Under the Influence with Jo Piazza

Too many of us enter motherhood carrying expectations shaped by filtered social media posts, polished representations in media, and well-intentioned but incomplete stories from those who came before us. We're told we'll instantly fall in love with our babies, that we'll intuitively know how to be mothers, and that any difficulties will be outweighed by overwhelming joy.That’s not the experience for a lot of us.This week I got to chat with Sarah Hoover, author of "The Motherload," for a candid conversation about the aspects of motherhood that often remain hidden: postpartum depression that manifests as rage, the grief of losing your pre-baby identity, and the challenge of connecting with your baby when nothing feels the way you expected.You can find out more about Sarah Hoover’s work here — and buy The Motherload here.Join our newsletter community here.Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here.Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How good are you at communicating? The truth is that we can all be better at being heard and hearing others. Communicating well is not a super power, but rather a skill that any of us can learn. And in this age of intense digital communication, we all need to find ways to stop just shouting or whispering into the void and truly connect with one another. Our guest today is Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and the author of Supercommunicators. He's giving us practical tips for improving communication in personal and professional settings, and explaining why curiosity and understanding are key to becoming a supercommunicator.Order Supercommunicators here.Follow Charles on Substack here.Join our newsletter coven here.Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here.Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Today's Sunday Nice Things we are diving into the new book Romances & Practicalities, a love story in 250 questions by blindsiding my husband into answering some of these questions live on a microphone. We also hear about his Parker Posey/Sarah Silverman fetish, which makes all of the sense.Grab a copy of Romances & Practicalities here.Join our newsletter community here.Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here.Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joining the conversation is Glynis McNichol, a pleasure correspondent and author who explores the vibrant sexual renaissance among Gen X women. They discuss how this generation, in their 40s and 50s, is confidently embracing their sexuality, challenging outdated societal norms. The conversation critiques media portrayals of middle-aged women's desires and highlights shifts in dating dynamics, particularly influenced by social media. Through personal stories and humor, they illuminate the joy and empowerment of female sexuality at this stage of life.

Jessica Grose, a New York Times columnist known for her viral piece on embracing aging, discusses her decision to "go full crone" by rejecting societal beauty standards. She highlights the intense pressure women face from social media and the financial burdens of cosmetic procedures. The conversation emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance and authenticity, particularly in modeling healthy body image for future generations. Grose shares her insights on fostering body positivity and navigating the often toxic landscape of online beauty culture.

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What if summer vacation did not suck? Let's dive into the challenging reality of summer childcare in America and explore why planning for summer breaks has become increasingly stressful and expensive for parents, particularly working mothers. Katherine Goldstein writer of "The Double Shift" newsletter, joins us to discuss the historical context of America's unique summer childcare crisis (spoiler: it is much, much worse here than in most other countries) and shares creative alternatives to traditional summer camps. Whether you're a parent already deep in the summer planning chaos or someone curious about this systemic challenge, this conversation offers both practical insights and a broader perspective on how we got here and what could change.Follow Katherine's work at the Double Shift newsletter here.Join our newsletter community here.Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here.Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Join Jo and Glynnis as they dive into Joe's recent experience with pneumonia and the challenges of navigating the ER, explore the sense of dread permeating America right now, and discuss the importance of finding joy and community in challenging times. Also, Go Birds! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world is not fair. But it feels even less so these days. Today's we're diving headfirst into the pressing issue of gender equity in the workplace with special guest and senior researcher, Siri Chilazi from Harvard's Kennedy School. Siri is much more optimistic than I am about the future for women and I wanted to know why. We're chatting about practical strategies for hiring, performance evaluation, and breaking down norms that hold us back. How do we operate in a workplace and world where DEI is becoming a dirty word? She's got great advice about how we can shift norms in our day to day even if we aren't the CEO and she did manage to fill my cold dark heart with a little bit of optimism.Grab Siri and Iris's book Make Work Fair here.Join our newsletter community here.Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here.Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices