News Club Interview: Clare Stephens

What’s next for Clare Stephens?

Clare’s time at Mamamia was undoubtedly a resounding success. Not only did she climb to the top of the editorial ladder, but she also became the popular host of hit podcasts such as Cancelled and But, Are You Happy?.

Everyone who knows Clare tells me she’s funny and clever, and there is much anticipation from many about what she’ll do out on her own. And for Clare, that’s more than just stepping outside of Mamamia - she's also doing it without her sister Jessie.

Because you see, Clare also happens to be a twin - her sister is Jessie Stephens, co-host of Mamamia Out Loud, one of the biggest podcasts in Australia. ‘The twins’, as they’re affectionately known, have shared everything from a womb to a childhood, jobs, careers, even an Instagram account.

So, it’s not just a big call professionally to leave Mamamia, to step away from her podcasts and everything she’s built - but also, personally.

In this conversation, we talk about all the things that made up that decision, how she’s handling it, and of course, what is on the cards for Clare Stephens - solo.

You can listen to the conversation here, tune in on YouTube - and hit subscribe while you’re at it - or scroll down for an edited transcript.

Exploring the costs of childcare

The cost of childcare is sky-high for most parents and carers who use it. It’s an issue that The Parenthood - an advocacy organisation working to make Australia the best place in the world to be a parent - is pushing to improve… To that end, The Parenthood has partnered with Future Women on a new podcast series called At What Cost? Episode one gets into the cost of childcare and how it impacts mothers, in particular. You can find out more and listen to that episode here.

Interview Highlights

Highlight 1: On the pros and cons of working with your sister

Clare Stephens: It was incredibly easy to work with Jessie, and we always say that we were kind of each other’s editor from the beginning. Like, everything we wrote - probably people even at work don’t know this - but every time we ever submitted anything, we’d have each other read it ... And I think there’s safety in having that person who is going to be brutally honest with you, and who also has your best interests at heart.

But there’s also a kind of negative safety, where if you’re an anxious person, you are constantly checking. And I think for confidence and that sort of thing, you need to just be willing to back yourself.

Highlight 2: On how becoming a mother changed her perspective

Clare Stephens: It didn’t happen immediately after birth because I was like "what the hell was that?" - but I think now, looking back on birth and having a newborn and raising a child, you really do learn what you’re made of and what’s important. You get this huge perspective on what matters to you, what your values are, and what you want to prioritise.

As soon as I had Matilda, I was like, time is finite. I don’t have forever. I’ve only got so many years where I can have the career I want and be the parent that I want to be. And a big part of it was realising, hold on, I’ve always had this idea in my head that I want to have a phase of my career where I go off and do something on my own, challenge myself, and really own something. When is that going to happen? If it doesn’t happen now, I don’t have infinite time to do it.

Highlight 3: On the implications of gendered media and polarisation

Clare Stephens: We do love to take a snippet of what’s happening in certain corners and tear it to shreds with no context, because it’s fun and it’s easy.

For example, something that really challenged my ideas about this was I've got a friend who listens to Jordan Peterson, reads his books, and I mocked him relentlessly… And when Jordan Peterson came to Australia a few years ago, I was like “I'll go to the show with you, and I'll hear him speak”. And I sat there, and I listened to Jordan Peterson speak for an hour, and … he actually didn't say anything controversial.

You could go into a really macro, philosophical discussion - he talks about individual responsibility, and a lot of people would say, “Yes, but there are baked-in disadvantages,” and that’s all very true. But actually, sitting there, I thought “hmm, okay…” We really do love to take a little snippet of what somebody says.

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