Katherine Ryan on Feminism, Face Lifts & Controversial Parenting!

Oct 30, 2025

In a candid chat, comedian and writer Katherine Ryan, known for her sharp wit, dives into the complexities of feminism and aging. She reflects on her experiences at Hooters and how they shaped her identity. Katherine shares her eccentric parenting choices like co-sleeping and early potty training, along with stories of her parents' divorce and how it influenced her resilience. With humor, she discusses the stigma around cosmetic surgery, including gifting her mother a facelift, merging humor and honesty in every aspect of her life.

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INSIGHT

Feminine And Feminist Can Coexist

Katherine embraces both femininity and feminism without shame and rejects binary labels about how a woman should behave.
She argues personal beauty choices can be self-directed and not only responses to the male gaze.

ADVICE

Protect Teen Privacy Online

Keep children's privacy in mind and delay social media exposure until they can consent and manage it responsibly.
Check phones when necessary but gradually give them autonomy as they mature.

INSIGHT

Thick Skin Isn’t Only Experience

Thick skin develops variably and isn't purely experience-dependent; temperament plays a large role.
Katherine notes siblings can respond very differently to the same life events.

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In this episode of Begin Again, comedian, writer and mother Katherine Ryan opens up about the fierce, funny and sometimes controversial journey that shaped who she is today.

Katherine shares her unfiltered take on feminism, aging, and identity from her early years navigating beauty standards and working at Hooters, to embracing her femininity and her candid thoughts on getting surgery without shame. She speaks openly about her parenting choices, including co-sleeping, early potty training, and raising her children in a way that challenges convention.

The conversation dives into the emotional complexity of family life, including Katherine’s experience brokering her parents’ divorce at 15, her mother’s influence, and the story behind the face lift she gifted her. She also reflects on rekindling love with her high school sweetheart, and how their shared small-town values created an unexpected foundation for her family today.

With trademark wit and remarkable vulnerability, Katherine Ryan invites us into her world a space where contradictions coexist, shame is optional, and motherhood, feminism, and identity are all up for redefinition.

(00:00) Intro
(01:22) Who Is Katherine Ryan?
(01:50) Embracing Femininity and Feminism
(03:59) Why Turning 40 Is Actually Great
(07:09) Oversharing, Shame, and Owning Your Story
(09:31) Protecting Children on Social Media
(11:55) Katherine on Her Parents and Childhood
(15:21) Learning to Stop Caring What Others Think
(17:13) Dealing With Offense, Annoying People, and Growing Thick Skin
(20:31) How Katherine Brokered Her Parents' Divorce at 15
(26:49) Single Motherhood and Spoiling Her Kids
(31:29) Do Parents Really Have a Favourite Child?
(32:34) Ancient & Brave Ad
(33:40) Reuniting With Her High School Sweetheart
(43:27) Working at Hooters: The Untold Story
(49:37) Starting Stand-Up at 20 and Being a Woman in Comedy
(56:33) Misogyny, the Patriarchy, Plastic Surgery, and Self-Love
(01:05:56) Inside Katherine’s Parenting Style
(01:15:24) Working in British Television
(01:22:18) What Legacy Does Katherine Ryan Want to Leave?