Mia Freedman

Freedman began her career at Cleo, doing work experience at the age of 19. Her first paid job in media was as Cleo{{'}}s beauty editor and she stayed at Cleo for five years working her way up to the position of features editor. She left Cleo in 1995 and spent several months as a freelance features writer for magazines including Marie Claire, New Weekly and Who Weekly. In 1996, aged 24 years, she became editor of Australian Cosmopolitan magazine, the youngest editor of the magazine's 58 international editions.{{cite interview|url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/02/19/2825065.htm |title=Mia Freedman|work=Conversations with Richard Fidler|interviewer=Richard Fidler |date=19 February 2010 |format=streaming audio |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation }}

Freedman is also the founder, publisher and editorial director of Australian women’s website Mamamia.{{cite web |url=http://www.mamamia.com.au/about-mia/ |title=The Mamamia Team |work=Mamamia |access-date=12 May 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130616144735/http://www.mamamia.com.au/about-mia/ |archive-date=16 June 2013 |url-status=dead}} In 2012, Freedman also launched an Australian edition of parenting website iVillage.{{cite web |url=http://mumbrella.com.au/alana-house-to-edit-ivillage-weeks-after-getting-sack-for-protesting-womans-day-story-136585 |title=Alana House to edit iVillage weeks after getting sack for protesting Woman's Day story |work=mUmBRELLA|date=31 January 2013 }} This was rebranded as The Motherish in June 2015.{{Cite news |url=http://www.adnews.com.au/news/mamamia-rebrands-ivillage-takes-full-ownership-of-the-site |title=Mamamia rebrands iVillage, takes full ownership of the site |access-date=2017-12-15 |language=en}} All content for The Motherish was folded into Mamamia by November 2015.{{Cite news |url=https://mumbrella.com.au/mummy-blogs-are-almost-over-mamamia-scraps-network-approach-and-launches-instagram-style-app-and-consultancy-business-332196|title='Mummy blogs are almost over': Mamamia scraps network approach and launches Instagram-style app and consultancy business |date=2015-11-24 |work=Mumbrella |access-date=2017-12-15|language=en-US}}

Freedman has appeared regularly as a commentator on Today{{cite news |author=Cadzow, Jane |url=https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/theres-something-about-mia-20150624-ghwbcv.html |title=There's something about Mia Freedman |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date= 24 June 2015 |access-date=19 October 2020 }} on the Nine Network and Ten's The Project.{{cite news |author=Jabour, Birdie |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/oct/17/mia-freedman-apologises-after-tv-comments-comparing-gay-people-to-paedophiles |title=Mia Freedman apologises after making gay-paedophile analogy

|work=Guardian Australia |date=17 October 2014 |access-date=19 October 2020 }} In 2009 Freedman was appointed Chair of the Australian Government's National Body Image Advisory Group by Minister for Sport and Youth, Kate Ellis.{{cite news |url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/new-code-to-promote-positive-body-image/story-e6freooo-1225791685716 |title=New code to promote positive body image |work=Courier-Mail |location=Brisbane |date=27 October 2009 |agency=Australian Associated Press |access-date=19 October 2020 }}

Freedman has written four books, including Work Strife Balance, where Luca, her 19-year-old son, contributed a chapter describing his mother as having "no filter".{{cite news |author=Hooten, Amanda |url=https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/mia-freedman-i-have-inadvertently-shared-too-much-20170425-gvruvo.html |title=Mia Freedman: 'I have inadvertently shared too much' |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=26 April 2017 |access-date=19 October 2020 }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/hills-shire-times/why-mia-freedman-doesnt-strive-for-balance/news-story/22253ee2ba779eb0b20e12305a7e736a |title=Why Mia Freedman doesn't strive for balance |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=Australia |date=2017-05-31|access-date=2017-09-13}}

Freedman executive produced, with others, the comedic drama TV series Strife, which was inspired by Freedman’s memoir Work, Strife, Balance. The series Strife was written and adapted from Freedman's memoir by Australian screenwriter Sarah Scheller.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-03-26 |title=Asher Keddie begins production on Strife {{!}} TV Tonight |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2023/03/asher-keddie-begins-production-on-strife.html |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=TV Tonight {{!}} Australia's Leading TV Blog |language=en-AU}} The comedic drama tells the story of a modern, imperfect woman and publisher named Evelyn Jones, played by acclaimed Australian actress Asher Keddie, and her journey from lounge room blogger to becoming a force in women’s media.{{Cite web |title=Strife (2023) - The Screen Guide - Screen Australia |url=https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/strife-2023/40925/ |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=Screen Australia |language=en}} Strife is a Binge original series, released in December 2023.

Freedman is the only daughter of Laurence Freedman {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}}, a funds manager and chairman of The Freedman Foundation, and his wife, Kathy, a psychologist and art gallery owner. Freedman was raised Jewish and grew up in Sydney. She attended Ascham School.{{cite news |last=Landsman |first=Lexi |title=Mia Freedman's revealing new book |url=http://www.jewishnews.net.au/mia-freedman%E2%80%99s-revealing-new-book/9267 |access-date=20 October 2011 |newspaper=Australian Jewish News |date=5 November 2009}}

In 1998, Freedman married Jason Lavigne, with whom she has three children. In 1999, Freedman had a miscarriage and spent two years in therapy, separated from Lavigne. In 2020 it was reported that Freedman and Lavigne purchased an {{AUD}}12.75 million house in {{NSWcity|Point Piper}}.{{cite news |author=Macken, Lucy |url=https://www.domain.com.au/news/mamamias-mia-freedman-buys-12-75-million-point-piper-house-995138/ |title=Mamamia's Mia Freedman buys $12.75 million Point Piper house |work=Domain |date=13 October 2020 |access-date=19 October 2020 }}

In 2021, Freedman was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Freedman disclosed this one year later, in September 2022, in a 2-part essay published on the website Mamamia{{Cite web |last=Freedman |first=Mia |date=2022-09-15 |title='There's a loneliness that comes from knowing you're too much.' What happened when I was diagnosed with ADHD at 49. |url=https://www.mamamia.com.au/mia-freedman-adhd/ |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=Mamamia |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |last=Freedman |first=Mia |date=2022-09-15 |title=The lateness. The interrupting. The talking too much. How an ADHD diagnosis at 49 made shocking sense. |url=https://www.mamamia.com.au/adhd-diagnosis-response/ |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=Mamamia |language=en-AU}} and in an episode of the No Filter podcast.{{Cite web |last=mamamia-team |date=2022-09-19 |title=No Filter: What happened when I was diagnosed with ADHD at 49. |url=https://www.mamamia.com.au/mia-freedman-adhd-no-filter/ |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=Mamamia |language=en-AU}} Previously, in 2015 Freedman disclosed in an interview that she suffers from an anxiety disorder.

In 2023, Freedman's son Luca Lavigne married Mamamia executive editor Jessie Stephens.{{cite web |url=https://www.mamamia.com.au/mia-freedman-mother-in-law/ |title=My boss is about to become my mother-in-law. So I wrote a list of 7 rules for her to follow. |author=Jessie Stephens |date=17 November 2022 |website=Mamamia |publisher= |access-date=7 May 2024 |quote=}}{{cite web |url=https://www.mamamia.com.au/pregnant-bride-wedding/ |title='I got married at 6 months pregnant. Here's what I wish someone told me.' |author=Jessie Stephens |date=14 June 2023 |website=Mamamia |publisher= |access-date=7 May 2024 |quote=}} The couple's first child, Freedman's grand-daughter, Luna, was born later that year.{{cite web |url=https://www.mamamia.com.au/jessie-stephens-luna-the-first-six-weeks/ |title=JESSIE STEPHENS: Why it's so hard to tell the truth, the whole truth, about the first six weeks. |author=Jessie Stephens |date=17 August 2023 |website=Mamamia |publisher= |access-date=7 May 2024 |quote=}}

• {{cite book |title=The new black |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |year=2005 |isbn=0732281881 |location=Pymble, NSW }}
• {{cite book |title=Mama Mia: a memoir of mistakes, magazines and motherhood |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |year=2009 |isbn=9780732281892 |location=Pymble, NSW }}
• {{cite book |title=Mia culpa |publisher=Penguin Group Australia |year=2011 |isbn=9780670075515 |location=Camberwell, Victoria }}
• {{cite book |title=Work strife balance |publisher=Pan Macmillan Australia |year=2017 |isbn=9781925479935 |location=Sydney, NSW }}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.mamamia.com.au Mamamia website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freedman, Mia}}

Category:Living people

Category:1971 births

Category:Australian columnists

Category:Australian women columnists

Category:Australian freelance journalists

Category:Australian people of South African descent

Category:Australian television personalities

Category:Australian women television personalities

Category:Jewish Australian writers

Category:Jewish Australian journalists

Category:People educated at Ascham School

Category:Australian women editors

Category:People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder