Podcast appearances and mentions of Amy Wilson

Why do ordinary sounds like chewing, slurping, or pen-tapping trigger intense averse reactions in some people? And what does a parent do when it's her own kid screaming at her for having a case of the sniffles? Clinical psychologist Dr. Thomas W. Phelan, author of STOP THAT CHEWING! joins Amy to explain the neurophysiological underpinnings of misophonia, why it can be so difficult for sufferers and their families, and how to stop this involuntary response from completely disrupting your family life. Dr. Phelan and Amy discuss: Why anxiety, OCD, ARFID, and other neurological manifestations often accompany misophonia Why siblings and parents (especially fathers) are most likely to be triggers The impact of misophonia on relationships, school, work, and social life Practical ways to manage misophonia triggers and work towards sustainable solutions Here's where you can find Dr. Phelan: https://www.123magic.com https://stopthatchewing.com Buy STOP THAT CHEWING: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9798995697824 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/⁠ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why does it feel harder than ever to get together with our friends? Why does every "we should hang out soon!" in a group text feel destined to peter out before it actually happens? In this episode, we explore the modern “friendship recession" that started during the pandemic and hasn't changed back. We discuss: the surprising finding that the quantity of one's friendships matters at least as much as the quality how to set the bar for in-person gatherings a little lower why having three old friends is good, but bringing new people in migh be even better practical ways to build more connection into everyday life Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Kathleen Walsh for The Cut: "I Should Be Allowed to Cold-Call My Friends” Erica Pandey for Axios: Americans of all ages are spending less time socializing Derek Thompson for The Atlantic: The Anti-Social Century Russell Contreras for Axios: 15,000 churches could close this year amid religious shift in U.S. Daniel A. Cox for Survey Center on American Life blog: Yes, Having More Friends is Better Daniel A. Cox for Survey Center on American Life newsletter: America's “Friendship Recession” Is Weakening Civic Life H.K. Collins, et. al. for the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences: Relational diversity in social portfolios predicts well-being What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to https://heypolo.com/hell or use code HELL and get 70% off your first year! 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wellness trends keep circling back to one truth, and this The Next Frontier Files episode proves it louder than ever before. Across 104 episodes in year five of Salad with a Side of Fries, guest predictions kept pointing to the same signal from the human body, again and again, without anyone comparing notes or planning it that way.Host Jenn Trepeck revisits year five of the podcast as part of this 7-episode retrospective of Salad with a Side of Fries, called The Next Frontier Files, and looks at expert guests' answers to the next frontier in wellness, connecting hormonal birth control, gut health, functional medicine, and the rise of cozy cardio into one reflective deep dive that offers powerful insights for today's wellness culture.What You Will Learn in This Episode:✅ How hormonal birth control may be connected to long-term hormone disruption, according to guest research shared this year✅ Why the gut microbiome is now considered central to serotonin production, brain function, and longevity✅ What functional medicine offers as a root cause approach that conventional healthcare has been slow to adopt✅ How the cozy cardio trend challenges the idea that movement has to be intense to countThe Salad With a Side of Fries podcast, hosted by Jenn Trepeck, explores real-life wellness and weight-loss topics, debunking myths, misinformation, and flawed science surrounding nutrition and the food industry. Let's dive into real-life wellness and weight loss, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Introduction to volume five of The Next Frontier Files and the wellness trends retrospective series03:55 Mike Gaskins and Rach Hoeppner on the history and cost of hormonal birth control06:48 Dr. Daryl Gioffre on why the gut microbiome is the hottest topic in health and wellness07:55 Dr. John Neustadt and Natasha Trenev on missed body signals in bones and cravings11:08 Tanya Becker and Chad Levy return with new predictions on genetics and movement12:56 Chris Burres on longevity technology and living forever13:45 Nicole Hagen introduces the cozy cardio trend and accessible movement14:29 Katie Bramlett on body autonomy and self-liberation15:21 Lindsey Parsons advises that the conventional medical community embrace functional medicine16:18 Amy Wilson raises concerns about GLP-1 medications and preventative healthcareKEY TAKEAWAYS:

This Deep Dive series is all about reducing the friction between ourselves and our kids when trying to communicate with them, whether it's yelling less, finding real reasons for constant defiance, or picking our battles. SHOULD we yell at our kids? No. Do we? Yes. Some of us perhaps a little too often. Kids are hardwired to push our buttons to get attention, and none of us are saints. But while verbal abuse is definitely horrible, hollering “you are about to miss the bus again” is perhaps a little more forgivable—and fixable, as it turns out. And it is definitely better to yell less, not just because you'll have a more peaceful home, but because the more yelling your household has in it, the more it is likely to have. In this episode Amy and Margaret discuss: Why yelling at your kids might not be as universally toxic as some headlines have claimed Why yelling is, in the end, ineffective Why finding workarounds for the sources of tension might be a more effective path to change than berating yourself for (once again) having raised your voice Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: ⁠Our Fresh Take with Carla Naumburg⁠ ⁠Our Fresh Take with Emily Edlynn⁠ Lisa Belkin for NYT: ⁠Can Yelling at Your Kids Be Good?⁠ Sue Shellenbarger for WSJ: ⁠Talking to Your Kids After You Yell⁠ Ming-Te Wang and Sarah Kenny in the Journal of the Society for Research in Child Development: ⁠Longitudinal Links Between Fathers' and Mothers' Harsh Verbal Discipline and Adolescents' Conduct Problems and Depressive Symptoms⁠ Dr. Emily Edlynn for Psychology Today: ⁠The Truth About Parents Who Yell at Kids⁠ Stephen Marche for NYT: ⁠Why You Should Stop Yelling at Your Kids⁠ Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to https://heypolo.com/hell or use code HELL and get 70% off your first year! 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/⁠ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Youth sports used to mean riding your bike to your friend's house to play Wiffle ball in the backyard, with a tree for second base. Eventually you'd head to the rec center, maybe join the school team. But those days are long gone. Kids' sports have become so involved, specialized, and expensive that fewer and fewer kids are even able to participate— and those who do play have to opt in to grueling practice schedules and travel teams that prioritize achievement and winning above many of the lessons sports are supposed to teach kids in the first place. Inspired by Caitlin Moscatello's New York Magazine article “The Pay-to-Play Childhood,” we discuss how youth sports have shifted toward an increasingly expensive, competitive, and business-driven model, including: Why travel teams and sports specialization have become the norm The pressure parents feel to make their kids competitive at an early age How the wealth gap informs youth sports and elite athletic teams What parents and communities can do to make youth sports more accessible Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Written Testimony of Katherine Van Dyck Before the U.S. House Committee on Education for a Hearing on “Benched: The Crisis in American Youth Sports and Its Cost to Our Future” i9 Sports: Chances of Getting an Athletic Scholarship Stephen Borelli for USA Today: Congress addresses 'crisis' in youth sports. Can we fix it? Neglect of probability, defined Ryan Huettel for These Football Times: US Soccer and the re-imagining of an elitist culture Gabe Fernandez for SFGate: As youth sports costs soar, one Oakland neighborhood tries a creative solution Reset as a sports parent: 5 ways to get (or keep) kids active Our Fresh Take with Stuart Slavin on The Pressures Causing Depression, Anxiety, and Burnout in Our Kids What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to https://heypolo.com/hell or use code HELL and get 70% off your first year! 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Deep Dive series is all about reducing the friction between ourselves and our kids when trying to communicate with them, whether it's yelling less, finding real reasons for constant defiance, or picking our battles. We've all had times when our kids resist every. single. thing. you tell them to do. When is it part of a larger problem, and even if it's not, how do we manage the exhausting defiance? Amy and Margaret discuss: How to keep track of a kid's defiance in order to figure out where it's coming from Gut-check questions to ask yourself to ascertain where ODD might be what's happening the "two free requests" approach Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Katherine Lee for VeryWell Family: ⁠Effective Ways to Handle Defiant Children⁠ Royce Flippin for Additude: ⁠Why Is My Child So Angry and Defiant? An Overview of Oppositional Defiant Disorder⁠ Dr. Douglas Riley: ⁠The Defiant Child: A Parent's Guide to Oppositional Defiant Disorder⁠ Mount Sinai Parenting Center: ⁠Positive Opposites⁠ 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Back-to-school season doesn't have to be a chaotic scramble. In this "Best of" episode, Margaret and Amy share practical tips to help parents make the transition smoother—without getting caught up in the “back-to-school industrial complex.” From resetting sleep schedules to planning meals and snacks, here's what really matters for your child's success and well-being this fall. You'll hear strategies for easing morning stress, tackling "after-school restraint collapse,” and checking in on your family's values to make sure those priorities are aligning with your new school-year schedule. Margaret and Amy discuss: How much sleep kids really need—and how to help them get it Meal and snack strategies to keep your kid energized Using visual schedules to stay organized Share this episode with a fellow parent who's overwhelmed with all things back-to-school! Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Drew DeSilver for Pew Research Center: ⁠‘Back to school' means anytime from late July to after Labor Day, depending on where in the U.S. you live⁠ Rachel Murphy for PennState blog: ⁠The Medical Minute: Parents, add these health tips to back-to-school to-do lists⁠ Fousia Abdullahi for Fort Worth Star-Telegram: ⁠Expert advice for a stress-free back-to-school season for North Texas families⁠ ⁠Bear in the Big Blue House potty-training episode⁠ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to ⁠https://heypolo.com/hell⁠ or use code HELL and get 40% off your first year! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Overfunctioning is usually defined as taking on excess responsibility for other people's feelings, issues, and tasks. And it's usually presumed to be tied to anxiety. IF someone's overfunctioning, it's either a symptom of or cause of the panic assumed to be lying just underneath. But are we "overfunctioning" when we're doing our absolutely regular amount of way-too-much as a parent? Does anxiety have to have anything to do with it? In this episode, we're talking about the stress that comes with being the backstop how to sense overfunctioning in ourselves as a potential barometer of anxiety the MoSCoW method (Must Have, Should Have, Could Have, Won't Have) as a business-world framework that can help all of us discern what absolutely has to happen in a given "timebox"... and what might be able to wait Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Kate Manne on Substack: In Defense of Mom Anxiety Anne-Laure Le Cunff for Ness Labs: Overfunctioning: The Drive to Do it All, or When Helping Others Is Hurting You Yunus Emre Yalçıner for Medium: The Moscow Method: A Comprehensive Guide to Prioritization in Project Management And in response to this week's mailbag, here are a few of our past episodes specifically relevant to single / solo parenting: Our episode Solo Parenting Seasons and How To Get Through Them Our Fresh Take with Jamilah Lemieux Our Fresh Take with Norah Lally Our Fresh Take with Susan Sutton Chris Fleming: COMPANY IS COMING!!! What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to ⁠https://heypolo.com/hell⁠ or use code HELL and get 40% off your first year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This "Deep Dive" series revisits a few of our past episodes on back-to-school challenges such as the morning rush, school projects which require lots of parental oversight, and how to help our kids navigate intensifying academic pressure. Two recent national studies underlined that there's a surprising group of children at risk for worse mental health outcomes: kids who go to high-achieving schools. How do we protect our kids from the pressures all around them to succeed at any cost? ⁠Jennifer Wallace⁠, author of the book ⁠Never Enough⁠, shows us how to teach our kids that they matter intrinsically. Jennifer Wallace is an award-winning journalist and a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. She lives in New York City with her husband and their three teenagers. Amy, Margaret, and Jennifer discuss: Why achievement pressure is at an all-time high How parents contribute to, but are not solely responsible for, this pressure How to teach our kids that they matter independently of their achievements Here's where you can find Jennifer: ⁠jenniferbwallace.com⁠ @jenniferbwallace on IG @jennifer.b.wallace on FB Buy Jennifer's book: ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780593191866⁠ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to https://heypolo.com/hell or use code HELL and get 40% off your first year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With a degree in English Literature and decades of experience writing and editing both fiction and nonfiction, Amy Wilson Maroney is the award-winning author behind the Amazon-bestselling Miramonde Series and the Sea and Stone Chronicles. As a member of several professional communities, including The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), The Historical Novel Society, and Sisters in Crime, Amy finds joy in sharing her best practices as an independent author with aspiring writers. When she's not bringing forgotten women of the Renaissance era back into the light, Amy explores her favorite Pacific Northwest locales with family and friends. She's a fan of hiking, traveling, drawing, playing the ukulele, and attempting to keep her houseplants alive. She starts each day doing puppy stretches and practicing telepathy with her ridiculous dog, Kona.Website: https://www.amymaroney.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amymaroneywrites LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-wilson-maroney-582636b4/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/amyloveshistory/ Mentioned in the Podcast:Joanna PennThe Story Graph*****************About SinCSisters in Crime (SinC) was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Through advocacy, programming and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crime writers regardless of genre or place on their career trajectory.www.SistersinCrime.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sincworldwideInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincworldwide/Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sincworldwideBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sincworldwide.bsky.socialTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sincworldwideeTikTok:: https://www.tiktok.com/@sincnationalLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sisters-in-crime/The SinC Writers' Podcast is produced by Julian Crocamo https://www.juliancrocamo.com/

What if the proven decline in the mental health of today's adolescents isn't just about phones and screen time? What if academic pressure and "achievement culture" is the real driver of the increase in anxiety and depression today's teens are experiencing? Dr. Stuart Slavin, pediatrician and author of THE SUCCESS TRAP, explains just how widespread academic pressure and "achievement culture" in the United States has become— not just in fancy schools on the coasts, and not just in high school, either. Amy and Dr. Slavin discuss: the average teen's default state of sleep deprivation, caused by hours of homework per night (work that may not even do much to change outcomes) the top stressors today's teens report—and why "peer pressure" doesn't even make the top ten how smartphones feed maladaptive perfectionism and achievement culture how schools that reduce demands on kids are also seeing improved test scores and academic performance how parents can create "low-pressure zones" at home how to advocate for healthier expectations at your kids' schools—and why you shouldn't fight that battle on your own Here's where you can find Dr. Slavin: https://drstuartslavin.com Buy THE SUCCESS TRAP: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780593839386 @drstuartslavin on IG What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When is it useful for our kids to hear about our own life experiences—including situations caused by our own bad decision-making? When does it become oversharing, or get too personal or inappropriate? We discuss how to know how much to tell our kids, and how to have useful difficult conversations, including: our own past choices around drinking, drugs, and sexual activity the family secrets that may be part of our history traumatic and difficult experiences: how do you get across what's important without giving a child information too heavy for them to hold? divorce and family conflict: how not to recruit kids into taking sides of adult disagreements serious illness of a parent, grandparent, or another loved one Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Our Fresh Take with Dr. Mary Martin Lori Michas for Grown and Flown: How Much of Your Past Should You Share With Your Teen? iMom Blog: How Much of Your Past Should You Share With Your Kids? Lynne Meredith Golodner for MetroParent: Should Parents Tell Kids About Their Past? Claire McCarthy for Harvard Medical School Blog: How to talk to children about the serious illness of a loved one What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This "Deep Dive" series revisits a few of our past episodes on back-to-school challenges such as the morning rush, school projects which require lots of parental oversight, and how to help our kids navigate intensifying academic pressure. Linda Flanagan is a journalist, researcher, and a former cross-country and track coach. She's also a founding board member of the Positive Coaching Alliance and an Advisory Group member for the Aspen Institute's Reimagining Sports initiative. Flanagan's book is ⁠TAKE BACK THE GAME: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids' Sports--and Why It Matters⁠. Linda tells Amy and Margaret what forces conspired to make the youth sports landscape the way it is today. In this episode, Linda, Amy, and Margaret discuss: How the purpose of kids' sports has changed since we were playing ourselves [7:00] Why we assume sports build character, and whether that's true [14:30] How recruitment for college sports affects both kids' and parents' perspectives [22:15] Here's where you can find Linda: ⁠Buy Linda's book⁠ @lindaflanagan2 on Twitter ⁠Mindshift Podcast on NPR⁠ Read Linda's article in The Atlantic: ⁠"The Downsides of Having an Athlete in the Family"⁠ Our previous episode on kids' sports: "⁠Youth Sports: If You Must⁠" What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does it really mean to become an active participant in the care of your own health? In this episode, Margaret talks with primary care physician Dr. Lucy McBride about her new book, Beyond the Prescription: A Doctor's Guide to Taking Charge of Your Health. They discuss how to become a more self-aware and empowered patient, as well as: The difference between medicine and "wellness" Why data is less useful without full context How stress and grief can affect physical health The four parts of whole-person health: informatics, inputs, infrastructure, and insight Why health decisions involve trade-offs The importance of understanding your own “patient personality” How to ask better questions at medical appointments How to make shared decision-making part of your healthcare Why quality of life matters alongside longevity Here's where you can find Dr. McBride: https://www.lucymcbride.com/ https://lucymcbride.substack.com/ @dr.lucymcbride on IG and LinkedIn Buy BEYOND THE PRESCRIPTION: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781668024386 What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!⁠ Feeling overwhelmed by everything that needs to get done? If you're the person who keeps track of the appointments, school forms, groceries, household repairs, gifts, kids' activities, and all the little things that seem to live permanently in your head, you may not need to get better at managing your workload—you may need to outsource some of it. We tackle a listener question about how to outsource the household workload without having pockets deep enough for full-time help. We talk about why outsourcing can actually feel like more work at first, how to decide what to hand over, and how to get other people to truly take responsibility instead of simply giving you another task to manage. Here are some topics we discuss: Why the mental load is usually a systems problem Glass balls vs rubber balls, and how to tell the difference Why part-time help is a great way to outsource why making your own life easier is a legitimate use of your resources Here are links to some of the resources discussed in the episode: Zawn Villines on Substack: Why the 'Fair Play' book doesn't fix labor inequality for most couples Zawn Villines on Substack: Results of the State of Household Inequality Survey Show How Damaging Heterosexual Relationships Are to Women Sarah Aswell for Scary Mommy: A Woman Is Going Viral For Timing How Long Unpleasant Tasks Actually Take Christi Newrutzen on TikTok Our Fresh Take with Eve Rodsky What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This "Deep Dive" series revisits a few of our past episodes on back-to-school challenges such as the morning rush, school projects which require lots of parental oversight, and how to help our kids navigate intensifying academic pressure. So many of us spend hours chauffeuring our kids back and forth to their myriad activities. Why are kids so overloaded with activities these days, and can we get off of this ride? Here are some parenting strategies for navigating this issue. Amy and Margaret discuss: Why kids are so overscheduled these days How overscheduling really affects kids, beyond the mom guilt-inducing headlines What questions to ask when assessing if our kids are overscheduled Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: ⁠Dr Shimi King: Overscheduling Your Kids Isn't the Fast-Track to Success it Once Was⁠ Solution Health: ⁠Overbooked Kids: The Overscheduled Crisis⁠ Anna Nordberg for Slate: ⁠The Fine Art of Underscheduling⁠ Jill Barshay for Mind Shift: ⁠Overscheduling Kids' Lives Causes Depression and Anxiety, Study Finds⁠ Carolina Caetano, et. al for Economics of Education Review: ⁠Are children spending too much time on enrichment activities?⁠ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We think of rewarding kids as a surefire way to get the behavior we want. But what if rewards mainly serve to underline our children's intrinsic drive to succeed? Dr. Özgür Bolat, education scientist and author of The Reward Trap: Why Rewards Backfire and the Real Science for Motivating Kids, explains why rewarding kids may actually undermine their motivation in the long run. As Dr. Bolat explains, there's a difference between motivation and compliance. Rewards can get children to do something, but they don't necessarily create the ownership, engagement, or intrinsic motivation parents actually want. In this episode, we discuss: How rewards can change the way children view an activity Hedonic adaptation and why rewards often need to get bigger to have the same effect The connection between rewards, praise, and controlling parenting How autonomy-enhancing parenting differs from control Why family chores can help children develop a sense of responsibility and prosocial values Mastery orientation vs. performance orientation, and how each affects children's anxiety and motivation Why focusing too heavily on grades, competition, and achievement can create performance anxiety How parents can encourage curiosity and help kids find motivation even in subjects they don't initially enjoy The role of flow in learning and why children become deeply engaged when a task matches their skill level Why differentiated learning matters—and what happens when work is too easy or too difficult How rewards and competition in school can contribute to learned helplessness Why understanding big concepts can actually help children remember facts and information Dr. Bolat's PEACE model for building connection with children How getting curious about the reason behind a child's behavior can reveal what they actually need Why a homework problem may be a symptom of a much bigger issue around fear, judgment, or connection Here's where you can find Dr. Bolat: https://ozgurbolat.co.uk/ LinkedIn @dr.ozgurbolat on IG https://ozgurbolat.substack.com/ Buy THE REWARD TRAP: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9798893961805 What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happens when one child's needs take up most of a family's attention? Even when parents are doing their best, it can be easy for another child to quietly become the “easy” one—the independent kid, the high achiever, the people-pleaser who never seems to need anything. In this episode, we discuss: What the term glass child means and why some children can become overlooked How hyperindependence can be both a strength and a sign that a child doesn't feel comfortable asking for help Why people-pleasing isn't inherently a bad quality—and when it can become a problem How being the “easy,” responsible, or high-achieving child can lead to perfectionism Why some kids learn to hide anger, sadness, resentment, or other difficult emotions The importance of making space for children to express complicated feelings without judgment How small-T trauma and difficult family dynamics can affect kids even when their experiences don't seem “bad enough” compared with someone else's Why children may act out or seek negative attention when they're feeling overlooked How parents can use short, intentional moments of one-on-one connection to help every child feel seen The idea behind the 7-minute rule: finding small windows of distraction-free connection throughout the day How connection can look different at different ages, from play and cuddling with young children to mentorship and open communication with teens Why you don't need to perfectly balance your attention every single day to make your kids feel loved and supported Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Jenn Lonzer for the Cleveland Clinic: Always Coping, Rarely Seen: Explaining Glass Child Syndrome Dr Becky Kennedy of "Good Inside" blog: What is the 777 Rule in Parenting? Corinne Masur for Psychology Today: Helping Kids Feel They Matter Our episode When One of Our Kids Takes Up All of Our Bandwidth Our Fresh Take with Sara Hirsh Bordo Harlan Cohen on IG What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This "Deep Dive" series revisits a few of our past episodes on back-to-school challenges such as the morning rush, school projects which require lots of parental oversight, and how to help our kids navigate intensifying academic pressure. Whether it's the science fair, the pinewood derby, or a pre-K shoebox diorama, sooner or later every kid gets assigned a school project that is, without question, a PARENTS' project. What four-year-old can fashion her own “Dress As Your Patron Saint” costume? What sixth-grader can attempt proper MLA citation format without extreme maternal participation?  It's not so much the projects we mind— it's the feeling that however we handle it, we're doing it wrong. If we make the origami cranes for the kid, we're snowplow parents. If we send them in with a social studies project they made entirely themselves out of paper plates and crayons, we also own their cheek-burning shame when their projects pale in comparison to the professionally produced ones of their peers.  In this episode, we discuss how to discern the right amount of help such projects require: not too much, and not too little. Sure, we can help our kids win the battle of the pinewood derby… but we really want to win the war of having our kids who can someday accomplish things all by themselves.   Here's links to research and other writing we discuss in this episode:  Susan Messina for Huffington Post: ⁠That Fake Science Fair Poster That Went Viral? I Made It. Here's Why⁠ Dana Goldstein for The Atlantic: ⁠Don't Help Your Kids With Their Homework⁠ ⁠The Broken Compass: Parental Involvement With Children's Education ⁠ Dr. Keith Robinson and Dr. Angel Harris for the New York Times: ⁠Parental Involvement Is Overrated⁠ Wendy Wisner for Scary Mommy: ⁠It's Obvious When Parents Complete Their Kid's School Projects, So Please Stop⁠ ⁠easybib.com⁠ (Amy recommends for an easier way to create bibliographies) ⁠sciencebuddies.org⁠ (Amy recommends as a resource to choose science fair projects)  What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kids (and adults) with ADHD don't actually have a deficit of attention. Today, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is more properly understood as a deficit of executive function— and as this week's guest ⁠Michael McLeod⁠, founder of GrowNOW ADHD and author of ⁠THE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION PLAYBOOK⁠, explains, executive function means a whole lot more than a messy backpack. To help kids with ADHD succeed, Michael argues, parents need to help children strengthen the internal skills that lead to lifelong independence. In this interview, drawing from his decades of experience working with families whose kids are growing up with ADHD, Michael explains his four-pillar framework for developing executive functioning skills: self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, and self-evaluation. In this episode, you'll learn: How self-awareness and "time blindness" can affect daily life when you have ADHD Why novel experiences are crucial opportunities for kids with ADHD How exposure to screens intensifies ADHD symptoms Why negative attention feels great to the ADHD brain How to support ADHD kids without lowering expectations for their capability Here's where you can find Michael: www. grownowadhd.com @grownowADHD on IG, FB, and YouTube Buy THE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION PLAYBOOK: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781394309153 Buy the accompanying workbook: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781394364589 What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you certain that people are only pretending to enjoy cilantro? Or mah jongg? We asked our listeners to tell us the things they're convinced no one actually likes. From complicated board games to high school graduations, we discuss the most nominated to be overrated. Here's the link to all of the hilarious answers people gave in our Facebook group! What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This "Deep Dive" series revisits a few of our past episodes on back-to-school challenges such as the morning rush, school projects which require lots of parental oversight, and how to help our kids navigate intensifying academic pressure. Getting-ready playlists? Choosing outfits the night before? Bringing snacks to the pickup line? We asked our audience about their favorite back-to-school tips... and we also allowed some venting about back-to-school craziness as well. Amy and Margaret discuss: To make lunch or not to make lunch How to keep outfits clean at breakfast The best time to grocery shop Here are links to resources mentioned in the episode: Read the full Facebook thread here and if you're not already part of our amazing group, you can join at www.facebook.com/groups/whatfreshhellcast! Watch the short film Amy mentions: "How Was Your Day?" directed by Allison Hadar and Maddie Corman What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Childhood anxiety is on the rise. Parents are often unsure how to respond, and in their well-intentioned efforts to reassure their kids, can sometimes reinforce the anxious patterns. In this interview Kristen McNeely, LMFT, explains how parents can start to help their kids build resilience by taking small, manageable steps toward the things that might scare them. We also discuss school refusal—why it's more complicated than simply not wanting to go to school; the warning signs parents should watch for; and why collaboration between parents, schools, and mental health professionals is essential. Kristen explains why school refusal often begins with school avoidance, how transition years like kindergarten and middle school increase risk, and why pulling kids out of school is rarely an effective long-term solution. Amy, Margaret, and Kristen also discuss: Why parental accommodations can unintentionally fuel anxiety The difference between validating feelings and reinforcing fear Why gradual exposure works better than avoidance The four common drivers of school refusal How ADHD, autism, and separation anxiety can increase risk Why helping kids feel connected to their school community matters How parent-focused treatments like SPACE can improve childhood anxiety—even without the child in therapy sessions Here's where you can find Kristen: https://kristenmcneely.com/ @childhood.empowered on IG https://schoolcapable.kristenmcneely.com/ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Amy Wilson is a senior OCRF ovarian cancer research foundation researcher and endometriosis patient with lived experience including an ovarian cancer scare. Amy brings personal and professional insight to the OCRF mission: to detect ovarian cancer earlier, improve treatment outcomes, and prevent the disease altogether . Having just had her first child she is hopeful and dedicated to closing the gender health gap and to improving healthcare for women in every stage of life. Deborah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/what.ive.learnt/Mind, Film and Publishing: https://www.mindfilmandpublishing.com/Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/what-ive-learnt/id153556330Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3TQjCspxcrSi4yw2YugxBkBuzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1365850

What does it really take to build a fulfilling life—and how do we help our kids do the same? Bestselling author and host of the podcast "What It's Like to Be..." Dan Heath joins Amy for a conversation that challenges some of the biggest assumptions parents make about success, careers, decision making, and what their kids will remember most about growing up. Dan shares why meaningful work often comes from unexpected places and why room for experimentation and exploration is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. Dan and Amy discuss: Why there's no such thing as a universally "good" career How to help kids discover passions without putting pressure on them A simple exercise that creates unforgettable family memories Why experimentation leads to more fulfilling work and life Four common decision-making "villains"—and how to avoid them Practical ways to make parenting, work, and everyday decisions with more clarity Here's where you can find Dan: www.danheath.com Listen to "What It's Like to Be..." Buy Dan's books LinkedIn What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you've ever looked at your very different children and wondered how they could possibly share the same DNA, same parents, and same upbringing, you're not alone— and you're imagining things. Research shows that while siblings are usually more alike in appearance and intelligence than we sometimes think, their personalities are as different from one another as they would be from a stranger on the street. Why is that? This week, we discuss: Why siblings can have vastly different personalities despite common upbringings How birth order influences family dynamics Why "de-identification" tends to be more intense when siblings are closer in age Why "the same household" doesn't actually tell the whole story Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Alix Spiegel for NPR: Siblings Share Genes, But Rarely Personalities Dr. Robert Plomin and Dr. Judy Dunn: Why Are Siblings So Different? The Significance of Differences in Sibling Experiences Within the Family Dr. Frank Sullaway: Why Siblings Are Like Darwin's Finches: Birth Order, Sibling Competition, and Adaptive Divergence within the Family Daniel Goleman for the NYT: Each Sibling Experiences a Different Family Dr. Robert Plomin and Dr Denise Daniels: Why are Children in the Same Family So Different From One Another? Science Daily: Parents' Comparisons Make Siblings Different Dr. Alexander Jensen and Dr. Susan McHale: What makes siblings different? The development of sibling differences in academic achievement and interests. Annie Wright, LMFT: Same Family, Different Survival: Why You and Your Sibling Turned Out So Differently What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if the fact that we sometimes we "lose it" as parents doesn't make us bad parents? What if those times stem from an overwhelmed nervous system, and what happens when we get curious about what's underneath? Marriage and family therapist Dr. Cassidy Freitas, host of the "Holding Space" podcast and author of the new book MOM NEEDS A MOMENT, explains why parents "lose it," what our emotional reactions are really telling us, and how we can interrupt generational patterns without striving for perfection. In this episode, you'll learn: How childhood experiences shape your parenting triggers today. The difference between guilt and shame. Why repair after conflict is often more powerful than trying to be a perfect parent. How social media and intensive parenting culture fuel parental burnout and self-criticism. What "creating margin" means—and why a few moments of space can transform your relationship with your children. How to recognize your triggers before reacting. The simple phrase Dr. Freitas uses to calm her nervous system in difficult parenting moments. Here's where you can find Dr. Freitas: www.drcassidymft.com @drcassidy on IG Buy MOM NEEDS A MOMENT: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781523533534 What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What are the best ways for us to support our kids' interests? Should we help them become the best gymnasts and singers they can be, as soon as they show glimmers of true interest? Or are they better off exploring many interests, without all of that added pressure? From travel sports to elite ballet training and specialized extracurriculars, childhood activities feel increasingly professionalized, with a lot less room for beginners, dabblers, or kids who just want to have fun. This week, we're wondering whether encouraging curiosity and exploration may be healthier than pushing early specialization. We discuss: The difference between supporting a child's interests and managing their career Why exploration—not specialization—is often the key to discovering lifelong passions How parents can praise effort and enjoyment instead of performance Why your child's purpose may be much bigger than any single job or talent How to encourage resilience when interests change or dreams evolve Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Lindsay Karp for Business Insider: My parents told me to have a career that could support me. I'm telling my kids to follow their passions. Daniel B. Peters for HuffPost: Are We Missing the Mark If We Support Our Children's Passions? Lisa Heffernan for the NYT: Our Push for ‘Passion,' and Why It Harms Kids Susan Newman for Psychology Today: How to Support and Nurture Your Child's Passions What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This month, our "Deep Dive" is into some of our past episodes about screen time: the effects it has on our kids, how tech companies engineer their devices to be as addictive as possible, and how we can allow our kids to enjoy screens with supportive limits. The dreaded question "When should my kid get a phone?" is one we're asked often. These days "whether" is not part of the equation, and the ages at which our kids' peers are getting phones seems younger than ever. Dr. Catherine Pearlman, author of the new book ⁠First Phone: A Child's Guide To Digital Responsibility, Safety, and Etiquette⁠, is the founder of ⁠The Family Coach⁠ and a licensed clinical social worker who has been working with children and families for more than 25 years. First Phone– a book written not for parents, but for our kids– puts the risks and rewards of a phone in perspective for our children, and helps them consider what parameters they themselves might want to put on their phones and how they can use them wisely. In this episode, Catherine, Amy and Margaret discuss: What we often don't think about when we hand our kids their first phones [12:55] When kids should get their own social media accounts [17:55] How to teach kids about digital consent [31:00] Here's where you can find Catherine: ⁠www.thefamilycoach.com⁠ @thefamilycoach on FB/Twitter @thefamilycoachsays on IG Find Catherine's book in our bookshop: ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780593538333⁠ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Laura Clery has built a massive digital empire, of over 25 million followers, offering her own blend of silly sketch comedy and unflinchingly vulnerable reality. In this interview, Laura tells Margaret about her new memoir, WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU MAKES YOU HOTTER , and the unraveling of a marriage shaped by sobriety, relapse, codependency, fame, and the pressure of living so much of life online. Laura and Margaret discuss: Her experience raising a child on the autism spectrum What happens when a relationship falls apart in public Why it can be hard to recognize destructive patterns from the inside How motherhood has made Laura brave Here's where you can find Laura: @laura.clery on FB @lauraclery on IG and TikTok @LauraMarieClery on YouTube Listen to Laura's podcast Idiot Buy WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU MAKES YOU HOTTER: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781668087343 What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You know how sometimes when you're in charge, in a really hard moment, you keep watching the door for an actual grownup to show up? Because it can't possibly be 42-year-old YOU who's in charge at this moment? In this episode we discuss the strange experience of being the person in charge while also feeling wildly underqualified. From broken bones and dinner logistics to taxes, travel mishaps, and medical decision-making, here are the times when we— and our listeners— were hoping for an authorit figure besides ourselves to show up and fix everything. Join our Facebook group to see all of our listeners' hilarious responses! What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This month, our "Deep Dive" is into some of our past episodes about screen time: the effects it has on our kids, how tech companies engineer their devices to be as addictive as possible, and how we can allow our kids to enjoy screens with supportive limits. Psychologist Susan Linn, author of ⁠WHO'S RAISING THE KIDS? BIG TECH, BIG BUSINESS, AND THE LIVES OF CHILDREN⁠, isn't anti-technology. She's anti-advertising to children, and has spent her long career spotlighting the "monumental shift towards a digitized-commercialized childhood." With smart speakers and screens at arms' reach wherever kids go, digital technologies continue to evolve much faster than our understanding of the ramifications of their dominance in our kids' lives. Susan began her career as award-winning ventriloquist (here she is on ⁠Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood⁠!) and has become a world-renowned expert on creative play and the impact of media and commercial marketing on children. In this episode, Susan tells us Why her point isn't to make parents feel guilty Why the best kinds of toys for children do very little How branding can creep in where we sometimes don't even perceive it What we can do to set parameters on the commercializing of our own kids' lives Here's where you can find Susan: Twitter: @drsusanlinn ⁠susanlinn.net⁠ ⁠fairplayforkids.org⁠ Buy Susan's book: ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781620972274⁠ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yep, it's that time again. Join Jon Reed and Brian Sommer for the Enterprise Month in Review. We'll pick our underrated stories, and then, in a classic show mashup, Amy Wilson and Meg Bear of the Meg and Amy how will give their live reactions to Brian Sommer's run-down of where HR tech, AI and leadership is falling short. We'll also have some make-your-own-buzzword surprises, and of course, Brian's infamous slide deck. As always, bring your savviest and snarkiest commentary, as you help steer the show and we field your reactions in real-time. Note: for the full slide experience, catch the YouTube replay at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWtobJAsYqE

There are these things that you just don't understand why anybody would do. But some people do them. We aren't about judgment at the What Fresh Hell podcast, but we do sometimes have to ask: what kind of monster? What kind of monster listens to videos on speaker? Or keeps the keyboard clicks on their phone? What kind of monster takes up two parking spots? Puts empty cereal boxes back in the cabinet? Gives small children toys with one hundred tiny pieces? We went to our ⁠Facebook page⁠ and we asked people to share what kind of monsters they were encountering on a daily basis. In this episode we explore quite a few. And here's a disclaimer: we may each have been one or more of these monsters before. What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever felt like your life consisted of too many moving parts at the same time? In this episode, we explore why life tends to deliver too much change at once—and the difference between an actual change and the larger, more uncertain area of transition that both precedes and follows any big change. We discuss: Why even positive and worked-toward life transitions can feel overwhelming once they arrive What "change saturation" and "change fatigue" look like How your business partners, family members, or loved ones might be going through the same change, but on a very different transition timeline Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Our episode "Why We Avoid Uncertainty (And How That Gets In Our Way)" Talkspace blog: How to Keep It Together When Everything Keeps Changing North Highland blog: How Much Change is Too Much Change? Cassandra Worthy: The 3 Stages Of Change Fatigue And How To Recover Prosci blog: Bridges Transition Model Explained and Made Actionable William Bridges Associates: William Bridges Bio Cassandra Worthy: CHANGE ENTHUSIASM Get tickets to see Amy in 42nd Street at the Sharon Playhouse, July 25th through August 9th! sharonplayhouse.org/42nd-street What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Deep Dive series is all about tips to stay sane while traveling with family —immediate or extended, kids younger or older in tow, across the state or across the globe! Does it seem like just as much work to leave your kids behind for a couple of days as not to go in the first place? Do your instructions for family operational procedures during your absence run more than five pages?  Getting away from our kids—for work, for the weekend, for a friend's 40th—isn't just good for us. It's also an opportunity for our kids to realize that “only Mommy” stuff they pull when we're around is not as necessary as they might have thought. Margaret and Amy discuss: Why our kids may behave better when we aren't around (and why it's not a bad thing) Why the best time to call your kids when you travel is in the morning How the instructions you leave behind can change as your kids grow Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Kari Bodnarchuk for The Boston Globe: ⁠Preparing Kids for When a Parent Travels⁠ Smart Women Travelers: ⁠Keeping Mom's Business Trip from Being Mom's Guilt Trip⁠ Our episode ⁠"We Forgot What Little Kids Were Like"⁠ ⁠Kara Williams has great advice for vacationing with kids of all ages⁠ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why are autoimmune conditions so much more common in women? And does that have anything to do with the fact that those same conditions are misunderstood, under-researched, and accepted as things we just have to live with? Sara Hirsh Bordo, author of the new book AUTOIMMUNITY AND THE GOOD GIRLS, discusses the questions that led her to examine the connection between women's health, caregiving, stress, and identity. After receiving her own autoimmune diagnoses, Sara began noticing that her fellow sufferers shared similar life patterns: especially eldest daughters, caretakers, and women raised to prioritize everyone else's needs. That observation led her to fund original research exploring the relationship between girlhood experiences, cultural expectations, and autoimmune disease. Amy and Sara discuss: What autoimmune disease, means and why these conditions remain misunderstood Hypotheses on why autoimmune diagnoses disproportionately affect women The connection between caregiving roles, chronic stress, and the nervous system How our life experiences can shape our long-term health The difference between understanding mind-body connections and blaming ourselves when our bodies fail us Why learning to receive care can be just as important as giving it What it means to rewrite the stories that teach women to earn love through self-denial This conversation explores a question many women may recognize: What happens when being “good” means becoming disconnected from your own needs? Here's where you can find Sara: https://autoimmunityandthegoodgirls.com https://goodgirlsbook.com @sarahirshbordo on IG @sarahirshbordo on LinkedIn Buy AUTOIMMUNITY AND THE GOOD GIRLS: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780063450660 What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why is it that our own vacations never look like the perfect, happy families on the posters enjoying their destination without a sunburn, meltdown, or lost bag in sight? Here's how to manage expectations while traveling with kids and enjoy your trip, whatever it ends up looking like! We share stories of Disney overwhelm, international travel wins and disasters, airport anxiety, and the unexpected moments that end up becoming the best parts of a vacation. Topics include: How age and stage affect what kind of travel works best Traveling with neurodivergent kids and accommodating different needs Helping anxious kids prepare for flights and unfamiliar places How to adjust plans when travel stress and meltdowns happen The moments kids remember most (hint: often not what you planned) Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: The Autism Community in Action blog: Traveling with Your Child with Autism TSA Cares program Bill Springer for Forbes Magazine: Kids Who Travel Do Better In School What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Deep Dive series is all about tips to stay sane while traveling with family —immediate or extended, kids younger or older in tow, across the state or across the globe! We asked our listeners what advice they have for harmonious family traveling.⁠ Here are our favorite tips they shared, plus a few of our own, from how early to get to the airport to hitting the top kid-friendly site in Paris! Amy and Margaret discuss: How to communicate effectively with your spouse before traveling Useful packing tips - ⁠here's the carry-on bag Amy loves⁠ Vacation scheduling advice How to include kids in planning vacations What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As technology improves medicine, and AI accelerates change, how do we maintain the human connection that must exist between doctor and patient? Pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Alan R. Cohen, author of the new book COMFORT ALWAYS, explains what he's learned in four decades of working with families in extremely intense situations, and how being a "humble physician" remains the most important part of his work. In this episode, we discuss: Why empathy is a skill worth intention and focus The benefits and drawbacks of electronic medical records Why parents' instincts remain a crucial part of their children's care How to advocate for yourself with a disconnected provider Why uncertainty is part of medicine—and part of life Here's where you can find Dr. Cohen: https://www.dralanrcohen.com/ Buy COMFORT ALWAYS: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9798895656198 What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Moms hear it all the time: kids save their worst behavior for us because we're their safe space. Understood—but where's the line between not taking every dig personally and becoming your kids' doormat? When kids lash out—whether it's a preschooler kicking in a Target checkout line, or a teenager declaring you're the worst parent in the world—when are we supposed to absorb it, or rise above? And when do we need to set a boundary? In this episode we discuss: Why it's important for parents to allow small children to express negative emotion Why adolescents hand parents their "emotional trash" (h/t Dr. Lisa Damour) the role of "projection" in heightened emotions how parenting an adolescent often means acting as a "wall" for kids to push off—and why that push can manifest as an insult or a slammed door Strategies for responding without escalating conflict ⁠Sign up for the What Fresh Hell newsletter here!⁠ Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: Lisa Damour for the NYT: Parents of Teenagers, Stuck Taking Out the Emotional Trash Jody Podl for Your Teen Mag: How Can Loving and Kind Parents Cope With Their Mean Teenagers? Jessica Gudmundson et. al for Infant Behavior Development Journal: Links between mothers' coping styles, toddler reactivity, and sensitivity to toddler's negative emotions. Sharon Selby, MA, blog: What Is Happening When A Child Projects Feelings On To You? Sharon Selby, MA, blog: What Do Parents, A Swimming Pool and Child Development Have In Common? East Bay Behavior Therapy Center Blog: Relationship saboteurs: It's all your fault versus it's all my fault What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Deep Dive series is all about tips to stay sane while traveling with family —immediate or extended, kids younger or older in tow, across the state or across the globe! Why don't vacations feel like vacations for moms? Could it be all the prepping, packing, and traveling, with the additional pressure to make memories that will last a lifetime for our little ones? Here's how to make vacations truly fun and relaxing for the whole family. In this episode we discuss the wisdom of "taking turns being tired" why "going with the flow" is not an additive stance to vacation preparation why vacations get better as kids age Here are some links to some writing on the topic that we discuss in this episode: Marie Holmes for HuffPost: ⁠Behind Every Precious Vacation Memory Stands An Exhausted Mother⁠ CafeMom: ⁠Moms Don't Get to 'Relax' on Family Vacations, For the Husbands Who Don't Get It⁠ Colleen Lanin for ⁠Travel Mamas: Ain't Nobody Happy if Mama Ain't Happy – Tips for Happy Travel with Kids⁠ The Onion: ⁠Mom Spends Beach Vacation Assuming All Household Duties In Closer Proximity To Ocean⁠ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We know that resilience is a good trait for our kids to have. But can "grit" only be achieved through hardship and repeated failure? Can a kid whose everyday life is pretty cushy still be resilient, and if so, how is that resilience taught? We talk with resilience coach Talia Kovacs about how resilience is a skill that can be nurtured over time—even in the kid who regularly falls apart when the chicken nuggets touch the peas. Drawing from her experience as a classroom teacher, literacy expert, and parent coach, Talia explains why today's kids are struggling with perfectionism, fear of mistakes, and anxiety—and how parents may be unintentionally reinforcing those patterns. She shares why resilience doesn't require hardship, how spirituality (a concept distinct from religion) can help children feel grounded, and why independent play and healthy risk-taking matter more than ever. The conversation explores the difference between raising capable kids versus constantly protecting them, why parents' own nervous systems shape family resilience, and how changing the stories we tell about our children can help them develop confidence and self-trust. Here's where you can find Talia: https://taliakovacs.com Substack: https://substack.com/@taliakovacs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taliakovacs/ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's the one thing you've purchased that has delivered outsized returns in joy and ease? We asked our listeners to tell us the one thing in their lives that has really overdelivered. From travel hacks to sleep upgrades, from time-savers to towels, here are some of our favorites. If you want links to all of the amazing products mentioned in this episode, sign up for our monthly newsletter here! What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Deep Dive series is all about tips to stay sane while traveling with family —immediate or extended, kids younger or older in tow, across the state or across the globe! We've both traveled with our extended families over and over again, and have loved the memories we've made together. But different bedtimes, sightseeing styles, and mealtime expectations can lead to unexpected conflict. Laura in our Facebook group wrote in to say: ⁠"Might be a fun episode before summer: large family vacation traditions. I'm wondering if there are favorite games/foods/tips/funny stories on going away with lots of members of your non-immediate family."⁠ As usual, our listeners responded with great tips for maintaining both organization and sanity when vacationing with extended family, and in this episode we discuss them all, including: Which conversations to have ahead of time—and which conversations never to have at all Systems for family vacations that don't fall on one person (or one gender) to execute Limiting your non-negotiables as a nuclear family ahead of time What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do hormones actually do—and why are they often misunderstood? We talk with Dr. Gillian Goddard, an endocrinologist and author of The Hormone Loop: An Empowering Guide to Restoring Hormonal Harmony from Puberty to Menopause. Dr. Goddard explains how hormones affect far more than reproduction, influencing everything from metabolism and sleep to mood, stress responses, and cardiovascular health. She breaks down the concept of the "hormone loop" and explains the four major hormonal systems that work together to keep our bodies functioning: reproductive, thyroid, growth hormone, and adrenal (stress) loops. The conversation explores how hormonal changes during puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause can affect the entire body—not just reproductive health. We also discuss why women's symptoms are so often dismissed, how cultural attitudes about hormones can prevent women from seeking care, and why tracking symptoms can help patients advocate for themselves more effectively. Other topics include: The relationship between estrogen, the immune system, and thyroid disorders Hormone replacement therapy: benefits, misconceptions, and current research The role of GLP-1 medications in midlife health and weight management Here's where you can find Dr. Goddard: @thesavvypatient on IG https://savvypatient.substack.com Buy THE HORMONE LOOP: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780063455047 What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does it mean to get “mogged,” to be “chalant,” or to “put the fries in the bag”? In this episode we attempt to decode the latest Gen Z slang. (Although now that we've cracked the code, all these words are so nerfed.) Sign up for What Fresh Hell Plus on Supporting Cast to get all episodes ad-free, plus monthly bonus episodes. Supporting Cast works right where you already listen! Go to whatfreshhell.supportingcast.fm to subscribe in two taps for just $4.99 a month, or $39.99 a year. What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Deep Dive series revisits some of our past episodes on discerning what we need as moms, and then asking for it confidently. Do you hate feeling unable to help people in crisis, or do you worry about getting too involved and stepping on toes? There are ways to give help to people in need that are productive and considerate, and our listeners wrote in with some excellent examples. Amy and Margaret discuss: How to avoid the "let me know if you need anything" trap The "comfort in, dump out" model of caretaking The perils of too many lasagnas The best help you can give may be something that feels inconsequential to you but is actually a huge help to the people in need. Whatever your role ends up being during a crisis, accept it graciously, and don't expect a hero's fanfare for your efforts. Links! Anne Helen Petersen: ⁠A Shortcut for Caring for Others (and Being Cared for Yourself)⁠ Susan Silk and Barry Goldman for the LA Times: ⁠"How not to say the wrong thing"⁠ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What should parents know if they're considering divorce? Margaret talks with family law attorneys Kristen Holstrom and Samantha McBride—the hosts of the "Custody Queens" podcast—about custody disputes, co-parenting conflict, child support, digital footprints, and the biggest mistakes people make during separation. Drawing from years of experience in high-conflict custody and divorce cases, Kristen and Samantha explain how family court actually works, why “amicable” divorces can still require strong boundaries, and how parents can protect themselves and their children emotionally, financially, and legally. The conversation covers: Why every custody case is unique—and why Facebook advice can backfire The difference between staying amicable and giving up your rights How courts evaluate custody arrangements and parenting concerns Child support myths, enforcement, and financial responsibility The long-term consequences of social media posts, texts, and digital evidence Why courts care more about safety concerns than personal betrayal Co-parenting with a difficult ex or a new romantic partner in the picture How therapy, documentation, and realistic expectations can reduce conflict Here's where you can find Samantha and Kristen: https://custodyqueens.com/ @custodyqueens and @custodyqueensonair on IG @custodyqueens on TikTok @custodyqueenson-air on YT Listen to "Custody Queens" wherever you listen to podcasts Custody Queens Off the Clock, Kristen and Sam's true crime pod What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sign up for WFH Plus at ⁠http://whatfreshhell.supportingcast.fm/! How does the powerful emotional pull of nostalgia connect to that midlife feeling of "how did I get here?" Why do we love looking back? In this episode, we discuss: Why nostalgia increases during periods of transition and uncertainty (aging parents, growing children, career reckonings) The psychology and science behind nostalgia and memory Why parents often romanticize the baby and toddler years How nostalgia can deepen meaning, connection, and self-understanding Healthy ways to honor memories without getting stuck in the past Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode: University of Florida Medical Physiology Online: The Psychology of Nostalgia Emily Reynolds for The British Psychological Society: We feel more nostalgic as we get older Clay Routledge for the Institute for Family Studies: Nostalgia Reveals the Importance of Family and Close Relationships Joe Keohane for the Boston Globe: Why Does Parenthood Make Us Nostalgic? Hannah Seligson for the NYT: Being a Mother Is Hard Work. Is It Actually Harder on Millennial Moms? "The House That Built Me" by Miranda Lambert What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. 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 website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices