Fresh Take: Leslie Forde of Mom's Hierarchy of Needs
2026/05/11 | 33 mins.
This Deep Dive series revisits some of our past episodes on discerning what we need as moms, and then asking for it confidently.
Most of us know about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the pyramid pattern through which human needs and motivations generally move upward. We can't worry about what's at the upper levels of the pyramid until and unless the more basic needs at the bottom of the pyramid– food, warmth, safety– are met first.
Leslie Forde, founder of Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs, has rethought that pyramid for the way we live our lives as mothers. There's a reason there's not enough bandwidth in our lives for fun and connection and self-actualization. Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs provides moms with products, research and community to reclaim time from their never-done to-do lists.
In this episode, Leslie explains:
Why mom's hierarchy of needs is a little different than Maslow's
When and why your hierarchy of needs might shift
How to prioritize your career, healthy relationships, and self-care in your own hierarchy
Leslie says that it's important to realize your health and wellbeing is equal in importance to your children's health and wellbeing, and once you internalize that, you can start to make room for your own needs without feeling guilty or frivolous.
Here's where you can find Leslie:
Facebook: @MOMSHIERARCHYOFNEEDS
Twitter: @MOMSHIERARCHY
IG: @MOMSHIERARCHYOF_NEEDS
Leslie's TimeCheck app
https://momshierarchyofneeds.com/
Our episode "Isn't This Supposed to Be More Fun?"
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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
Fresh Take: Rachael Shepard-Ohta and Caitlin Wilder of "You're So Right" Podcast
2026/05/08 | 46 mins.
Is social media a good thing for isolated mothers? Or does it just give us more to worry about? Margaret talks with Rachael Shepard-Ohta and Caitlin Wilder, hosts of the podcast You’re So Right, about parenting in the age of Instagram, postpartum mental health, identity outside motherhood, and why parenting advice can feel both helpful and impossible at the same time.
Rachael, a former special education teacher and infant parent mental health specialist, and Caitlin, a full spectrum doula and former Bravo producer, explain how they built their podcast as a space for moms to feel less alone.
They discuss:
Why modern motherhood feels so performative online
The pressure to either “love every moment” or be a “hot mess mom”
Why nuance in motherhood conversations matters
Here's where you can find Rachael and Caitlin:
Listen to "You're So Right" wherever you get your podcasts
@youresorightpod, @heysleepybaby, and @wilderbeginnings on IG
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:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Is American Parenting the Problem? Or Is It Parenting *in* America?
2026/05/06 | 44 mins.
We're often told that the American style of parenting is inferior—that we're doing it all wrong compared to, say, a laissez-faire Parisian whose kids eat whatever is served.
But is it our too intense/ too lax/ too snack-heavy parenting style that is making us (and our kids) so stressed? Or is it where we're doing that parenting?
In this episode, we explore the forces shaping parenting in America today, and the ways in which other countries offer parents more support. From the pressure to “do it all” to the lack of community support, we examine how our American struggles may be rooted in American ideals.
There's no doubt cultural expectations can shape our parenting decisions, leading to the "intensive parenting" that's so easy for others to criticize. But there's plenty about our circumstances as American parents that makes things harder.
Our friend Janelle Hanchett (whose writing inspired this episode) was exactly right when she wrote:
"As much as we may in the US give lip-service to universal healthcare, parental leave, labor rights, and childcare subsidies as key tenets of good parenting, just below these assertions is the implication that if American parents simply tried harder, they would not be so stressed and they would parent better.
The narrative bombards American parents relentlessly: Others do it better because they are culturally superior.
They are not better people. They live in societies with better policies."
Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:
Jannelle Hanchett on Substack: They aren't better parents because they're culturally superior
Claire Cain Miller for the NYT: Today’s Parents: ‘Exhausted, Burned Out and Perpetually Behind’
Reddit/attachmentparenting: Thoughts on “Bringing Up Bébé” book?
Kate Cray for The Atlantic: Parenting in America Keeps Getting More Intensive
Kate Juilan for The Atlantic: What Happened to American Childhood?
Joe Pinsker for The Atlantic: ‘Intensive’ Parenting Is Now the Norm in America
Patrick Ishizuka for Social Forces journal: Social Class, Gender, and Contemporary Parenting Standards in the United States: Evidence from a National Survey Experiment
Yu-Chin Her for Population Research and Policy Review: Having Fun or Having Kids? Leisure Aspirations and Attitudes Toward Parenthood in Europe
Susan Kelley for The Cornell Chronicle: Hands-on, intensive parenting is best, most parents say
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:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
DEEP DIVE: Olivia Martinez-Hauge on Special Needs Parenting
2026/05/04 | 34 mins.
This Deep Dive series revisits some of our past episodes about the joys and the challenges that come with raising kids with differences and disabilities.
Olivia Martinez-Hauge is a marriage and family therapist specializing in the treatment of families, couples, and individuals who are caregiving for children or adults with neurodiversity. She is also a licensed occupational therapist with over two decades of experience helping children and their families.
She is also a mother of three children, two with neurodiversity.
In this "Fresh Take" interview, Olivia explains
the grief and isolation that might come with special needs parenting
her own journey moving past those emotions by parenting "from a place of present"
the team of support that a parent of a special needs child needs
how we can change our friend groups, schools, and societies to be more supportive of families with children who have special needs
Whether you're a parent of a special needs or neurodiverse child, or just want to be a better friend to someone who is, you'll learn so much from this interview.
Find out more about Olivia and her work at The Center for Connection and Neurodiversity here: https://www.thecenterforconnection.org/
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
Fresh Take: Elizabeth Preston on What Animals Have to Teach Us About Parenting
2026/05/01 | 35 mins.
Why does modern parenting feel so difficult? If a chimpanzee knows what to do without reading a hundred parenting books, why doesn't it just come naturally?
Science journalist and author Elizabeth Preston is the author of The Creatures' Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care. Drawing from animal behavior, evolutionary biology, and neuroscience, this book explains why studying the parenting of every species from poison frogs to bonobos, from rats to birds, can remind us how human parenting is supposed to work—and how parental anxiety may result from the belief we were ever supposed to do things differently.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why humans are “cooperative breeders”
Why maternal anxiety and hypervigilance is an evolutionary advantage, not a personal failure
The truth about “mom brain” and what actually happens to the brain during pregnancy
Why fathers and non-biological caregivers are equally capable of deep caregiving
The role of alloparenting and why kids benefit from many trusted adults
Why caregiving is central to what makes us human
Here's where you can find Elizabeth:
https://elizabethgpreston.com/
@by.elizabeth.preston on IG
https://elizabethgpreston.substack.com/
Buy THE CREATURES' GUIDE TO CARING: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780593657102
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
About What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms
When you're a parent, every day brings a "fresh hell" to deal with. In other words, there's always something. Think of us as your funny mom friends who are here to remind you: you're not alone, and it won't always be this hard.
We're Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables, both busy moms of three kids, but with completely different parenting styles. Margaret is a laid-back to the max; Amy never met a spreadsheet or an organizational system she didn't like.
In each episode of "What Fresh Hell" we offer lots of laughs, but also practical advice, parenting strategies, and tips to empower you in your role as a mom. We explore self-help techniques, as well as ways to prioritize your own needs, combat stress, and despite the invisible workload we all deal with, find joy amidst the chaos of motherhood.
If you've ever wondered "why is my kid..." then one of us has probably been there, and we're here to tell you what we've learned along the way.
We unpack the behaviors and developmental stages of toddlers, tweens, and teenagers, providing insights into their actions and equipping you with effective parenting strategies.
We offer our best parenting tips and skills we've learned. We debate the techniques and studies that are everywhere for parents these days, and get to the bottom of what works best to raise happy, healthy, fairly well-behaved kids, while fostering a positive parent-child relationship.
If you're the default parent in your household, whether you're a busy mom juggling multiple pickups and dropoffs, or a first-time parent seeking guidance, this podcast is your trusted resource. Join our community of supportive mom friends laughing in the face of motherhood!
whatfreshhellpodcast.com
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