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.
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Moms, Mats and Manuscripts is a society podcast hosted by Ksenia Volkova Tomaz, with 45 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.
About the host
Ksenia Volkova Tomaz hosts Moms, Mats and Manuscripts, a society show with 45 episodes published.
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Episode #47
E47 - “I had a panic attack": becoming a mom as an assistant professor (with Dr Liz Berry)
Jul 21, 20261h 3m
Dr. Elizabeth Berry, Assistant Professor at New York Medical College, returns to Moms, Mats and Manuscripts pregnant and really honest about all of it: the panic attack over due-date math, the fear that visible pregnancy would affect how colleagues saw her ambition, and the uncertainty of how the "mom" label would land on top of scientist and professor. We also go on a couple of rants neither of us saw coming - about childcare costs, people's desire to share horror stories instead of positive ones, and about a medical system that doesn't know what to do with patients who actually want to understand what's happening to them. If you are a woman in STEM wondering how to combine passion, ambition and a dream to have a family - this conversation is for you. _________ Dr Liz Berry info: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.lizberry/ Website: https://razberryscience.my.canva.site/dr-lizberry?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAacrlKL1MrpxJTEdEKyr3R8s9ylEAfShvD_cE2UNsvp9tYkz1FWUjnOwKlfz-w_aem_iqHk0JglI6ZBO24h96kF7Q _________ Support the show 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
E46 - Due dates & deadlines: pregnancy in the last year of a PhD and figuring out who you are after (with Dr Katerina Danezi)
May 12, 20261h 22m
In this episode of Moms, Mats, and Manuscripts, I sit down with my friend Katerina Danezi. Katerina finished her PhD with a baby on her hip, literally. She wrote 330 pages of her thesis in mere weeks, eight months postpartum, while breastfeeding and running on almost no sleep. In this episode, we talk about what it actually looks like to navigate pregnancy in the last year of a PhD: the lab politics, the guilt, the colleagues, the supervisor, and everything in between. We also get into the part nobody really prepares you for - the job search after. The identity loss, the depression of feeling like "just a mom," and what it took to find her footing again professionally and personally. If you're somewhere in your PhD with a positive pregnancy test, or you're postpartum and wondering who you even are now, this one's for you. __________ Connect with Katerina: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danezik/ __________ Support the show 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
E45 - Not lost - becoming: matrescence, postpartum recovery, and radical rest (with Munirah Razak)
Apr 28, 20261h 24m
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. __________ Connect with Munirah: Instagram: @luminousyogalife Website: https://luminousyogalife.com/ FREE RESOURCE: A 5-minute Breathwork for Exhausted Moms https://tinyurl.com/luminousyogalife-breathwork Support the show 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
E44 - From PhD to parenthood: on identity, becoming unapologetic and letting go of control (With Dr Lauren A. Mason)
Apr 14, 20261h 4m
What happens when you try to build a career and a family at the same time? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Lauren Mason - research scientist, higher education consultant, and creator of Lauren Finds a Way - to talk about motherhood in and around academia. We explore the realities of pregnancy during an academic career, including the feeling of being an “inconvenience,” navigating identity shifts, and learning to become more unapologetic about your needs. Lauren also shares her experience of losing a twin during pregnancy, and what it was like to hold both grief and gratitude while continuing to work. This conversation goes beyond logistics and into the emotional and psychological layers of academia: perfectionism, people-pleasing, lack of support, and the deep personal growth that often goes unspoken. We also talk about: – Why there’s never a “perfect time” to have a child in academia – Letting go of control and perfectionism – Asking for help (and why it’s so hard for high-achievers) – The role of community and visibility in navigating academia – What needs to change in academic culture If you’re a PhD student, postdoc, or academic thinking about family, or navigating big identity shifts, this conversation is for you 💛 Connect with Lauren: Instagram: @laurenfindsaway Website: https://www.laurenfindsaway.com/ __________ Support the show 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
E43 - From vague goals to real life: A seasonal reset (and what I'm learning along the way)
Mar 31, 202629 min
What if the problem isn't that you're bad at goals... it's that the way we're told to set them is kind of broken? In this solo episode, I'm sharing how I've been doing goal-setting differently. Instead of the classic New Year's resolution that dies by mid-January, I've been doing quarterly check-ins - basically, sitting down every three months to look at what's working, what's not, and what I actually want next. It's changed everything about how I work, how I show up, and how I trust myself to follow through. I talk about: - Why yearly goals tend to fizzle out (and what actually sticks instead) - How seasonal energy affects your motivation more than you think - Why productivity is really about managing your energy, not grinding harder - The shift from vague wishes to concrete, doable steps - Celebrating yourself, even when it feels awkward (I'm terrible at this) - Identity, habits, and becoming the version of yourself you're aiming for If you're a PhD student, researcher, or just someone who feels stuck or disconnected from what you're supposedly "working toward," this might give you a gentler way in. No pressure. Just an invitation to pause, reflect, and figure out what you actually need right now. ___________ Episodes I mentioned: E38 - When you're ambitious but exhausted: a gentler approach to goals E27 - Hormone health, cycle-informed leaving and productivity ___________ 🔗 Work with me / resources mentioned: Researcher Reset power hour Free Leave your work at work bundle: subscribepage.io/leaveworkatworktraining Support the show 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
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