The Motherly Podcast

Host Liz Tenety checks in with Ai-jen Poo, the co-founder and Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, a non-profit with the goal to bring quality work, dignity and fairness to the growing number of caregivers in America. Together they discuss Ai-jen’s work, her idea of care squads, and what we can all do, as mothers, to begin to correct a system that isn’t working well for anyone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Liz Tenety kicks off Season 4 of the podcast with an interview with Glennon Doyle, New York Times bestselling author, philanthropist, and mother of two. Glennon talks about her latest book, Untamed, her relationship with her wife, soccer icon Abby Wambach, and why we need to reframe how we talk about step-parenting. Glennon also reads an excerpt from her book. This episode is sponsored by Highlights. For more information on all their great products please visit https://bit.ly/3j81sNM. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eliza Blank is the founder and CEO of The Sill, a NYC-based indoor plant company focused on connecting people to plants and the outdoors. In this episode, Eliza talks to Liz about how growing plants and being a parent are not all that different, why teaching kids to connect to nature is absolutely vital, and she suggests fun gardening activities parents can do with their children. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danielle Duboise, Cofounder of Sakara Life, the organic, plant-based food delivery service and lifestyle brand, sat down with Liz to talk about Sakara Life’s mission to change how you think about food and nourishing yourself. She also shared easy healthy eating tips, talked about what motherhood has taught her about empathy and grace, and explained why being healthy doesn’t have to mean giving up the occasional pizza or onion bagel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artist Harmonia Rosales, talks to Liz about how her daughter inspired her paintings, pursuing a creative career path after having her children, and why she hopes her art reshapes the narrative of what power and beauty looks like, putting women—and particularly women of color—at the center. She also talks about the parallels between creating art and motherhood and encourages mothers to remember that it is never too late to pursue a dream. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Gabby Bernstein, bestselling author, a motivational speaker, and life coach opens to Liz up about her postpartum depression, why she advocates for mental health medication when it is necessary, and why motherhood has been an ongoing spiritual journey. She also shares one of the methods that helped her during some of her darkest moments. Following Gabby’s interview, we also hear from a listener about her own experience with postpartum depression.  Warning: This episode mentions suicidal and self-harm ideation, which we know can be upsetting or triggering for some listeners. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or others, please get help by calling the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. You can also call 911 or go to an emergency room. Please know that you are not alone.1 in 7 mothers will experience postpartum depression. At Mother.ly we have more resources on the topic. You can visit www.mother.ly/postpartumhelp, There you’ll find articles on the signs

Jeannie Gaffigan, producer, comedy writer, brain tumor survivor, bestselling author, wife of Jim, and mother of five talks to Liz about what her brain tumor taught her, how she found humor and joy in tragedy, and why slowing down and enjoying the present has become so important to her. She also explains why mothers, who so often put their own care last, need to remember to take care of themselves—not just for their own health, but for their family’s health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zahra Kassam, internationally certified Montessori teacher and CEO and cofounder of Monti Kids, the only at home Montessori program for birth to age three, talks to Liz about the Montessori approach, how to facilitate independent play, her approach to temper tantrums and meltdowns⁠—and why kids are more self-sufficient than we often think. Zahra is also offering all our listeners $60 off Monti Kids boxes. New customers can go to Montikids.com and enter this code at checkout: MOTHERLY60. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Molly Sims, author, actress, advocate, lifestyle influencer and former model talks to Liz about how she’s learned to be less hard on herself after having three children, the positive impact her mother has on her, and why she prefers staying in with her family to nights out on the red carpet. She also opened up about pressures of caring for sick parents and small children at the same time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chelsea Clinton, the Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, public health and international relations expert, and former first daughter opened up to Liz about her approach to motherhood, what she’s learned from her mother, why she was drawn to public health, and how she’s talking to her children about coronavirus. She also talked about how her organization, Too Small To Fail, is helping families get through this challenging—and often confusing—time.You can access Chelsea’s family staycation toolkit and print-out, which features dozens of fun educational ideas for families stuck at home during the coronavirus at https://talkingisteaching.org/Staycation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kara Richardson Whitely is an author, speaker, and three-time climber of Mount Kilimanjaro, who has spoken candidly about her struggles with binge eating. She opened up to Liz about motherhood, how she talks about body image with her children, the changing conversation around obesity, and her biggest adventure yet—a new movie about her life produced and starring This is Us star, Chrissy Metz.The Motherly Podcast is hosted by Liz Tenety and produced by Jennifer Bassett with support from Jordan Gass-Poore. Music by the Blue Dot sessions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Liz Tenety kicks off Season 3 of the podcast with an interview with Kristen Bell—actress, singer, soon-to-be children’s author, mother of two, and Hello Bello founder. Kristen discusses co-parenting, self-care, and how there’s no such thing as other people’s kids. Kristen also talks about one of her most famous characters: Anna, from Frozen and Frozen II. Additionally, this season, we’ve invited our Motherly community to share their own stories—and following Liz’s discussion with Kristen, you’ll hear from a listener about how she co-parents with her partner.The Motherly Podcast is hosted by Liz Tenety and produced by Jennifer Bassett with support from Jordan Gass-Poore and Renata Sellitti. Music by The Blue Dot Sessions. Thanks to our episode sponsor, Third Love. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Valerie Jarrett is the former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama and the longest-serving Senior Advisor to any U.S. President. Before coming to the White House, Valerie had hired a young Michelle Robinson to work with her in Chicago Mayor Richard Daly’s office back in 1991. Today, Valerie still works with the Obamas, serving as the Senior Advisor to the Obama Foundation, and works with Michelle on a nonprofit called "When We All Vote," whose aim is to spark conversation around our rights and responsibilities in shaping our democracy. She also has a new memoir out called, Finding My Voice: My Journey to the White House and the Path Forward.Beyond her life in public service, Valerie is first and foremost a mom to her only daughter, Laura. In this episode, Valerie chats with Liz about how becoming a mother changed the course of her career, raising Laura as a single working mom, as well as why she never wants any working mom to hide their motherhood identity.After their conversation, hear Ella Davis re

After meeting in 2015 through a mutual friend, Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin decided almost immediately to start a home organization business together. Today, The Home Edit’s more than 1.2 million followers on Instagram regularly covet their rainbow-colored images of organized closets, drawers, and pantries, and they have also organized the homes of celebrity moms like Gwyneth Paltrow, Kim Kardashian, Lauren Conrad, and Mindy Kaling. And this past March they published their first book, aptly called “The Home Edit”.In addition to being entrepreneurial organizers, both Clea and Joanna are also moms to two kids each, and we were lucky enough to nab them during their busy book tour to talk about staying organized as a mama.After their conversation, hear Raschael Ash read her essay, “True life: I'm going to stop apologizing for my messy house now” from Motherly’s website.The Motherly Podcast is hosted by Liz Tenety and produced by Micaela Heck and Samantha Gattsek. Music by The Blue Dot Sessions.&n

Country singer Jessie James Decker first came onto the scene in 2009 when she released her debut album, Jessie James. Since then, Jessie has released several more albums, had a hit reality TV series, “Eric & Jessie: Game On” co-starring her husband, NFL star Eric Decker, launched a clothing line called Kittenish, published a book, and is also at work on her very first cookbook. Amid all of this, Jessie is also the mother to three kids under 7 and has been very open with her fans about the joys and challenges of motherhood. We managed to catch her on-the-go to talk about how becoming a mom shifted her life’s focus, deepened her relationship with her husband, and how she keeps her head above water through it all.After their conversation, hear Colleen Temple read her essay, “True Life: Marriage is feeling lucky + annoyed all in the same day,” from Motherly’s website.The Motherly Podcast is hosted by Liz Tenety and produced by Micaela Heck and Samantha Gattsek. Music by The Blue Dot Sessions. Thanks

Many people remember Christy as the supermodel who dominated the fashion world in the 80s and 90s. But these days, Christy is becoming better known for her work on improving maternal health around the world. Her nonprofit, Every Mother Counts, which she founded in 2010, has been a leader in raising awareness of the issues with maternal health both in the U.S. and abroad. By partnering with grassroots organizations, providing grants and medical training, and pushing critical policies and legislation in the U.S., Every Mother Counts has had a profound impact on the lives of millions of women and their babies. In this episode, Christy talks with Liz about the story behind starting her organization, the state of maternal health both in the U.S. and abroad, and her own personal motherhood experience.Following their conversation is an essay from Jacqui Smith called, “I finally have the strength to talk about my traumatic birth,” from Motherly’s website.The Motherly Podcast is hosted by Liz Tenety and produced

Angela Duckworth is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, and founder and CEO of the Character Lab, a nonprofit advancing the science and practice of character development in children.She is also the author of the New York Times bestseller “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance,” which talks about how the combination of passion and persistence is more important than talent when it comes to succeeding in life. Angela’s research and ideas have been groundbreaking in the areas of education and parenting, and in this episode, she and Liz talk about how we can instill our kids with grit, how she personally approaches this with her own daughters, and why even though she’s a psychology expert she herself is far from a perfect parent. Following their conversation is an essay from Katie Walsh called, “Raising hard-working children: How swim lessons taught us to persevere,” from Motherly’s website.The Motherly Podcast is hosted by Liz Tenety and produced by Mic

If you were young in the early aughts, you probably remember Hilary from her role as the title character of the iconic Disney series, Lizzie McGuire. Today Hilary is better known for starring in another hit series, TV Land’s Younger, in which she plays ambitious young book editor Kelsey Peters. In addition to Hilary’s extensive acting and music career, in recent years she’s become well known for being outspoken about the joys and challenges of modern motherhood. She’s spoken publicly about her decision to have a home birth and to give up breastfeeding and has shared the admiration she holds for all the fellow moms to her 12.5 million Instagram followers.In this episode, Hilary chats with Liz about being a mom in the spotlight, why she wants to be a part of the larger conversation around motherhood, and how she manages to be the best mom she can be to her 7-year old son Luca, as well as her 8-month-old daughter Banks.After their conversation, hear Emily Glover read her essay, “A Mama’s Job Is Ne

In 2010, Katia Beauchamp and her Harvard Business School classmate Hayley Barna started Birchbox without ever having even managed another person before. Today, Birchbox is an enormous enterprise and a true, recognizable leader in the beauty business. In addition to running her beauty empire, Katia is also the mother of four kids. And recently, Katia’s sharing more about how she uses meditation and mindfulness as a way to put work and family life challenges in perspective. She also has been vocal about changing the way that we talk about working motherhood, in her case, sharing why she thinks that becoming a mother has made her a much better CEO. In this episode, Liz and Katia talk about why she passionately believes that moms—and all parents—are an asset to a company (rather than a liability), and how she stays centered as a CEO and mom of four.After their conversation, hear another mom and CEO, Sarah Wells of Sarah Wells Bags, read her essay, “What ‘having it all’ means to me,” from&

LaTonya Yvette is a stylist, writer, and mother of two. In the spring of 2019 she published her first book, Woman of Color, which features essays about the trials and triumphs of her life—from racism, to motherhood and growing up as a woman of color in Brooklyn. She also writes about her life as a single mom on her blog, LaTonyaYvette.com. In this episode, LaTonya chats with Liz about being a person of color in the predominantly white world of bloggers, finding beauty in the every day and how fashion should be viewed as a form of self-care—especially for moms.After their conversation, hear Jessica Wimer read her essay, “Birth is Just the Beginning,” — a selection from Motherly's first book, This Is Motherhood, now available for pre-order on Amazon and wherever books are sold. The Motherly Podcast is hosted by Liz Tenety and produced by Micaela Heck and Samantha Gattsek. Music by The Blue Dot Sessions. Thanks to our sponsor, Prudential.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.c