Under the Influence with Jo Piazza

Let's talk about anxiety, real talk about anxiety! Today we are joined by Julie Chavez, a librarian, mom of two and the author of the memoir Everyone But Myself.When you are a working mom, there is no time for debilitating anxiety. There's not.  And the terrifying aftershocks of Julie's first panic attack left her grappling with questions about the causes of her mental health crisis and where it was going to lead next.This book resonated with me so deeply. This is a hopeful and honest account of love and loss and the husband who can't read your mind, about disastrous family outings and finding a new path. It is about the joy of a well-lived life and how hard it can sometimes be to enjoy that life.  I think we're all going to feel better after this episode. You can order Everyone But Myself here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tia Levings was recruited into a Christian fundamentalist movement as a young wife.   She quickly learned that being a godly and submissive wife in the Christian patriarchy included strict discipline and isolation, and required women to be silent keepers of the home.  Years of pain and abuse followed. After becoming a mother, Tia realized that she was the only one who could protect her children from becoming the next generation of patriarchal men and submissive women.  That's when she fled with her children.One of the things Tia says a lot that really gets to me is  that if we continue to ignore the messages that the fundamental evangelical Christian community are sending out to us, then we're just plunging this country right into the near future of the book The Handmaid's Tale.  Tia was a trad wife and today she is an independent woman living the kind of life she always dreamed about. She has written wisely about the inhumanity of trad wife life and why it is not something to be celebrated with beautiful images on social media.  All of this is documented in Tia's new book, A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape From Christian Patriarchy and on her Substack, The Anti-Fundamentalist. You can also follow Tia on Instagram here. She is a delight.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Sunday Nice Things! Today we have an episode of This American Ex-Wife from the wonderful Lyz Lenz!    I first became obsessed with Lyz when I read her book God Land and then she came on an early episode of Under the Influence to talk about attending a mom influencing conference and I fell hard for her. She's the creator of the newsletter Men Yell at Me which I read religiously every time it hits my inbox.This American Ex-wife is a podcast that explores the state of American heterosexual marriage. Lyz sits down with a cast of women to talk about their divorces, their journeys and unpacks an institution many take part in but few talk about: divorce.Today's episode is with the poet and bestselling author Maggie Smith who delves into how her divorce forced her to spend more time with herself and how that ended up being a very good thing.Listen to This American Ex-Wife hereOrder This American Ex-Wife the book here.Sign up for Men Yell at Me, here.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

So many of you have asked me for an audio preview of The Sicilian Inheritance that I finally just sat down and created one! Why not! I love this part. In it our main character has just met our Sicilian protagonist Giusy in a Sicilian restaurant. It's filled with delicious food and wine and even ends in a cliffhanger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The #fitfluencers and #wellness brands are coming for you. And they've been on the attack since January 1. This time of alleged renewal and reinvention is the Super Bowl for brands hoping to sell you a "better" or a "thinner" you. YOU are the product during this time of year and brands pay big money to get in front of you during this vulnerable time. Today we chat with digital brand marketer Amy Shoenthal (author of the Setback Cycle) about HOW you get targeted and Danielle Friedman (author of Let's Get Physical) about the history of fitness marketing and the good, the bad and the ugly of #fitfluencers.You can order The Setback Cycle here.You can order Let's Get Physical Here.You can also read Danielle's piece on #fitfluencers for the NYT here.Also grab yourself a Hot Sicilian.....while it's hot.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jami Attenberg, bestselling author, shares insights on starting and sustaining writing. She discusses the value of social media in building a supportive community for writers, the therapeutic nature of journaling, and the power of writing to overcome fear. Favorite sections of her book and impactful letters from contributing authors are also highlighted. The episode ends with a promotion of her social media presence, newsletter, and upcoming writing event.

If you want more of She Pivots you can find all the episodes here.Under the Influence is sponsored by Quince and Honeylove.Give yourself the luxury you deserve with Quince! Go to Quince.com/influence for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Get 20% OFF @honeylove by going to https://www.honeylove.com/Influence #honeylovepod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Neha Ruch, creator of Mother Untitled, talks about redefining stay-at-home motherhood and ambition in motherhood. She discusses her journey from corporate to motherhood and the power of multitasking. She also focuses on redefining career pauses and the importance of women connecting and supporting each other.

Social media is political. That is a fact. You may think you're following beautiful images of a woman breastfeeding her baby in the Costa Rican jungle while her nine other children wait patiently by the waterfall, but pay closer attention and she is telling you not to vaccinate your children or use birth control. You never know who is behind a message or who is boosting information and accounts behind the scenes. Emily Amick, of the account Emily in Your Phone breaks it all down for us in the same no nonsense way she does on her Instagram account about all the political news we need to know. She's an incredible resource for using social media in progressive politics and she is very wise about how conservative forces have simply been better at using the socials to achieve their goals.Under the Influence is sponsored by Quince and Honeylove.Give yourself the luxury you deserve with Quince! Go to Quince.com/influence for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Get 20% OFF @honeylove by going to https://www.honeylove.com/Influence #honeylovepodMake sure to follow Emily in Your Phone here @EmilyinYourPhone AND preorder her book Democracy in Retrograde.You can order a personalized Sicilian Inheritance from Bluebird Bookstop.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Sunday Nice Things.....a bonus episode where we share a podcast we love, a book we love, a rant we have to get off our chests. It's a nice thing for Sunday because we deserve them. This week we have an episode of The Cult of Perfect podcast from my friends Sara Petersen and Virginia Sole Smith. The Cult of Perfect explores the intersection of motherhood, public performance, and bodies, and tries to figure out what our addiction to the idea of perfect says about us and the world we live in. This episode is called Let Them Be Beige and explores everything from Ballerina Farm’s shiplap, influencers cosplaying poverty when they really have SO MUCH MONEY, the psychology of ownership, and the joy of living with less. You can get more Cult of Perfect right HERE.And subscribe to our newsletter OVER THE INFLUENCE HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices