episodes

How can we try to get out from under our family's generational trauma? Melanie Shankle, author of the new book HERE BE DRAGONS, discusses how her upbringing influenced her parenting decisions and how to parent well when you weren't shown how.

Are “people pleasers” really happy to help, or are they simply resigned to the fact that it won't get done if they don't do it? Here's what may lie behind people pleasing tendencies and how people pleasers can take a much-needed break.

Libro.fm says "MUST READ THIS BOOK!", by which they mean listen. Share this sample chapter of the HAPPY TO HELP audiobook with a book-listener friend!

Kids shouldn’t have to hold our emotions for us, but is it OK for them to witness our sadness or loneliness? When is shower-crying the better bet, and when are our negative emotions safe for us to express? Can it be a good thing for our kids to see?

How can we reconcile the idealized parenting we see online with our actual daily lives? Renee Reina, host of "The Mom Room," tells us how she's trying to find the balance.

We had to dedicate not one but two episodes to settling our listeners' low-stakes disagreements, from how to cut an avocado to proper popcorn prepping.

Our brains are wired for story. That doesn’t mean that the stories we tell ourselves are always accurate–or that the alternative stories others may have are necessarily wrong. Here’s how to identify–and change–the stories we tell ourselves.

In such an anxious age, how can we validate our children's very real fears without making them worry more? Ashley Graber and Maria Evans, authors of RAISING CALM KIDS, explain how to recognize and navigate anxiety in our kids.

We asked our audience what small arguments they keep on a low boil with their partners at all times. From travel rules to sleeping habits to coffee cup positions, Amy and Margaret rule once and for all.

"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.