The Motherly Podcast

Dr. Colleen Kraft is a leading pediatrician and former President of the American Academy of Pediatrics who has been instrumental in making mental health for kids a central topic of conversation in the public health community. She’s also the mother of three children, and recently lost her adult son -- Tim -- to suicide. Her personal loss has driven her public health advocacy, really calling for greater mental health support and gun safety measures. In her conversation with Liz, Dr. Kraft explains why she thinks gun safety is a public health issue, not a political one. She also shares the story of her son Tim’s death and offers actionable steps for mothers who are concerned about mental health and gun safety. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special bonus episode of “This is Motherhood,” host Joyce Brewer checks in with the very funny comedian, writer, and actress, Hollie Harper. Hollie is best known for her sketch comedy show American Candy and she’s also the creator, producer, and host of BRIC TV’s Hella Late with Hollie Harper, a Black woman lead, late-night, comedic talk and variety show. Hollie is also a mom of two and frequently writes about her experience as a Black mom. In this conversation, she shares all the parts of being a Black mom that are hilarious – and why she’s sometimes a little too over-the-top for her kids. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a child, Soleil Moon Frye became famous for her breakout role in the eighties show Punky Brewster – then in 2021, she released a critically acclaimed documentary called Kid90. Now, the mom of four, who has been an activist her whole life, is a spokesperson for the public health awareness campaign around the Meningitis B vaccine for children and young adults. In this episode, Liz talks to Soleil about why she’s always felt a responsibility to make the world a better place, why she always wanted to have a big family, and the questions parents should ask their doctor about the Meningitis B vaccine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of “This is Motherhood,” host Joyce Brewer speaks with Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, a physician specializing in modern day burnout and mental health. Dr. Aditi talks about the effects of the pandemic on mother’s mental health, the importance of diverse representation in the medical field, and offers some tangible things that mothers can do to manage feelings of burnout and stress. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

YouTube star, funny woman, and author Laura Clery is known for her brutal honesty about motherhood – and in this conversation, she holds nothing back, opening up about her addiction and recovery, her midnight panic attacks, the reality of her two birth experiences, her son’s diagnosis with autism, and why she wrote her new book Idiots, Marriage, Motherhood, Milk and Mistakes. She also explains why she hopes that sharing her own struggles will make other moms feel as though they are not alone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first special episode of Season 2 of “This is Motherhood,” host Joyce Brewer checks in with Pinky Cole, the Founder and CEO of popular vegan burger chain Slutty Vegan, based out of Atlanta. Pinky talks about what’s next for her growing business and why it has been so important for her to give back to her community through her foundation. She also explains what it has been like juggling work with mothering her 10-month-old daughter–and with her son on the way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Liz speaks with award-winning Young Adult novelist, Caroline Tung Richmond, and Executive Director of We Need Diverse Books, a nonprofit that advocates for changes in the publishing industry to promote literature that reflects the lives of all kids. In this conversation, Caroline talks about the importance of diverse representation in children's literature, why books are a communication tool to talk and learn about diversity and identity with our kids, and what it would have meant for her to see herself reflected in the literature she read as a child. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Liz speaks with Reshma Saujani, the founder of two non-profits, Girls Who Code, which is one of the largest nonprofits in the country with the mission to close the gender gap in technology, and the Marshall Plan for Moms, a new initiative Reshma created dedicated to transforming workplaces and the government to better support mothers and families. Reshma is also the author of three books – and her most recent is Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work and Why It’s Different Than You Think. In this conversation, Liz talks to Reshma about her own personal evolution during the pandemic, why she wants to create a workplace that’s built for women, not just men, and her framework for change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Chris Bright, the Director of Public Training at the Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, talks to Liz about her transition journey, what growing up was like for her, and why she decided to become a foster parent. Chris also explains what a welcoming and supportive conversation around identity and gender with your kids can look like – and what she’s learned from her experiences about the power of unconditional love, presence, and acceptance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the first LatinX woman to co-direct a Disney animated feature, Charise Castro Smith – who also wrote the Academy Award-winning Encanto – faced a lot of self-imposed pressure (not unlike Louisa, one of the memorable characters she brought to life in the film). In this conversation, she talks to Liz about the imposter syndrome she overcame when working on Encanto, how her priorities radically shifted after she became a mother, and what it was like to bring to life her memorable film during COVID, from her home. She also talks about the similarities between main character Mirabel and herself – and how the animators even modeled Mirabel’s hair after her own. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.