Is maternal instinct actually a myth? It's a question that's hitting close to home for so many women, whether you have children or not. We're diving into this one, and our conversation may surprise you.

Plus, the internet has gifted us some new vocabulary. 'Mankeeping', 'heterofatalism', 'hermeneutic labour' - fancy words that all translate to the same exhausting reality: what it's actually like to date men. Em Vernem's got the juicy dating stories to prove these terms exist for a reason.

And your weekend sorted with our latest recommendations: a mysterious new hobby that's got us intrigued, a genius hack for mastering new skills, and how to transform the most basic of vegetables into something actually delicious.

Support independent women's media

Recommendations

Em recommendsBlind Boxes at Pop Mart 

Jessie recommends Carrots by Nagi and Jessie wants you to check outHow Social Media Shortens Your Life

Holly recommends learning a language at Duolingo 

What To Listen To Next: 
Listen to our latest episode: The Problem With Hiring Friends & The Takeaway Tension
Listen: Taylor Swift & Why Her Boyfriend's Podcast
Listen: What Does King Charles Do With A Problem Like Prince Andrew?
Listen: The Influencer Who Tricked Us & Is There Such Thing As A Genius?
Listen: Love, Loss & Starting Over: The Breakup Dilemmas
Listen: "Have More Babies" & A Microdrama On The Beckham Yacht
Listen: Every Thought We Had About The 2025 Logies
Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts 

Watch Mamamia Out Loud:

Mamamia Out Loud on YouTube

What to read: 
It's not about housework. This is the real reason women are choosing to be single.
Welcome to the world of mankeeping.
'12 things no one told me about the first 12 weeks of motherhood.'
We need to debrief about the first year of motherhood.
New mums share the most cooked advice they were given... and wow.
After the cookbook controversy, everyone's asking can a recipe be copyrighted?
If you love RecipeTin Eats, here are 9 other cooks to follow on Instagram.

THE END BITS: 

Check out our merch at MamamiaOutLoud.com

Mamamia studios are styled with furniture from Fenton and Fenton 

Want $10 + a free month of Mamamia? We've got you.
We're cooking up something exciting and need your brilliant opinions to help us make even better content.
It's just 20 minutes of your time, and you'll get:
$10 e-gift card
1 month Mamamia subscription (or gift it to someone if you're already a subscriber)

Take the survey here
T&Cs here

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening. Send us an email at outloud@mamamia.com.au

Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message.

Join our Facebook group Mamamia Outlouders to talk about the show.

Follow us on Instagram @mamamiaoutloud and on Tiktok @mamamiaoutloud

CREDITS:

Hosts: Em Vernem, Jessie Stephens & Holly Wainwright

Group Executive Producer: Ruth Devine

Executive Producer: Emeline Gazilas

Audio Producer: Leah Porges

Video Producer: Josh Green

Junior Content Producers: Coco & Tessa

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. 

Is maternal instinct actually a myth? It's a question that's hitting close to home for so many women, whether you have children or not. We're diving into this one, and our conversation may surprise you.
Plus, the internet has gifted us some new vocabulary. 'Mankeeping', 'heterofatalism', 'hermeneutic labour' - fancy words that all translate to the same exhausting reality: what it's actually like to date men. Em Vernem's got the juicy dating stories to prove these terms exist for a reason.
And your weekend sorted with our latest recommendations: a mysterious new hobby that's got us intrigued, a genius hack for mastering new skills, and how to transform the most basic of vegetables into something actually delicious.
<a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe/?utm_source=shownotes&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=mmol">Support independent women's media</a>
Recommendations
Em recommends <a href="https://fave.co/4oDkvls">Blind Boxes</a> at Pop Mart&nbsp;
Jessie recommends <a href="https://fave.co/47tGQfc">Carrots</a> by Nagi and Jessie wants you to check out <a href="https://www.gurwinder.blog/p/how-social-media-shortens-your-life">How Social Media Shortens Your Life</a>
Holly recommends learning a language at <a href="https://fave.co/4loLaQh">Duolingo</a>&nbsp;
What To Listen To Next:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Listen to our latest episode: <a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/the-problem-with-working-with-friends/">The Problem With Hiring Friends &amp; The Takeaway Tension</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Listen:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/taylor-swift-the-life-of-a-showgirl">Taylor Swift &amp; Why Her Boyfriend's Podcast</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Listen: <a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/prince-andrew-king-charles/">What Does King Charles Do With A Problem Like Prince Andrew?</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Listen:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/ai-model-mia-zelu">The Influencer Who Tricked Us &amp; Is There Such Thing As A Genius?</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Listen:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/long-term-relationship-breakup-dilemma/">Love, Loss &amp; Starting Over: The Breakup Dilemmas</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Listen:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/beckham-yacht-drama">"Have More Babies" &amp; A Microdrama On The Beckham Yacht</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Listen:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/the-logies-2025/?utm_source=shownotes&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=mmol">Every Thought We Had About The 2025 Logies</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/channel/mamamia/id6442502456?ign-itscg=80085&amp;ign-itsct=pod_cha_mamam332_NA">Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts&nbsp;</a></li>
</ul>
Watch Mamamia Out Loud:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@mamamiaoutloud">Mamamia Out Loud on YouTube</a>
What to read:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/mankeeping-keeping-women-single/">It's not about housework. This is the real reason women are choosing to be single.</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/what-is-mankeeping/">Welcome to the world of mankeeping.</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/alisha-aitken-radburn-motherhood/">'12 things no one told me about the first 12 weeks of motherhood.'</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/first-year-of-motherhood/">We need to debrief about the first year of motherhood.</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/weirdest-parenting-advice/">New mums share the most cooked advice they were given... and wow.</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/recipetin-eats-brooki-plagiarism/">After the cookbook controversy, everyone's asking can a recipe be copyrighted?</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/recipe-tin-eats-recipes/">If you love RecipeTin Eats, here are 9 other cooks to follow on Instagram.</a></li>
</ul>
THE END BITS:&nbsp;
Check out our merch at<a href="https://www.mamamiaoutloud.com.au/store"> MamamiaOutLoud.com</a>
<a href="https://www.fentonandfenton.com.au/">Mamamia studios are styled with furniture from Fenton and Fenton&nbsp;</a>
Want $10 + a free month of Mamamia? We've got you. We're cooking up something exciting and need your brilliant opinions to help us make even better content. It's just 20 minutes of your time, and you'll get:
<ul data-stringify-type="unordered-list" data-list-tree="true" data-indent="0" data-border="0">
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">$10 e-gift card</li>
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">1 month Mamamia subscription (or gift it to someone if you're already a subscriber)</li>
</ul>
Take the survey&nbsp;<a href="https://survey.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bx9rNtK5YGAnFFI" data-stringify-link="https://survey.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bx9rNtK5YGAnFFI" data-sk="tooltip_parent">here</a> T&amp;Cs&nbsp;<a href="https://help.mamamia.com.au/en-US/mamamia-and-blinq-research-project-2025-tandcs-1961370" data-stringify-link="https://help.mamamia.com.au/en-US/mamamia-and-blinq-research-project-2025-tandcs-1961370" data-sk="tooltip_parent">here</a>
GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We&rsquo;re listening. Send us an email at outloud@mamamia.com.au
Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! <a href="https://help.mamamia.com.au/en-US/send-a-podcast-voice-note-467960">Send us a voice message</a>.
Join our Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/outlouders">Mamamia Outlouders</a> to talk about the show.
Follow us on Instagram<a href="https://www.instagram.com/mamamiaoutloud/?hl=en"> @mamamiaoutloud</a> and on Tiktok<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mamamiaoutloud"> @mamamiaoutloud</a>
CREDITS:
Hosts: Em Vernem, Jessie Stephens &amp; Holly Wainwright
Group Executive Producer: Ruth Devine
Executive Producer: Emeline Gazilas
Audio Producer: Leah Porges
Video Producer: Josh Green
Junior Content Producers: Coco &amp; Tessa
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Australia's #1 podcast for women is where smart women come for good conversation — with an occasional side serve of chaos. Covering news, pop culture and big ideas, plus the small stuff that matters, Mamamia Out Loud is hosted by journalists and authors Mia Freedman, Jessie Stephens and Holly Wainwright. It's your daily dose of conversation that's like catching up with your best, funniest and sharpest friends in the group chat, offering conversation at its most addictive.

Australia's #1 podcast for women is where smart women come for good conversation &mdash; with an occasional side serve of chaos. Covering news, pop culture and big ideas, plus the small stuff that matters, Mamamia Out Loud is hosted by journalists and authors Mia Freedman, Jessie Stephens and Holly Wainwright. It's your daily dose of conversation that's like catching up with your best, funniest and sharpest friends in the group chat, offering conversation at its most addictive.

A weekly podcast that's smart, often silly and sometimes surprising.

Mamamia Out Loud

The Very Specific Dating Experience Women Keep Having

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/3ea926be-9be7-482a-8ac3-a44f016e43d1/clips/2ddb03e0-3a56-40b0-87be-b339003d46cc/transcript