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PODCAST

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making Life Better, with Two 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 of

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

34:10

DEEP DIVE: Mara Glatzel on Being "Needy"

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/05/25

This Deep Dive series revisits some of our past episodes on discerning what we need as moms, and then asking for it confidently. If someone asked you "What do you need right now?" would you even be able to articulate it? In her new book ⁠NEEDY: How To Advocate for Your Needs and Claim Your Sovereignty⁠, intuitive coach ⁠Mara Glatzel⁠ lays out a roadmap for how to ascertain our needs as human beings, how to ask for it, and how to be comfortable with receiving it. Mara's work helps humans stop

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36:40

Fresh Take: Dr. Margo Lowy on Living the Full...

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/05/22

We often think "ambivalence" means indifference. Its actual meaning is quite different: ambivalence means having multiple and often opposite emotions in one moment. Motherhood contains much joy—but what about the resentment, grief, anger, fear, exhaustion, and guilt that can exist alongside deep love? Psychotherapist and researcher Dr. Margo Lowy joins us to discuss her book MATERNAL AMBIVALENCE: The Loving Moments and Bitter Truths of Motherhood and the emotional contradictions at the heart of

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41:09

What's the Mom Equivalent of Golf?

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/05/20

Why does it seem so much easier for men to claim large blocks of leisure time for themselves than it is for women? This week, based on a listener question, we are asking: What is the mom equivalent of golf? We unpack the “leisure time gender gap,” why women’s downtime is often treated as optional, and how motherhood changes the way we think about rest, hobbies, and friendship. We discuss: Why golf has become a uniquely protected, and male-coded, form of leisure How parenting young

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44:06

DEEP DIVE: Asking for Big Help (And the Best Ways to...

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/05/18

This Deep Dive series revisits some of our past episodes on discerning what we need as moms, and then asking for it confidently. We’ve all been in moments when we have to make a Big Ask. As in: it’s 2 a.m. The baby is throwing up and spiking a high fever. Your partner is out of town. Your other kid is asleep upstairs. Who are you going to call in the middle of the night? Making that ask is never easy. But why? Why is it so hard to ask for big help, especially when we’re usually grateful to be

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42:17

Fresh Take: Nicholas Epley on Why Talking to...

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/05/15

Why do we avoid small opportunities for connection with strangers, even when humans are wired for that very connection? Behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley, author of the new book A LITTLE MORE SOCIAL, explains why modern life leaves so many people feeling disconnected—and how small social choices can dramatically improve our well-being.Nick explains the science behind loneliness, why humans are biologically wired for connection, and how our fear of awkwardness keeps us from reaching out to

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48:55

What Does "Dating" Look Like For Teens and Tweens...

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/05/13

This week we're talking about how modern teen "dating" has changed—starting with the word itself (it's called "talking" or "hanging out" these days), where today's teens are meeting romantic partners, and how they tend to communicate. We also explain how and why conversations about boundaries, consent, self-worth, and emotional safety should begin earlier than you might think.We also discuss: Why today’s teens are dating later but navigating more online pressure How to encourage to kids

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33:44

Fresh Take: Leslie Forde of Mom's Hierarchy of Needs

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/05/11

This Deep Dive series revisits some of our past episodes on discerning what we need as moms, and then asking for it confidently. Most of us know about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the pyramid pattern through which human needs and motivations generally move upward. We can't worry about what's at the upper levels of the pyramid until and unless the more basic needs at the bottom of the pyramid– food, warmth, safety– are met first. Leslie Forde, founder of ⁠Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs⁠, has rethought

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46:11

Fresh Take: Rachael Shepard-Ohta and Caitlin Wilder...

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/05/08

Is social media a good thing for isolated mothers? Or does it just give us more to worry about? Margaret talks with Rachael Shepard-Ohta and Caitlin Wilder, hosts of the podcast You’re So Right, about parenting in the age of Instagram, postpartum mental health, identity outside motherhood, and why parenting advice can feel both helpful and impossible at the same time.Rachael, a former special education teacher and infant parent mental health specialist, and Caitlin, a full spectrum doula and

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44:03

Is American Parenting the Problem? Or Is It Parenting...

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/05/06

We're often told that the American style of parenting is inferior—that we're doing it all wrong compared to, say, a laissez-faire Parisian whose kids eat whatever is served. But is it our too intense/ too lax/ too snack-heavy parenting style that is making us (and our kids) so stressed? Or is it where we're doing that parenting? In this episode, we explore the forces shaping parenting in America today, and the ways in which other countries offer parents more support. From the pressure to “do it

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34:45

DEEP DIVE: Olivia Martinez-Hauge on Special Needs...

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/05/04

This Deep Dive series revisits some of our past episodes about the joys and the challenges that come with raising kids with differences and disabilities. Olivia Martinez-Hauge is a marriage and family therapist specializing in the treatment of families, couples, and individuals who are caregiving for children or adults with neurodiversity. She is also a licensed occupational therapist with over two decades of experience helping children and their families. She is also a mother of three children,

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35:39

Fresh Take: Elizabeth Preston on What Animals Have to...

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/05/01

Why does modern parenting feel so difficult? If a chimpanzee knows what to do without reading a hundred parenting books, why doesn't it just come naturally? Science journalist and author Elizabeth Preston is the author of The Creatures' Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care. Drawing from animal behavior, evolutionary biology, and neuroscience, this book explains why studying the parenting of every species from poison frogs to bonobos, from rats to birds, can

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44:47

Getting Our Kids to Help Around the House

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/04/29

How do you get kids to help out—ever, at all—without default resistance that makes it feel like it's not worth the trouble of your having asked? Kids *should* contribute to their families' lives without their parents resorting to nagging or threats. Kids in other cultures, we are told, participate willingly and fully. Why does this seem so hard for so many of us? We discuss: Whether "chores" framing is part of the problem How gender roles shape the expectations of who's helping

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36:21

DEEP DIVE: Dr. Lynn Koegel on the Hidden Brilliance...

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/04/27

This Deep Dive series revisits some of our past episodes about the joys and the challenges that come with raising kids with differences and disabilities.What if we're looking at autism in the wrong way? Dr. Lynn Koegel, co-author of ⁠Hidden Brilliance: Unlocking the Intelligence of Autism⁠, explains how to engage with the strengths in kids with autism rather than focusing on what they're lacking. ⁠Dr. Lynn Koegel⁠ is a clinical professor at the Stanford School of Medicine. She and her husband

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45:13

Fresh Take: Leah Ruppanner on "DRAINED" and What the...

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/04/24

Are women really better at all the things we do? Or are we just used to doing more? Amy talks with sociologist and author Leah Ruppanner, author of the new book DRAINED, about her definition of the "mental load" and why so many women feel constantly overwhelmed. Leah defines the mental load as much more than keeping track of tasks. It’s deeply emotional work tied to caring for others, anticipating needs, and managing relationships. In this interview Leah breaks down the different types of

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44:05

Emotional Intelligence: Can It Be Taught?

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/04/22

What is emotional intelligence, exactly? Is it the yin to IQ's yang? Is it equally crucial to our success and well-being? In this episode we talk about what EQ (or EI, depending on who you're asking) actually means, why it matters, and whether it can be taught to both adults and kids. We discuss: The four core components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship skills (plus what's been taken off the list) Why emotional intelligence is

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32:25

DEEP DIVE: Kate Swenson of "Finding Cooper's Voice"...

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/04/20

This Deep Dive series revisits some of our past episodes about the joys and the challenges that come with raising kids with differences and disabilities. Kate Swenson writes and creates videos about her life as a mother of four and and an autism advocate for ⁠"Finding Cooper's Voice⁠," a living, thriving community of people who not only advocate for autism, but also make the world a better place for individuals with disabilities and their families. We discuss Kate's book ⁠Forever Boy: A Mother's

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43:47

Fresh Take: Fortesa Latifi on the Truth About Kids in...

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/04/17

What happens when childhood becomes content? Journalist Fortesa Latifi, author of the new book LIKE, FOLLOW, SUBSCRIBE, discusses the rise of influencer families and the growing world of kid influencers. We explore how parenting content has evolved from "mommy blogs" to today’s visual and monetized social media landscape, where children are often at the center of viral content. Fortesa explains why family vlogging is so compelling, and the powerful parasocial relationships audiences form with

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44:06

Little-Known Parenting Milestones

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/04/15

What are the parenting milestones no one tells you about—but that completely change your daily life? We asked our listeners about the little wins of parenting that make a huge difference in reducing the day-to-day chaos, from kids pouring their own cereal to finally being able to leave them home alone.Listen to our interview with Christina Martin here Subscribe to our YouTube channel! What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. We love the sponsors that make this show

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30:22

DEEP DIVE: Meg Zucker on Empowering Kids with...

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/04/13

This Deep Dive series is about embracing the joys and acknowledging the challenges that come with raising kids with differences and disabilities.How do we celebrate and encourage kids with disabilities and differences, without letting our fears and preconceptions dictate what we think they can do? How do parents of kids with less understanding of differences and disabilities allow for children's natural curiosity? Meg Zucker, author of the book ⁠Born Extraordinary: Empowering Children with

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41:51

Preparing Our Kids to Leave the Nest, with Christina...

What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making... ·

2026/04/10

As kids prepare to leave home for college, we tend to wonder: have we taught them everything they need to know? Christina Geist—author of Before You Fly Away: Life Lessons from Home—shares how this transition can feel like a “parental report card.” Christina's late-night reflections and “mini panic moments" as her child prepared to leave for college became a collection of concise life lessons meant to guide her child toward independence. But the process also turned out to provide a way for

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