episodes

"Have I wasted my life? Should I have gotten married so young? Should I have gone to law school?" As we approach "middle age," whatever that is, can we avoid the midlife crisis? If not, how can we can put it all in perspective?

Mothers can feel a loss of identity when they take time off paid work to raise children. Neha Ruch, author of THE POWER PAUSE, reframes that time away from the workforce as a time of growth and change, not loss.

A lot of us think it's settled science: men's and women's brains are different, and women are just better at multitasking. Here's what the science really says about why we're ALL bad at doing multiple things at once.

When it’s time to pivot, it’s easy to focus on what doors are closed. That’s when it’s important to remember that with one foot planted firmly in place, we still have 360 degrees of choice on where to head next. Here’s how we’ve pivoted in our lives.

What can our relationships with our own mothers teach us about parenting? Norah Lally, author of the new book BACK TO BAINBRIDGE and Margaret's BFF, discusses the family history that inspired her debut novel and her own experiences as a mother.

We don't do New Year's resolutions at What Fresh Hell. We do "back-to-ones" on 2/1. Here's why we believe in resets, rather than resolutions, and here are the resets we are putting in place.

Studies show that mothers’ brain structures change during pregnancy, along with our shoe sizes. That most of us become more hypervigilant and more anxious isn't a personal failing– it's a biological imperative. We discuss how to give ourselves grace about the ways motherhood has changed us.

Why are we all led to believe that motherhood is both natural and instinctive—and something you have to work hard to get exactly right? Nancy Reddy, author of THE GOOD MOTHER MYTH, discusses the origins of misguided notions around motherhood.

This is our 400th just-us episode of "What Fresh Hell." Here's what we've learned about ourselves as women and as mothers in eight years on the mic.

In response to the terrible fires in California, we are offering this list of resources and ways to help—and this episode, originally from 2021, about how to help our kids handle the news.

If our phones are designed to be un-put-downable, how can we ever hope to decrease our screentime? Writer and influencer Mallory Thomas discusses the strategy that finally worked for her after a lot of failed attempts.

Kids need to learn sensitivity to the needs and emotions of those around them. Some kids become perhaps overly sensitive. How can we help kids who are little *too* eager to please?

Here are our minor and yet life-changing tips for making your car, kitchen, bathroom, handbag, and day run just a little more smoothly.

What do you do when you're so overwhelmed by a cluttered space that you don't know where to start? Tyler Moore @tidydad, author of TIDY UP YOUR LIFE, offers practical tips for clearing clutter—physical, emotional, and mental.

Amy's new book, HAPPY TO HELP, is finally here! She talks with Margaret about the inspiration for the book, stories of people pleasing gone awry, and why women take on the role of people pleaser so often.

What have we learned in the six years since we started the What Fresh Hell podcast? Here are the most important things we've learned from our experts, from each other, and from our listeners.

These days we're bombarded with messages that we can manifest the reality we wish to exist. Amanda Montell, author of the new book THE AGE OF MAGICAL OVERTHINKING, explains the cognitive biases that give us an illusion of outsized control in our lives.

How can we enter the new year with a confidence in what we already have and do well, rather than a list of things we have to fix? Life coach Ann Imig shares strategies for discovering and cultivating our existing personality strengths.

Here are some of our favorite parenting tips and takeaways we learned in 2023, from experts and listeners and mom friends everywhere.

Why are we so bad at asking for what we need? How do small disagreements somehow turn into big blowouts? Erin and Stephen Mitchell, authors of TOO TIRED TO FIGHT, offer practical tips for communicating with your partner without escalating conflict.

Parenting advice is often deemed to be universal. When it's not, we tend to question ourselves—but what we should be questioning is why parenting was ever thought to be one-size-fits-all.

We asked our listeners to tell us their holiday worsts, and in this episode we discuss them all, plus a few of our own. Think your holiday season has been a little crazy? Hold our eggnog.

Can we get bored teens excited about school—or anything at all? Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop, authors of the new book THE DISENGAGED TEEN, explain how we can encourage our kids' enthusiasm.

Yelling. We all do it. We all hate ourselves for doing it afterward. Here’s why we yell, why it doesn’t usually even work that well, and why we still say the goal should still be LESS yelling (not none).