Episode Overview

"Can you help?" is vague. "Can you watch the kids for two hours on Thursday so I can shower?" is specific. One of these actually gets results.

In this snippet, Delyse Clayden breaks down the three types of support every parent needs—practical, emotional, and informational—and offers twelve concrete strategies for actually asking for it. Because here's what we forget: most people want to help. They feel valued when asked. They just don't know what you need until you tell them. This episode is about getting specific, letting go of the "do it all" mindset, and remembering that there are no medals for exhaustion.

This Episode

Delyse shares the three types of support parents need and twelve practical strategies for asking. We explore three types of support: practical (laundry, meals, childcare), emotional (someone to listen without judgment), and informational (professional advice)

Quotable Moments
"There are no medals for doing it all on your own. You just end up exhausted and burned out." — Delyse Clayden

"Asking for help's not a weakness, it's a wisdom." — Delyse Clayden

"Self-caring and asking for help when needed makes you a better caregiver to others. It doesn't make you less of a caregiver." — Delyse Clayden

"You deserve support. Life is too difficult to do it on your own." — Delyse Clayden

About Your Hosts
Professor Narelle Lemon is a researcher, educator, and passionate advocate for women's wellbeing based at Edith Cowan University in Perth. Creator of She Speaks and the Citizen Wellbeing Scientist project, Narelle has dedicated over 25 years to one powerful belief: self-care is not selfish—it's essential.

Delyse Clayden is an experienced educator, disability advocate, and mother of three. Specialising in Anxiety, Autism, and working with siblings, Delyse brings both personal and professional experience to her advocacy work. Her unique perspective as both an educator and a parent living alongside additional needs allows her to connect authentically with families.

Connect With Us
• Follow She Speaks on Instagram: @shespeakswellbeingstrategies

• Visit our website: www.shespeakswellbeing.com

A Note on Wellbeing

She Speaks is dedicated to amplifying women's voices on self-care and wellbeing. While we share personal experiences and practical strategies, please remember that this podcast is not a substitute for professional mental health support. If you're struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a qualified mental health practitioner.

She Speaks is proudly supported by the Western Australian Government and Department of Communities Women's Grants for a Stronger Future Grants Program.

She Speaks Podcast was recorded on the lands of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people. We respectfully acknowledge our elders past, present, and emerging.

Episode Overview

You're dragging your kids through the school gate with your hair a mess. The parent next to you looks perfectly polished and calm. You tell yourself they've got it together and you don't. But here's what you're not seeing: they probably feel exactly the same way about someone else.

In this snippet, Delyse Clayden unpacks why asking for help feels so impossibly hard—and why so many of us say "I'm fine" when we're anything but. From the trained educator who couldn't admit she needed help with her own children's disabilities, to the fear that needing support means failing as a parent, this episode names the barriers so we can start dismantling them.

This Episode

Delyse identifies six reasons why asking for help feels so difficult—and what happens when we don't. We explore:

• Unrealistic self-expectations
• Viewing help as failure
• Gender role expectations
• Fear of admitting problems
• Uncertainty about where to start
• Fear of being a burden
• The cost of going without help
• Building your village

Quotable Moments

"I'm a trained educator and admitting that I couldn't do it all for them, it wasn't easy to ask for help. You don't want to admit that you are not enough." — Delyse Clayden

"Let's assume that people are going to congratulate us for recognizing when support was needed." — Delyse Clayden

"Parents can't always be honest with your parents. But if you've got other people that have helped develop you, then you've got more people to support you, support the children." — Delyse Clayden

"Ask for help. Don't be shy." — Delyse Clayden

About Your Hosts
Professor Narelle Lemon is a researcher, educator, and passionate advocate for women's wellbeing based at Edith Cowan University in Perth. Creator of She Speaks and the Citizen Wellbeing Scientist project, Narelle has dedicated over 25 years to one powerful belief: self-care is not selfish—it's essential.

Delyse Clayden is an experienced educator, disability advocate, and mother of three. Specialising in Anxiety, Autism, and working with siblings, Delyse brings both personal and professional experience to her advocacy work. Her unique perspective as both an educator and a parent living alongside additional needs allows her to connect authentically with families.

Connect With Us
• Follow She Speaks on Instagram: @shespeakswellbeingstrategies

• Visit our website: www.shespeakswellbeing.com

A Note on Wellbeing
She Speaks is dedicated to amplifying women's voices on self-care and wellbeing. While we share personal experiences and practical strategies, please remember that this podcast is not a substitute for professional mental health support. If you're struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a qualified mental health practitioner.

She Speaks is proudly supported by the Western Australian Government and Department of Communities Women's Grants for a Stronger Future Grants Program.

She Speaks Podcast was recorded on the lands of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people. We respectfully acknowledge our elders past, present, and emerging.

Episode Overview
You're at playgroup watching someone else's child do something yours hasn't done yet. You're at school drop-off comparing yourself to the polished parent who seems to have it all together. You're at home wondering why one of your children can do something their sibling can't.

In this snippet, Delyse Clayden names the comparison trap for what it is—a natural human tendency that can quietly devastate our mental health and our children's self-esteem. But here's the shift: comparison can be unlearned. From practical scripts to shut down unhelpful playground conversations, to helping your child measure progress against their own baseline (not someone else's), this episode offers a way out of the compare-athon.

This Episode
Delyse shares strategies for escaping the comparison trap—for ourselves and our children. We explore:

• The many faces of comparison
• Talk about it openly
• Social media reality check
• Model what you want to see
• Healthy self-comparison
• Celebrate uniqueness
• Change the questions
• Shift the internal dialogue:
• Scripts for shutting down unhelpful conversations
• For children with disability
• Give grace

Quotable Moments

"Their only fair comparison is with who they were yesterday." — Delyse Clayden

"I'm happy with my child's progress at the moment. We are taking each beautiful step as it comes." — Delyse Clayden

"Children flourish when they feel unconditionally valued for who they are, not judged against others." — Delyse Clayden

"When you stop comparing and start celebrating their unique journey, you build trust, you build confidence, and authentic growth." — Delyse Clayden

About Your Hosts

Professor Narelle Lemon is a researcher, educator, and passionate advocate for women's wellbeing based at Edith Cowan University in Perth. Creator of She Speaks and the Citizen Wellbeing Scientist project, Narelle has dedicated over 25 years to one powerful belief: self-care is not selfish—it's essential.

Delyse Clayden is an experienced educator, disability advocate, and mother of three. Specialising in Anxiety, Autism, and working with siblings, Delyse brings both personal and professional experience to her advocacy work. Her unique perspective as both an educator and a parent living alongside additional needs allows her to connect authentically with families.

Connect With Us

• Follow She Speaks on Instagram: @shespeakswellbeingstrategies

• Visit our website: www.shespeakswellbeing.com

A Note on Wellbeing
She Speaks is dedicated to amplifying women's voices on self-care and wellbeing. While we share personal experiences and practical strategies, please remember that this podcast is not a substitute for professional mental health support. If you're struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a qualified mental health practitioner.

She Speaks is proudly supported by the Western Australian Government and Department of Communities Women's Grants for a Stronger Future Grants Program.

She Speaks Podcast was recorded on the lands of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people. We respectfully acknowledge our elders past, present, and emerging.