Meet the mum of 10 who won't let motherhood define her 

Leadership consultant and mother of 10 Danusia Malina-Derben challenges the societal pressures to be the ‘selfless’, caring parent, saying it’s important not to lose sight of who you are

Danusia Malina-Derben, centre, with her 10 children

Danusia Malina-Derben has just moved house. “Three vans, a brood of kids, one dog, one cat,” she texts close to 10pm on Monday as we schedule a time for interview. By Friday, “still surrounded by boxes”, she’s getting the basics in – washing machine, Wi-Fi – feeding the children and working with clients.

A mother of 10 based in the South Downs, England, she runs a leadership consultancy and has just published Noise: A Manifesto Modernising Motherhood. The book isn’t a memoir of her ‘motherhood life’, it isn’t a formula on how to be a good mother and – despite the multi-tasking house-move scenario – Noise is definitely not a how-to on juggling career and children.