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

They discuss the difference between friendships and partnerships, why we need multiple kinds of support people, and how to nurture relationships with curiosity, generosity, and reciprocity. Sophie also talks about community care, asking for help, borrowing instead of buying, and the small acts that make neighborhoods feel like actual communities.

Whether you’re feeling isolated, overwhelmed, or simply craving richer relationships, this episode offers warm, practical, and often funny reminders that we don’t have to do life alone — and that we’re all better off when we rely on each other.

Here's where you can find Sophie:

• @sophielucidojohnson on IG and FB
• https://www.sophielucidojohnson.com/
• Buy KIN: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781668060650

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson.

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:

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mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, Sophie Lucido Johnson, Sophie Lucido Johnson interview, Kin book Sophie Johnson, adult friendships, how to make friends as an adult, building community as a parent, interdependence vs independence, community care, reducing loneliness, parenting podcast interview, What Fresh Hell podcast, Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables, creating support networks, nurturing friendships, reciprocity in relationships, borrowing instead of buying, neighborhood connection, emotional support systems

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In this episode, we discuss some of our favorite parables— and what they can teach us about the meaning we attach to everyday frustrations with modern parenting, stress, and family dynamics.

Stories are sticky for our brains, and these are the lessons that have helped us notice our reactions, question our assumptions, and navigate everything from holiday family drama to college applications to sibling squabbles with greater awareness.

This a great episode to share with friends who may not be parents but love a smart, funny take on modern life!

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

• Our episode on radical acceptance
• The Parable of the Empty Boat, from The Secular Buddhism Podcast with Noah Rasheta

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson.

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:

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parenting parables, empty boat parable meaning, two wolves story explanation, Chinese farmer parable, boiling frog metaphor, drowning man parable, parenting mindset shifts, handling family dynamics, dealing with frustration, managing anxiety as a parent, Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables, What Fresh Hell podcast, holiday family stress tips, mindset and resilience for parents, mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent

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Kids have a less time for unsupervised, unstructured play than they did 40-50 years ago. Kids are also a lot less happy then they were back then. But has one actually caused the other? A new study says it has.

Psychologist Dr. Peter Gray and his associates at Boston College recently published the paper ⁠Decline in independent activity as a cause of decline in children's mental well-being,⁠ which suggests that the decline in play and the decline in children's well-being are directly correlated:

“Our thesis is that a primary cause of the rise in mental disorders (among children and teens) is a decline over decades in opportunities for children and teens to play, roam and engage in other activities, independent of direct oversight and control by adults.”

In this episode we discuss the fascinating research explored in this study, the difference in our freewheeling neighborhood childhoods and our own kids' more curated daily existences, and how letting our children take independent risks—and even get a few bumps and bruises— is setting them up for a sense of well-being that is all their own.

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

⁠The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast⁠ is new to Adalyst Media! 200 episodes of inspiration on how to reclaim the finite moments of childhood through prioritizing outdoor play.

our⁠ recent Fresh Take with Dr. Camilo Ortiz⁠

Peter Gray, et. al: ⁠"Decline in Independent Activity as a Cause of Decline in Children’s Mental Wellbeing,"⁠ Journal of Pediatrics

Mia Venkat, Kathryn Fox, Juana Summers for NPR: ⁠"How lack of independent play is impacting children's mental health"⁠

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/⁠

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mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, toddler, baby, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent

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The holidays are the time of year we're most likely to spend time with our extended families— visits which can also bring guilt, frustration, and overwhelming expectations.

In this episode, Amy and family counselor Erin Cox dive into the challenges of holiday family dynamics: setting boundaries, splitting time between multiple households, managing difficult relatives, and trying to create a joyful season for our own kids without losing ourselves in the process.

We explore why returning home makes boundaries harder to keep, why the pressure ramps up this time of year, and how to stay grounded when everyone wants something from you. From travel burnout to critical parents, hosting fatigue, mismatched traditions, and even holiday pet drama, we’re talking through the real stories listeners shared — and how to protect your peace while still showing up with love.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• Why boundaries feel harder to hold around the holidays
• The stress of splitting time between multiple sets of grandparents
• Handling critical or overbearing parents with grace (and limits)
• What to do when the most difficult family member controls the vibe
• How to pass holiday hosting to the next generation without hurting anyone's feelings

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:

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Amy and Margaret tackle one of women's most exhausting challenges: the nonstop onslaught of small asks, random requests, invisible labor, and mental load that quietly drains them. They break down why saying "no” to additional responsibilities is not laziness, and why "just say no to" is actually not a realistic option in many situations.

Drawing on real-life examples, Amy and Margaret explore the emotional calculus behind every “yes,” the hidden costs of over-accommodating, and why moms often feel pressure to be endlessly available. They offer practical scripts, boundary strategies, and mindset shifts to help you pause before automatically agreeing, tolerate the discomfort of disappointing others, and value your own limits.

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

• Our Fresh Take with Corinne Low
• Our episode "Getting Better at Saying No"
• Katharine Ridgway O'Brien: "Just Saying "No": An Examination of Gender Differences in the Ability to Decline Requests in the Workplace."
• Kristin Wong for the NYT: Why You Should Learn to Say ‘No’ More Often
• Kate Manne on Substack: Our Boundaries Will Not Save Us
• Kate Manne on Substack: Your Annual Reminder: You Do Not Have to Be a Giving Tree

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/

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Ready to raise money-smart kids? Start now with your first month FREE at acornsearly.com/FRESH!

Head to GigSalad.com and book some awesome talent for your next party, and let them know that What Fresh Hell sent you. 

What Fresh Hell podcast, mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, parenting boundaries, saying no as a parent, invisible labor, mental load, emotional labor, moms and burnout, parenting overwhelm, how to set boundaries, family stress management, sustainable parenting, decision fatigue, time management for parents, household labor imbalance, parenting scripts, avoiding burnout, saying no kindly, realistic parenting expectations, parenting advice, family dynamics, parent mental health

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Is "helicopter parenting" actually a definable thing? Or is it just what we call parents who are being annoying? Overparenting is something that it's easy to be judgey about in other people, and a lot harder to identify in ourselves. Parents have to help. It's what we're there for. So how do we manage without micromanaging?

In this episode, we discuss:

• The conditions that trigger parental anxiety (probably the true cause of overattentive parenting)
• Allowing struggles and disappointments to be part of our kids' journeys
• How to discern for yourself if you're maybe helicoptering more than helping

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

• Kate Bayless for Parents Magazine: ⁠"What Is Helicopter Parenting, And How Does It Impact Kids?"⁠
• Julia Schønning Vigdal and Kolbjørn Kallesten Brønnick for Frontiers in Psychology: ⁠"A Systematic Review of “Helicopter Parenting” and Its Relationship With Anxiety and Depression"⁠
• ⁠Our Fresh Take with Camilo Ortiz⁠

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/⁠

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Ready to raise money-smart kids? Start now with your first month FREE at acornsearly.com/FRESH!

Head to GigSalad.com and book some awesome talent for your next party, and let them know that What Fresh Hell sent you. 

mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, helicopter parent, snowplow parent

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Trigger warning: this episode contains mention of child abuse and suicidal ideation.

Amy and Margaret talk with Glen Henry—creator of Beleaf in Fatherhood and author of the new book Father Yourself First—about breaking cycles, reimagining fatherhood, and learning to parent with intention, grace, and community. Glen shares his journey from growing up in a difficult household to becoming a present, emotionally attuned father, and how mentorship, open communication, and self-work helped reshape his parenting.

They discuss navigating hard conversations with children about race and safety, deconstructing the voices we’ve internalized from our own parents, and why parents must learn to “father themselves first.” Glen also explores the importance of modeling real family life, finding mentors, building community, and creating an inner voice rooted in compassion instead of fear or old wounds.

This moving conversation is especially powerful for parents who didn’t grow up with healthy models and are working to create something new for their own families.

Here's where you can find Glen:

• @beleafmel on Instagram
• @beleafinfatherhood on YT
• @beleafinfatherhood on TikTok
• Buy FATHER YOURSELF FIRST: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781400252558

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/

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Ready to raise money-smart kids? Start now with your first month FREE at acornsearly.com/FRESH!

Head to GigSalad.com and book some awesome talent for your next party, and let them know that What Fresh Hell sent you.fatherhood, modern fatherhood, Beleaf in Fatherhood, Glen Henry interview, Father Yourself First book, parenting after trauma, breaking generational cycles, conscious parenting, gentle parenting, Black fatherhood stories, raising resilient kids, having hard conversations with kids, talking to kids about race, parenting with intention, family mentorship, parenting community, emotional regulation for parents, healing your inner child, reparenting yourself, raising confident children, fatherhood mentorship, parenting support,

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What words, phrases, or annoying habits do you wish your family would just quit once and for all? Here's what our funny mom friends had to say.

Amy and Margaret discuss:

• What rules work in Margaret's house
• What behaviors cause them to "catch a bit of an attitude"
• Which tropical islands they would run away to if given the chance

⁠Read the original thread on Facebook here⁠

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:

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Ready to raise money-smart kids? Start now with your first month FREE at acornsearly.com/FRESH!

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mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, toddler, baby, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent

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Anxiety expert Lynn Lyons and co-host Robin Hutson created the podcast ⁠FLUSTERCLUX⁠ to help anxious kids and anxious families, which are usually one and the same. Lynn Lyons has trained hundreds of teachers, school nurses, counselors and parents about managing anxiety.

In this episode, Lynn, Robin, and Amy discuss:

• Why reassurance doesn't always placate kids' anxieties
• Why anxiety craves certainty– and how we can unwittingly "do the disorder" in trying to reassure anxious kids
• How to model moving through uncertainty for our kids
• How perfectionism feeds anxiety in kids

Here's where you can find Robin and Lynn:

• ⁠flusterclux.com⁠
• @flusterclux on FB and Instagram
• Buy Lynn Lyons' book The Anxiety Audit
• ⁠"Flusterclux" podcast⁠

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/

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Ready to raise money-smart kids? Start now with your first month FREE at acornsearly.com/FRESH!

Head to GigSalad.com and book some awesome talent for your next party, and let them know that What Fresh Hell sent you.

mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent,
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Parenting today feels harder than ever—information overload, online anxiety, and constant pressure to “get it right.” Dr. Michael Milobsky, a pediatrician with 25 years of experience and host of the podcast "Your Kids Will Be Fine, " joins Amy and Margaret to talk about how raising kids has changed in today's society, and how parents can feel more confident.

Dr. Milobsky tells us how to separate the noise from the signal, and what pediatricians really wish parents understood about their own kids. From picky eating to teen mental health, this is a grounded, compassionate conversation for parents who just want to do their best. Here's where you can find Dr. Mike:

• www.yourkidswillbefine.com
• Listen to the "Your Kids Will Be Fine" podcast
• @pedsatthemeadows on IG
• @dr_mikem on TikTok
• @Dr_Michael_Milobsky on YouTube

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:

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Amy and Margaret share their and their listeners' best tips for making the holidays less stressful and more joyful. They discuss how to reimagine old traditions, simplify family gatherings, and the “law of holiday attrition," and how it work in your favor. From tackling family expectations to choosing what to let go of (and what’s worth keeping), this episode helps you create holidays that work for you.

You’ll learn:

• The secret to surviving hosting duties without losing your mind

• Ways to make holiday meals easier (and more fun!)

• How to navigate changing family dynamics

See all of our listeners' holiday hacks in this Facebook thread!

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/

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Ready to raise money-smart kids? Start now with your first month FREE at acornsearly.com/FRESH!

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