
The Mother Of It All
We are Miranda Rake and Sarah Wheeler, two friends, mothers and professional writers on the parenting beat. The Mother Of It All is a podcast where we dive deep into the culture of modern motherhood. Expect warmth, humor and over-considered takes on hot topics, fresh takes on old ones, expert guests and good times. motherofitall.substack.com
Latest episodes

Apr 8, 2024 • 46min
Episode 18: Dr Becky and The Parenting-Optimization Era, with Kathryn Jezer-Morton
Kathryn Jezer-Morton discusses her profile of Dr. Becky and the 'Good Inside' parent community. They explore Dr. Becky's positive parenting advice and the challenges of balancing worries with calm authority. The conversation delves into raising highly sensitive children and the influence of social media on modern parenting.

Apr 1, 2024 • 1h 8min
Episode 17 : Parenting and Psychedelics with Rebecca Kronman
Sarah and Miranda are joined by Rebecca Kronman, a licensed clinical social worker and co-founder of Plant Parenthood, a community that explores the intersection of psychedelics and the family. She talks about the importance of set and setting, the false dichotomy between healing and joy, and about how psychedelics help some parents heal intergenerational trauma and connect more easily with their children by tapping them into a more child-like perspective.Links: Rebecca Kronman of Plant Parenthood Miranda’s feature on Mushroom Moms Sarah’s Cut piece Moms Gone Wild Study: Your Brain on LSD Looks A Lot Like A Baby’s Santo Daime Ismail L. Ali of MAPS Fireside Project Trip Support Hotline How To Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan Global Psychedelic Society Culture Recs: The Upstairs House by Julia Fine The Hidden Life of Pets show on Netlfix This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 29, 2024 • 51min
MOVIE CLUB: Tully & The Power of Postpartum Ghost Stories with Janet Manley
LitHub contributing editor Janet Manley joins us to talk about the postpartum comedy with a horror twist that started it all, 2018’s Tully. We discuss how the conversation around the postpartum period has changed in six years, what the New York Times got wrong about this film, and what we would go back and offer our postpartum selves.Links: Janet’s newsletter, Kafka’s Baby Janet’s coverage of the movie here and here Stupid NYT review Better Vulture review Book Recs: Samantha Hunt’s Mr. Splitfoot Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch Julia Fine’s The Upstairs House--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mother-culture-pod/message This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 25, 2024 • 1h 3min
Episode 16: Gaza, American Motherhood & Activism with Lydia Kiesling
With author and essayist Lydia Kiesling, we talk about the conflict in Gaza, which has taken the lives of tens of thousands of our fellow mothers and their children. We explore the ways that motherhood has the potential to awaken activism, about feeling frozen, helpless or overwhelmed, as well as how we can take our tender hearts and protective instincts and direct them towards activism and real change. LINKS: - United Nations report on Gaza Casualties March 12, 2024- UNRWA report more children killed since Oct 7 than 4 years of conflict world wide. - Birds of Gaza- Mobility by Lydia Kiesling- Lydia’s Link DocJoin our Patreon!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mother-culture-pod/message This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe

15 snips
Mar 18, 2024 • 1h 8min
Episode 15: Marriage & the Divorce Discourse with Emily Gould
Discussing the current divorce discourse, mental health support, and personal writing with author Emily Gould. Reflecting on marriage, societal norms, and gender roles. Diving into personal narratives, authenticity in storytelling, and societal reactions. Exploring motherhood, marriage, and divorce in patriarchal societies. Sharing personal reflections on movies and engaging interviews with special guests.

Mar 4, 2024 • 1h 3min
Episode 14: Mothering, Race & Identity with Priya Joi
Sarah and Miranda are joined by Priya Joi, a Barcelona-based science journalist and the author of the memoir M(other)land: What I’ve Learned About Parenthood, Race, and Identity. Joi was born in the UK, spent part of her childhood in India, and is raising her own daughter in Barcelona. In this episode we explore how motherhood made questions of race, belonging and identity that Joi had spent her life navigating even more urgent and complex. Links: Motherland: What I’ve Learnt about Parenthood, Race and Identity by Priya JoiPriya Joi’s Substack Newsletter, the Art of Freelance How we Dealt with our Black Daughter’s Obsession with Frozen – And the Very White Elsa in RomperThe Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Phillippa PerryI Am Not Your Baby Mother by Candice BrathwaiteSubscribe to our Patreon--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mother-culture-pod/message This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe

Feb 26, 2024 • 53min
MOVIE CLUB: Baby Boom with Jo Piazza
We’re giving our listener’s a little treat – a free February Movie Club episode! Author and podcaster Jo Piazza comes on the pod to break down the beloved 1987 working-mom classic, Baby Boom. We talk overt vs. covert misogyny, why it’s time to retire the phrase “having it all,” and of course, the brilliance of style acumen of Diane Keaton. Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to past and future Movie Club episodes! Links: Pre-order Jo’s new novel, The Sicilian Inheritance Subscribe to Jo’s SubstackRead Miranda’s piece on watching Baby Boom in Romper--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mother-culture-pod/message This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe

Feb 19, 2024 • 1h 9min
Episode 13: How Social Media Storytelling Has Changed Our Understanding Of Motherhood, Childhood & What Makes A Good Life with Kathryn Jezer-Morton
Sociologist Kathryn Jezer-Morton discusses how social media affects motherhood and childhood perceptions. They explore the desire to control children's memories, imitating influencers, and the impact on personal and children's lives. Also, topics like Reservation Dogs, teen doodles, and parenting advice from Dr. Becky are touched upon.

Feb 5, 2024 • 58min
Episode 12: Grief, Writing & A Mother's Oceanic Love with Tamarin Norwood
Precise, poetic and deeply moving, Tamarin Norwood's much-anticipated book, The Song of the Whole Wide World: On Grief, Motherhood and Poetry, chronicles her experience of having a son, Gabriel, who lived just 72 minutes. In this episode, she joins Miranda and Sarah to share and reflect on passages from her gorgeous book, talk about the ultimate "taboo within a taboo" that is infant loss, as well as the urgent, wonderful work she is doing today to help other bereaved parents.LINKS: Something Good Enough, an excerpt of the book in The Lancet Tamarin on Instagram and on TwitterJoin our Patreon!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mother-culture-pod/message This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe

Jan 27, 2024 • 3min
Patreon Movie Club Sneak Peek
Every month for our Patreon members we release a special Movie Club episode where we take on movies through the lense of motherhood, and motherhood through the lense of movies. This month, we discuss the Oscar nominations with Tracy Clark Flory.Join our Patreon for as little as $5 a month to hear the full episode!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mother-culture-pod/message This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe