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. I don't know, this is probably pretty

risky. I'm going to give it a while. I'm speaking to you from Saturday morning. It's just gone 9.8.

The sun is shining and yep, you're right. You can hear the voices of young children. Two, 10-year-old and a

seven-year-old to be exact, having a very

excitable morning at the end of sleepover.

I don't know how long I've got before I get interrupted, but I'm going to wing it.

I've had about four hours sleep, but I'm feeling really good because last night was a great

night.

I didn't get asleep to back too, but it's because we were celebrating the feeling my husband, Richard's band, and their London date. They played a

sold-out shepherd's Bush Empire last night, which happens to be my favourite venue, happens to be

my doorstep. These are happy days, but it was so glorious. So this was a tour that they're

currently doing. They finish in about 10 days. And it's

all to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first record, 12 stops and home. 20 years. But what's

so sweet is that the album, firstly, clearly adored by so many people, the Holy Shepherd's Bush was

just a sea of arms in the air

and seeing them along to every single song.

...