What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms

This Deep Dive series is about embracing the joys and acknowledging the challenges that come with raising kids with differences and disabilities.

How do we celebrate and encourage kids with disabilities and differences, without letting our fears and preconceptions dictate what we think they can do?

How do parents of kids with less understanding of differences and disabilities allow for children's natural curiosity?

Meg Zucker, author of the book ⁠Born Extraordinary: Empowering Children with Differences & Disabilities⁠, was born with a genetic condition called ectrodactyly. She is also the mother of three children, two of whom share this difference.

Meg is also the founder and president of Don’t Hide It, Flaunt It, a non-profit with the mission of advancing understanding, tolerance, and mutual respect for people's differences.

In this episode Meg and Amy discuss:

"Disability" versus "difference," and how people choose the words that feel right for them

How Meg's experience growing up different made her parenting kids with differences a little easier—though maybe not as much as someone outside that experience might expect

the well-meaning "thrusting of help" that we might reconsider

Here's where you can find Meg:

@MegZucker

@Justflauntit_

Buy Meg's book: ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780593419380⁠

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/
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As kids prepare to leave home for college, we tend to wonder: have we taught them everything they need to know? Christina Geist—author of Before You Fly Away: Life Lessons from Home—shares how this transition can feel like a “parental report card.”

Christina's late-night reflections and “mini panic moments" as her child prepared to leave for college became a collection of concise life lessons meant to guide her child toward independence. But the process also turned out to provide a way for Christina to process her own fears and hopes.

Parents often harbor fear that things won’t go perfectly once kids leave home. Christina acknowledges that college—and life—will include mistakes, loneliness, and challenges.

But those “blind spots” are actually essential. Growth happens when kids figure things out on their own, whether it’s resolving roommate conflicts or navigating new responsibilities.

As Christina puts it: “Figure it out. You’re 100% capable.”

Here's where you can find Christina:

www.christinageist.com

Buy BEFORE YOU FLY AWAY: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9798881612023

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why do we cling to what’s familiar—even when it’s not working? In this episode we explore why humans are wired to avoid uncertainty, and how that shapes our decisions and our parenting.

We discuss the Ellsberg Paradox, which explains why we often choose “the devil we know” over potentially better—but unknown—options. Whether it’s staying in a situation that no longer serves us, avoiding difficult conversations, or overthinking every possible outcome, our brains are constantly trying to reduce uncertainty—even at a cost.

We discuss how the brain’s fear center (the amygdala) reacts more strongly to ambiguity than to actual risk, triggering stress responses like anxiety, overthinking, and catastrophizing. This helps explain why uncertainty can feel so overwhelming—even when nothing is actually wrong.

We discuss Dr. Rue Wilson's notion of “toxic time travel" and how our search for reassurance pulls us out of the present into either mentally replaying the past or imagining worst-case futures, keeping us stuck in cycles of worry.

We also explore how this shows up in parenting. Kids who resist new situations, struggle with transitions, or seem overly anxious may not be reacting to real danger—but to uncertainty itself. Understanding this can help us respond with more empathy and curiosity rather than frustration.

Finally, we share practical strategies for managing uncertainty—for ourselves and our kids:

Separating real risk from fear of the unknown

Using curiosity instead of rumination

Reality-checking anxious thoughts

Focusing on what’s within our control

Grounding ourselves in the present moment

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

ambiguity aversion

Tara Cousineau for Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
Coping with Uncertainty

Lauren Arcuri for the American Physiological Society: The Brain's Response to Uncertainty and Ambiguity

Gretchen Rubin: How to Make Tough Decisions: Choose the Bigger Life

Dorie Clark on Instagram: Your Brain Is Lying to You About Risk

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In honor of Women's History Month, this "Deep Dive" series highlights some of our past interview episodes about raising daughters.

Janice Johnson Dias⁠ is a professor of sociology at John Jay College, and author of ⁠PARENT LIKE IT MATTERS: HOW TO RAISE JOYFUL, CHANGE-MAKING GIRLS⁠⁠. Her collaborative work on black girls’ mental, sexual, and physical health issues earned her a special Congressional recognition.

In this conversation, Janice explains how we can embolden both our daughters and our sons to find their passions– but only by finding our own passions first. Janice argues that change-making is the path to true joy.

You can find PARENT LIKE IT MATTERS here in our Bookshop store: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9781984819628

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

What Fresh Hell podcast, mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, 

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Why is it so hard to read more—even when we want to, even when we have stacks of books awaiting us on our bedside tables? We sit down with Meredith Monday Schwartz—co-host of the The Currently Reading Podcast—to talk about how to reconnect with reading in a way that feels joyful, flexible, and realistic.

If you’ve ever felt obliged to finish a book you hated, or berate yourself for the time you spend scrolling instead of reading, this conversation is for you.

It’s not that there aren’t good books out there. It’s that our phones are designed to win. Picking up a book requires focus and intention—two things that feel increasingly scarce.

But reading offers a deeper kind of satisfaction than screens. Books can provide immersion, rest, perspective, and even emotional connection.

Meredith argues that reading isn’t just a habit. It's a form of meaningful self-care. Stepping away—even briefly—can leave you more refreshed, focused, and able to engage with the world when you return.

Meredith also argues for “delicious reads” over "should reads." Forcing yourself through something that doesn’t work for you can lead to burnout—and even stop you from reading altogether.

Reader, Know Thyself

A central theme of the conversation is learning what kind of reader you are. (Take the "What Kind of Reader Are You?" quiz here!)

Understanding your preferences helps you:

Choose books you’ll actually finish

Avoid common “deal breakers”

Create a reading routine that fits your life

Permission to Not Finish (DNF) Books

If you’ve ever forced yourself to finish a book you weren’t enjoying, this is your official permission slip to stop.

Meredith is a strong advocate for DNF (“Did Not Finish”), with a twist: sometimes it’s not a “no,” it’s a “not right now.”

A book that doesn’t resonate today might become a favorite later in life. Letting go of a book that isn’t working frees you to find one that does—and can instantly reignite your reading momentum.

How to Get Back Into Reading

Feeling stuck? Meredith shares simple, practical strategies to help you ease back into reading:


Start small: Commit to just 15–20 minutes at a time


Pair reading with a routine: Try reading during a bath or before bed


Use multiple formats: Audiobooks, Ebooks, and print can all coexist


Create a “book flight”: Sample the first few pages of several books and choose what grabs you


Always have options: Keep a list of appealing reads ready to go

If your kids used to love books but now prefer screens, you’re not alone.

The most effective strategy?
Model reading yourself.

When kids see you enjoying books, it sends a powerful message that reading is valuable and enjoyable. There’s no quick fix—but there is long-term impact.

Here's where you can find Meredith:

IG @meredithmondayschwartz or @currentlyreadingpodcast


The Currently Reading Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

View the list of all the books Meredith recommends in our Bookshop

What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

⁠⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices