Love your career? Love your family? Best of Both Worlds is the show for you! Hosts Laura Vanderkam, author of I Know How She Does It and a mom of five, and Sarah Hart-Unger, a practicing physician and mom of three, discuss work/life balance, career development, parenting, time management, productivity, and making time for fun. Tune in each week for strategies to help you thrive in all spheres of life.
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Sarahhartunger Podcasts
201
Disability Advocate Heather Avis on Shifting Narratives and Promoting Inclusivity EP 417
35:32
35:32
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35:32
Heather Avis is a parent of two children with Down Syndrome. She shares her powerful adoption story and her mission to shift the narratives around special needs. She also has great perspective on helping kids develop resilience and embrace what makes them different. Her new children's book, I Like You So Much, is available wherever books are sold. …
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Family Matters: Navigating Extended Family Relationships EP 416
39:39
39:39
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39:39
Extended family relationships: they can be wonderful, and they can be hard! In today's episode, Sarah and Laura talk through some common challenges in this arena -- from conflict over traveling for the holidays to family members as babysitters -- and provide ideas that might help make things a little bit easier. Plus, family text chains and a thoug…
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Pregnancy in the Spotlight with CNN Correspondent Kristen Holmes EP 415
35:36
35:36
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35:36
In today’s episode, Laura interviews Kristen Holmes, a senior White House correspondant for CNN who just had her second child in Janaury (meaning she spent most of the presidential campaign last year pregnant!). She shares her strategies for combining pregnancy, early parenthood, and work while on a big public-facing career track. In the Q&A, a lis…
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Dressing for Self-Respect: Work Wardrobe Secrets with Fashion Expert Marcy Syms EP 414
40:48
40:48
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40:48
In today’s episode, Sarah interviews Marcy Syms, former CEO of an apparel corporation and current founding trustee and president of the Sy Syms Foundation. Marcy believes that clothing is a form of self-respect, and a powerful PR tool. She discusses why it makes sense to invest time and money into our wardrobes, and how to do so effectively, with s…
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2025 Mid-Year Review: Ups, Downs, and Surprises EP 413
34:32
34:32
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34:32
In today’s episode, Laura and Sarah share their traditional mid-year review! They revisit 2025 goals in several categories, including personal, career, relationships, and household, and reflect on their chosen words of the year. In the Q&A, a listener asks for tips about when to fit in more summer reading. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in…
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Skip the Misery: From Ice Baths to Spa Showers EP 412
33:30
33:30
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33:30
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah discuss ways to add more joy into every day, as opposed to seeking out opportunities for suffering (ice baths being one trendy example of this)! They discuss elevating daily routines, finding high points in the work day (including good breaks), and making the most of those golden evening hours. In the Q&A, a list…
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Kids + Tech from Silicon Valley Insider Rachel Fuld Cohen EP 411
38:29
38:29
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38:29
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah share the apps they wouldn't want to go without, and then Rachel Fuld Cohen joins Laura to discuss kids and tech from an insider's perspective; Rachel is co-founder and COO of Silicon Society, an EdTech company focused on creating scalable, personalized, & cutting edge learning experiences in the AI Age, and is p…
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Fun for the Whole Family (Even with a 13-Year Age Gap!) EP 410
36:16
36:16
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36:16
In today's episode, Sarah and Laura chat about the start to their summers, and then dive into the topic of whole-family fun. Laura's kids are 5-18, and Sarah's are 7-13 -- both acknowledge the challenge that "whole family fun" can present especially with decent-sized age gaps, and provide some ideas to help (or in some cases, arguments for throwing…
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Preserving Family Memories + More with Chatbooks Founder Vanessa Quigley EP 409
43:35
43:35
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43:35
Sarah and Laura share their current practices for preserving family memories, and then Vanessa Quigley joins Sarah to share her experiences in building Chatbooks, as well as her take on why printing family memories are so important. She also discusses her entrepreneurial journey and some of the ways in which Chatbooks has become a company known for…
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Advancement at Work with Lareina Yee, Author of The Broken Rung EP 408
40:41
40:41
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40:41
In today's episode, senior consulting partner Lareina Yee comes on to discuss career advancement, with a discussion of what is behind fewer women n top leadership positions. She shares the current challenges, but also practical tips to help avoid missing out on important career opportunities. Lareina Yee is an author of The Broken Rung: When the Ca…
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Thinking Through Summer: Top 5 Edition EP 407
33:36
33:36
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33:36
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah discuss all things summer, with the format of: - 5 ways to celebrate the kickoff of summer - 5 summer challenges - 5 things they want to do - 5 summer-themed loves of the week! In the Q&A, they discuss the common dilemma of handling that last week of summer before school starts (when camp options are sparse!) See…
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Later Phases of Parenting + Midlife Leisure Pursuits with Meagan Francis EP 406
41:34
41:34
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41:34
In today's episode, Meagan chats with Laura about launching kids into the real world (timely!), and they also pivot to talking all things fun and leisure. Meagan's book, The Last Parenting Book You'll Ever Read: How to Let Our Kids Go and Embrace What's Next is out this month and available wherever books are sold. Find lots more from Meagan at meag…
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Hybrid Careers and More with Dr. Tiffany Moon (of Real Housewives of Dallas!) EP 405
42:05
42:05
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42:05
In today’s episode, Sarah interviews Dr. Tiffany Moon, anesthesiologist and reality TV start (Real Housewives of Dallas)! They chat about Tiffany’s unique life and career journey, Tiffany’s hybrid career, handling negativity as a public figure, and weaponized professionalism. Dr. Tiffany Moon’s new book, Joy Prescriptions: How I Learned to Stop Cha…
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Sarah Armstrong on Divorce and Working Motherhood EP 404
37:56
37:56
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37:56
Laura and Sarah open by discussing topics that people seem to be talking about more openly, including divorce. Listeners had requested a divorce expert, and Sarah Armstrong delivers here as the author of The Mom's Guide to a Good Divorce: What to Think Through When Children are Involved. Sarah has spent years thinking about how to best move forward…
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Organize First and Decorate Second with Whitney English EP 403
40:20
40:20
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40:20
Author and designer Whitney English chats with Laura in this episode about organizing and decorating, which she recommends always doing in that order! First, Sarah and Laura chat about Whitney's planner creations, and delve into their own organizing projects. In the Q&A segment, a listener writes in asking for bathing suit recommendations! Whitney'…
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Your RTO (Return to Office) Survival Guide EP 402
35:21
35:21
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35:21
This episode begins with a great soapbox discussion about RTO mandates, and then Sarah and Laura delve into ways to try to help if you are in this situation. Sarah lists some positive aspects she's found about working in an office (in her case, a clinical setting) and then both share tips to help moving forward. In the Q&A, a listener writes in ask…
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"I Thought It Would Be Better Than This": Expectations vs Reality with Jessica Turner EP 401
37:44
37:44
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37:44
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah open with a discussion of things that seemed like they would be . . .well, better than they actually turned out to be. Then, author Jessica Turner joins Laura to discuss this topic, also covered in her new book called I Thought It Would Be Better Than This: Rise from Disappointment, Regain Control, and Rebuild a …
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Celebrating 400 + Carving Out Deep Work Time EP 400
35:07
35:07
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35:07
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah celebrate reaching the big 4-0-0, with some discussion of accumulated topics and lessons learned. Then, Laura and Sarah share tips of carving out enough time to get focused work done. Everyone knows it's important to have time to really delve into work and concentrate, but the practical aspects of doing that aren…
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In this fun conversational episode, Sarah and Laura play the "Never Have I Ever" game, revealing some fun facts about each of their lives. This is a lighter episode, but if you've ever been curious as to whether either of them have had wardrobe malfunctions or danced on a bar, this one is for you :) In the Q&A, a listener asks for advice hosting a …
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Life Updates + Adjustments: Laura Interviews Sarah Ep 398
33:49
33:49
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Sarah has had quite a bit going on over the past couple of weeks, and Laura interviews her about these events and how she's doing now in this episode. They talk about the challenges of planning ahead when there's more uncertainty, and the ways it can be helpful to pivot when things don't go according to plan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
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Positive Parenting Milestones: The Flip Side of "Just You Wait . . ." EP 397
42:43
42:43
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42:43
Note: If you have differently-abled children, you might want to skip this episode if a discussion of typically-timed childhood milestones would be triggering to you. The counterpoint to the classic "Just You Wait . . ." adage, this episode discusses lots of positive aspects of kids growing older, more verbal, and independent -- from baby and toddle…
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What comes up when you Google yourself, and are you happy the result? Sarah and Laura discuss ways of letting the world know about your expertise, from providing evidence of your competency, the value of persistence, being open to opportunity, and more! In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking for non-travel spring break ideas. See omnystudio.com/li…
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Raising Calm Kids in a Worry-Filled World EP 395
38:47
38:47
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38:47
There's always plenty to worry about, but things can get overwhelming for kids very quickly. In today's episode, licensed therapists Ashley Graber and Maria Evans chat with Laura about how we can encourage calm, even when the news feed isn't. BONUS: many of these tips apply to adults, too! In the Q&A, a listener wonders: at what age do kids start c…
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Challenging "Good Mother" Myths with Nancy Reddy EP 394
46:25
46:25
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46:25
What does a "good mother" image conjure up for us, and WHERE did we get those ideas, anyway? Nancy Reddy seeks to answer these questions in her book The Good Mother Myth, and this interview goes through many of these myths (those that apply to the early years and the later parenting years, too) with a nod to where they came from and where we might …
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Keep It Hot: Valentine's Day Inspired Tips for Keeping the Romance Alive EP 393
34:00
34:00
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34:00
In today's episode, Sarah and Laura are going to share listener challenges and tips around keeping the spice in their relationships. (Neither will get too personal given the nature of the topic, so grateful for the anonymous contributors!) You might want to use headphones on this one around kids :) Topics addressed include time challenges, hormonal…
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