being a parent and still miss your old life. Both things can be true.
Finding humour in the chaos
Laughter runs throughout this episode. Claire has an instinctive ability to find comedy in the small, absurd moments of family life, the things that would otherwise feel too heavy if taken seriously.
She talks about using humour as a coping strategy, and how shared laughter can be a powerful tool for emotional resilience. When parents recognise their own experiences reflected back to them, something shifts. Shame softens. Isolation lifts.
That sense of being seen is a recurring theme in the messages Claire receives from her audience, many of whom tell her that her content helped them feel normal again.
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Life online and setting boundaries
Claire also reflects on the realities of sharing family life online. She talks about balancing creativity with privacy, dealing with occasional trolling, and learning when to step back for the sake of her own mental health.
Her honesty highlights an important point. Even content rooted in connection can be draining if boundaries are not protected. Wellbeing often depends on knowing when to log off, slow down and prioritise real world relationships.
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Article history
The information on this page is peer reviewed by qualified clinicians.
13 Jan 2026 | Originally published
Authored by:
Thomas Andrew Porteus, MBCS

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