You can find Amy's new book HAPPY TO HELP in hardcover, paperback, Ebook, and audiobook (read by Amy !) at bit.ly/happytohelpamazon or wherever you buy books!

Have you already failed at achieving your lofty New Year's Resolutions that you set for 2025? The problem isn't you. It's that year after year we resolve to fix the same things about ourselves once and for all, rather than accept that what we really need are gentle resets—consistent, continuous, and without the feeling bad about ourselves part.

In this episode Amy and Margaret discuss:

• where "back-to-ones" come from (Hollywood, believe it or not)
• why back-to-ones are better than goals
• how to reset our habits "back to one" and stop punishing ourselves for not being perfect
• our own "back to ones" for 2025

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

• Our Fresh Take with Mallory Thomas

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.

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, parental stress, kids stress, decluttering, meal prepping, time management, new year, resolutions, positive psychology

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Amy Wilson's book Happy to Help is out now and available wherever you buy books!

Join Amy and Margaret in Philadelphia and San Antonio in February 2025 for their latest "What Fresh Hell Live!" shows. For tickets, head to bit.ly/whatfreshhelltour.

This Deep Dive series is about reflecting on our trajectories as mothers - looking back, reflecting on where we are now, and thinking about the future. Listen to the whole playlist on Spotify.

Becoming a mother changes everything about us. Literally: the very structure of our brain changes during pregnancy, along with our eyeglass description and our shoe size. That most of us become more hypervigilant and more anxious isn't a personal failing– it's a biological imperative. But while the ways motherhood has changed us may be very natural, that doesn't mean those transitions were always easy.

In this episode we discuss how motherhood has changed us, how it's also made us more aware of who we always were, and how giving ourselves grace about those changes has been what has always gotten us through.

Here are links to some research- and a few of our other episodes- that are worth your time on this topic:

• Adrienne LaFrance: What Happens to a Woman’s Brain When She Becomes a Mother
• Fresh Take: Janice Johnson Dias on Raising Joyful, Change-Making Kids
• Fresh Take: Dr. Christine Koh On Building a Family After Adverse Childhood Experiences
• Our episode Did We Really Do That?

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.

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, parental stress, kids stress, brain development, mom brain

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Many of us grew up believing in that women are particularly biologically designed to nurture—which means that a mother will immediately and instinctively know how to parent, be better at it than the other adults around her and the baby, and that she'd really prefer to do the caretaking work on her own.

Nancy Reddy says all of that is THE GOOD MOTHER MYTH, and in her new book, uncovers the shoddy and old-fashioned science beneath our bad ideas about how to be a good mom.

In this interview, Nancy and Amy discuss:

• where the "good mother myth" originated
• how being a good mother is all-encompassing so that we never lift our heads to see the larger picture or argue for structural, societal change
• how the expectation that mothers can or should do it all harms all parents

Here's where you can find Nancy:

• www.nancyreddy.com
• @nancy.o.reddy on IG
• @nancy_reddy on X
• Subscribe to the "Write More, Be Less Careful" newsletter at nancyreddy.substack.com
• Buy THE GOOD MOTHER MYTH: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781250336644

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.

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, parental stress, kids stress, brain development, mom brain, child development research, motherhood research, motherhood myths, #thegoodmothermyth #alreadygreat #givingupongoodness #lessadvicemoresupport #fewerexpertsmorecommunity

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Happy to Help is available wherever you buy books, and at bit.ly/whatfreshhellamazon. Did you know Amy narrates the audiobook?

This episode marks number 400 of Amy-and-Margaret conversations on "What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood." (There are also hundreds of "Fresh Take" interviews with experts and guests!)

We're here this episode to reflect on the lessons learned and challenges faced along the way. We discuss:

• Our biggest parenting takeaways from eight years of this podcast
• How parenting has changed since we started observing it closely
• The things we thought were true about parenting that just did not match up

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.

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, parental stress, kids stress, brain development, mom brain, parenting myths

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re sharing this excellent list of resources to support those affected by the California fires. This list was created by writer Sari Botton @saribotton:

• World Central Kitchen, providing meals in the area.
• Donate a Meal
• Mutual Aid Network L.A.
• GoFundMe
• Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation’s Wildfire Fund
• Project Hope (“actively distributing hygiene kits to displaced families and children, procuring high-need items for shelters and health clinics, supporting health workers administering care to people affected, and mobilizing mental health support in response to the historic fires…“)
• Greater Good Charities (helping people and pets, with donations matched)
• National Council of Jewish Women (collecting clothes, toys, hygiene products and funds).
• California Community Foundation Wildlife Recovery Fund
• Pasadena Humane Society, boarding displaced pets and supplying pet food and medical care.
• Friends In Deed Pasadena
• Displaced Black Families
• Displaced Latine Families Mutual Aid Directory
• Displaced Filipino Families Mutual Directory
• Master List Displaced Families Mutual Aid
• Displaced Disabled Folks
• California Fire Foundation
• Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation
• Direct Relief

We're also offering a replay of this episode from 2021, on how to discuss the news with our kids.

These days, even the littlest children might see a stray notification on a parent's phone, or overhear something scary from someone else's screen. A lot of us struggle with what to tell our kids, how much, and when. But if we don't give the kids any context, some older kid in the cafeteria might become their primary source of (mis)information.

We discuss what age is old enough for difficult topics, what to do when the story is close to home, and how we can always lead with reassurance– plus the best ways to consume the news with, and in front of, our kids.

Here are links to some of the writing on the topic that we discuss in this episode:

• Paul Underwood for NYT: Is the News Too Scary for Kids?
• NPR Parenting: What To Say To Kids When the News Is Scary
• Liz Gumbinner: No, I Don't Know. Please Don't Tell Me
• Common Sense Media: Best News Sources for Kids

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.

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, parental stress, kids stress, news, news with kids, current events, current affairs, LA wildfires, Los Angeles, Los Angeles wildfires

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've been talking about it on the podcast a ton recently: we need to spend less time on our phones. But willpower doesn't work, at least not for long. Writer and influencer Mallory Thomas, author of the romantic novel SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE, explains the science behind our phone addiction and the strategies she put in place that actually worked.

In this episode Mallory, Amy, and Margaret discuss:

• The "aha" moment when Mallory realized she had to decrease her screen time
• Understanding the dopamine rush behind endless scrolling
• Strategies that didn't work, and then what actually did, to help Mallory curb her phone usage

Here's where you can find Mallory:

• @mallorythomas_writes on IG, TikTok, and YouTube
• #whereisyoursomewhere
• www.mallorythomas.com
• Buy SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9798991499903

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.

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, parental stress, kids stress, decluttering, life tips, useful tips, screentime, kids screentime, screens, phones, smartphones, decrease screentime

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get Amy Wilson's new book HAPPY TO HELP at bit.ly/happytohelpamazon or wherever you buy books!

It's a good thing to be aware of the emotions and needs of the people around us. For some kids, it can tip into hypersensitivity to others' emotions, people-pleasing behaviors, and asking if people are mad at them approximately twenty times a day. How can we help? (And is it way worse for girls?)

In this episode, hosts Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables discuss:

• What empirical studies of gender differences in emotion really show
• How empathy can correlate with social anxiety
• Strategies for highly empathetic people to disentangle themselves from others' emotions

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

• Our "How to Yell Less" episode
• Toni Bernhard J.D. for Psychology Today: It's Time to Stop Taking Things Personally
• Connie Chang for Parents Magazine: How to Help Your Sensitive, Deeply Feeling Kid Handle an Overwhelming World
• Kateri McRae et. al in Group Processes & Intergroup Relations Journal: Gender Differences in Emotion Regulation: An fMRI Study of Cognitive Reappraisal
• Athena Chan for The International Business Times: Are Women More Emotional Than Men? Not Really, Study Finds
• Kim Elsesser for Forbes Magazine: Labeling Women As ‘Emotional’ Undermines Their Credibility, New Study Shows
• Teresa J. Frasca et. al for Psychology of Women Quarterly: Words Like Weapons: Labeling Women As Emotional During a Disagreement Negatively Affects the Perceived Legitimacy of Their Arguments
• Zawn Villines for Medical News Today: Empaths and anxiety: Is there a link?
• Merle-Marie Pittelkow et. al for Journal of Anxiety Disorders: Social Anxiety and Empathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
• Sohee Jun for Forbes Magazine: Ways to Stop People-Pleasing

Subscribe to Amy's Substack for more about Happy to Help: amywilsonauthor.substack.com

Join Amy at one of her HAPPY TO HELP launch events, regularly updated at http://bit.ly/happytohelpevents.

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.

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, parental stress, kids stress, gender roles, gender equity, gender stereotypes

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month's Deep Dive series is all about useful tips we've acquired over the years! Listen to the whole series on this Spotify playlist.

We asked our listeners what minor and yet life-changing advice they have to offer. From bringing Sharpies everywhere, to cleaning the shower in the shower, to milkshakes after doctors' appointments, our lives just got a whole lot better!

Margaret and Amy discuss:

• The correct way to boil corn
• What really goes in the glove compartment (not gloves)
• Amy's meet-cute with her husband
• "Let's Make a Deal"

Links!

"Bag o' Glass" on SNL

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.

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, parental stress, kids stress, decluttering, life tips, useful tips

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where do we even start when we feel like we're drowning in too much stuff? Tyler Moore, better known on Instagram as @tidydad, and author of the new book TIDY UP YOUR LIFE, discusses tips on dealing not only with clutter, but with the emotions that accompany it.

Tyler and Amy discuss:

• Keeping only what supports your current life, freeing up space for what matters
• How to divide decluttering into seasons
• Why "easily tidied," and not "always tidied," is the real goal

Here's where you can find Tyler:

• www.thetidydad.com 
• @tidydad on IG
• @thetidydad on TikTok
• #tidyupyourlife
• Buy TIDY UP YOUR LIFE: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780593797839

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.

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, parental stress, kids stress, decluttering, time management, new year, resolutions, positive psychology, clutter clearing, clutter, tidying, tidy up, tidy up your life, tidy up your life book, tidy dad, tuyl book

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In celebration of the launch of her new book, HAPPY TO HELP, in this episode Margaret gives Amy the interview treatment!

Amy tells all about the process of writing this book, the hard times that really put her parenting to the test, and her eventual discovery that putting our own needs lower and lower down our list of priorities will never work well enough to forever-fix everything around us.

You can find HAPPY TO HELP in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook (read by Amy !) at bit.ly/happytohelpamazon or wherever you buy books!

Subscribe to Amy's Substack for more about Happy to Help: amywilsonauthor.substack.com

Join Amy at one of her HAPPY TO HELP launch events, regularly updated at http://bit.ly/happytohelpevents.

Find all the HAPPY TO HELP launch events at www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/tourdates/

And if you'd like to choose HAPPY TO HELP for your book club and have Amy join you live or over Zoom to discuss, send an email to [email protected].

Here's where to find more about Amy:

@amywlsn on Instagram

@amywilsonauthor on Tiktok

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.

#happytohelpbook

memoir, new books, new release, women's lives, essays, people pleasing, perfectionist, type c, chronic illness

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This month's Deep Dive series is all about useful tips we've acquired over the years! Listen to the whole series on this Spotify playlist.

Happy 6th Anniversary to What Fresh Hell! In six years of doing this podcast, we've learned a lot, changed our minds, and watched our kids grow. This week we're talking about the most important things we've learned over the last six years, and what a privilege it is to be part of this incredible podcast community. Thanks for listening!

Here are some things we talk about in this episode:

• Fresh Take: Helena Andrews-Dyer on Learning From Moms Not Like Us
• Fresh Take: Dr. Becky Goodman on Being "Good Inside"
• Faberge Organics Hairspray commercial (tell two friends!)

Sign up for the What Fresh Hell newsletter! Once a month you’ll get our favorite recent episodes, plus links to other things to read and watch and listen to, and upcoming special events: http://eepurl.com/h8ze3z

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.

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, parental stress, kids stress, decluttering,

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices