The Motherly Podcast Season 18

Episode 1: Bestselling Poet Cleo Wade on the relationship between motherhood and creativity

Cleo Wade is the mom of two and New York Times bestselling author and poet whose work explores hope, resilience, and the power of love. She just published her newest book, May You Love and Be Loved, which is a heartfelt lyrical picture book that's really a love letter to the potential of the future and to her kids and her own kids. In this conversation, Cleo opens up about what inspired her book, the childhood experience that introduced her to poetry, and how motherhood has evolved her creativity as a writer and artist.

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Episode 2: Mother Untitled’s Neha Ruch on changing the outdated perception of stay-at-home mom

Neha Ruch is a mom of two and the founder of Mother Untitled, a platform that provides resources for ambitious women who took a career pause to have children and who want to reenter the workforce. In this episode, Neha and Liz open up about their own personal ambitions, how having children invited them to downshift their careers, and reexamine their identities that were really part of our success in the corporate world. They also talk about how the unpaid labor of stay at home mothers is still labor and the societal shifts needed to support working moms.

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Episode 3: Lisa Damour wants to help us parent through the challenging teen years

Lisa Damour is a mom of two and a clinical psychologist and author who specializes in helping teenagers and their parents navigate the often tumultuous phase of life. Lisa co-hosts the Ask Lisa podcast, is the author of three New York Times bestsellers, including her newest book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents. In this conversation, Lisa talks about the phases of childhood and adolescence, how parenting our teens can actually trigger our own childhood memories, and also shares some exciting news about a movie she worked on – Inside Out 2 – which is in theaters June 14.

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Episode 4: Big Time Adulting’s Caitlin Murray on humor & getting real about motherhood

Liz speaks with Caitlin Murray, who you may know from her hilarious Big Time Adulting social media accounts, podcast, and the catch-phrase “get yourself a little snack.” Caitlin tells us the story of how she started sharing on Instagram and talks about the challenges she faced as a mom caring for a son who had recently been diagnosed with Leukemia and a young toddler and baby on the way. She also explains why she’s really excited about this next phase in motherhood, when she actually gets to enjoy spending time with her kids instead of just caring for them.

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Episode 5: Ashley Graham on fostering self-love and body acceptance in your kids

In this conversation, Liz speaks with supermodel, designer, author, and entrepreneur Ashley Graham, about her new debut children’s book, A Kid’s Book About Beauty, why Ashley didn’t feel beautiful as a kid, and how she instills confidence in her children. They also talk all about Ashley’s journey to accepting her post pregnancy body, stretch marks, saggy belly, and all.

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Episode 6: Ophira Eisenberg on saying “yes” to motherhood

In this episode, comedian, writer, and podcast host Ophira Eisenberg, who you may know from hosting NPR's Ask Me Another, The Moth, and her comedy podcast called Parenting is a Joke shares her the story of her decision to have her eight-year-old son after she was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer and talks about the complex relationship that we as mothers often have with our creativity and how she finds space for it.

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Episode 7: Taraji P. Henson on empathy, healing, and the resilience of single moms

In this episode, Liz speaks with Taraji P. Henson, best known for her roles in Empire, Hidden Figures, The Color Purple, and so many other incredible TV shows. Taraji is also the founder of The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation (named after her late father), a nonprofit organization that works to eradicate the mental health stigma in Black communities and the author of a new children’s book, You Can Be a Good Friend No Matter What, that addresses the topic of bullying. Taraji opens up about her journey as a single mother navigating Hollywood, why she wrote her new book, and why she started her foundation.

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