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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

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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41:11

Why We Avoid Uncertainty (And How That Gets In Our Way)

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

2026/04/08

Why do we cling to what’s familiar—even when it’s not working? In this episode we explore why humans are wired to avoid uncertainty, and how that shapes our decisions and our parenting.We discuss the Ellsberg Paradox, which explains why we often choose “the devil we know” over potentially better—but unknown—options. Whether it’s staying in a situation that no longer serves us, avoiding difficult conversations, or overthinking every possible outcome, our brains are constantly trying to reduce

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37:49

DEEP DIVE: Janice Johnson Dias on Raising Joyful,...

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

2026/04/06

In honor of Women's History Month, this "Deep Dive" series highlights some of our past interview episodes about raising daughters. Janice Johnson Dias⁠ is a professor of sociology at John Jay College, and author of ⁠PARENT LIKE IT MATTERS: HOW TO RAISE JOYFUL, CHANGE-MAKING GIRLS⁠⁠. Her collaborative work on black girls’ mental, sexual, and physical health issues earned her a special Congressional recognition. In this conversation, Janice explains how we can embolden both our daughters and our

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38:15

Meredith Schwartz on Building a Reading Life You...

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

2026/04/03

Why is it so hard to read more—even when we want to, even when we have stacks of books awaiting us on our bedside tables? We sit down with Meredith Monday Schwartz—co-host of the The Currently Reading Podcast—to talk about how to reconnect with reading in a way that feels joyful, flexible, and realistic.If you’ve ever felt obliged to finish a book you hated, or berate yourself for the time you spend scrolling instead of reading, this conversation is for you. It’s not that there aren’t good books

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39:35

How Can We Get Our Kids to Like Reading?

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

2026/04/01

Why is it so hard to get some kids to read—and is it even our job to make them love it?We tackle the reality of raising reluctant readers in a world dominated by screens. From decoding disorders to disinterest, we break down the different reasons kids struggle with reading—and why understanding the “why” matters more than forcing the habit. We share practical, judgment-free strategies to help kids engage with books and how parental expectations, school pressures, and comparison culture can

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32:44

DEEP DIVE: Donna Jackson Nakazawa on Helping Our...

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

2026/03/30

In honor of Women's History Month, this "Deep Dive" series highlights some of our past interview episodes about raising daughters. Donna Jackson Nakazawa is an award-winning science journalist whose work explores the intersection of neuroscience, immunology, and emotion. In, ⁠GIRLS ON THE BRINK: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media⁠, she unpacks the causes of the stress on American girls and its detrimental effects on their mental health. In

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42:12

Fresh Take: Jessica Shaw, "Everyone Gets a Juice Box"

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

2026/03/27

How can we best support our neurodivergent kids? Jessica Shaw, host of the podcast Everyone Gets a Juice Box, discusses the realities of raising neurodivergent kids—and the emotional, practical, and often isolating journey parents navigate along the way. Jessica shares how the concept of neurodiversity has evolved, why the “big tent” of neurodivergence can feel both supportive and lonely, and how parents can find connection through shared experience. Together, Jessica and Margaret unpack the

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39:21

Let's Not Care About Aging Gracefully

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

2026/03/25

What does it really mean to “age gracefully”—and who decided that was the goal in the first place?We unpack the cultural pressure on women to look younger for longer—and what we can do to resist it. From celebrity beauty standards and the billion-dollar anti-aging industry to the “mask of aging,” we explore why the gap between how we feel and how we look can become so jarring. We dig into: the rise of “stretched middle age” and “looksmaxxing” why we compare ourselves to unrealistic,

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32:03

DEEP DIVE: Chelsey Goodan on How Parents...

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

2026/03/23

In honor of Women's History Month, this "Deep Dive" series highlights some of our past interview episodes about raising daughters. Why are stereotypes of teenage girls rarely flattering? And even worse, what important traits are we not acknowledging in these young women? ⁠Chelsey Goodan⁠, author of ⁠UNDERESTIMATED: The Wisdom and Power of Teenage Girls⁠, explains what teenage girls really want and need from us. Chelsey and Amy discuss: The generational shift towards a culture of support and

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38:59

Fresh Take: Michaeleen Doucleff, DOPAMINE KIDS

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

2026/03/20

What does dopamine actually do to our brains—and to our kids' brains? We welcome back science journalist and parenting expert Michaeleen Doucleff to discuss her latest book, DOPAMINE KIDS. After years as an NPR science reporter, and after writing the bestselling HUNT, GATHER, PARENT, Doucleff began noticing something unsettling in her own life: even during beautiful moments with her daughter, she felt pulled toward her phone. That realization led her to explore the powerful role of dopamine, the

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45:42

How Not to Live Through Our Kids

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

2026/03/18

First, we’re setting aside our own hopes and dreams to have (and raise) our kids. Then, we’re relentlessly mocked (perhaps correctly) for being overinvested in the fourth-grade luau. Are we living through our kids? And how do we stop?Psychologists have long said that mothers transfer our own unfulfilled ambition onto our children. “Symbolic self-completion theory” suggests that we look to our children as symbols of ourselves, and transfer our ambitions to them— which is why we’re not jealous when

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30:39

DEEP DIVE: Dr. Jo-Ann Finkelstein on Raising...

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

2026/03/16

In honor of Women's History Month, this "Deep Dive" series highlights some of our past interview episodes about raising daughters. How do we raise our daughters to feel empowered, rather than helpless, in the face of gender bias? ⁠Dr. Jo-Ann Finkelstein⁠, PhD, author of book ⁠SEXISM AND SENSIBILITY⁠, offers parenting tips to prepare our girls for the modern world. Dr. Finkelstein, Amy, and Margaret discuss: The limits of the "girl power" line of thinking How to teach girls what is and

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39:23

Fresh Take: Jamilah Lemieux, BLACK. SINGLE. MOTHER.

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

2026/03/13

What does it really mean to be a Black single mother in America? Why are the stories we hear and tell about that experience so often incomplete?Margaret talks with cultural critic, writer, and editor Jamilah Lemieux, author of Black. Single. Mother: Real-Life Tales of Longing and Belonging. Jamilah discusses the fears she initially had about writing openly about single motherhood—and how the process ultimately became one of healing, honesty, and connection. Together, they explore the realities

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45:27

Parenting Panics Through the Ages

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

2026/03/11

Are screens ruining our kids' childhoods? Is AI going to rot our brains in the next thirty days? Or are these the latest examples of a very human tendency: the catastrophizing of change? From the dawn of the printing press to the Satanic panic over heavy metal lyrics, we explore the long history of social panics, find familiar patterns, and discuss our findings, including: Why parents are often thrust onto the front lines of new technology fears Why each generation believes the newest

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54:48

DEEP DIVE: Dr. Lisa Damour on Helping Kids Manage...

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

2026/03/09

Based on a recent listener question about letting go as your kids get older and gain more independence, we're highlighting some of our past interview episodes that address this topic. Anxiety is a natural response to stress. Sometimes it’s even useful, like when it alerts us to danger. But when anxiety grips our children, they often don’t (can’t) explain how they’re feeling, and their inner turmoil can take over. In this episode we discuss: coping strategies for all ages and stages how

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42:12

Fresh Take: Susan Sutton, The Ember Project

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

2026/03/06

What do we misunderstand about teen mothers? How does stigma contribute to the difficulties teen mothers face? This week we're talking to Susan Sutton about her nonprofit The Ember Project, which supports teen and early mothers through mentorship, financial literacy, education support, and small but powerful financial grants.Susan shares her own story of becoming a mother in 10th grade and how that experience shaped her mission to break cycles of generational poverty and teen pregnancy stigma

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423 results

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