MILK Podcast: Moms I'd Like to Know

Nicole Alifante is a former actress, current singer songwriter, teacher and activist, and she joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Nicole is the founder of the non- profit organization CURE, which stands for: Coalition for Understanding Racism in Education, based in Westchester, NY. CURE engages in hard conversations about the construction of race and systemic racism by bringing in seasoned speakers and activists. Nicole is an artist, and she brings her heart and soul to her art, but also to listening and amplifying other people’s voices. Since she was on MILK Podcast in 2017, Nicole has grown CURE and is deeply committed to doing anti racism work in her community. We follow up the conversation from 2017 and see where she is right now, in the time of COVID-19, working and creating as an anti-racism activist/artist mom. Follow Nicole's music at www.nicolealifante.com and CURE at www.learnwithcure.com. Listen to Nicole's interview from Season 1, Epsiode 22 as well, to get a sense of Nicole’s trajectory as an activist who is learning and growing every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MILK Podcast is swapping feeds with The Only One in the Room Podcast. Co-Hosted by Laura Cathcart Robbins, a writer and a recovery thriver and survivor, each episode, Laura and her partner Scott interview a person about their Only One story, highlighting stories of being “othered” and encouraging connection between listeners and guests.  On this episode of Only One in the Room, Laura speaks to actress and producer Kimberly Rusell. Her story as a mother is a fascinating one. Kimberly was a young actress, dating celebrity after celebrity and then (predictably) found the love of her life on a film set. She married Michael Bonewitz, they had three beautiful babies and then made the decision together to put her acting career on hold while she raised their three children. But a chance encounter with a stranger, a mom at her kid’s school, threw them all an unexpected curveball: Her dying wish was to have Kimberly and Michael take her five children after she died and raise them as her own. What would you do if you were faced with a question that would change your life and those of an entire family that isn’t your own? Check out this conversation between Laura Cathcart Robbins and Kimberly Russell on The Only One in the Room Podcast. They are two Moms I’d Like to Know. Follow @theonlyoneintheroom on instagram and theonlyoneintheroom dot com.         Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kimberly Peeler-Allen is back with Mallory two years later in the MILK Studio. Kimberly has been working at the intersection of race, gender and politics for almost 20 years. She is the Co-founder of Higher Heights, a national organization building the political power and leadership of Black women from the voting booth to elected office. Higher Heights has helped drive the national narrative about the power of Black women voters and has inspired countless Black women to step into their power whether it is as voters, activists or elected leaders. Kimberly and her Co-Founder Glynda Carr built Higher Heights from an idea on the back of a placemat into a network of over 90,000 members, donors and activists across the country that have helped elect 10 Black women to Congress, 1 Black woman to the US Senate and grow the number of Black women in statewide executive office and leading our nation’s largest cities. A highly skilled political fundraiser and event planner, Kimberly was the principal of Peeler-Allen Consulting, LLC from 2003 to 2014, the only African American full-time fundraising consulting firm in New York State. Kimberly served as finance director for Letitia James’ successful bid to become Public Advocate of the City of New York and the first African American woman elected citywide in New York’s history. Kimberly also served as the Co-Executive Director of New York Attorney General Letitia James' Transition Committee when she was elected to that office in November of 2018. In 2018, Kimberly was selected as one of the Roddenberry Fellowship's 20 established and emerging activists to devote an entire year to projects that will make the U.S. more inclusive and equitable through their inaugural cohort. Kimberly also serves as a board member of ERA Coalition and the Fund for Women's Equity. She is currently a visiting professor at the Center for American Women and Politics at Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. She is drawing on her life experience as an organizer and operative to write her first book, Activist Momma, a celebration of this intersection and the gifts that mothers bring to movement work. It profiles the lives of a group of black women who are leading some of the most impactful movements at the local and national level.  Follow Kimberly on twitter @kimberp_a and @higherheights and @higherheightsPAC to support getting more Black women into elected office. You all better have voted in your state's primaries, or Kimberly will be very disappointed, and you don’t want that.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Financial Expert Farnoosh Torabi is in the MILK Studio with Mallory. Farnoosh is one of America’s leading personal finance authorities — her award-winning and critically-acclaimed podcast, "So Money," has surpassed 12 million downloads, thanks to its one-of-a-kind interviews. On the show, she spotlights leading experts, authors and influencers – from Arianna Huffington to Margaret Cho to Queen Latifah – about their financial perspectives, money failures and habits. She also answers listeners’ personal financial questions each week. Farnoosh is a sought-after speaker and bestselling author. Her latest book is When She Makes More: The Truth About Love and Life for a New Generation of Women.  Farnoosh’s work and advice have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, Time, Marie Claire, Glamour, Redbook and USA Today. She appears on major news and talk shows. Highlights include the NBC Today, CNN, MSNBC, Good Morning America, Dr. Oz, The View and Live! With Kelly and Michael. She hosted the Webby-nominated web series, Financially Fit, on Yahoo. She’s also served as a money coach on such shows as Remake America on Yahoo!, Bank of Mom & Dad on soapNet and TLC’s REAL SIMPLE. REAL LIFE. She graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Finance and International Business. She also holds a Master’s from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Farnoosh just moved with her husband and two kids under 6, from Brooklyn, to the 'burbs, and we talked 3 months in to the pandemic about “working” in quotes, from home, and about how she talks to her children about race and about money, and how the most recent uprising over racial injustice has informed her current series "Black Wealth Matters." Find her at SoMoney.com and on instagram @FarnooshTorabi.  

Novelist Edan Lepucki joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Edan is the bestselling author of California and Woman No. 17, and the creator of the popular Mothers Before Instagram account. @MothersBefore was timed to the release of her latest book, which explored the themes of art, motherhood, and identity. Edan asked women and non-binary people of all ages to submit a favorite photograph of their mother before she became a mother and write a description of what the images invoke. @MothersBefore was and remains hugely popular, and now Mothers Before is a book. In it, Edan gathers more than sixty original essays and favorite photographs to explore the question: Who was your mother before she became a mother? The daughters in this remarkable collection are writers and poets, artists and teachers, and the images and stories they share reveal the lives of women in ways that are vulnerable and true, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and always moving. Contributors include Jennifer Egan, Angela Garbes, Alison Roman, and Jia Tolentino, among others. Mothers Before is a thoughtful and intimate celebration of motherhood and female identity. Edan is also the cohost of the podcast Mom Rage, which is candid and terrific. She lives in Los Angeles with her family. Follow her at edanlepucki dot com and @edanlepucki.    

Meena Harris joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Meena is the author of “Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea," an illustrated picture book based on a true story from the childhood of Meena’s mom and aunt. Meena is founder of the groundbreaking Phenomenal Women Action campaign, she is a respected entrepreneur and is recognized as an influential voice for women’s equality. In the book, two sisters make a difference in their community by dreaming big and fighting for what they believe in. It’s an early lesson on the power of community organizing, and an example of what Meena’s grandmother always told her: “Each of us has a role to play.” Meena believes that to fight for women’s equality, we need to start with girl’s equality, and her book focuses on listening to girls of color, supporting their big ideas, and following their lead. Currently, Meena is head of strategy and leadership at Uber, where she leads brand transformation initiatives focused on corporate citizenship, customer loyalty, and employee engagement. In addition to Uber, she has advised major brands on diversity and inclusion. Meena is also an attorney with extensive experience in consumer protection, data privacy, and cybersecurity. She is a graduate of Standford University and Harvard Business School. She lives in San Francisco with her partner and two daughters. The book can be purchased through a link on phenomenal girl dot com. Follow Meena @meenaharris or @phenomenal.com  

Jason B. Rosenthal, author of “My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me: A Memoir," is in the MILK Studio with Mallory. In March of 2017, beloved author Amy Krouse Rosenthal published an essay, about her love for her husband Jason, in the New York Times Modern Love column. Amy had been fighting late stage, aggressive ovarian cancer and ultimately died two weeks after the essay was published. The piece, "You May Want to Marry My Husband," had gone viral, touching millions of readers. Jason’s memoir is his response to Amy’s death, and to their lives as partners, parents, and explorers. Jason is the New York Times bestselling author of "Dear Boy," co-written by his daughter, Paris Rosenthal. He is the board chair of the Amy Krouse Rosenthal Foundation, which supports both childhood literacy and research in early detection of ovarian cancer. A lawyer, public speaker and devoted father of three, Jason is passionate about helping others to fill and expand their blank spaces, and to continue the intention and legacy of Amy’s life work. Amy was a MILK, and Jason is the first, and probably only, honorary non-MILK guest. Follow Jason @jasonbrosenthal on Instagram and the Amy Krouse Rosenthal Foundation at http://www. amykrouserosenthalfoundation.org

Educator Nikki Turpin is in the MILK Podcast Studio with Mallory. Nikki is a teacher at Nashoba Brooks School in Concord, MA and this fall will be the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leader at an independent school in New England. She is the Programming Director for Robbins House, and African American Museum in Concord and leads the Youth In Philanthropy Program at Middlesex School for Foundation for MetroWest. Nikki has long held a passion for African-American history and recently presented at the Association of African American Museums, discussing the importance of telling the full stories of African-American female suffragists. She leads professional development workshops and leadership trainings for kids and adults as a diversity and inclusion consultant, and has worked in public, private, and independent education for over a decade. She has been closely observing the effects of distance learning as an educator, a spouse, and a parent, and shares thoughts about her own daughter's racial identity and how her and her husband are navigating their quarentine household of home schooling and working from home as teachers. Follow Nikki @naturpin on Instagram.

Journalist Eilene Zimmerman joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Eilene is the author of SMACKED: A story of White Collar Ambition, Addiction, and Tradgedy, a deeply personal memoir about her husband Peter, who died after struggling with an addiction he kept secret from her and their two children. Beyond Eilene’s personal experience discovering Peter’s body and retracing his secretive and harrowing addiction story is her own examination of herself as a partner and as a woman, as well as a powerful, reported look at addiction, privilege, and comsumption in our culture. Eilene has been a journalist for three decades, covering business, technology and social issues for a wide array of national magazines and newspapers. She was a columnist for The New York Times Sunday Business section for many years and since 2004 has been a regular contributor to the newspaper. In 2017, Zimmerman also began pursuing a master’s degree in social work, which she is completing soon. She lives in New York City and can be found online at https://www.eilenezimmerman.com

Zibby Owens, is in the MILK Studio with Mallory, in a remote mom podcast to mom podcast host conversation. Zibby is the host of the award winning literary podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books. A mother of four and a writer herself, Zibby has contributed to Redbook, Marie Claire, Parents, Huff Post, the New York Times online, What’s Up Moms, Kveller, Shape, SELF, and many other publications. She has been called “NYC’s Most Powerful Book-fluencer” by Vulture.com. Her podcast was selected as one of Oprah Magazine’s top 21 book podcasts in 2019. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Business School, she previously worked at Unilever, idealab! and other start-ups. She currently lives in New York with her husband, Kyle Owens of Morning Moon Productions, and her four children, ages 5-12. Since the Covid-19 shelter in place began, Zibby has pivoted her podcast, her “in real life” author talks and literary salons, all online, created an online literary magazine called “We Found Time,” with original essays from her podcast guests, a Zoom live book club with authors and readers, and Instagram live chats with authors. Follow her on instagram @zibbyowens, and check out her podcast, writing and events at www.zibbyowens.com.

Activist Marissa Hoechstetter joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Marissa is a survivor advocate who writes and speaks about sexually abusive doctors, enabling institutions, and corrupt politicians. She’s been fighting for change since her own reports of assault by an OB/GYN received inadequate responses from the medical system and law enforcement. Marissa spearheaded a successful campaign in New York City to allow patients to remove the names of abusive doctors from birth certificates. She has given testimony on medical abuse to lawmakers and medical boards, and she founded Reform the Sex Crimes Unit, a group calling for increased transparency and accountability within the Manhattan DA’s Sex Crimes Unit and Special Victims Bureau. She is also a member of RAINN’s Speakers Bureau and the Patient Safety Action Network’s Medical Board Roundtable. Marissa is a senior advancement and communications professional for non-profit organizations and lives with her family in Massachusetts. Follow her @mhoechstetter and reformthescu.com

Joanna Hershon is in the MILK Studio with Mallory, talking about her latest book, St. Ivo. ˆThey talk about a strange incident on the subway that happened to Joanna and prompted this book of fiction, about having children 9 years apart and about Joanna's former careers as playwright and actress. St. Ivo, a novel about two couples who reconnect after a loss, after a series of miscommunication and secrets, has received excellent reviews -- including a rave from the New York Times. Joanna is the also author of the novels Swimming, The Outside of August, The German Bride, and A Dual Inheritance. Her writing has appeared in Granta, The New York Times, One Story, Virginia Quarterly Review, and two literary anthologies, Brooklyn Was Mine and Freud’s Blind Spot. She is an adjunct assistant professor in the Creative Writing Department at Columbia University and lives in Brooklyn with her husband, the painter Derek Buckner, their twin sons, and their daughter. Follow her on instagram @JoannaHershon

Dr. Madeline Levine, PhD, joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Madeline is a clinician, consultant, educator and the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The Price of Privilege and Teach Your Children Well. Mallory and Madeline talk about anxiety in children and in parents, about how overparenting is a major issue for launching successful and happy kids, and how flexibility will be key as our kids launch and eventually enter the work force. Madeline is a cofounder of Challenge Success, a project of the Stanford Graduate School of Education that provides families and schools with the practical, research-based tools they need to create a more balanced and academically fulfilling life for kids. She also is a consultant to BDT & Company and their clients, a merchant bank that advises and invests in founder and family-led companies. She has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Fox & Friends, Nightline, 20/20, Dateline, MSNBC, and on numerous NPR radio shows. She has been interviewed by and written original pieces for the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The San Francisco Chronicle, and many other outlets and speaks widely around parenting and education. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and is the proud mother of three grown sons and a newly minted grandmother. 

Peloton Yoga Instructor Kristin McGee joins Mallory in the MILK Podcast Studio to talk about her years as an actress, pivoting to yoga and fitness, and how she's found her perfect career sweetspot at Peloton. Growing up in small town Idaho, Kristin had big dreams of pursuing dance and acting in New York, and became one of the most sought after and recognized yoga instructors in the city. Throughout her career, Kristin has been a pioneer in making yoga more accessible. She has starred in yoga DVD’s, has privately trained celebrities and written books about the value of the yoga in everyday life. As a mom of three boys, Kristin strongly believes that just a few minutes of yoga a day can bring more balance and harmony to your life. She and Mallory talk about how moms can reconnect to their bodies and to their (new) selves post partum, and how her life and career has changed since she became a parent. Follow Kristin @KristinMcGee on Instagram.

Laura Zigman joins Mallory in the MILK Studio to talk about her new novel "Separation Anxiety," some difficult creative and personal years that led to the book's publication and about how we talk about women's midlife crises. The author of Animal Husbandry, Dating Big Bird, Piece of Work, and Her, a contributor to the New York Times and many other publications, and a ghost writer of books she can't tell you about, Laura's writing is a gift for this moment in time. She writes from a truthful, humorous and chaotic place that lays bare the secret of adulthood: that most of us have no idea what the hell is going on. Laura opens MILK Podcast Season 3 with her story of losses and of finding her way through them. Follow her writing @LauraZigman on IG and buy her novel ASAP.

It's March of 2020. I'm in my house with my kids and we are on Day 9 of Corana Virus Life. I'm trying to do what's normal, which is to amplify conversations of moms i'd like to know, MILKS. For season 3 of the MILK Podcast, I'm moving from The Loss Seaosn, to look beyond the loss, to the found, I've interviewed authors, an activist, an ex-actor turned wellness celebrity and a psychiatrist who specializes in parenting through anxiety. Good people to know! Check them out, and more, coming soon on Season 3 of The MILK Podcast, Lost and Found.

Mallory is joined in the MILK Studio by Moms She Already Knows: Veracelle, Lindsay, Kerri, Meg, Leslie and Stephanie discuss the loss of their dear friend, Heather Wheat Tilev, who died in February of 2019. The culmination of The Loss Season explores how grief can manifest in a tight tribe of women, and Mallory talks to the MILKs about Heather's life and death. Heather's recent loss has devastated the group, as well as her family and community, and the women speak to Mallory, in interviews over the past 9 months, about her life, her work, her vibe, and her legacy. They remember trips they took, running into her other on the street, laughing over a text -- all the mundane things one does not realizing it will be the last time. They also speak honestly about the variety of ways they cope, and how motherhood is the ultimate lens for loss. 

Dina Bryk Pearl joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Dina is a former strategy consultant, a graduate of Cornell University and Columbia Business School, and a mother to three kids. Dina’s parents, Sy and Carol Bryk, passed away in quick succession at the end of Dina’s twenties. Despite the depth and heartbreak of those losses, Dina used the strong relationships she had with them to find her way through the grief, while beginning a new life as a wife and mother. Several years ago, then in her 40’s, Dina took a writing workshop and wrote "Raised," a deeply felt memoir about losing her parents at a formative age. The book explores of the foundation of love, honesty, and humor she absorbed from her late parents, and how Dina has found the strength and wisdom to parent her own children and herself. 

Lauren Mechling joins Mallory in the MILK Studio to discuss her novel “How Could She.” They talk about losing jobs and changing friendships, how clogs played a surprise role in cultivating a creative community, about podcasts and the joys of female-only dinner parties. Lauren has written for The New York Times. The Wall Street Journal, Slate, The New Yorker online and Vogue, where she writes a regular book column. She’s worked as a crime reporter and metro columnist for The New York Sun, a young adult novelist, and a features editor at The Wall Street Journal. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children. Learn more at www.laurenmechling.com.

Children’s Book Author Nadine Haruni joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Nadine is the author of the Freeda the Frog™ children’s book series, which follows a frog family as they encounter various life issues, including divorce, blending families, transitioning to a new town, and the death of a loved one. These books are for parents, educators and psychologists to open up a conversations with kids about difficult real life events, and have all won the Gold Mom’s Choice Award for excellence in the picture book category. Nadine has gone through a divorce herself and is now re-married with five children. Aside from writing, she also teaches restorative yoga and is a practicing attorney. The Freeda The Frog books are sold on various websites (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, Books A Million), and can also be found in select Barnes & Noble and other bookshops. More information about her books, froggy interviews and news & events can be found at www.freedathefrog.com. Follow Freeda on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter @freedathefrog.

Molly Rosen Guy is in the MILK Studio with Mallory. Molly is a writer, editor, teacher, author, mother of young daughters, and truth teller. As Creative Director and Founder of Stone Fox Bride, a wedding dress company with a cult Instagram account, Molly was responsible for the hashtag #stonefoxrings which created over five thousand original engagement stories on her feed. Her book, Love, Lust, and Wedding Planning for the Wild at Heart was published by Random House. When her father, Robert, got diagnosed with leukemia in the summer of 2017, Molly was also filing for a divorce from her husband of 8 years. After her father's passing, she started a new account, @mollyrosenguy where she wrote daily, for one year, about her dad’s diagnosis, rapid decline, and death. Her words about the gritty realities of love, anger and pain in death and in divorce were riveting, and especially compelling as a daughter and as a mother. Named one of the “Most Creative People” by Fast Company and Refinery29’s “Top 30 Visionaries,” Molly is also contributing editor at Vogue and founder of the Brooklyn Writers Collective where she teaches nonfiction writing workshops and retreats. She is also at work on a memoir about her dad. Follow her at @stonefoxride or @mollyrosenguy

Catherine Burns is in the MILK Studio with Mallory. As The Moth's longtime Artistic Director, Catherine is a producer and frequent host of their Peabody Award ­winning "The Moth Radio Hour," and the editor of "Occasional Magic: True Stories About Defying the Impossible" (Crown Archetype); The Moth: 50 True Stories (Hachette) and All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown. Catherine has directed theater, produced television and independent films, interviewing such diverse talent as Ozzy Osbourne, Martha Stewart and Howard Stern. Born and raised in Alabama, she now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and young son.  A semi­-accomplished fire performer (!) she also directed the New York City portion of the Burning Man Festival's Fire Conclave for three years, coordinating a 70­-person fire show performed in front of 50,000 people. Catherine and Mallory talk about the magic of live storytelling, how to hold space for our loved ones through narrative, and how her job listening to stories, is a gift. 

Darcy Lockman joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Darcy is the author of "All The Rage: Mothers, Fathers, and The Myth of Equal Partnership," and is a clinical psychologist practicing in New York City.  "All The Rage" takes a close look at why in this modern era, full-time employed mothers continue to bear 65 percent of the childcare labor.  Mallory and Darcy talk about how anger and resentment led Darcy to action. Using her marriage as a case-study, she chronicles the experiences of a cross-section of women raising children with men — visiting new mothers’ groups and pioneering co-parenting specialists; and interviewing experts across academic fields, from gender studies professors and anthropologists to neuroscientists and primatologists. She identifies three tenets that have upheld the cultural gender division of labor and peels back the ways in which both men and women unintentionally perpetuate old norms. If we can all agree that equal pay for equal work should be a given, can the same apply to unpaid work? Can justice finally come home?  Darcy Lockman is a clinical psychologist practicing in New York City. Her first book, "Brooklyn Zoo," chronicled the year she spent working on a city hospital psychiatric ward. Her writng has appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post, and many others. She lives with her husband and daughters in New York. Find her at darcylockman.com 

Dr. Lanie Kasdan Francis joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Lanie is an Oncologist, board certified in hematology and medical oncology and practices at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer Center. Lanie is the founder and director of the Wellness Integrative Program Oncology at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, where she embraces a holistic approach to care in the context of conventional cancer therapy. She was appointed by the state of Pennsylvania to the Medical Marijuana Task Force, and is a certifying provider. Lanie is Associate Medical Director, Medical Oncology for UPMC International, and is an Assistant Clinical Professor at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Lanie is the mother to three boys, a fitness enthusiast and Mallory’s younger sister. Follow her at @integrativecancerdoc on Instagram.

Caroline Schrank of Down to Earth Funerals joins Mallory in the MILK Podcast studio during The Loss Season. With a background in fashion photography production, event and party planning, and the mother of two boys, Caroline Schrank was no stranger to handling details. But when both of her parents died within a few years of each other, she plunged deeply into the world of death, dying, and funerals. Caroline went back to school to become a funeral director, and Down to Earth Funerals, or DTE, was born. As a Funeral Director, Caroline aims to take the confusion and complexity out of end of life planning. Her goal is to educate and inform people that death and funerals aren’t “one size fits all,” and that there are options and ways to enhance life beyond loss. She and Mallory talk about their own wishes, about handling bodies, mitzvahs and wanting to connect with loved ones who have passed. Follow Caroline at http://www.dtefunerals.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/milk-podcast-getting-in-there-with-moms-id-like-to-know/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/milk-podcast-getting-in-there-with-moms-id-like-to-know/support

Clinical Psychologist Molly Millwood joins Mallory in the MILK Studio to discuss her new book "To Have and To Hold: Motherhood, Marriage and the Modern Dilemma." When Molly first became a mother, she was fully prepared for what she would gain: an adorable baby, hard won mothering skills, and a chaotic, beautiful life. But what she was not prepared for – and what she did not expect – was what she would lose: aspects of her identity, a baseline level of happiness, a general sense of well-being. And though she had the benefit of a supportive partner during this transition, she also envied and at times resented the fact that the disruption to his life seemed to pale in comparison.   As a psychologist, Molly knew her experience was a normal response to a life-changing event. But without the benefit of such a perspective, many of the patients she treated in her private practice grappled with guilt, self doubt, and fear, and suffered the dual pain of not only the struggle to adjust but also the overwhelming shame for struggling at all. In her book, Molly surveys the complex terrain of new motherhood, exploring the ways it affects women psychologically, emotionally, physically and professionally, as well as how it impacts their partnerships. Molly Millwood holds a Ph.D in clinical psychology with advanced specialized training in marital therapy and intimate relationships. She is a licensed psychologist in private practice, where she is particularly known for her work with couples and with women navigating the transition to parenthood. Molly lives in Vermont with her husband and two children. Find her at www.mollymillwood.com

Chanel Reynolds joins Mallory in The MILK Studio to talk about a personal tragedy, and what came afterwards for her family. In July of 2009, Chanel got the call we all fear: her young, athletic husband Jose had been struck by a van while cycling. One week later, she removed him from medical support and drove home to tell their five-year old son. In the wake of his sudden death, Chanel realized that she was completely unprepared for what came next: financially, emotionally and practically. She totally did not have her shit together. Through her grief, Chanel realized how many other people, just like her, also didn’t have their shit together, in terms of wills, passwords, creating emergency funds, and knowing loved ones’ plans and desires for when they died. So she launched a site, based on her experiences, called, what else? "Get Your Shit Together,” which exploded, and begat a book filled with super practical advice and BFF tough love. “What Matters Most: The Get Your Shit Together Guide to Wills, Money, Insurance and Life’s What-Ifs,” is important and perfectly voiced – a missive that will motivate parents and non-parents alike to prepare for life’s curveballs. Chanel and Mallory talk a lot about parenting young children through this kind of tragedy, how to lean on friends, and how to slowly work your way through grief. Chanel lives in Seattle with her kids, and speaks regularly at events and conferences nationwide about parenting, estate planning, grief, loss, and shit like that. Follow her at chanelreynolds.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/milk-podcast-getting-in-there-with-moms-id-like-to-know/message Support this podcast:

Writer Emily Rapp Black joins Mallory in The MILK Studio, to talk about the loss of her son, how her childhood was shaped by physical trauma and disability, and about the concept of resilience. Emily is the author of Poster Child: A Memoir and The Still Point of the Turning World. Her writing has appeared in Vogue, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, O the Oprah Magazine, Brain.Child, The Wall Street Journal and others. Emily is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California-Riverside, where she teaches creative nonfiction and medical narratives. She is actively engaged in conversations surrounding disability, medical narratives, pediatric palliative care, inequities in health care delivery, and the literature of embodiment, trauma, and recovery. Emily’s book, Sanctuary, is a reexamination of the word resilience, is forthcoming from Random House in 2020 and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. Cartography for Cripples, which examines the intersection of art, disability, and sex through the life and work of Frida Kahlo, is also coming in 2020. Emily lives in Southern California with her daughter and husband. Check her out at www.emilyrappblack.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/milk-podcast-getting-in-there-with-moms-id-like-to-know/message Support this podcast:

MILK Podcast: Moms I'd Like to Know is back for season 2. Host Mallory Kasdan is taking a look at loss and how it seeps into every aspect of motherhood. We're talking about loss of control, loss of self, loss of temper, stories of losing loved ones and how we get through it. It's MILK Podcast: The Loss Season, and it's coming soon.   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/milk-podcast-getting-in-there-with-moms-id-like-to-know/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/milk-podcast-getting-in-there-with-moms-id-like-to-know/support

Comedian Ana Gasteyer joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Best known for her incomparable work on Saturday Night Live from 1996 - 2002, Ana brought iconic characters like “Delicious Dish” NPR radio host Margaret Jo and middle school music teacher Bobbi Moughan-Culp to life, and created spot-on impressions of Martha Stewart, Celine Dion and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Ana has since worked steadily in film, television, theater and voiceovers while raising her family, and can currently be seen in Maria Bamford's Netflix series “Lady Dynamite” and in TBS's acclaimed series “People Of Earth.” She recorded her debut album I'M HIP, which is now available on iTunes, continues to tour the country with her live cabaret style show, and is currently working on a jazzy, holiday album in time for next Xmas. Ana and Mallory talk for this special holiday episode about the pressure and pleasure of gifts, the vulnerability of failure, and how messing up a lyric while performing the National Anthem can be applied to parenting.

Alexis Barad-Cutler joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Alexis is a writer and the founder of Not Safe For Mom Group, a digital community for mothers to tell their stories and express unfiltered feelings without judgement. Through #NSFMG, Alexis has opened a frank, vulnerable dialogue that moms have been craving. Alexis also creates content for sites like Mindr, Fatherly, Beyond Mom, Hey Mama, and Well Rounded — among other outlets that cater to the parenting set. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, and their two young boys — who not only provide endless material for her writing, but also inspire her undying affection for dirty martinis. Find her @notsafeformomgroup on Instagram.

Rabbi Leora Kaye is the Director of Programs at URJ, Union for Reform Judaism, and she joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. They discuss Anti-Semitism, parenting while Jewish, and how we can be more inclusive as Jews and as humans. As a Rabbi, Leora seeks ways to expand people's understanding of Judaism, encouraging them to approach their spiritual lives on their own terms. Leora's work experience spans the Jewish world and includes education, programming, and filmmaking. She first combined her interests in media and ethics by working on the Sundance award-winning documentary Blue Vinyl. She went on to work as the rabbinic consultant for Shalom Sesame, and has been an adviser on many other media projects. As Director of Community Engagement at Congregation Rodeph Sholom, Leora spearheaded innovative initiatives including the synagogue's groundbreaking conversion program. She also served as the Youth Director of Temple Israel in Boston and as Associate Director of Programming for Synagogue 2000. In her current position at the URJ, Leora is responsible for creative advancement of the core priorities of the Reform Movement: Tikkun Olam, Strengthening Congregations, Audacious Hospitality, and Youth. Leora graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and received rabbinical ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. She lives in Brooklyn with her family, and is on twitter @LeoraKaye.

Activist Carly Roney joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Carley is an entrepreneur and co-founder of The Knot, NYC's most successful early Internet company. She led The Knot from it’s early days as a wedding website to a multi-platform, multi-brand billion dollar company called XO Group. Outside of XO, Carley has focused her expertise in branding, content, and community building to support female-founded start-ups and progressive causes. Carley sits on the Board of Directors of fashion disruptor Rent The Runway, as well as non-profits Power of Two, Project Entrepreneur, and Brooklyn Community Foundation. She is a huge fan and advisor to female-led political community organizing start-ups Motivote and Sister District. She lives in Brooklyn with her family and wants you to VOTE.

Description: Peloton indoor cycling instructor Christine D’Ercole joins Mallory in the MILK Studio for part two of a MILK/Peloton series on motivation and self-care for moms. Christine is a decorated track racer who brings that expertise to every class. Grounded in science, music, grit and grace, Christine believes that as a rider you have two tools at your disposal: your breath and your inner monologue. Christine has been an actress, a model and a bike messenger prior to becoming a fitness professional, and conducts workshops on positive self talk in addition to the empowerment work she does on the bike for other riders. Her mantra is “I am I can I will I do.” She and Mallory talk about making mistakes in motherhood and about keeping your hand on other people's backs. Check https://christinedercole.com/ and @IAMICANIWILLIDO on instagram. And check out @onepeloton

Peloton indoor cycling instructor Jenn Sherman joins Mallory in the MILK Studio for part one of a MILK/Peloton series on motivation and self-care for moms. Jenn is an experienced fitness professional who become Peloton’s first instructor over 5 years ago. The company has since blown up, reinventing fitness with live & on-demand boutique studio classes you can take anytime on a bike, treadmill, or with a Peloton app. Jenn and Mallory talk about the company’s backstory, about finding your “thing” after having kids, and being a woman over 40 in the fitness world. Jen is a mom to two teenagers, and brings a no BS approach to every ride she does. Don’t f*&k with her playlists, her love of summer camp, her sports teams or her tribe. Check her out @pelotonjenn on instagram, and at www.onepeloton.com.

Author Nina Lorez Collins joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Nina is the author of “What Would Virginia Woolf Do: And Other Questions I Ask Myself as I Attempt to Age Without Apology. In her forties, Nina found herself awash in a sea of hormones. As symptoms of perimenopause set in, she began to fear losing her health, looks, sexuality and sense of humor all at once. Craving a place to discuss her questions and concerns, and finding none, Nina started a Facebook Group with the ironic title “What Would Virginia Woolf Do?” and that forum has grown exponentially into a place where women – with strong opinions and humor – share their private selves with bravery and with truth. WWVWD has morphed into an on and offline community, and into Nina’s funny and informative book. Nina is a lifelong New Yorker, graduate of Barnard College, and holds a masters degree from Columbia University in the field of Narrative Medicine. She enjoyed a long professional career in book publishing, both as a literary scout and then as an agent. She has four nearly grown children and lives in Brooklyn, where she is a trustee of the Brooklyn Public Library. Check out her book, FB group, IRL meetups , podcast and more at www.TheWoolfer.com

Activist Sara Berliner is the founder of “Vote Like A Mother,” and she joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. VLAM is an organization that sells ethnically sustainable merch with a wink, benefits mom run organizations, and acts as a filter for activism. Sara is also a children’s media executive, content curator, and mom. Her career has been focused on storytelling across platforms and genres, launched from a Harvard degree in Folklore & Mythology, with criss-crossing paths through puppet theater, documentary film, the music industry, festival production and live events, children's book publishing and TV animation, and digital apps. Sara has told stories with collaborators like Todd Oldham, Julianne Moore, Sesame Street, Warner Bros., the Harry Potter film team, Disney, DreamWorks, Mattel, Highlights for Children, Scholastic, National Geographic, Penguin Random House, and Nickelodeon. After 15+ years creating children’s content, Sara founded Vote Like a Mother in March of 2018, making parenthood and empathy a lens for political engagement. Born in Chicago, Sara lives in New York with her husband and two kids. Find her on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @votelikeamother, and at votelikeamother.org.    

Kimberly Peeler-Allen has been working at the intersection of race, gender and politics for almost 20 years, and she joins Mallory in the MILK studio. Kimberly is the Co-founder of Higher Heights, a national organization building the political power and leadership of Black women from the voting booth to elected office. A highly skilled political fundraiser and event planner, Kimberly ran her firm Peeler-Allen Consulting, LLC from 2003 to 2014, the only African American full-time fundraising consulting firm in New York State. Prior to that, she served as the deputy finance director for the 2002 gubernatorial campaign of H. Carl McCall. In 2014, Kimberly served as finance director for Letitia James’ successful bid to become Public Advocate of the City of New York and the first African American woman elected citywide in New York’s history. In 2018, Kimberly was selected as one of the Roddenberry Fellowship's 20 established and emerging activists. She runs Higher Heights with co-founder Glenda Carr, and runs her family with her entrepreneur husband. Check out at www.higherheights.com for more information.

Journalist Angela Garbes joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Angela is a Seattle based writer specializing in food, bodies, women’s health, and issues of racial equity and diversity, and is the author of “Like A Mother: A Feminist Journey through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy,” As a new mother in 2014, she wrote a piece for The Stranger, called “The More I Learn About Breast Milk, the More Amazed I Am.” The story became the publication’s most read piece in its twenty-four year history, and the inspiration for “Like A Mother.” An experienced public speaker, frequent radio and podcast guest, and event moderator, Angela grew up in a food obsessed immigrant Filipino household and now lives in Seattle with her husband and daughters. Find her on twitter @AngelaGarbes

Journalist Katie Rosman is in the MILK Studio with Mallory. Katie is a reporter for The New York Times, where she covers popular culture for Styles, and a a former reporter for The Wall Street Journal. She is author of “If You Knew Suzy: A Mother, A Daughter, A Reporter’s Notebook," which marries a daughter's to truly know her late mother with a reporter’s attention to detail, humor, and pathos. Katie and Mallory talk about the democratization of media, getting harassed online by Katy Perry fans, and about how a bad death can overshadow a good life. Katie is a yogi, DIY crafter, and a mom of 2. Originally from Michigan, she lives in New York with her family. Find her @katierosman and Katherine Rosman at the New York Times.

Rosyln (Roz) Neiman joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Rosyln is a real estate sales professional with 31 years of experience with The Howard Hanna Agency in Pittsburgh. Roz was voted best realtor in Pennsylvania and one of the top realtors in the United States by The Wall Street Journal. Born in "the ‘burgh," Roz has been married to her high school sweetheart, Sandy Neiman, for 51 years. They have three grown children and three grandchildren. Roz hung with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band throughout the 1980’s and 90’s, when Sandy managed sax player Clarence “The Big Man” Clemmons, while building her own career and raising her family. On this Mother’s Day edition of MILK, Mallory talks to Roz about Mallory’s mom, Judi, and how Roz saw their lifelong friendship, They laugh and remember the good moments at Parkway Cabana Club, and the sad ones too. Check out Roz at HowardHanna.com

Songwriter and Podcast Host Cathy Heller joins Mallory in The MILK Studio. Cathy’s passion is helping others to realize their passions, and her podcast “Don’t Keep Your Day Job,” is hugely popular. Each week, Cathy interviews guests like Jonathan Adler, Bobbi Brown, Jenna Fischer and other creative powerhouses, who share their successes and how they arrived where they are, inspiring her listeners to make money doing what they love. Cathy is a songwriter, and started out pitching her own music in the film and television world. She has licensed her songs over hundreds of times to to film, television and commercials, and has been featured in Billboard, LA Weekly, and Variety. She went on to start her own licensing company, Catch The Moon Music and helps represents other songwriters as well. With the “Don’t Keep Your Day Job” podcast and on-line community she has created, Cathy acts as mentor, coach, and friend to her listeners. We talk multi-tasking mamas, marriage, authenticity, guilt, expectations and making others feel valued. Cathy lives in Los Angeles with her family, where she gets to write songs outside on her guitar! Find her out at www.CathyHeller.com

This moment is a turning point for normalizing cannabis, and Allison Gordon is in the MILK Studio with Mallory to tell us why women are posed to take the lead in the industry. Alison is the CEO of 48North Cannabis Co., a medical cannabis company based in Toronto. Named one of Canada’s Top 10 Marketers by Marketing Magazine, Alison has been celebrated for her unique ability to shift public opinion and consumer behavior in the right direction. As a co-founder and EVP at Rethink Breast Cancer for 13 years prior to joining the medical marijuana industry, Alison is credited with growing a new generation of young breast cancer supporters -- a previously untapped demographic compelled by her ground-breaking communication and branding expertise. Alison’s extensive work with patients, physicians and government, coupled with her entrepreneurial approach and marketing experience, has uniquely positioned her in the marijuana industry. Allison lives in Toronto with her family. Follow her @cannabisculturalist on Instagram.  

Designer and author Bonnie Siegler is in the MILK Studio with Mallory. Bonnie has written two new books, "Signs of Resistence," a visual history of protest in America, and "Dear Client," a how-to book about working successfully with creative people. Bonnie founded and runs the award-winning design studio Eight and a Half, and was voted one of the fifty most influential designers working today by Graphic Design USA, She is best known for her design work for Saturday Night Live, the Criterion Collection, HBO, Late Night with Seth Meyers, StoryCorps, Participant Media, and Newsweek. Most recently, she was the creative director of the Trump parody autobiography “You Can’t Spell America Without Me” by Alec Baldwin and Kurt Andersen and created the main title sequence for Will & Grace. She has taught at the graduate level for many years at the School of Visual Arts and Yale University, conducted workshops at the Maryland Institute College of Art and Rhode Island School of Design and judged design competitions all over the place. On the day after the National School Walkout Against Gun Violence, and a few days before The March for Our Lives, Bonnie and Mallory talk about pussy hats, Trump obsessions, memes, fonts, "Our Bodies, Ourselves," being a mother, and fear of failure. Check out Bonnie's work at 8point5.com

Journalist Rona Kobell is in the MILK Studio with Mallory. Moved by the trauma of the Parkland, Florida shooting, Rona and Mallory collaborated on a print piece about their high school classmate Karen Hurwitz, who was murdered when they were seventeen years old. Rona began her career covering crime in rural Missouri and later Pittsburgh, and was on the staff of the Baltimore Sun from 2000 to 2009. After a journalism fellowship at the University of Michigan, she moved on to the Chesapeake Bay Journal, a monthly newspaper focusing on America’s largest estuary. There, she started a monthly radio show, “Midday on the Bay,” broadcast for five years on Maryland’s largest NPR station. Rona also freelanced for several publications, including Grist, Slate, Modern Farmer, and The Washington Post. Now a science writer at the University of Maryland’s Sea Grant College, she lives north of Baltimore with her husband, also a journalist, and two children. Follow Rona @RKobell on Twitter, and read the piece that prompted this episode at https://www.milkpodcast.com/blog/2018/2/28/milk-guest-post-journalist-rona-kobell-on-a-17-year-old-life-lostmilkpodcast.com/blog

Cartoonist and physician Dr. Grace Farris M.D. is in the MILK Studio with Mallory. Dr. Farris graduated from Brown Medical School and completed her internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She practiced as a hospitalist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and was a fellow in bioethics at Harvard Medical School in 2016. In 2017, Dr. Farris joined the Icahn Mount Sinai School of Medicine as assistant professor and Chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine at Mount Sinai West. In addition, Grace draws the most excellent, New Yorker-ish cartoons and shares them on Instagram -- about momming as a doctor and woo-hooing at every Soul Cycle around NYC. It is a spot on, self-deprecating (because look at her resume!) look at life as a curious NYC transplant, a physician who is often mistaken for a nurse, and as a #boymom. Check her out @coupdegracefarris on Instagram and @gracefarris on Twitter.

Voiceover actress and fashion consultant Jen Cohn joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Jen’s versatile voice can be heard on hundreds of commercials, cartoons, video games, promos, industrials, and books on tape. She currently is the voice of Pharah from the video game Overwatch, which has a passionate and enormous fan base. When Jen isn't running around talking into microphones and schmoozing, or hanging out with her husband and son, she can be found obsessively researching new concept stores, hunting for the best Japanese nail salons, swooning over and interviewing emerging designers, and plotting her next trip to Paris. Check her out, especially her boot collection, @FashionDilettante on Instagram and @heyitsjencohn on Twitter.

Jennifer Steinman Sternin is an award-winning filmmaker with over 20 years of experience in television and film, and she joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Jennifer talks about trusting the creative process to do its magic, growing up with strong female entrepreneurial artists as role models, becoming a single mother by choice, and how that decision changed her life and her work. She has a beautiful story about finding love at the perfect time, and how hitting milestones out of order has made perfect sense in her life. Jennifer is currently working on a film with percussionist Sheila E., and another project with Ilhan Omar, the first Somali American Muslim woman to be elected to a state legislature in Minnesota. She lives in the Bay Area with her family. Check her out at JenniferSteinman.com.

Rebecca Soffer joins Mallory in the MILK Studio to talk about her book, “Modern Loss: Candid conversations about grief. Beginners welcome.” Rebecca is the CEO and co-founder of the website Modern Loss, which she founded with co-author Gabrielle Birkner. A former producer for the “The Colbert Report,” Rebecca is a nationally recognized speaker on the topics of loss and resilience, and contributes regularly to books, magazines and other media. Blurbed by everyone from Mindy Kaling to Stephen Colbert to Anna Sale, “Modern Loss” is practical, surprising, and filled with the darkly humorous and tender details of death's inevitability. Rebecca talks about her own messy story of loss, and how she lives her life as a mom, wife, and journalist with as much richness as possible. Check out modernloss.com.

Sally Hubbard, Creator and Host of “Women Killing It” Podcast, joins Mallory in the MILK Studio. Through interviews and real-life storytelling, Sally’s mission is to create a movement of women celebrating successes and inspiring one another. Sally attended NYU Law School and later became an investigative journalist, striving to uncover just how do successful women do it? Inspired by stories of shattering the proverbial “glass ceiling,” Sally looks to reveal playbook for how women can kill it in their careers. She and Mallory talk, at the tail end of 2017, about the reckoning of male sexual assaulters and harassers, how to keep up the good fight as an activist, and how flexibility in the workplace is good for all of us. Check out Sally, and her fabulous feminist positive podcast at www.womenkillingit.com.

Jancee Dunn joins Mallory is in the MILK Studio to talk about her latest book, "How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids." Jancee is the New York Times bestselling author of five books, including a memoir of her years at Rolling Stone, a book she co-wrote with Cyndi Lauper, and a children’s book, "I'm Afraid Your Teddy Is In Trouble Today," about stuffed animals up to no good. Her essay collection, "Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo?" was a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. She is a frequent contributor to The New York Times, Vogue, O, The Oprah Magazine, and Parents. Check her out at JanceeDunn.net