x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

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

45:17

When Stress Becomes Burnout (and How to Tell the...

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

2025/10/15

In this episode, Amy and Margaret explore the crucial distinction between stress and burnout—two experiences that often blur together in the chaos of parenting, but which are very different in presentation and the attention they require. Stress might be unavoidable, but it can also be motivational and lead to further growth. But when stress becomes constant and unresolved, it turns into burnout: exhaustion, disconnection, cynicism, and the feeling that nothing you do matters. Together, they

en

47:24

DEEP DIVE: 8 Ways to Make Better Decisions

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

2025/10/13

There is no magic formula to making the perfect decision every time, but there are philosophical principles, or "razors," you can use to pare down your options and see your problem more clearly. These razors can cut through the clutter of complexity and help us see the forest for the trees. And while they weren't designed with parents in mind, they can come in pretty handy! Starting with the most famous, Occam’s Razor, we discuss how paring away unlikely hypotheticals leads to the most accurate

en

38:31

Fresh Take: Jean Twenge, 10 RULES FOR RAISING KIDS IN...

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

2025/10/10

Amy and Margaret sit down with Dr. Jean Twenge, renowned researcher of generational differences and author of the new book 10 RULES FOR RAISING KIDS IN A HIGH-TECH WORLD. Dr. Twenge shares what her research reveals about smartphones, social media, and gaming—and how they impact kids’ mental health, sleep, and friendships. From the rise of teen depression since the smartphone boom, to the addictive power of algorithms, to the everyday battles over devices in our homes and schools, this

en

44:55

Mom Worsts

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

2025/10/08

Mom firsts? We prefer to reminisce about Mom WORSTS. In this episode we relive some of our all-time lousiest experiences as mothers, from family-wide Coxsackie virus to elaborate homework assignments achievable only with extensive parental participation. Margaret mentions the song "Tim Finnegan's Wake" in this episode, which you can listen to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRXWWZ74Qe8 We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes

en

42:31

DEEP DIVE: What Can We Add? What Can We Take Away?

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

2025/10/06

The human tendency to solve problems by adding something is called "additive solution bias." However, sometimes a problem is more quickly and effectively solved by taking something away.In this episode we talk about how "additive solution bias" can play out in our parenting strategies, and how we can become more aware of the times when what we actually need to do is take something away. Amy and Margaret discuss: Why our brains are wired to solve problems by adding things How additive

en

42:41

Fresh Take: Suzanne Warye, THE SOBER SHIFT

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

2025/10/03

Margaret sits down with Suzanne Warye—sobriety influencer, host of The Sober Mom Life podcast, and author of the new book THE SOBER SHIFT. Suzanne shares her story of walking away from alcohol, the truth about moderation, the concept of gray area drinking, and why sobriety can feel like abundance, not deprivation. Together, they explore how alcohol affects motherhood, anxiety, and identity, and how community can make the journey toward alcohol-free living possible. Suzanne also discusses the

en

44:23

When Does "Typical" Behavior Become Something More?

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

2025/10/01

Is your kid extremely resistant to the simplest of requests? Or completely impossible to wake up in the morning? Or sure their peers don't like them, despite pretty clear evidence to the contrary? All of these are extremely typical kid behaviors. All of these also have more intense manifestations—PDA, DSWPD, and RSD, respectively— which meet clinical definitions and which may require more concrete support, for both you and your kid. In this episode, Amy and Margaret discuss the amorphous lines

en

44:13

DEEP DIVE: Why Women Have Less Free Time

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

2025/09/29

A recent report found that the division of home responsibilities is still grossly unequal. Mothers—whether they are married or single—do significantly more than fathers. In fact, the ⁠“The Free-Time Gender Gap” ⁠report found that “simply being a woman is linked to spending more time on unpaid childcare and household work, and having less free time, even when controlling for age, income, race/ ethnicity, parental status, and marital status." What does it mean for women to have less free time, and

en

35:48

Fresh Take: Carla Ciccone, NOWHERE GIRL

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

2025/09/26

What happens when you finally, as an adult, understand for the first time that your brain has been wired differently all along? Writer and mother Carla Ciccone joins Amy and Margaret to discuss her memoir NOWHERE GIRL: Life as a Member of ADHD’s Lost Generation. Together, they explore how ADHD in women often presents differently than the “hyperactive little boy” stereotype, and the lasting impact on many adult women with ADHD of having been undiagnosed for decades. Carla shares her journey through

en

43:31

The Craziest Things We've Done for Our Kids

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

2025/09/24

From road trips to reclaim lost lovies to birthday extravaganzas with six-month planning windows, parents will do just about anything for their kids. Amy and Margaret share listener stories—and their own—about the wildest, weirdest, and most over-the-top lengths we have all gone to make their kids happy. Read the saga of the missing Tortellini We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our

en

30:27

DEEP DIVE: Dr. Amber Thornton on Finding Real Balance

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

2025/09/22

We've all felt the guilt that comes with taking time away from our kids to do something we enjoy. But if we're always being told how liberating it is to do things for ourselves, why do we have such complicated feelings about? Dr. Amber Thornton tells us how we can successfully balance our lives both as women and as mothers. ⁠Dr. Amber Thornton⁠ is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Millennial Motherhood Wellness Coach. She is the Founder of Balanced Working Mama, with a mission to completely

en

41:16

Fresh Take: Kate Mason, POWERFULLY LIKABLE

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

2025/09/19

How do women balance being both effective and likable? It shouldn't be ours to manage, and yet it is. This week Margaret and Amy talk with Dr. Kate Mason, communications coach and author of POWERFULLY LIKABLE: A Woman’s Guide to Effective Communication.What you'll learn in this episode: Why women often feel trapped between being “powerful” or “likable” The cultural roots of authority and expertise—and how they still affect women today The difference between agreeability and

en

42:15

Do Our Friendships Have to Be This Complicated?

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

2025/09/17

Have female friendships become more complicated than they need to be? Amy and Margaret dig into the dynamics of their own female-female friendships and what the research says: why some friendships last decades, why others drift apart, and why friendship “breakup texts” have become a thing. In this episode you'll learn: Why women expect more intimacy and reciprocity from friends than men do Why conflict styles play a big role in how friendships evolve The six categories of

en

30:58

DEEP DIVE: Natalie Mayslich and Blessing Adesiyan on...

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

2025/09/15

Natalie Mayslich is the President of Consumer for ⁠Care.com⁠, where she is responsible for expanding, building and delivering the Company’s portfolio of Childcare and Senior Care products and services.Blessing Adesiyan is the Founder of ⁠Mother Honestly⁠, a platform that provides financial technology and work-life infrastructure to employers and is reshaping the future of women and families at home and in the workplace. Natalie and Blessing are here to talk to us today about a new joint research

en

38:45

Fresh Take: Trevor Hanson on Healing Our Attachment...

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

2025/09/12

Amy sits down with Trevor Hanson, coach and founder of The Art of Healing and the Secure Self Club, to unpack the power of attachment theory and how it shapes our relationships. Trevor explains the differences between secure, anxious, and avoidant attachment styles—and why understanding your patterns can transform the way you love, communicate, and connect.Trevor shares practical tools for breaking free from people-pleasing, over-apologizing, and shutting down, including his "TEMPO" framework for

en

41:13

Even More Husband Crimes (Part 2)

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

2025/09/10

It's what you've all been waiting for: Even More Husband Crimes, Part Two. This episode's charges include: napping on Mother's Day seasoning food like he's on a cooking show booking weeklong holidays to the in-laws' house Book 'em, Dano. Do not pass go. Do not collect 200 dollars. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our

en

36:26

DEEP DIVE: Ericka Sóuter on How to Have a Kid and a Life

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

2025/09/08

Ericka Sóuter has over 20 years of journalism experience and is a regular contributor on Good Morning America and other national broadcast outlets. Ericka speaks to parents across the country about the issues, controversies, and trends most affecting families today. She's also the author of ⁠How to Have a Kid and Life: a Survival Guide.⁠In this episode, Ericka and Margaret discuss: The greatest predictor of kids' socioemotional wellbeing The six questions you should ask yourself every

en

38:43

Fresh Take: Allison Daminger, WHAT'S ON HER MIND- The...

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

2025/09/05

Amy and Margaret sit down with sociologist and author Allison Daminger to unpack the cognitive labor many of us fail to recognize in our families' daily lives— what's come to be known as the "mental load." In her new book WHAT'S ON HER MIND: The Mental Workload of Family Life, Allison unpacks her years of research to explain how cognitive labor—anticipating needs, planning, decision-making, and follow-up—shapes family dynamics and falls disproportionately on women. Allison explains why this

en

44:48

Oops! My Kid Hates Me

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

2025/09/03

Right now your kid doesn't like you. At all. What is really going on? And how can we respond without losing our cool, even when our feelings are genuinely hurt? In this episode Amy and Margaret discuss: Why kids say “I hate you” (and why it’s rarely about you) How to handle boundary-testing without escalating conflict The importance of letting kids push against limits... while holding firm to those limits Keeping connection strong during high-conflict moments Balancing correction

en

46:57

BEST OF: How Involved Should We Be With Our Kids'...

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

2025/09/01

How do we help our kids succeed in school without becoming the dreaded "snowplow" parents? Here are some parenting tips for advocating for your child at school when necessary, while also empowering our kids to navigate their own learning. Amy and Margaret discuss: How school environments have changed in the last few decades Best practices for helping kids of different ages manage homework How to start a productive conversation with your child's educators about concerns you may

en

281 results

Similar Podcasts

Tale Teller Kids™

Sarnia de la Mare

米克馬故事坊

咪萊

Imagination Station

Imagination Station

Die Pferde sind nicht das Problem - und du bist nicht zu blöd. Der Aha-Podcast für Pferdemenschen

Silke Jahn & Maren Diehl

Hanna fragt Papa - Der Podcast für neugierige Kinder und Eltern

Hanna und Thomas Schamberger