The Motherly Podcast Season 17

Episode 1: Dr. Aliza Pressman on the art and science of raising good humans

Welcome back to the Motherly Podcast – to kick off this season, Liz speaks with Dr. Aliza Pressman, developmental psychologist, popular podcast, and mother of two teenagers. Aliza has a new book, The Five Principles of Parenting: Your Essential Guide to Raising Good Humans and in today’s conversation she covers some of the topics in the book – and dives deep into the culture of motherhood and martyrdom, why self-compassion is as important for your kids as for you, and when to rely on the science of parenting and when to trust your gut.

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Episode 2: Abha Bhattarai Unpacks the Childcare Crisis

Abha Bhattarai is an economics reporter for the Washington Post, where she’s been covering the economics of childcare. In this conversation, Abha and Liz talk about the current state of the childcare crisis in the United States, how the landscape of working motherhood has shifted since the pandemic, and what Abha sees as the future of mothers and work. Abha also shares how her background as the daughter of immigrants and her experiences as a working mother, have helped to shape how she sees and reports on the American economy.

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Episode 3: Amanda Seyfried on mothering with OCD and life on the farm

In this episode, Amanda Seyfried – who is best known for her work on Mean Girls, Mamma Mia!, Les Misérables, and her Emmy Award-winning turn in the Dropout – opens up about how she manages her mental health as the mother of two, why she left the city for a more simple, grounded life on a farm, and why she started her new sustainable playhouse company, Make It Cute, with her two childhood best friends.

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Episode 4: LTK’s Amber Venz Box on the influencer economy and finding balance in motherhood

Mom of four, Amber Venz Box, is the founder and CEO of LTK, an app that has revolutionized the online shopping industry by connecting brands and creators and helping creators monetize their businesses. In this conversation, Amber shares her thoughts on the future of the influencer economy, how she navigates motherhood and her career, and offers great style tips for busy moms.

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Episode 5: Annie Grace on why the alcohol industry is targeting moms

For the first time in history, women are binge drinking more than men. To find out why, Liz speaks with Annie Grace, author of The Alcohol Experiment and This Naked Mind, two bestselling books that provide tools to help people take an unbiased look at their relationship with alcohol and addiction. Annie explains how the alcohol industry has pivoted from targeting men to women, pitching alcohol as “mommy’s little helper” to escape from the stress of motherhood. Annie and Liz also discuss their own personal relationships to alcohol and talk about how our society could better support moms when it comes to their relationship to drinking and their wellbeing.

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Episode 6: Cybersecurity Expert Anne Cutler on Raising Kids in the Digital Age

Liz speaks with Anne Cutler, a cybersecurity expert and a mom of two about digital safety and the emergent things we all need to be thinking about when keeping our kids safe. Anne is the director of communications for Keeper Security and her company recently ran a survey of parents about their practices around how to keep their kids safe online – their results showed that most of us have a long way to go. In this conversation, Anne also shares practical online safety tips and talks about why parents need to have an open dialogue with kids about online safety.

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Episode 7: Life Doula Brandi Sellerz-Jackson on healing and thriving as mothers

In this conversation, Liz speaks with life doula Brandi Sellerz-Jackson, the author of the book, On Thriving: Harnessing Joy Through Life’s Great Labors. Brandi shares lessons from her work as a doula and talks about the life changing journey of motherhood, the importance of self-care, and why it is so important to heal childhood trauma.

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Episode 8: Jaclyn Lindsey on Combating Bullying and Building a Kinder World

Jaclyn Lindsey is the founder of Kindness.org, a non-profit that takes an evidence-based approach to build programs, partnerships, and products that empower people to choose kindness. Jaclyn and Liz talk about some of the challenges modern parents face when teaching their children to choose kindness and some of the tools and programs Jaclyn’s helped create for schools. Jaclyn also gives some helpful tips on how parents can help their children better understand and communicate their feelings.

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Episode 9: Parenting and Pregnancy Expert Sharon Mazel on the Parenting Tips that Really Matter

Sharon Mazel is the mom of four, a grandmother, an author, journalist, parenting and pregnancy expert, and a coach — and her latest book, Bite Sized Parenting, provides easily digestible guidance to support parents through the intensity of that first year of your baby’s life. In today's conversation, Sharon talks about the overwhelming amount of parenting information out there today and how parents can navigate all of that to make informed decisions that are the best choice for their family and their specific needs. She also talks about the pressures of social media and unrealistic expectations.

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Episode 10: Julia Rockwell on how busy parents can fight climate change

n honor of Earth Day, here’s a special episode with Julia Rockwell, the author of Mothering Earth: A Busy Parents Guide to Saving the Planet. In this conversation with Liz, Julia explains why she chose to make eco-conscious life changes and offers practical tips on how busy parents can start living a more sustainable life.

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