Laura Dokrill podast, produced by Broccoli Productions
Laura Dokrill. Photo by Sonny Malhotra
Writer and illustrator Laura Dockrill’s experience of early motherhood was truly life-changing. Nevertheless it couldn’t have been further from what she was expecting. She spent first Mother’s Day in a psychiatric ward, without knowing where she was and separated from her newborn. She was diagnosed with a serious postpartum psychosis. What she went through launched her on a mission to study and understand the psychological effects of giving birth and help to abolish the stigma that’s associated with it. She’s advocating the need of normalising conversations about mental health and parenthood.
In 2020 Laura wrote “What Have I Done?”, a powerful memoir that explores the award-winning author’s struggle with postpartum psychosis. Following up from “What Have I Done?” in March 2021 Laura Dockrill launches Zombiemum, produced by Broccoli Productions – in a deal done between Broccoli CEO Renay Richardson and Ariella Feiner at United Agents. Laura will invite new guests on the podcast each week where they can share their own experiences to help others. These can be about being a parent themselves or also about their own childhoods. We are simply not discussing these deeply important issues enough.
The impressive guest list includes
Guests include big names such as Paloma Faith, Joe Wicks, Candice Brathwaite and Denise Welch. There will be 11 episodes in season one of Zombiemum, going live first on March 30th 2021.
“Zombiemum follows from “What Have I Done?, opening up the floor to have a much needed conversation, to throw light onto the darkness. I wanted to speak the unapologetic real talk I craved. I captured true lived accounts from real people that had done it and lived to tell the tale. It’s not just for new parents either, these are raw human stories told from the front lines. They cover many themes from a range of points of view about the human condition, stories that touch us all. Broccoli has given me permission, support and a safe space to talk to some incredibly inspiring, courageous and generous sur-THRIVE-ers. They’ve all been through some tough stuff and made it out alive. Zombiemum is a hand in the darkness.”
Laura Dockrill was also in the Anthems Women series. A bold collection of 31 original manifestos, speeches, stories, poems and rallying cries written and voiced by exceptional women from across Britain. Laura’s book What Have I Done? And it was also featured on the first episode of The Broccoli Book Club in 2021.
Listen to Zombiemum trailer here
Zombiemum guests:
Paloma Faith, Catherine Cho, Joe Wicks, Candice Brathwaite, Denise Welch, Remi Sadé, Hugo White, Lemn Sissay, Bryony Kimmings, Nikesh Shukla, Bryony Gordon
About Laura
Laura Dockrill is an award-winning author, illustrator and performance poet, with 13 children and young adult books under her belt. She has been nominated twice for the CILIP Carnegie Medal for her novel Lorali. Plus the Darcy Burdock series, which was also shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.
You may also enjoy reading https://darlingmagazine.co.uk/wellness/coping-with-lockdown-emma-parr-therapist-lockdown-covid-19/
