Hello, I'm Sophia L'Exta and welcome to Spinning Plates, the podcast where I speak to busy working women, who also happen to be mothers, about how they make it all work.

I'm a singer and I've released eight albums in between having my five sons, age between seven years old and nearly 22,

so I spin a few plates myself.

Being a mother can be the most amazing thing,

but it can also be hard to find time for yourself and your own ambitions.

I want to be a little bit nosy and see how other people balance everything.

Welcome to spinning plates.

Well, I don't want to be too snug about this, but to those of you listening in Blighty,

I'm in very warm, very sunny, blue sky at Melbourne.

And I've got to admit, the warm bones I'm experiencing feel pretty good.

I feel bloody miles away though.

I mean, I know that's obvious, but it's so unique to coming to this side of the planet

from where I usually reside.

It just feels so comically far away.

I think it's to do with the fact that you're not only, you know, you've traveled to the other side of the planet,

but also the seasons flip.

So winter to summer.

The clock is absolutely backwards.

So, yeah, it took a little bit of getting used to, but I have actually been out in Australia, New Zealand,

for a week now, so I feel properly acclimatized. I'd like to raise a imaginary toast to

the half of my band who turned up on Monday to New Zealand ready to do our first gig on Tuesday

and our second gig on Wednesday.

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