Natalie Bassingthwaighte tells us how she does it all.

What do you do when you’ve already starred on Neighbours, been the lead singer of The Rogue Traders and become a judge on The X Factor? For mum of two Natalie Bassingthwaighte, 39, the next step was to add a baby skincare line to her already successful brand, Chi Khi.

Speaking exclusively to The Motherish about transitioning into a career as an entrepreneur, Bassingthwaighte said, “I was at a point in my life where you never know when being in the entertainment industry and how long it will last. When will you no longer be the flavour of the month? I knew The X Factor wanted to shake up the whole panel and do something different. So for me, the whole thing felt right for me. Five seasons was enough.”

"I felt last year that I had such a memorable year and a hard year as well, personally and privately, I just felt like I was ready to close that door and take some new steps and see what the world has to offer. I’ve always been interested in investing in other things and I thought, why not invest in something that means something to me and that I would also be creatively inspired by? My kids, love of architecture, design and fashion, Chi Khi just kind of went from there," she continued.

But while Bassingthwaighte appears to have it all, she doesn't deny that being a working mum is incredibly hard. "It’s completely and utterly crazy, I won’t lie. Sometimes I’m laughing and having a great old time with them with them, sometimes I’m ripping my hair out. I’m a working mum though, I have no idea how any of us balance it all. But you just have to, you do," she explained.

Yet she doesn't do it all on her own. "I have a great support network that has helped. My husband is great, I have an awesome family, people who are working on Chi Khi and other things for me are just amazing. I definitely couldn’t be doing it without them," Bassingthwaighte said.

When it comes to the hardest thing about being a working parent, Bassingthwaighte said balance is the most difficult thing to maintain. "I get asked, 'How do you balance?' I think, 'I have no idea!' No day is the same and obviously as a parent, every mum knows that no day is the same anyway because their kids could be sick, then the next day the other one is sick. There’s no real constant. As a Virgo, that’s quite hard to take. I’m all about order and structure," she revealed.

TAP on the image below and scroll through the gallery for some behind the scenes shots of Natalie Bassingthwaighte and her new Chi Khi products. Post continues after gallery...

"In saying that both my husband and I tried to be there for ours kids little activities throughout the week. We try to spend more time with them, if that means I end up working at night as far as Chi Khi goes, then I do that. The kids grow up so fast and I want to make sure I don’t miss out on that. Don’t get me wrong, I still haven’t got that balance right, so that’s why we’re doing all this. To do something that we love but ultimately to spend more time with our kids," Bassingthwaighte continued.

But sometimes, even celebrity mums feel judged. "I always feel judged, even for the basics. I mean, they’re not crawling yet, or they don’t have teeth or they don’t have this. I think we need to give ourselves a break, take a breath and you know, they will all learn in their own time. We all make mistakes as parents, we’re not perfect, we’re not robots, it’s definitely all trial and error. Especially with your first child. You don’t really know what you’re doing but you figure it out," Bassingthwaighte believes.

When it comes to what Bassingthwaighte wants to teach her children, respect and manners top the list. "My mum always taught me to treat other people how you would like to be treated. That has just stuck in my mind so much. Never think you’re above anyone, we’re all just equals trying to do the best that we can," she explained.

The road for Bassingthwaighte certainly doesn't seem to be slowing down either, as she explains, "As far as Chi Khi goes we’re launching two products, the wonder cream and the nappy balm, then we’re going up in sizes this next season. We’re going up to size 7 and hopefully in February we’re going up to size 14. We want to go into swimwear and bedding. Honestly my mind just keeps going, 'Oh my God we can do this and we can do this!' With the team around me now, we have some really exciting things in the pipeline to get me back on the box which is happening very soon."

"Life is good. I’m nearly 40 so phew! I need a holiday!"

Nat, we think you deserve a holiday too.

Are you a working mum? How do you balance work and family?

TAP on the image below and scroll through the gallery for more of Natalie Bassingthwaighte and her family...