Under the Influence with Jo Piazza

Tyler Moore, better known as @TidyDad, accidentally became an influencer while maintaining his day job as a NYC public school teacher and showing off his housekeeping skills on his blog and social media.The episode covers practical organizing hacks like using denture tablets to clean water bottles and taking advantage of vertical door organizers for stuffed animals, but we also explore how Tyler's openness about mental health challenges and his approach to modern fatherhood have struck a chord with his predominantly female audience.Learn more about Tyler and grab a copy of Tidy Dad 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

I genuinely believe that books bring people together and I want to create space for more book events, book clubs and book discussions. Robin Kall is amazing at this. She has been running the Reading With Robin series in Rhode Island for decades now and she regularly brings together hundreds of people to chat about books. Robin is first and foremost a book lover and today we are diving into how to build a bookish community, how we can use reading as self care during these trying times AND how to model good reading habits for your kids. Her simple tip, always have a book with you, is so easy and I still need the reminder.Follow Robin on Instagram 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

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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