Best Combat Kin Podcasts (2025)

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DEEP DIVE: What Kind of Mom-ster? 45:51

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6h ago45:51

45:51

What's your scariest mom-ster story? Do you leave half-empty cups everywhere like Margaret? Do you leave hairs on the shower wall like Amy? We asked our listeners when they were the mom-sters, and some of the answers sent chills down our spines! In this episode, Amy and Margaret discuss: "Driver's License" (wait, is it not cool anymore?) The secret…

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Best of 2025: Jessica N. Turner on Rising from Grief and Disappointment 37:03

3d ago37:03

37:03

To wrap up 2025, we’re re-running some of our favorite guest episodes from this year. When we're faced with difficulties, how can we put them into perspective and move forward? Jessica N. Turner, author of the new book I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BETTER THAN THIS, discusses the experiences that led her to look at life differently and how she has learned …

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Best of: How to Be in "High Magic, Low Effort" Mode This Holiday Season 48:27

5d ago48:27

48:27

For the holidays, we’re re-running some of our very favorite holiday-themed episodes! It's hard not to feel like we've got to be doing ALL the things at the holidays, especially when social media tells us we should be. Here are some tips for taking perspective at the holidays and operating in "high magic, low effort" mode. We discuss: pre-gaming wi…

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DEEP DIVE: Why Is This a Thing? 45:59

7d ago45:59

45:59

In this best-of, listener-driven episode, we talk about all the things that our listeners say should not be things, like: prairie dresses thank you cards school theme days Dinosaurs ...and so many more! What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. This episode was originally released on April 6th, 2022. We love the sponsors that m…

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Fresh Take: Sophie Kihm of Nameberry on the Baby Names We'll Be Seeing in 2026 37:53

10d ago37:53

37:53

Amy talks with Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of Nameberry (the world’s largest baby name website!) about the top baby name trends predicted for 2026, and why naming a child feels more complicated—and more meaningful—than ever. Sophie explains how Nameberry analyzes real-time search and save data, alongside Social Security statistics, to forecast whi…

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Why Kids Melt Down During the Holidays—And How to Handle It 43:11

12d ago43:11

43:11

Why is the "most wonderful time of the year" also the time, all too often, when our kids are at their worst? Drawing on research from child psychologists, developmental experts, and real-life family dynamics, Amy and Margaret explore this extremely familiar dynamic, and explain how disrupted routines, sensory overload, anxiety, social expectations,…

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DEEP DIVE: Better Then? Or Better Now? 43:54

14d ago43:54

43:54

This week we're discussing whether these parts of our lives (then as children, now as parents) are better then or better now: Halloween costumes holidays at school jeans what's for lunch cleaning the house What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. This episode was originally released on October 30th, 2019. We love the sponsors …

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Fresh Take: Sophie Lucido Johnson, KIN 40:16

17d ago40:16

40:16

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 practice…

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The Parables That Stick With Us 39:50

19d ago39:50

39:50

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 h…

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DEEP DIVE: Why Kids Need More Time To Play 43:39

21d ago43:39

43:39

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…

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Fresh Take: Erin Cox on Navigating Family Drama, Guilt, and Stress at the Holidays 37:34

24d ago37:34

37:34

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 …

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Saying "No" Is Also Work 42:11

26d ago42:11

42:11

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…

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DEEP DIVE: Are We Helping or Are We Helicoptering? 41:12

28d ago41:12

41:12

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 disc…

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Fresh Take: Glen Henry, FATHER YOURSELF FIRST 34:41

1M ago34:41

34:41

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 u…

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BEST OF: I Love My Family, But They Need To Stop Doing This 45:43

1M ago45:43

45:43

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 t…

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DEEP DIVE: Lynn Lyons and Robin Hutson of "Flusterclux" 42:00

1M ago42:00

42:00

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 p…

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Fresh Take: Dr. Michael Milobsky 32:39

1M ago32:39

32:39

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 …

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Holiday Hacks 42:29

1M ago42:29

42:29

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), t…

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DEEP DIVE: Dr. Gabor Maté and Dr. Gordon Neufeld on Maintaining Healthy Connection with Our Kids 30:34

1M ago30:34

30:34

This week, we're revisiting our interview with Dr. Gabor Maté and Dr. Gordon Neufeld. In the revised edition of their book ⁠HOLD ONTO YOUR KIDS⁠, Dr. Maté and Dr. Neufeld explain the crucial importance of remaining attached to our children as they grow. Dr. Gordon Neufeld is an internationally renowned psychologist and foremost authority on child d…

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Fresh Take: Kate Baer, HOW ABOUT NOW 32:43

2M ago32:43

32:43

Amy and Margaret talk with Kate Baer, three-time New York Times bestselling poet, about her new poetry collection How About Now— a book born out of a season of unexpected change. From sudden health crises to the shifting identity of motherhood, Kate invites us into the raw material of her life — and shows us how poetry can hold what the forms and b…

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Boys Online: What the Latest Data Shows 44:27

2M ago44:27

44:27

Amy and Margaret discuss two new studies on boys and their lives online—in social media and gaming—and how today's digital culture shapes boys’ mental health, relationships, and ideas about their bodies and about masculinity. We discuss why gaming fills social and emotional needs for many boys, why the time spent may be of more concern than the con…

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DEEP DIVE: Liz Gumbinner on Ditching the Hustle 35:19

2M ago35:19

35:19

Contrary to what social media would have us believe, not every hobby has to turn into a madly successful side-hustle that takes the world by storm. Margaret talks with Liz Gumbinner, co-host of the podcast ⁠"Spawned with Kristen and Liz⁠," about why it's okay to just make really delicious cookies. ⁠Liz Gumbinner⁠ is a writer, award-winning ad agenc…

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Fresh Take: Jen Hatmaker, AWAKE 36:42

2M ago36:42

36:42

Amy and Margaret talk with bestselling author and "For the Love" podcaster Jen Hatmaker about her new memoir AWAKE. Jen's book begins with the moment she knew her marriage was over, and goes on to tell the story of the midlife reckoning that followed—and how her life up until that point had left her, in some ways, particularly unprepared. In this i…

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Caregiving 43:20

2M ago43:20

43:20

Amy and Margaret honor National Caregiving Month with an honest, compassionate look at the realities of caregiving. From raising kids to caring for aging parents—or both at once—they explore the invisible labor, emotional toll, and financial strain that caregivers face every day. They share personal stories, research-backed insights, and practical …

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DEEP DIVE: Crazymakers 45:35

2M ago45:35

45:35

We all know someone who causes chaos—both lawful and otherwise—wherever they go. Those people are sometimes called "crazymakers," a term first coined by Julia Cameron and which perfectly describes the unwelcome disruption they bring to our own peace of mind. Here's how to spot the crazymakers in your life, and how to avoid getting caught up in thei…

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Fresh Take: Corinne Low, HAVING IT ALL 42:18

2M ago42:18

42:18

Amy and Margaret talk with Dr. Corinne Low, Wharton economist and author of Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours. Corinne shares her data-driven insights on why working mothers feel overextended, how “having it all” became an impossible equation, and how redefining success through your own “utility…

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Why Kids Get Obsessed—And Why It's a Good Thing 38:47

2M ago38:47

38:47

Amy and Margaret discuss why kids become intensely obsessed with the things they love—whether it’s dinosaurs, Pokémon, sharks, or Spider-Man—and how those fascinations manifest throughout their childhoods. They explore the developmental benefits of "intense interests," from mastery and comfort to confidence and identity. They break down when an obs…

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DEEP DIVE: Kendra Adachi (The Lazy Genius) on Compassionate Time Management 45:04

2M ago45:04

45:04

We're so glad to be talking to ⁠Kendra Adachi⁠ again this week. Kendra is the host of the⁠ Lazy Genius Podcast⁠ and the two-time New York Times bestselling author of The Lazy Genius Way and The Lazy Genius Kitchen. In this interview, we discuss what Kendra calls "compassionate time management" and her newest book, ⁠The PLAN: Manage Your Time Like a…

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Fresh Take: Irin Carmon, UNBEARABLE 43:07

2M ago43:07

43:07

Content note: This episode discusses complications of pregnancy, including pregnancy loss and maternal death. Amy and Margaret sit down with journalist and author Irin Carmon to discuss her new book, UNBEARABLE: Five Women and the Perils of Pregnancy in America. Through research and deep reporting, Carmon exposes the complicated reality of being pr…

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How Kids Spend Their Time (And How They Should) 45:06

2M ago45:06

45:06

How are our kids actually spending their time — and is it aligned with what we value for our families' lives and for our children's well-being? This week, Amy and Margaret discuss: How sleep too often loses out to homework and activities Time tracking and the sobering truth it can show about how many hours a week our kids actually spend on screens …

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Dr. Natasha Bhuyan Introduces Amazon One Medical Pay-Per-Visit 22:04

2M ago22:04

22:04

This episode is brought to you by Amazon One Medical. Ever notice how kids only seem to get rashes in the middle of the night? Or get pinkeye only while you’re on vacation? It’s what we like to call a typical “mom worst”—and here comes a great new solution: Amazon One Medical Pay-Per-Visit is now offering trusted care through telehealth visits for …

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DEEP DIVE: Laura Vanderkam on "Tranquility By Tuesday" 35:20

2M ago35:20

35:20

Laura Vanderkam⁠ is the author of several time management books, including the just-out ⁠"Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters."⁠ She hosts the every-weekday-morning podcast "Before Breakfast" and also co-hosts "Best of Both Worlds" with Sarah Hart-Unger. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and…

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Fresh Take: Kate Rope, STRONG AS A GIRL 35:45

2M ago35:45

35:45

Amy and Margaret speak with Kate Rope, award-winning journalist and author of STRONG AS A GIRL: Your Guide to Raising Girls Who Know, Stand Up For, and Take Care of Themselves. Together, they unpack the unique challenges and opportunities facing today’s girls—from body image and social media to perfectionism, mental health, and the pressure to be “…

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When Stress Becomes Burnout (and How to Tell the Difference) 45:17

3M ago45:17

45:17

In this episode, Amy and Margaret explore the crucial distinction between stress and burnout—two experiences that often blur together in the chaos of parenting, but which are very different in presentation and the attention they require. Stress might be unavoidable, but it can also be motivational and lead to further growth. But when stress becomes…

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DEEP DIVE: 8 Ways to Make Better Decisions 47:24

3M ago47:24

47:24

There is no magic formula to making the perfect decision every time, but there are philosophical principles, or "razors," you can use to pare down your options and see your problem more clearly. These razors can cut through the clutter of complexity and help us see the forest for the trees. And while they weren't designed with parents in mind, they…

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Fresh Take: Jean Twenge, 10 RULES FOR RAISING KIDS IN A HIGH-TECH WORLD 38:31

3M ago38:31

38:31

Amy and Margaret sit down with Dr. Jean Twenge, renowned researcher of generational differences and author of the new book 10 RULES FOR RAISING KIDS IN A HIGH-TECH WORLD. Dr. Twenge shares what her research reveals about smartphones, social media, and gaming—and how they impact kids’ mental health, sleep, and friendships. From the rise of teen depr…

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Mom Worsts 44:55

3M ago44:55

44:55

Mom firsts? We prefer to reminisce about Mom WORSTS. In this episode we relive some of our all-time lousiest experiences as mothers, from family-wide Coxsackie virus to elaborate homework assignments achievable only with extensive parental participation. Margaret mentions the song "Tim Finnegan's Wake" in this episode, which you can listen to here:…

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DEEP DIVE: What Can We Add? What Can We Take Away? 42:31

3M ago42:31

42:31

The human tendency to solve problems by adding something is called "additive solution bias." However, sometimes a problem is more quickly and effectively solved by taking something away. In this episode we talk about how "additive solution bias" can play out in our parenting strategies, and how we can become more aware of the times when what we act…

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Fresh Take: Suzanne Warye, THE SOBER SHIFT 42:41

3M ago42:41

42:41

Margaret sits down with Suzanne Warye—sobriety influencer, host of The Sober Mom Life podcast, and author of the new book THE SOBER SHIFT. Suzanne shares her story of walking away from alcohol, the truth about moderation, the concept of gray area drinking, and why sobriety can feel like abundance, not deprivation. Together, they explore how alcohol…

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When Does "Typical" Behavior Become Something More? 44:23

3M ago44:23

44:23

Is your kid extremely resistant to the simplest of requests? Or completely impossible to wake up in the morning? Or sure their peers don't like them, despite pretty clear evidence to the contrary? All of these are extremely typical kid behaviors. All of these also have more intense manifestations—PDA, DSWPD, and RSD, respectively— which meet clinic…

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DEEP DIVE: Why Women Have Less Free Time 44:13

3M ago44:13

44:13

A recent report found that the division of home responsibilities is still grossly unequal. Mothers—whether they are married or single—do significantly more than fathers. In fact, the ⁠“The Free-Time Gender Gap” ⁠report found that “simply being a woman is linked to spending more time on unpaid childcare and household work, and having less free time,…

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Fresh Take: Carla Ciccone, NOWHERE GIRL 35:48

3M ago35:48

35:48

What happens when you finally, as an adult, understand for the first time that your brain has been wired differently all along? Writer and mother Carla Ciccone joins Amy and Margaret to discuss her memoir NOWHERE GIRL: Life as a Member of ADHD’s Lost Generation. Together, they explore how ADHD in women often presents differently than the “hyperacti…

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The Craziest Things We've Done for Our Kids 43:31

3M ago43:31

43:31

From road trips to reclaim lost lovies to birthday extravaganzas with six-month planning windows, parents will do just about anything for their kids. Amy and Margaret share listener stories—and their own—about the wildest, weirdest, and most over-the-top lengths we have all gone to make their kids happy. Read the saga of the missing Tortellini We l…

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DEEP DIVE: Dr. Amber Thornton on Finding Real Balance 30:27

3M ago30:27

30:27

We've all felt the guilt that comes with taking time away from our kids to do something we enjoy. But if we're always being told how liberating it is to do things for ourselves, why do we have such complicated feelings about? Dr. Amber Thornton tells us how we can successfully balance our lives both as women and as mothers. ⁠Dr. Amber Thornton⁠ is …

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Fresh Take: Kate Mason, POWERFULLY LIKABLE 41:16

3M ago41:16

41:16

How do women balance being both effective and likable? It shouldn't be ours to manage, and yet it is. This week Margaret and Amy talk with Dr. Kate Mason, communications coach and author of POWERFULLY LIKABLE: A Woman’s Guide to Effective Communication. What you'll learn in this episode: Why women often feel trapped between being “powerful” or “lik…

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Do Our Friendships Have to Be This Complicated? 42:15

3M ago42:15

42:15

Have female friendships become more complicated than they need to be? Amy and Margaret dig into the dynamics of their own female-female friendships and what the research says: why some friendships last decades, why others drift apart, and why friendship “breakup texts” have become a thing. In this episode you'll learn: Why women expect more intimac…

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DEEP DIVE: Natalie Mayslich and Blessing Adesiyan on the Future of Remote Work 30:58

4M ago30:58

30:58

Natalie Mayslich is the President of Consumer for ⁠Care.com⁠, where she is responsible for expanding, building and delivering the Company’s portfolio of Childcare and Senior Care products and services. Blessing Adesiyan is the Founder of ⁠Mother Honestly⁠, a platform that provides financial technology and work-life infrastructure to employers and i…

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Fresh Take: Trevor Hanson on Healing Our Attachment Styles 38:45

4M ago38:45

38:45

Amy sits down with Trevor Hanson, coach and founder of The Art of Healing and the Secure Self Club, to unpack the power of attachment theory and how it shapes our relationships. Trevor explains the differences between secure, anxious, and avoidant attachment styles—and why understanding your patterns can transform the way you love, communicate, and…

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Even More Husband Crimes (Part 2) 41:13

4M ago41:13

41:13

It's what you've all been waiting for: Even More Husband Crimes, Part Two. This episode's charges include: napping on Mother's Day seasoning food like he's on a cooking show booking weeklong holidays to the in-laws' house Book 'em, Dano. Do not pass go. Do not collect 200 dollars. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always fi…

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DEEP DIVE: Ericka Sóuter on How to Have a Kid and a Life 36:26

4M ago36:26

36:26

Ericka Sóuter has over 20 years of journalism experience and is a regular contributor on Good Morning America and other national broadcast outlets. Ericka speaks to parents across the country about the issues, controversies, and trends most affecting families today. She's also the author of ⁠How to Have a Kid and Life: a Survival Guide.⁠ In this ep…