What Fresh Hell

episodes

DEEP DIVE: Why Women Have Less Free Time
Sept. 29, 2025

DEEP DIVE: Why Women Have Less Free Time

October’s "Free-Time Gender Gap Report" found that women spend twice as much time on household labor as men do, even when controlling for marital/parental/socioeconomic status, race, and age. So why are women of all stripes working harder in the home?

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Fresh Take: Carla Ciccone, NOWHERE GIRL
Sept. 26, 2025

Fresh Take: Carla Ciccone, NOWHERE GIRL

Writer Carla Ciccone joins Amy and Margaret to discuss her new memoir NOWHERE GIRL, the rise in late ADHD diagnoses among women, and how self-acceptance and compassion are the antidote to shame.

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The Craziest Things We've Done for Our Kids
Sept. 24, 2025

The Craziest Things We've Done for Our Kids

Parents will do anything for their kids—from dumpster diving to hours-long road trip detours. Amy and Margaret share the funniest and most heartwarming stories of the crazy things moms and dads do for love.

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DEEP DIVE: Dr. Amber Thornton on Finding Real Balance
Sept. 22, 2025

DEEP DIVE: Dr. Amber Thornton on Finding Real Balance

How do we find "balance" in our lives as moms– and why does that sound like such hard work? Dr. Amber Thornton, host of the podcast "Balanced Working Mama," tells us where mom guilt really comes from - and how we can counter it.

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Fresh Take: Kate Mason, POWERFULLY LIKABLE
Sept. 19, 2025

Fresh Take: Kate Mason, POWERFULLY LIKABLE

Dr. Kate Mason, author of POWERFULLY LIKABLE, joins us to share practical strategies for women to communicate more effectively. Being "likable" can also mean communicating with clarity.

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Do Our Friendships Have to Be This Complicated?
Sept. 17, 2025

Do Our Friendships Have to Be This Complicated?

Have female friendships become overcomplicated? In this episode we explore why "friendship breakups" have become a thing, and what we really look for in our close friendships—plus how to reconnect after drifting apart.

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DEEP DIVE: Natalie Mayslich and Blessing Adesiyan on the Future of Remote Work
Sept. 15, 2025

DEEP DIVE: Natalie Mayslich and Blessing Adesiyan on the Future of Re…

Remote work is here to stay. So how to we integrate it into our lives in a healthy way? Natalie Mayslich and Blessing Adesiyan, authors of the The Modern Workplace Report, share what they've learned about the effects of remote work on employees, particularly working women.

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Fresh Take: Trevor Hanson on Healing Our Attachment Styles
Sept. 12, 2025

Fresh Take: Trevor Hanson on Healing Our Attachment Styles

Amy talks with Trevor Hanson, founder of the Secure Self Club, about anxious and avoidant attachment styles, breaking negative patterns, and building security in relationships through self-compassion and daily attachment skills.

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Even More Husband Crimes (Part 2)
Sept. 10, 2025

Even More Husband Crimes (Part 2)

Our listeners submitted so many "Husband Crimes" we're back with another edition. From refusing driving directions to excessive soy sauce usage, these criminals are all guilty.

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DEEP DIVE: Ericka Sóuter on How to Have a Kid and a Life
Sept. 8, 2025

DEEP DIVE: Ericka Sóuter on How to Have a Kid and a Life

Ericka Sóuter has over 20 years of journalism experience and is a regular contributor on Good Morning America and other national broadcast outlets. Ericka speaks to parents across the country about the issues, controversies, ...

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Fresh Take: Allison Daminger, WHAT'S ON HER MIND- The Mental Workload of Family Life
Sept. 5, 2025

Fresh Take: Allison Daminger, WHAT'S ON HER MIND- The Mental Workload…

Sociologist Allison Daminger joins Amy and Margaret to discuss her new book What’s On Her Mind: The Mental Workload of Family Life. She explains the true cost of the mental load on women and how couples can shift into a more intentional dynamic.

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Oops! My Kid Hates Me
Sept. 3, 2025

Oops! My Kid Hates Me

Kids can go through rough stretches of being really, really hard on their parents. Here's how to handle hurtful words, maintain boundaries, and keep connection strong through these tough moments.

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BEST OF: How Involved Should We Be With Our Kids' Schools?
Sept. 1, 2025

BEST OF: How Involved Should We Be With Our Kids' Schools?

How do we help our kids succeed in school without becoming the dreaded "snowplow" parents? Here are some parenting tips for advocating for your child at school when necessary, while also empowering our kids to navigate their ...

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BEST OF: What Kind of Monster? Family Vacation Edition
Aug. 28, 2025

BEST OF: What Kind of Monster? Family Vacation Edition

Forgotten luggage. Strollers that won’t fold. The best-laid family vacation plans quickly sour when there's a monster who forgot to pack the bathing suits. Here are some vacation monsters we’ve met. Full disclosure: sometimes the monster is us.

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Radical Acceptance—What It Is, and How It Can Help Our Parenting
Aug. 27, 2025

Radical Acceptance—What It Is, and How It Can Help Our Parenting

Learn how radical acceptance can ease parenting struggles, reduce shame, and improve relationships. Amy and Margaret explore what it really means to accept reality, manage emotions, and find peace in what we can’t control.

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BEST OF: What Fresh Hell Is Back to School?
Aug. 25, 2025

BEST OF: What Fresh Hell Is Back to School?

School supplies. Pre-season sports. Parent portals. Uniform pants that don’t fit the night before the first day. Back to school means the return of so many fun activities for kids, and so many fresh hells for parents. Here are a few of our favorites.

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Fresh Take: Jyoti Chand, FITTING INDIAN
Aug. 22, 2025

Fresh Take: Jyoti Chand, FITTING INDIAN

Margaret speaks with Jyoti Chand, author of FITTING INDIAN, about the South Asian culture she was raised in, how much of her own life informed the experiences of her novel’s protagonist, and why emotional intelligence is so key to child development.

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How to Make the Back-to-School Transition a Little Easier
Aug. 20, 2025

How to Make the Back-to-School Transition a Little Easier

Make back-to-school season less stressful with these tips on sleep schedules, meal planning, and simple routines. Margaret and Amy share ways to reduce overwhelm, save time, and support kids' mental health this fall.

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DEEP DIVE: Kelly Corrigan on Letting Big Kids Go
Aug. 18, 2025

DEEP DIVE: Kelly Corrigan on Letting Big Kids Go

Kelly Corrigan, host of "Kelly Corrigan Wonders", discusses with Amy how she has navigated the emptying nest and her continually changing relationships with her older children.

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Fresh Take: Mike de la Rocha, SACRED LESSONS
Aug. 15, 2025

Fresh Take: Mike de la Rocha, SACRED LESSONS

Mike de la Rocha joins Margaret to discuss grief, fatherhood, masculinity, and his new book SACRED LESSONS, a moving look at healing generational wounds, expressing emotion, and parenting boys with presence and compassion.

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More Husband Crimes (Part One)
Aug. 13, 2025

More Husband Crimes (Part One)

We return to the courtroom of everyday relationship annoyances in our "Husband Crimes" series. Listeners submit crimes perpetrated by their spouses, and we serve as (infallible) judge, jury, and executioner.

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DEEP DIVE: Vanessa Kroll Bennett and Dr. Cara Natterson on Puberty
Aug. 11, 2025

DEEP DIVE: Vanessa Kroll Bennett and Dr. Cara Natterson on Puberty

These days puberty starts sooner and lasts longer. That requires not one "The Talk," but a hundred small conversations. Dr. Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll Bennett, co-authors of THIS IS SO AWKWARD, offer tips for getting started.

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Fresh Take: Amy Larocca, HOW TO BE WELL
Aug. 8, 2025

Fresh Take: Amy Larocca, HOW TO BE WELL

Journalist Amy Larocca, author of the new book HOW TO BE WELL, joins Amy and Margaret to unpack the $6.8T wellness industry: whether it’s just beauty and weight loss in disguise, how it particularly targets women, and how we can spare our daughters from it.

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Why Kids Lie: What’s Normal, What’s Not, and What to Do
Aug. 6, 2025

Why Kids Lie: What’s Normal, What’s Not, and What to Do

Is your kid lying more than you’d like? In this episode, we break down why kids lie, what’s developmentally appropriate (and when it’s not), and how to handle fibs—from “I didn’t eat the cake” to “my dad’s the CEO of American Airlines.”

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