Curated by Biz Ellis and Theresa Thorn, the hosts of One Bad Mother
Biz Ellis is the host and creator of the comedy podcast One Bad Mother and co-author of the book You’re Doing A Great Job: 100 Ways You Are Winning At Parenting. Theresa Thorn is co-host of the comedy podcast One Bad Mother, co-author of of the book You’re Doing A Great Job: 100 Ways You Are Winning At Parenting and her new children’s book It Feels Good To Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity. Here, they present a collection of podcasts that in no way make you feel bad about being a parent and show that there is no one way to do this. You are doing a great job.
A little over six years ago, we started recording One Bad Mother. At the time, there weren’t a lot of podcasts, especially ones hosted by women. According to blogs, Land of Nod catalogs, Facebook, and everyone who already had a kid, being a mother was supposed to be effortless, magical and instinctive. Instead, we found it to be not quite that. Where was the picture of the mom crying a LOT? Why were all things parenting written by white people whose kids magically fell asleep when ignored? No one had mentioned there would be poop in the tub! Above all, there was a sense that we should never, ever, share that we might not be having a good time.
So we created One Bad Mother as a show to help us stop feeling like shit for being a mom. We wanted to prove that we could all approach parenting from many different ways and still be friends. We wanted to call bullshit on “The Mommy Wars.” We wanted to judge less and laugh more and know that we could be both happy we had kids in our house AND not so happy we had kids in our house. Most of all, we wanted to feel cool again.
Over the past six years we have learned a lot. We discovered that while it feels like everyone is watching and judging what we do as a parent, they aren’t. Not really. We have learned that in no way are we alone. There is no one way to parent and in fact, we need to hear as many voices from as many people sharing as many experiences as we can because that will really help put an end to a lot of the misconceptions we might have about each other. More than anything else we have learned that we need to be telling each other that we are doing a good job. When you pass the toddler (or parent) having a meltdown in Target, just lean in and say “I see you. You are doing a good job.”
So with that said, here are some great podcasts that we hope offer you a chance to see that there is more that we share than not (like how hard this is) and that we are all doing a great job. (And when you need a listening break, you can also check out our book “You’re Doing A Great Job: 100 Ways You Are Winning At Parenting.”)
View, follow, and listen to the whole collection of shows on RadioPublic, available on iPhone and Android.
One Bad Mother
Start with: Tired of Being President
A comedy podcast about motherhood and how unnatural it sometimes is. We aren’t all magical vessels! Join One Bad Mother every week as we deal with the thrills and failures of motherhood and strive for less judging, and more laughing.
Why you should listen: Because you actually ARE doing a good job and aren’t alone in feeling both happy and lost as a parent.
How To Be A Girl
Start with: Mama, I’m A Girl
The Facts (About Transgender Kids)
How to Be a Girl is an audio podcast produced by mom Marlo Mack about life with her young transgender daughter, as they attempt together to sort out just what it means to be a girl.
Why should you listen: Because, jeesh! We all should!
TiLT Parenting
Start with: Author and Lecturer Alfie Kohn On Practicing Unconditional Parenting
TiLT Parenting, from parenting activist, speaker, and author Debbie Reber, features transformational interviews and conversations with authors, parenting experts, educators, and other parents aimed at inspiring, informing, and supporting parents raising differently-wired kids (giftedness, ADHD, Asperger’s, 2e, learning differences, sensory processing issues, anxiety, and more).
Why you should listen: Because it can feel isolating and confusing when raising a differently wired kid, and this podcast provides normalcy, resources, and community.
The Double Shift
Start with: On Not Having It All
A reported, narrative show hosted by Katherine Goldstein about a new generation of working mothers—not parenting, not kids, but the real, three-dimensional stories of mothers from the campaign trail to the legal brothels of Nevada and everywhere in between.
Why should you listen: Because moms work! No matter what the job is, finding the balance between the work and everything else you have to do (that is also work) is nearly impossible, especially when the way society seems “moms” needs to change.
Super Mamás
Start with: Raising multicultural children and Speaking On Social Impact with Elsa Marie Collins
Super Mamás is a podcast, an event series, and an online community that connects, and empowers women through their mamáhood journey. Join sisters Bricia and Paulina every week as they share their stories with friends, experts and each other.
Why should you listen: Because they bring a diverse group of guests to the shows and cover everything under the sun about parenting! Plus, it’s just really fun and offers a great sense of community!
Experiencing Motherhood
Experiencing Motherhood: Single & Black is a podcast for single moms by single moms. Kim shares her experiences throughout her single mom journey along with tips and tricks to educate, inspire, and uplift other moms. Kim also brings on other moms (and sometimes dads) to talk about various topics related to single parenting in the black community.
Why you should listen: Because not only does she share her experiences, which makes single parenting less isolating, she also has on guests to talk about everything from filing taxes to mental health, which are things that are easy to put second or third when you are already president of everything.
Hope Chest
Stacia L. Brown shares audio essays written to her daughter as she grows up, written and recorded within reflective moments of motherhood.
Why you should listen: Just like there’s no one way to be a parent, there’s no one way to be a podcasting parent. Her audio presence, while sporadic, provides a glimpse into her life, her daughter’s upbringing, and her relationship to Black motherhood.
Moms Don’t Have Time To Read Books
Start with: Helen Ellis, Southern Lady Code
Anissa Gray, THE CARE AND FEEDING OF RAVENOUSLY HUNGRY GIRLS
Writer Zibby Owens, an NYC-based mom of four, interviews and chats with other writers about their work.
Why you should listen: Because she covers everything from fiction to non-fiction, to young adult to kids books, which makes it easier for those of us who are so tired we don’t remember how to find books we like to find a starting place.
ZigZag
Start with: The Lifecycle of an Idea
Journalists turned entrepreneurs Manoush Zomorodi (Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business) and Jen Poyant (Executive Producer, Note to Self and 2 Dope Queens) share their own struggles to build an ethical business and remain grounded human beings…all while investigating how other founders and creators are resisting the “winners take all” mindset and redefining success for themselves and society.
Why should you listen: Because it is an honest look at the culture of business, how we interact with it and how it needs to change. The hosts do not ignore that they have kids and how that is also part of their experience.
**
Want to create your own collection of shows that dovetails with your area of interest? Add shows to your Smart Folder on RadioPublic, then inform the Podcast Librarian of your collection: librarian@radiopublic.com.
