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Captains Flat’s famous mum-of-nine Claire Louise Hooker has to be one of the world’s most supremely organised people. She not only home-schools her children but has a burgeoning side career as an influencer and blogger, with more than 15,000 followers on Instagram and more than 3000 on Facebook. Now, she has started a weekly podcast in collaboration with Queanbeyan outfit Throttle Media. It’s about family life, yes, but broader topics as well. “I just wanted to do something different and I wanted people to see a different side of me and hear me speak, because I’ve got quite the sense of humour,” Claire said. “Obviously, my priority is our faith and our family, but there’s more to me.” The weekly podcast, called What Happens When.., sees Claire and Charlie Pizzard from Throttle Media speak about all manner of topics. Charlie, the chief executive of Throttle Media and also Claire’s manager, is also a dad of three. He said Claire initially approached Throttle Media to get help with her website and the collaboration grew from there. He says Claire is a natural talent and the discussion between them flows freely. “It just works,” he said, of the podcast. Charlie said they discussed everything from household budgets to mental health. “Claire has an incredible relationship with her kids and her husband and I think with nine children she’s had to come up with a system that works and people are interested in that,” he said. One of the podcasts hit close to home for other reasons. On World Down Syndrome Day, Claire dedicated the episode to her sister Kerry, 38, who has Down Syndrome and lives back in their home country of England. Thirteen years after migrating from England, Claire became an Australian citizen in a ceremony in Queanbeyan on Australia Day last year. She luckily had her mother and stepfather out from England to help her celebrate, just before COVID-19 shut down the world. Her sister lives in care while her mother and stepfather are at home in Kent. “We’ve worried about them a lot. They’ve had three lockdowns and are still in their third. I was so grateful we got to spend that time together,” Claire said. The podcast has revealed a little more of herself. “People say, ‘I love your accent. You kind of sound Australian and then you sound British’. I’m just really enjoying it all,” she said. Claire’s husband Mark works full-time in Canberra so her mother-in-law looks after the children while she records the podcast. Claire and Mark have eight girls and one boy under the age of 13. “I’ll bring a couple of the older ones in with me and they’ll sit at the big desk with their books spread out and their homework,” she said. Claire, 34, said she had copped flack in the past from trolls who like to target the family and question the couple’s motives for having so many children. “There’s a lot of stigma around large families and I want to address that,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with having a large family. “We’re a well-organised and efficient and loving household.” Charlie Pizzard said the initial plan was to do 10 episodes of the podcast. “We’ve had a lot more traction than I envisaged so I would say we are absolutely going to do more,” he said. The link to the podcast is linktr.ee/WhatHappensWhenPodcast The links to all things Claire Hooker is here
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Captains Flat’s famous mum-of-nine Claire Louise Hooker has to be one of the world’s most supremely organised people.
She not only home-schools her children but has a burgeoning side career as an influencer and blogger, with more than 15,000 followers on Instagram and more than 3000 on Facebook.
Now, she has started a weekly podcast in collaboration with Queanbeyan outfit Throttle Media.
It’s about family life, yes, but broader topics as well.
“I just wanted to do something different and I wanted people to see a different side of me and hear me speak, because I’ve got quite the sense of humour,” Claire said.
Mark and Claire Hooker and their nine children.
“Obviously, my priority is our faith and our family, but there’s more to me.”
The weekly podcast, called What Happens When.., sees Claire and Charlie Pizzard from Throttle Media speak about all manner of topics.
Charlie, the chief executive of Throttle Media and also Claire’s manager, is also a dad of three.
He said Claire initially approached Throttle Media to get help with her website and the collaboration grew from there.
He says Claire is a natural talent and the discussion between them flows freely.
“It just works,” he said, of the podcast.
Charlie said they discussed everything from household budgets to mental health.
Claire also has a burgeoning social media career. Picture: Dion Georgopoulos
“Claire has an incredible relationship with her kids and her husband and I think with nine children she’s had to come up with a system that works and people are interested in that,” he said.
One of the podcasts hit close to home for other reasons. On World Down Syndrome Day, Claire dedicated the episode to her sister Kerry, 38, who has Down Syndrome and lives back in their home country of England.
She luckily had her mother and stepfather out from England to help her celebrate, just before COVID-19 shut down the world. Her sister lives in care while her mother and stepfather are at home in Kent.
“We’ve worried about them a lot. They’ve had three lockdowns and are still in their third. I was so grateful we got to spend that time together,” Claire said.
The podcast has revealed a little more of herself.
“People say, ‘I love your accent. You kind of sound Australian and then you sound British’. I’m just really enjoying it all,” she said.
Claire’s husband Mark works full-time in Canberra so her mother-in-law looks after the children while she records the podcast. Claire and Mark have eight girls and one boy under the age of 13.
“I’ll bring a couple of the older ones in with me and they’ll sit at the big desk with their books spread out and their homework,” she said.
The podcast is all about everything from household budgets to mental health.
Claire, 34, said she had copped flack in the past from trolls who like to target the family and question the couple’s motives for having so many children.
“There’s a lot of stigma around large families and I want to address that,” she said.
“There’s nothing wrong with having a large family. “We’re a well-organised and efficient and loving household.”
Charlie Pizzard said the initial plan was to do 10 episodes of the podcast.
“We’ve had a lot more traction than I envisaged so I would say we are absolutely going to do more,” he said.
