Steph sits down with her husband of 17 years, Mark (Doug) Douglas, for an unfiltered and often hilarious deep dive into marriage, equality at home, and the invisible workload that often falls on women. From their whirlwind romance and early parenting struggles to resentment, gender roles, and the reality of balancing careers and family, no topic is off-limits.

Doug is a finance professional navigating the ever-evolving dynamics of modern partnerships. As a couple, Steph and Doug have had to unlearn traditional gender roles, redefine teamwork, and figure out how to stop bickering about the food shop. Spoiler alert – they don’t have it all figured out!

We Talk About:

The Mental Load & Motherhood – Why Steph felt trapped while Doug got to enjoy a solo train ride and a Pret sandwich.

When the Kindness Goes – How exhaustion and resentment creep into long-term relationships.
Relearning Equality – The moment Doug realized doing the food shop wasn’t just about clicking ‘repeat order’ on Tesco.

Paternity Leave & Male Privilege – Why many men still hesitate to take time off and what needs to change.

The Pancake Revelation – A seemingly small act that transformed their approach to sharing responsibilities.

The Chats That Changed Everything – From Eve Rodsky’s episode, How to Make it Fair to Matt Frey’s This Is How Your Marriage Ends, the resources that helped them shift their mindset.

With plenty of laughter, some uncomfortable truths, and a whole lot of real talk, this episode is for anyone who has ever argued about housework, felt unseen in their relationship, or just wants to feel less alone in the chaos of modern family life.

And for those of you listening in real time, let’s not forget that Mother’s Day is just around the corner and Don’t Buy Her Flowers is on standby to help you with a thoughtful gift that shows the mother in your life the gratitude they so deserve!

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This episode we are proud to have two excellent sponsors:

Anara Skincare – luxury, natural skincare without compromise. Use code DBHF20 for 20% off.

Sweet Freedom – award winning syrups and spreads, always sweet, always natural. Use code DBHF15 for 15% off.

We recorded this episode at Patch in Twickenham, which is a co-working space and they have another four locations in England. Patch are offering 50% off the first two months membership with the code Steph50. Go to patch.work

We’d love for you to subscribe to the podcast. You can also leave feedback by sending voice notes and suggestions of anything you’d like discussed on the podcast by emailing podcast@dontbuyherflowers.com

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