Tell us what you think!!!

This week, we’re sitting down with Afoma Umesi, a writer and content creator who left a career in medicine to build a life centered around books, creativity, and human connection. Afoma runs Reading Middle Grade, a website and newsletter that helps parents find the perfect books for kids ages 8-14, and she’s doing it all while navigating profound grief, three moves in three months, and building a new life in Toronto, Canada.

In this deeply honest conversation, Afoma shares what it’s like to lose her mother in August and move countries days after the funeral, why she’ll never be a 6:30am workout person again (and the guilt she had to release around that), and how losing her mom changed her—making her want to connect with people in ways she never did before.

What We Cover:

• Leaving medicine after eight years to pursue writing and creative work
• The full, satisfying, rich reality of working 4-6 hours a day on your own terms
• Moving three times in three months while grieving the loss of her mother
• How grief changed her relationship to mornings, routines, and human connection
• Working as a freelance writer before building Reading Middle Grade
• The practical reality of running a content business: newsletters, Instagram, Substack, and blog posts
• Why she gave up being a “crazy early morning person” and the guilt that came with it
• Why date nights don’t work for them (and what they do instead)
• Using movement and being outside as non-negotiable self-care during grief
• The joy of discovering Toronto’s public library system after not having one in Nigeria

Guest Bio: Afoma Umesi is a writer, content creator, and the founder of Reading Middle Grade, where she helps parents and educators find the perfect books for kids ages 8-14. After medical school, Afoma pivoted to writing and hasn’t looked back. She started as a freelance writer for marketing and tech companies before discovering her passion for middle grade literature, sparked by rereading The Babysitter’s Club on her Kindle during med school. Originally from Nigeria, Afoma recently moved to Canada and lives in Toronto with her husband. Her work spans her website, newsletter, Substack, and Instagram, where she reviews books, creates curated lists, and helps match young readers with stories they’ll love.

Connect with Afoma:

• Instagram (books): @readingmiddlegrade
• Instagram (personal): Afoma Umesi
• Website: readingmiddlegrade.com
• Substack: readingmiddlegrade.substack.com

00:00 Welcome to A Day In Her Life
01:26 Meet Our Guest: Fomo ESI
02:51 A Writer's Journey
03:51 Daily Routines and Coping with Grief
05:46 Rapid Fire Questions
12:33 From Med School to Writing
18:45 Middle Grade Book Passion
23:25 Wrapping Up the Day
28:38 The Importance of Sleep and Mental Health
29:31 Balancing Household Responsibilities
32:26 Prioritizing Self-Care
35:10 Building a Community in a New City
38:53 Maintaining Long-Distance Friendships
40:55 Nurturing Your Relationship
43:21 Thoughts on AI and Daily Routines
50:06 Finding Joy in New Hobbies and Routines
54:17 Conclusion and Where to Follow

Looking for your next romance read? Look no further! This month at Pepper Books we've got your Celebrity/Normie Romances from One Pepper all the way to Five!

Episode Music - For Days - Tom Deis via Shutterstock

Tell us what you think!!!

This week, we're sitting down with Sofi Madison, a former shop owner turned independent consultant who's redefining what work-life balance looks like in the North Shore. Sofi shares her journey from running Olives and Grace—a beloved retail destination—to consulting for independent retailers and hospitality teams, all while raising two boys (ages 3 and 5) in Manchester by the Sea.

In this honest conversation, Sofi opens up about the intentional decision to become a "working plus stay-at-home mom," her 9am-2:30pm work window, and why she chose to close a successful business she loved to create space for motherhood. We dig into the messy realities of balancing creative work with the demands of young children, why she's slow to sign her kids up for sports, and how she's finding creative expression through social media and Substack in this season of life.

What We Cover:

• Seasonal routines: Why Sofi's a 5am coffee-on-the-porch person in summer but hits snooze until 6:45 in winter
• The luxury of a single school drop-off and what slow, wholesome mornings look like at Waldorf school
• Working compressed hours (9am-2:30pm) while running an independent consulting practice
• Why she closed a thriving retail business when her "lens of love completely shifted" after kids
• Navigating witching hour, car snacks, and the All Star soundtrack on repeat
• Dinner struggles with picky eaters and the dream of everyone eating the same meal
• The invisible labor of household management and how she and her husband divide responsibilities
• Shrinking friend circles for quality over quantity in the mom phase
• Using AI for dinner prep advice and vitamin guidance (but never for personal communication)
• Being honest about romantic relationships taking a backseat when kids are young
• Why she doesn't miss her kids when she travels for work (and the freedom in saying that out loud)

Connect with Sofi:

• Instagram: @sofimadison_
• Substack: sofimadison.substack.com
• Website: sofimadison.com

Key Timestamps:

• 01:26 Meet Our Guest: Sofi Madison
• 02:13 Rapid Fire Questions with Sofi
• 03:50 Sofi's Morning Routine
• 07:43 Navigating Work and Family Balance
• 19:03 Dinner Time and Evening Routines
• 25:54 Choosing Activities for the Kids
• 28:33 Choosing the Right Sports for Kids
• 32:14 Balancing Self-Care and Parenting
• 35:45 Household Management Strategies
• 44:19 Navigating Friendships and Relationships
• 47:57 Embracing Creativity and Social Media
• 50:52 The Role of AI in Daily Life
• 56:08 Current Obsessions and Joys
• 59:03 Conclusion and Farewell

Resources Mentioned:

• Range by Kara Duval (movement/Pilates)
• Meet Boston (NESN, Saturdays) with Jenny Johnson & Billy Costa

Listen and Review

Podcasts - Spotify - YouTube

More A Day In Her Life

Looking for your next romance read? Look no further! This month at Pepper Books we've got your Celebrity/Normie Romances from One Pepper all the way to Five!

Episode Music - For Days - Tom Deis via Shutterstock

Tell us what you think!!!

A Day In Her Life with Layla Shaikley – Efficient, Full, Emotionally Regulated Days as a Founder and Mom of Three

What does it look like to build a venture-backed tech company, raise three young kids, recover from a major injury, and stay emotionally steady through it all?

In this episode of A Day In Her Life, Ellie sits down with Layla Shaikley, co-founder of Wise Systems, writer, and mom of three (ages 3, 5, and 7). Layla shares how predictability, emotional regulation, and ruthless prioritization are what make her high-capacity life sustainable, not hustle or perfection.

This is a powerful, grounding conversation about ambition, motherhood, and learning how to regulate yourself so you don’t burn everything down when things get hard.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why emotional regulation is the real foundation of high performance, and how Layla thinks about passing that skill to her kids
• The predictable morning routine that allows her to work East Coast hours while parenting on the West Coast
• How she structures work around goals, not tasks, and why feeling “behind” is often a sign you’ve lost sight of outcomes
• Why proximity determines extracurriculars (and why that’s not “failing your kids”)
• What evenings actually look like with three young kids, and how she lets chaos happen without reacting to it
• The systems she uses to buy back time, from outsourcing household work to using AI as a thinking assistant
• Why this season is about choosing three priorities only, and being okay with everything else waiting

If you’re a working mom trying to hold ambition, caregiving, health, and sanity at the same time, this episode will help you breathe a little deeper and think more clearly about what actually matters.

Follow Layla

• Substack
• Instagram
• TikTok

References

• Case Study
• 7 Types of Rest

Listen and Review

Podcasts - Spotify - YouTube

More A Day In Her Life

@adayinherlifepod

adayinherlife.com

adayinherlife.substack.com

Looking for your next romance read? Look no further! This month at Pepper Books we've got your Celebrity/Normie Romances from One Pepper all the way to Five!

Episode Music - For Days - Tom Deis via Shutterstock