ON ambition, motherhood & becoming beyond the titles
Who is a Scholarly Mama®?
A Scholarly Mama® is a high-achieving mother who is shaping work, home and self differently. She carries her ambition, responsibility, and care with depth — not as a badge of honour, but as a lived reality.
She has invested deeply in her education, her research career, and her family. And now, she finds herself in a season of re-evaluation.
She is questioning old definitions of success. She is interrogating the idea that safety must be earned through exhaustion. She is reconsidering who she is beyond the titles she’s worked so hard to hold.
She leads herself first — not because it’s easy, but because it’s necessary.
She is no longer interested in overworking to prove her worth, or sacrificing herself to keep everything running.
She is becoming someone who creates impact where it matters: in her scholarly work, in her home, and within herself.
She is not lost. She is transitioning. She is ready to do the quiet work.
She is a Scholarly Mama®. And she may be you...
The Evolution of Scholarly Mamas®
You may have previously known Scholarly Mamas® as an online community. But Scholarly Mamas® was never meant to be another place to perform or keep up.
As this work — and the women it serves — matured, it became clear that a quieter, more sustainable format was needed. One that honoured reflection over performance, depth over noise, and leadership that doesn’t require constant presence.
That evolution is what became Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter: a quieter, deeper and more sustainable space. An intellectual and emotional home. A place to recognise yourself. A place to find language for what you’re living. A place to feel less alone in your becoming.
This is no longer a community you have to show up to. It’s an intimate newsletter for you get quiet transformation from, written by me, a Scholarly Mama® who gets it.
What You’ll Find Inside Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter
Each Letter is a reflective exploration of themes such as:
- self-leadership before over-functioning
- the illusion of safety created by overwork
- identity beyond academic and professional titles
- ambition after motherhood — refined, not reduced
- creating impact at work and at home
These are not polished think-pieces or newsletters filled with productivity hacks & tips.
They are reflections written from the messy middle of life —by a Scholarly Mama® who has lived the juggle, the ambition, the exhaustion, and the identity shift that so often goes unnamed.
Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter is a place you can arrive quietly, read slowly, and leave changed — without explaining yourself.
Who Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter Is For
Scholarly Mamas®: The Letter is written with intention.
It’s for you if you are any of the following:
- have a PhD — or are on the path to one
- hold a strong professional identity
- are known for being capable, reliable, and high-achieving
And yet, something is shifting.
You may feel:
- tired in a way rest alone doesn’t resolve
- less interested in proving, more interested in meaning
- pulled between presence at home and impact at work
- aware that who you were no longer fits who you’re becoming
This isn’t failure.
It’s transition.
And transitions deserve leadership that begins with oneself.
What Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter Is Not
Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter is not:
- a mental health support service
- a coaching programme
- a community forum
- a space that requires interaction, sharing, or performance
There is nothing to keep up with here.
You simply receive the letter — and take what you need, in your own time.
Why Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter Exists
High-achieving mothers don’t need more strategies, hacks, or optimisation tools.
They need:
- permission to stop over-functioning
- language for the identity shifts they’re living through
- leadership models that don’t require self-sacrifice
- a definition of success that includes safety, presence, and peace
Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter exists to name what often goes unsaid — and to make space for becoming without urgency or pressure.
What You’ll Receive
When you sign up, you’ll receive monthly reflective Letters exploring themes such as:
- leading yourself before sacrificing yourself
- the cost of building safety through overwork
- releasing identities built for survival
- redefining impact beyond output
- choosing alignment over achievement
The cadence is intentionally light. I'll be in your inbox once or twice per month, max, that's it!
Because as a Scholarly Mama® myself, I know how full life already is.
These Letters are written for you to return to — not keep up with.
About the Author
I’m Dr Michelle Gibbs — also known as Mrs Mummy PhD®.
I hold five degrees, including a PhD, a family-friendly and growing clinical research and academic leadership career, while raising three our sons alongside my high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband.
I know the Scholarly Mama® life intimately.
I’ve lived the tension between ambition and presence, the quiet reckoning when success no longer feels sufficient, and the identity shift that comes when the old ways stop working.
Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter is written from lived experience — not theory.
Want to Go Deeper?
If you enjoy the written reflections in Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter, you may also enjoy my podcast: The Mrs Mummy PhD® Podcast, where I speak more personally about motherhood, ambition, identity, and becoming — in real time, without polish or perfection.
And if you’re seeking structured, personalised support, you’ll find that through my 1:1 coaching services. Please enquire further if you're interested in this type of client-centred support.
Your Becoming Begins Here
This journey isn’t about becoming someone completely new.
We've been so busy collecting titles and accolades as high-achievers, it can be hard to challenge these old notions of success.
But what if becoming wasn't about reinvention at all?
What if becoming a Scholarly Mama® is actually about restoring what’s been stretched too thin for way too long as we've navigated higher education, careers, motherhood and family life?
For Scholarly Mamas®, becoming is really a purposeful journey of restoration — to peace, safety, and identity beyond titles — navigated with care, clarity, and intention. All of this begins with self-leadership.
So if you’re a high-achieving Mama who's already accomplished a great deal but find yourself navigating this season of recalibration, you’re welcome here.
When you’re ready, sign up below and I'll send you a copy of our next Letter.
These are our journeys of becoming.
Disclaimer: Scholarly Mamas® - The Letter is not a substitute for medical/clinical advice or mental health support. Please seek assistance from a qualified professional who can help you if you are struggling.
©2026 Mrs Mummy PhD®. All rights reserved.