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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

31:23

Fresh Take: Dr. Greg Hammer on the Winter Blues—and...

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

2026/01/16

Why does winter affect our mood—and why are teens especially vulnerable? Amy talks with Dr. Greg Hammer, author of the book A MINDFUL TEEN, about the science behind the winter blues, teen mental health, and how simple mindfulness practices can help families feel better.Dr. Hammer explains how reduced sunlight, disrupted sleep, less physical activity, and holiday stress all contribute to seasonal mood changes—and why teens, who are already sleep-deprived and under pressure, can struggle even more

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44:23

How to Make Better Decisions (And Stress Less About...

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

2026/01/14

Why does deciding what’s for dinner every night feel way harder than making major decisions at work? Here's why decision-making can feel so overwhelming—and what actually helps.You'll learn the psychology behind choice overload, decision fatigue, and regret aversion, and how too many options, depleted mental energy, and fear of future regret can lead to avoidance, default choices, or endless second-guessing. Amy and Margaret share practical tools for simplifying decisions, including narrowing

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46:18

DEEP DIVE: When Your Kid is Being Bullied

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

2026/01/12

Most of us hear “bullying” and picture a sand-kicking, lunch-money-stealing menace. But today’s bullying can take other forms. Research by Dr. Charisse Nixon shows that about 7% of kids report experiencing physical aggression once a week— but that HALF of kids report experiencing relational aggression at least once a month. On the other hand, as bullying expert Signe Whitson explains, some things get termed “bullying” that are more correctly described as mean or rude. Knowing the difference as

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38:31

Fresh Take: Amil Niazi, LIFE AFTER AMBITION

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

2026/01/09

What happens when the ambition that once fueled your identity no longer fits your life? Margaret talks with writer and producer Amil Niazi about her new book, LIFE AFTER AMBITION, and the complicated relationship between work, motherhood, and meaning.Amil shares how her understanding of ambition evolved—from a bottomless pursuit shaped by hustle culture, immigrant expectations, and meritocracy myths, to a more honest reckoning with limits, inequality, and the idea of “enough.” They discuss how the

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44:07

Why Kids Act Differently at School Than at Home

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

2026/01/07

Why do kids often act so differently at school than they do at home? In this episode, you'll learn how skills like adaptability and “theory of mind” develop over time, why younger kids struggle more with behavior shifts, and how structure, transitions, and social pressure shape school-day behavior. We explore concepts like afterschool restraint collapse, social battery depletion, and masking—and why post-school meltdowns are usually a good sign, in that your home is a place your kid feels safe

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35:46

DEEP DIVE: Things We Weirdly Enjoy

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

2026/01/05

To accompany us on our holiday road trips, here's one of our favorite funny family-friendly episodes: Things We Weirdly Enjoy. What oddities do you love that others might look askance at? Is it your magical singing rice cooker? The silence just before it snows? T errible Ikea instructions? Amy and Margaret share their weird pleasures and chime in on some listener suggestions as well. Sign up for the What Fresh Hell newsletter! Once a month you’ll get our favorite recent episodes, plus

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40:38

Best of 2025: Shannon Watts, FIRED UP

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

2026/01/02

To wrap up 2025, we’re re-running some of our favorite guest episodes from this year—including this interview with Shannon Watts, founder of ⁠Moms Demand Action⁠, discussing her book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age. Shannon shares the personal story behind her midlife awakening, how she built the largest grassroots movement to fight gun violence in America, and the life-changing formula she developed to help women find purpose, passion, and courage—no matter

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45:31

BEST OF: Wait, Didn't Everyone's Family Do This?

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

2025/12/31

For the holidays, we’re re-running some of our favorite episodes. See you in 2026!Did you grow up thinking everyone's family has a tooth fairy that leaves tin foil behind instead of coins? Said "padiddle" whenever a car with a single headlight drove past? We asked our listeners what they grew up thinking everyone else's families did too... only to find out that nope, it was just them. ⁠Here's the link for "Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World"⁠ ⁠See the original

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45:51

DEEP DIVE: What Kind of Mom-ster?

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

2025/12/29

What's your scariest mom-ster story? Do you leave half-empty cups everywhere like Margaret? Do you leave hairs on the shower wall like Amy? We asked our listeners when they were the mom-sters, and some of the answers sent chills down our spines!In this episode, Amy and Margaret discuss: "Driver's License" (wait, is it not cool anymore?) The secret to moms' bad moods Recycling rules (and how we don't respect them) What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. This

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37:03

Best of 2025: Jessica N. Turner on Rising from Grief...

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

2025/12/26

To wrap up 2025, we’re re-running some of our favorite guest episodes from this year.When we're faced with difficulties, how can we put them into perspective and move forward? Jessica N. Turner, author of the new book I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BETTER THAN THIS, discusses the experiences that led her to look at life differently and how she has learned to make "imperfect choices." Jessica, Amy, and Margaret discuss: What led Jessica to write this book What Jessica's large online audience

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48:27

Best of: How to Be in "High Magic, Low Effort" Mode...

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

2025/12/24

For the holidays, we’re re-running some of our very favorite holiday-themed episodes! It's hard not to feel like we've got to be doing ALL the things at the holidays, especially when social media tells us we should be. Here are some tips for taking perspective at the holidays and operating in "high magic, low effort" mode. We discuss:pre-gaming with your (older) kids about the preferred responses to less-preferred gifts starting with what family members really do love most about the

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45:59

DEEP DIVE: Why Is This a Thing?

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

2025/12/22

In this best-of, listener-driven episode, we talk about all the things that our listeners say should not be things, like: prairie dresses thank you cards school theme days Dinosaurs ...and so many more! What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. This episode was originally released on April 6th, 2022. 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

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37:53

Fresh Take: Sophie Kihm of Nameberry on the Baby...

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

2025/12/19

Amy talks with Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of Nameberry (the world’s largest baby name website!) about the top baby name trends predicted for 2026, and why naming a child feels more complicated—and more meaningful—than ever. Sophie explains how Nameberry analyzes real-time search and save data, alongside Social Security statistics, to forecast which baby names are poised to rise quickly through the ranks. Together, Amy and Sophie walk through Nameberry’s 10 biggest baby naming trends for 2026,

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43:11

Why Kids Melt Down During the Holidays—And How to...

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

2025/12/17

Why is the "most wonderful time of the year" also the time, all too often, when our kids are at their worst?Drawing on research from child psychologists, developmental experts, and real-life family dynamics, Amy and Margaret explore this extremely familiar dynamic, and explain how disrupted routines, sensory overload, anxiety, social expectations, and good old-fashioned exhaustion collide to push kids past their emotional thresholds. They discuss: How blown-up routines remove a key emotional

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43:54

DEEP DIVE: Better Then? Or Better Now?

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

2025/12/15

This week we're discussing whether these parts of our lives (then as children, now as parents) are better then or better now: Halloween costumes holidays at school jeans what's for lunch cleaning the house What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. This episode was originally released on October 30th, 2019. 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

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40:16

Fresh Take: Sophie Lucido Johnson, KIN

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

2025/12/12

This week, we sit down with writer, illustrator, and community-builder Sophie Lucido Johnson, author of KIN: THE FUTURE OF FAMILY, to explore how adults can create deeper, more fulfilling friendship networks. Sophie shares why modern culture pushes us toward hyper-independence, how to break out of the loneliness cycle, and the simple daily practices that strengthen connection.They discuss the difference between friendships and partnerships, why we need multiple kinds of support people, and how to

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39:50

The Parables That Stick With Us

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

2025/12/10

In this episode, we discuss some of our favorite parables— and what they can teach us about the meaning we attach to everyday frustrations with modern parenting, stress, and family dynamics.Stories are sticky for our brains, and these are the lessons that have helped us notice our reactions, question our assumptions, and navigate everything from holiday family drama to college applications to sibling squabbles with greater awareness. This a great episode to share with friends who may not be

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43:39

DEEP DIVE: Why Kids Need More Time To Play

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

2025/12/08

Kids have a less time for unsupervised, unstructured play than they did 40-50 years ago. Kids are also a lot less happy then they were back then. But has one actually caused the other? A new study says it has.Psychologist Dr. Peter Gray and his associates at Boston College recently published the paper ⁠Decline in independent activity as a cause of decline in children's mental well-being,⁠ which suggests that the decline in play and the decline in children's well-being are directly

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37:34

Fresh Take: Erin Cox on Navigating Family Drama,...

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

2025/12/05

The holidays are the time of year we're most likely to spend time with our extended families— visits which can also bring guilt, frustration, and overwhelming expectations. In this episode, Amy and family counselor Erin Cox dive into the challenges of holiday family dynamics: setting boundaries, splitting time between multiple households, managing difficult relatives, and trying to create a joyful season for our own kids without losing ourselves in the process. We explore why returning home makes

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42:11

Saying "No" Is Also Work

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

2025/12/03

Amy and Margaret tackle one of women's most exhausting challenges: the nonstop onslaught of small asks, random requests, invisible labor, and mental load that quietly drains them. They break down why saying "no” to additional responsibilities is not laziness, and why "just say no to" is actually not a realistic option in many situations. Drawing on real-life examples, Amy and Margaret explore the emotional calculus behind every “yes,” the hidden costs of over-accommodating, and why moms often feel

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303 results

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