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PODCAST

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms

Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson

When you"re a parent, every day brings a "fresh hell" to deal with. In other words, there"s always something. Think of us as your funny mom friends who are here to remind you: you"re not alone, and it won"t always be this hard. We"re Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables, both busy moms of three kids, but with completely different parenting styles. Margaret is a laid-back to the max; Amy never met a spreadsheet or an organizational system she didn"t like. In each episode of "What Fresh Hell" we offer lots

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

43:11

Fresh Take: Dr. Morgan Cutlip on Redistributing the...

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/06/20

Amy chats with Dr. Morgan Cutlip about her new book A Better Share, which offers practical, research-based strategies for managing the mental load in relationships. They discuss how default parenting, gender socialization, and communication missteps can create resentment—and how couples can reconnect through clarity and shared responsibility. You’ll hear why the mental load is the real relationship villain, not your partner— and how to invite your partner into the solution .Amy and Morgan

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45:30

Trad Moms and Trad Wives

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/06/18

We dive into the world of #tradwives and trad moms—mothers who embrace their traditional gender roles and showcase homemaking all over social media, usually with a heavy dose of curated perfection, aspiring to a bygone ideal that may never exactly have actually existed.Amy and Margaret discuss: what actually defines a trad wife the influence of social media algorithms in boosting—and polarizing—this content the aesthetic fantasy of cottagecore, nap dresses, and homesteading versus the

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43:37

Fresh Take: Jessica Zucker on Normalizing Miscarriage

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/06/16

Why is there still so much shame and silence surrounding women's experiences with miscarriage in the modern age? Jessica Zucker, author of the new book NORMALIZE IT, discusses her personal experience with miscarriage and its profound impact on her life and career. Jessica Zucker is a Los Angeles-based psychologist specializing in reproductive health and the author of the award-winning book I HAD A MISCARRIAGE: A Memoir, a Movement. Jessica, Amy, and Margaret discuss: How storytelling is a

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43:11

Fresh Take: Meagan Francis, THE LAST PARENTING BOOK...

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/06/13

Amy chats with parenting writer and The Mom Hour podcaster Meagan Francis about her new book, The Last Parenting Book You'll Ever Read: How We Let Our Kids Go and Embrace What’s Next. Together, they reflect on the identity shift that comes with parenting an emptying nest, the emotional complexity of "lasts," and why transitioning out of the "hands-on" years of parenting requires the same patience with ourselves that entering those years did. Listen to the Substack Live Amy and Meagan did recently

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46:53

There's a New Study on Moms' Mental Health...and It's...

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/06/11

A study released this month examined the state of mothers' mental health in the U.S. from 2016 to 2023. Using data from 200,000 mothers, the study reveals a "significant decline" in emotional and physical well-being for mothers in all age groups and demographics. Margaret and Amy break down the data, the implications, and the causes—which certainly include the pandemic, although there are many other social, economic, and cultural forces contributing to the stress of modern motherhood. Amy and

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39:33

DEEP DIVE: Amber Briggle on Supporting Trans Kids

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/06/09

This episode was originally recorded in 2022. For more about the Briggle family, watch the 2024 New Yorker short documentary "Love to the Max." Amber Briggle and her family live in Texas. Amber is the mom of two kids, Max and Lulu, and on her website "Love To The Max," Amber shares the family's real stories and experiences as a trans-inclusive family. Amber describes herself as "just a mom," but the events of the last few years have made her a powerful advocate for the rights of kids and

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45:44

Fresh Take: Melinda Wenner Moyer on "Raising Terrific...

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/06/06

How do we raise compassionate and well-adjusted kids when their anxiety is at an all-time high, and so is ours? Melinda Wenner Moyer, author of the new book HELLO CRUEL WORLD, discusses actionable and easy-to-implement steps we can take to prepare our children for the realities of today's complicated world while acknowledging our own uncertainty. Melinda Wenner Moyer is an award-winning contributing editor at Scientific American, a regular contributor to The New York Times, and a former faculty

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51:12

Creating Systems That Work

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/06/04

Can better systems make running our households easier? There's only so much work a whiteboard can do, but in this episode, Margaret and Amy discuss how they have set up effective systems to manage their kids' lives, their homes, and their work.Amy and Margaret discuss: Creating a central source of "parenting truth" The importance of touching base regularly with your parenting partner The need for self-compassion and flexibility in managing the demands of motherhood Here are links to

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41:20

DEEP DIVE: Can We Be More Inclusive Parents?

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/06/02

Can we become more inclusive as parents? Inclusivity has great benefits for everyone involved. We loved this explanation from Bright Horizons: "Too often, inclusiveness is described as something we should do to benefit others. Being inclusive is more than a moral obligation—although this alone is enough reason to practice it. When we are inclusive we aren’t divided. Instead, our world becomes enlarged. We gain relationships and experiences that enrich us. We recognize that we are all different, and

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36:49

Fresh Take: Loryn Brantz on Finding Joy in Parenting...

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/05/30

How can we find time to be creative as busy moms of young kids? Loryn Brantz, author of the new poetry collection POEMS OF PARENTING, discusses how her creative practice informs her parenting and vice versa. Loryn is the creator of the bestselling Feminist Baby board book series and has worked as a director and illustrator for Sesame Street and Ms. Rachel. Margaret and Loryn discuss: Loryn’s creative journey from Sesame Street to Buzzfeed to publishing twelve books How motherhood and

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48:53

Traveling as a Family

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/05/28

We asked our listeners what advice they have for harmonious family traveling. Here are our favorite tips they shared, plus a few of our own, from how early to get to the airport to hitting the top kid-friendly site in Paris! Amy and Margaret discuss: How to communicate effectively with your spouse before traveling Useful packing tips - here's the carry-on bag Amy loves Vacation scheduling advice How to include kids in planning vacations We love the sponsors that make this

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47:05

DEEP DIVE: Do We Need to Lower Our Standards?

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/05/26

This Deep Dive series is all about why motherhood is so gosh darn hard. Turns out there are sociopolitical forces at play that make motherhood way harder than it needs to be. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify. When we explain to our partners and families that we need them to pitch in around the house, we sometimes hear back that the real problem is our too-high standards. That if we actually think "doing the laundry" means FOLDING the laundry, instead of leaving it in the dryer, that that is

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37:29

Fresh Take: Gretchen Rubin on Life's Simple Truths

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/05/23

If we impart the life lessons we've learned to our children, does that mean they won't make the same mistakes? Gretchen Rubin, author of the new book SECRETS OF ADULTHOOD, discusses how aphorisms provide us with a particular kind of wisdom that stays with us, often forever. Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential observers of happiness and human nature. She’s the author of many NYT-bestselling books. Gretchen and Amy discuss: Why Gretchen chose the aphorism format for her book

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43:16

How Parenting Advice Has Changed Over the Last 125 Years

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/05/21

Is parenting today genuinely more difficult—or are we just overthinking it? Amy and Margaret explore the evolution of parenting over the last 125 years, tracing shifts from the rigid, hierarchical households of the early 1900s to today’s emotionally intense, overanalyzed parenting culture. These trends beg the question: What’s the real cost of trying to "optimize” every moment of our children's lives? In this episode: How parenting norms have changed since 1894 The impact of attachment

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50:06

DEEP DIVE: Decision Fatigue—And Why It's Especially...

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/05/19

This Deep Dive series is all about why motherhood is so gosh darn hard. Turns out there are sociopolitical forces at play that make motherhood way harder than it needs to be. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify. The average adult makes 35,000 decisions a day. The average "default parent" makes a lot more than that. No wonder we suffer from decision fatigue. The more decisions we have to make, the more fatigue we develop, and the more difficult it can become to function. So how can we

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41:10

Fresh Take: Anna Fader and Amelia Eigerman

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/05/16

How can we get buy-in from our kids when we go on vacation, whether it's a half-hour down the road or the other side of the world? Anna Fader and Amelia Eigerman, the mother-daughter team behind the MOMMY POPPINS TRAVEL JOURNAL AND ACTIVITY BOOK, have devised practical tips for really including our kids on family adventures. Anna Fader and Amelia Eigerman are a mother-daughter team. Mommy Poppins is recognized as a leading authority on family activities and travel, cited in publications including

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47:58

Moms and Anxiety

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/05/14

Moms are usually low-level anxious about their kids at all times. But it's exhausting. How much of this anxiety we feel is normal and how much of it may require medical intervention? Here's how moms specifically feel anxiety and some tips for making it a little less intense. Amy and Margaret discuss: Anxiety symptoms that can be specific to moms How clinical anxiety is different from everyday anxiety necessary for human survival How to actively work against your anxiety as a

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42:35

DEEP DIVE: Making the "Invisible Workload" Visible

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/05/12

This Deep Dive series is all about why motherhood is so gosh darn hard. Turns out there are sociopolitical forces at play that make motherhood way harder than it needs to be. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify. What should we do when all the work we do to run our family's lives is done so successfully that they not only don't acknowledge it—they don't even understand it? How do we help our partners understand that saying "I left the doctor a message, but they didn't call back" does not really

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40:46

Fresh Take: Susan Dominus

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/05/09

What do high-achieving families have in common, and what are some good lessons from them we can replicate in our own parenting? Susan Dominus, author of the new book THE FAMILY DYNAMIC, discusses the forces at play in families with multiple successful members and how we can encourage our kids to succeed in the ways that make sense for them. Susan Dominus is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine. In 2018, Susan was part of a team reporting on workplace sexual harassment that won a

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44:01

Finding Summer Camps

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

2025/05/07

What are we going to do with our kids all summer? Gone are the days when kids can just play outdoors unsupervised from sunup to sundown. Now certain summer camps are sold out within a matter of minutes on January 1st. So how can we keep our kids affordably occupied all summer long? Here are some helpful tips and resources where you can find reasonably priced camps and activities for your kids this summer. Amy and Margaret discuss: How they spent their own summers as kids The most

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