Mummy Minutes Host Vanessa Poskus Clocks Up a Decade On Air

Main Image: Vanessa Poskus with 96five General Manager Arthur Muhl in the Alderley studios.

The idea for a series of radio spots to encourage mothers first came to Vanessa Poskus in 2012, as she was navigating the waters of motherhood with her then toddler, Isaac.

After an exchange of emails with 96five about the direction of the spots, the first Mummy Minute went to air in 2013, with the signature tag line “you are important, thanks for being a mum.”

I can still remember that first spot going to air, and the reception phone ringing off the hook as mums called in to say thank you for being seen, understood and thanked.

10 years on, Vanessa is still encouraging mums through the Mummy Minutes spots, despite the fact that her toddler is now a teenager and towers above her!

“It’s an awesome privilege to be taken into mother’s hearts and lives right where they’re doing the nitty gritty of motherhood,” Vanessa said. “After all this time it really blows my mind that I still have something useful to say to mothers as they do the hard yards with their kids.”

The 96five team celebrating Vanessa’s 10 years on air.

It didn’t take long to discover just how important it was to thank and encourage mums across the city. Within 6 months of the first spot going to air, 96five was contacted by a Logan mum, who had dropped her children off at day care and then planned to take her own life.

As that mum got back into the car a Mummy Minutes spot came on, and she told 96five that all it took was those few words of encouragement to realise that she was important, and was needed.

“Right from the beginning I knew I had a gift and a responsibility to lift up mothers. What God is able to do with the spots is well beyond my ability, and even now I pray before I record the spots for that ‘one mum’ that needs to be reached and encouraged.”

And what’s Vanessa’s desire for the spots after 10 years on the radio?

“I still hope that Mummy Minutes reminds mums of the things that are positive about what we’re doing as mums.

“Just like any mum, I can feel like I’m trudging the same path every day and nothing’s changing, so as much as possible I want to encourage mums right where they are and that they are enough for their kids.”

You can listen to the Mummy Minutes spots in the audio player above, or find them on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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