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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

39:21

Let's Not Care About Aging Gracefully

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

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: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

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: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

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: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

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: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

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: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

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: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

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: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

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: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood |... ·

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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39:36

When *You're* the One Who's Dysregulated

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

2026/03/04

We talk a lot about how to manage kids when they are being impossible. But it's supposed to be the terrible twos, not the terrible forty-somethings. What do we do when we're the one in the family who's dysregulated?In this episode, we discuss: How to know if you're emotionally dysregulated Why parents (especially moms) are particularly vulnerable How dysregulation can show up both as anger and as shutdown The connection between rumination, shame, and reactivity How emotional

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36:12

DEEP DIVE: Gabrielle Blair, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

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

2026/03/02

Based on a recent listener question about how to start to let go as our kids get older, this "Deep Dive" series highlights some of our past interview episodes on the topic. As moms, we're often given tons of societal pressure on how we have to give our kids all the right things—then told to "chill out" when it comes to the worrying part. ⁠Gabrielle Blair⁠, author of ⁠THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT⁠, is here to tell us that adulthood doesn't look like it used to, and that there are many paths to the

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41:38

Fresh Take: Catherine Price, THE AMAZING GENERATION

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

2026/02/27

How do we get kids to *want* to put their phones down? This week we're talking to bestselling author Catherine Price about her latest book, The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World, co-written with social psychologist Jonathan Haidt.Instead of focusing on parental controls and screen-time battles, The Amazing Generation speaks directly to kids, inviting them to question the promises of Big Tech and reclaim real friendship, real freedom, and real fun. We

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44:19

Do Siblings Need to Get Along?

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

2026/02/25

Do siblings really need to get along as children to have healthy relationships as adults? We challenge one of parenting’s most deeply held assumptions: that sibling closeness is the ultimate goal.We explain why sibling rivalry is developmentally normal and how fighting can actually be a sign of connection—not failure. Finally, we talk about what parents can influence—and what they can’t—when it comes to sibling bonds. If your worried because your kids currently fight nonstop—or currently barely

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46:09

DEEP DIVE: Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop, "The...

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

2026/02/23

Based on a recent listener question about how to start to let go as our kids get older, this "Deep Dive" series highlights some of our past interview episodes on the topic.Are teenagers destined to be "over" everything? ⁠Jenny Anderson⁠ and ⁠Rebecca Winthrop⁠, authors of ⁠THE DISENGAGED TEEN⁠, explain what's behind what they call the "teen disengagement crisis" and how parents can act. Jenny Anderson is an award-winning journalist, author, and speaker with more than 25 years of experience

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43:34

Fresh Take: Dr. Allison Alford, GOOD DAUGHTERING

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

2026/02/20

Amy and Margaret talk with Dr. Allison Alford, communication scholar and author of the new book Good Daughtering: The Work You’ve Always Done, the Credit You’ve Never Gotten, and How to Finally Feel Like Enough.Dr. Alford explains the concept of daughtering—the emotional, logistical, and mental labor adult daughters perform to assist their parents and to hold families together. Drawing on more than a decade of qualitative research, she explains how this work is often unrecognized and

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42:44

Why Are Some Kids Shy?

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

2026/02/18

Why are some kids shy? Is there harm in giving a kid's personality that label? In this episode, we explore the differences between shyness, introversion, and behavioral inhibition, and why fear—not preference—is often at the heart of shy behavior.We also discuss when shyness becomes a concern, and when it’s time to seek extra support. Finally, we share practical strategies for helping shy or slow-to-warm-up kids feel safe without forcing them to change. Here are links to some of the resources

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41:58

DEEP DIVE: Julie Lythcott-Haims on Becoming An Adult

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

2026/02/16

Based on a recent listener question about how to start to let go as our kids get older, this "Deep Dive" series highlights some of our past interview episodes on the topic.Julie Lythcott-Haims is the author of the parenting bestseller How to Raise an Adult, which opened the minds of loving but hovering parents everywhere. In this episode, we discuss her follow up book ⁠Your Turn: How To Be An Adult⁠, which Julie calls "a compassionate beckoning into the freedoms and responsibilities of

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32:56

Fresh Take: Dannah Eve, STREET SMARTS

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

2026/02/13

Margaret and Amy talk with safety expert and digital creator Dannah Eve, author of the new book STREET SMARTS, about the steps women can take to be safer in our daily lives—and how to teach age-appropriate techniques to our children.Drawing on her background in criminology and her experience as a parent, Dannah shares practical strategies for trusting your instincts, recognizing red flags, and navigating both physical and digital spaces with confidence. The conversation explores why women are

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43:57

Our Moms Were Totally Right About This

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

2026/02/11

It's time to confront one of life’s most uncomfortable truths: how our moms were often right—especially when we were convinced they were totally wrong.From dead-end relationships to to coat-free winters, Amy and Margaret reflect on the advice they might have once ignored, but now repeat to their own kids. We also discuss our listeners' own versions of mom wisdom: trusting your intuition about friends and partners, wearing sunscreen, following up on job applications, buying fewer but better

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32:30

DEEP DIVE: Lisa Damour on the Emotional Lives of...

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

2026/02/09

Based on a recent listener question about how to start to let go as our kids get older, this "Deep Dive" series highlights some of our past interview episodes on the topic. There's a mental health crisis among teens. Teens are also highly emotional creatures by design. Adolescent psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour thinks the two are starting to get conflated– and that means parents and educators can sometimes overcorrect in their responses to teens' emotional outbursts. ⁠⁠Dr. Lisa Damour⁠⁠ co-hosts

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332 results

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