What does Mamamia's Head of Content do in a day? Eliza told us everything.

Thanks to our brand partner, Fitness First

I'm one of those people who loves working out in the morning — I try to get up at 5:15am to make it happen, not because I'm particularly virtuous, but because I've learned it's the one time of day when small children aren't asking me for snacks.

That said, some days don't go as planned, and evening workouts become my saving grace. When I'm super tired and can't dig deep for that intrinsic motivation, I rely on external motivation — especially from my Fitness First trainer, who helps me push through when I've had a long day and just want to collapse on the couch.

The truth is, I've tried every possible time to work out — lunchtime (meetings always foil this well-intended plan), after work (kid pick-up chaos), evening (too tired to move) — and early morning is (sometimes, most of the time) my best shot. Having a gym near both home and work with long opening hours has been the key to actually making it happen.

Some mornings you'll find me at a Fitness First Pilates class, other days I'm just sitting on a spin bike listening to one of Mamamia's podcasts and mentally preparing for the day ahead. Sometimes my sister joins me because I've discovered the secret to maintaining adult relationships is combining your social life with everything else.

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Come 6:30am, the real workout begins — the morning rush with three boys. I have a seven, six and two-year-old. My husband and I both work full time and with his family in Sweden and my parents still working full time themselves, we don't have the traditional family support network many rely on.

We make it work through a combination of long daycare and after-school care plus a lot of calendar Tetris between the two of us.

If you've ever tried to get multiple children ready for school while simultaneously packing bags, making breakfast and attempting to make yourself look like a decent human being, you know exactly what I mean. And just when you think you've got everything sorted, someone remembers it's swimming day.

Cue 15 trips back and forth to the house because you've packed the wrong yellow towel — the one with turtles not stripes.

Image: Supplied. 

By 8:15am drop-offs are done (my husband and I tag team this depending on meetings) and I'm heading to the office. I strategically use my commute time to start work, whether it's listening to a podcast, catching up on competitor sites or taking a work call. This 30 minutes gives me a head start.

Running Mamamia's content team is exactly as chaotic but as wonderful as you'd imagine. We're planning website content, developing podcast ideas, launching new products and constantly asking ourselves "What are women actually talking about today?".

Then if news breaks, our plans go completely out the window as we find fresh new ways into the biggest stories of the day.

A typical day in the office involves multiple meetings with our different content teams. One minute I'm discussing a new podcast series, the next I'm reviewing article drafts or brainstorming social media strategies.

The best part of my job is working with incredibly creative people who understand that women's media shouldn't be patronising or predictable. We're always asking ourselves: "What's the third idea here? What's the angle nobody else is talking about?"

When my kids join me in the office... Image: Supplied. 

Once the office day ends, it doesn't really stop. Being Head of Content means always keeping one finger on the pulse — whether I'm scanning news alerts during dinner prep or catching up on trending topics while hiding in the bathroom for five minutes of peace. The world of content never sleeps and neither does the news cycle.

If it's my turn for pickup, I'm racing out the office door at 4:50pm. And I ALWAYS HAVE SNACKS. I learned this lesson the hard way and now my car's glove box looks like a mini supermarket to satisfy my three little overlords. I'm also often found raiding the Mamamia snack basket if I don't have supplies.

Image: Supplied. 

In the evenings, dinner is... well, let's just say I won't be appearing on MasterChef anytime soon. My rotation of meatballs, chicken nuggets, rice, pasta and broccoli is hardly inspiring but it gets the job done.

Then to bath time, where my creative parenting really shines. My signature move? Adding food colouring to bath time. Different colour every night. The kids think it's magic, I think it's the easiest way to get three boys into a bath without a negotiation worthy of the UN.

Story time is my favourite part of the day. It's the time I can actually have one-on-one time with the boys. Our chance to slow down and snuggle. For Augie, the youngest, he makes me read Alice in Wonderland (an abridged version) on repeat and the older two boys are reading the Harry Potter series.

Once the boys are asleep, I might go to the gym if I haven't gone in the morning. Not for an intense workout (who has the energy?), but for 30 minutes of peace in the sauna or a quiet swim. Other evenings, you'll find me on the couch with wine watching TV with my husband or heading out to see some friends for dinner and drinks.

When I do have evening work events, it's a whole different kind of chaos. There's the quick change in the office bathroom, the mental gymnastics of organising alternative pickup arrangements and the inevitable guilt of missing bedtime. But I've learned that it's okay for the kids to see that mum has her own life and career. Even if that means sometimes FaceTiming goodnight.

The very clichéd reality is, no two days are exactly the same. Some days I nail the morning routine but completely forget about the school bake sale. Other days I'm running to a presentation while simultaneously putting in a grocery Click and Collect order. Working parenthood is basically one long exercise in accepting that perfection is a goddamn trap.

Someone once told me that the secret to balancing work and family life is that there is no secret. You just do your best each day and forgive yourself when things don't go to plan.

So, while I might not be winning any awards for my cooking or remembering every library book, I'm showing up. For my team, for my family, and most importantly, for myself. And on the days when that feels particularly hard, there's always a Fitness First sauna.

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Feature Image: Supplied. 

With so many ways to train and with over 6,000 fitness classes per week, you will always find a way to put yourself first.