What Fresh Hell

episodes

Jan. 8, 2025

Amy Wilson, "Happy to Help"

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.

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Jan. 6, 2025

DEEP DIVE: The Most Important Things We've Learned (So Far)

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.

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Jan. 3, 2025

BEST OF: Fresh Take: Amanda Montell and the Age of Magical Overthinki…

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.

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Jan. 1, 2025

BEST OF: What We're Taking Into The New Year (with Life Coach Ann Imi…

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.

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Dec. 30, 2024

DEEP DIVE: The Most Useful Parenting Tips We Learned in 2023

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

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Dec. 27, 2024

BEST OF: Fresh Take: Erin and Stephen Mitchell, "Too Tired To Fight"

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.

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Dec. 25, 2024

BEST OF: When Typical Parenting Advice Just Doesn't Fit

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.

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Dec. 23, 2024

HOLIDAY BEST OF: Holiday Fails

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.

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Dec. 20, 2024

Fresh Take: Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop, "The Disengaged Teen"

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.

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Dec. 18, 2024

How To Yell Less

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).

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Dec. 16, 2024

HOLIDAY BEST OF: It's the Most Everything Time of the Year

According to a recent study, 41% of men strongly agreed that they can relax during the holidays. Only 27% of women felt the same. It’s the most everything time of the year, and we’re doing– and feeling– all the things.

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Dec. 13, 2024

Fresh Take: Emily and Jason Morrow, "Really Very Crunchy"

What does it mean to live a "crunchy" lifestyle, and does it have to entail beets in piñatas and homemade soap? Emily and Jason Morrow, creators of Really Very Crunchy, discuss how they embrace the crunchy lifestyle with humor and self-awareness.

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Dec. 11, 2024

Should Kids Do Chores?

We all want our kids to grow up to be people who naturally help around the house. But how do we foster that in them from a young age, and is the onus of teaching kids chores only adding to the default parent's mental load?

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Dec. 9, 2024

DEEP DIVE: Are You the 'Good Parent' or the 'Bad Parent' In Your Home?

Are you the “bad parent” in your home? The enforcer of bedtimes, the stern shusher in the church pew? Or are you the “good parent,” more likely to agree that time is a construct and that ice cream not only can, but should, be what’s for dinner?

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Dec. 6, 2024

Fresh Take: Vanessa Cornell on Putting Ourselves First

How can we care for our families when we are so burned out ourselves? Vanessa Cornell, founder of NUSHU, tells us how to reject the mom guilt and stay true to our authentic selves.

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Dec. 4, 2024

Holiday Goals: Less Doing, More Magic

It's mostly on us default parents to make Christmas bright (or whatever holiday our family may celebrate, including all of them). How do we also maintain our sanity?

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Dec. 2, 2024

DEEP DIVE: Two Kinds of People: Family Debates

When you're making a bed, which side is up for the flat sheet? Is it ever acceptable to call someone after 8 pm? What is the correct pronunciation of "Reese's Pieces”? We battle to the death over the answers to your most consistent family debates.

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Nov. 29, 2024

Fresh Take: Charles Bock on Parenting Through Loss

How do we parent effectively when coping with the death of our partner? Charles Bock, author of the memoir I WILL DO BETTER, shares his extraordinary journey through love, loss, and an unwavering commitment to family.

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Nov. 27, 2024

The Psychological "Effects" That Shape Our Thinking

We love talking about WHY we think the way we think. In this episode we discuss the "effects" that shape our thinking, from the Dunning-Kruger Effect to the Zeigarnik Effect.

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Nov. 25, 2024

DEEP DIVE: Taking Care Of Our Parents (And Our Kids)

Half of adults in their 30s and 40s say they handle some of their parents’ caregiving, even if it’s mostly logistical or financial. When you’re also taking care of your kids, it’s a lot. We talk “sandwich generation” stress and how to get more help.

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Nov. 22, 2024

Fresh Take: Chip Leighton, "What Time Is Noon?"

Teenagers love to tell their parents they're doing things wrong. Then they ask their mothers how much quarters cost. Chip Leighton, author of the new book WHAT TIME IS NOON, is here to prove that teens of every stripe find their parents "cringe."

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Nov. 20, 2024

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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Nov. 19, 2024

We Think You'll Love: "What It's Like To Be" Podcast

Hear a sample episode of the podcast “What It’s Like to Be…” from New York Times bestselling business book author Dan Heath. In every episode, Dan interviews someone from a different profession.

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Nov. 18, 2024

DEEP DIVE: Introverts vs. Extroverts (and Making Room for Both in You…

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Turns out, you can enjoy socializing but still be an introvert— or require some alone time but still be an extrovert. And there are times your kids will be the opposite of what you are.

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