Mia Freedman is temporarily stepping back from her podcast and possibly her senior position at Mamamia to take long service leave after allegedly experiencing ‘burnout’ and enduring ‘relentless bullying online’.

Freedman made the surprising announcement last week on her Mamamia Out Loud podcast, which she co-hosts with her daughter-in-law Jessie Stephens and Mamamia’s Head of Content, Holly Wainwright.

‘I have some news. I am taking a few months off the show because I have been doing the show for more than 10 years now. It started as a weekly show. It’s now a daily show. That hasn’t even been my main job – my main job has been being the co-founder of Mamamia,’ she explained.

‘I’ve not taken any time off and I didn’t take any time off – I think I had two weeks off when I had my youngest child – and I’ve of course taken holidays.

‘I’m still going to be around. There are 150 people working here, and I feel like maybe I can step back for a little bit. I’m feeling the urge to go quiet and just work on some things on my own.’

Freedman added in her statement that she was feeling the pressure ‘as the face of the business’ and admitted she ‘has made mistakes’.

Mia Freedman is temporarily stepping back from her podcast and possibly her senior position at Mamamia to take long service leave after allegedly experiencing a ‘burnout’ and enduring ‘relentless bullying online’

‘There’s a lot of pressure being the face of this business. It’s my face on the door and when things go wrong and we employ wonderful people who are all human, as I am, and humans make mistakes as I certainly do,’ she said. 

It comes after Freedman appointed her 27-year-old son Luca Lavigne the company’s chief operating officer.

The news came as a shock to employees of the company, where there had already been a high staff turnover.

Luca’s wife Jessie Stephens was also employed by the company as an editorial assistant. 

It led to significant online criticism of Mamamia, the media company that claims to capture ‘what women are talking about’.

Daily Mail is not suggesting Luca isn’t qualified for his job or that he’s not entitled to receive his salary, only that the issue caused disquiet in the Mamamia newsroom.

Luca had joined Mamamia as a content producer in 2016. He had no prior media experience, having worked as a Merivale bartender for four months after graduating from Sydney Grammar School in 2015. 

Freedman made the shock announcement on her Mamamia Out Loud podcast last week 

The news comes after Freedman appointed her 27-year-old son Luca Lavigne the company’s chief operating officer – at an enormous salary 

However, it is not uncommon for junior positions to be awarded to people without industry experience, and Daily Mail does not suggest there was any nepotism at play. 

Freedman attracted significant online derision about the decision to appoint her son COO and now frequently restricts commenting on her social media posts.

During her announcement last week, Stephens said her mother-in-law and boss was focusing on her ‘mental health’.

‘The internet’s a lot, and it’s a lot at the moment. I want to be smaller,’ Freedman added.

Freedman’s break from work also comes amid big changes to the Point Piper mansion she shares with her husband.

The couple recently got permission from Woollahra Council for a new three-level, flat-roofed dwelling as part of a $3.9million rebuild.

Freedman and her husband Jason Lavigne bought their sprawling 1910 home in the ritzy waterfront suburb for $12.75 million, after it last sold for just $6.1 million in 2013.

The luxury home boasts five bedrooms and four bathrooms and has lavish amenities including a party-sized cabana, a wet-edge pool and a sauna.

The non-waterfront property has a prime location near the Royal Motor Yacht Club, with picturesque views of Sydney Harbour.