In Part 2 of my conversation with researcher and author Leslie Ford, we dig into why so much mainstream health and longevity advice — cold plunges, 5 a.m. willpower routines, biohacking — is built by and for men, and why it often just doesn't work for mothers. Leslie explains why moms are overloaded by design, not by failure, and walks through the practical levers — prioritization, partner dynamics, childcare planning, and accessible self-care — that actually move the needle.

We also get real about mom guilt: the pull to feel like a "good mom" even when you're doing exactly what's right for you and your family, and why letting go of the picture-perfect version of motherhood (the manicure, the home-cooked-every-night dinner, the spotless house) is part of the work. Leslie closes with her best advice for finding self-care that's actually sustainable in real life.

What We Cover:

• Why mainstream health and longevity research skews male, and what that means for moms
• The "easier workload" section of Mom's Hierarchy of Needs and why most moms are carrying more than is humanly possible
• Ruthless prioritization as a starting point — and why it's only part of the answer
• Crossing the gender divide with a partner, and the books Leslie recommends on it (Fair Play, Drop the Ball)
• Planning childcare around mental load and complexity, not just cost — and why school doesn't solve it
• The guilt of not doing every pickup, drop-off, or school-morning task — even when you know better
• Letting go of a "pristine" home and complicated routines to protect time and energy
• The gut health–mental health connection Leslie learned from psychiatrist Dr. Marnie Chanoff
• Leslie's advice: pick self-care that's genuinely accessible to your daily life

About the Guest:

Leslie Ford is a researcher, author, and entrepreneur, and the creator of Mom's Hierarchy of Needs. She is the author of Repair with Self-Care: Your Guide to the Mom's Hierarchy of Needs, drawing on interviews with hundreds of mom experts and surveys of thousands of mothers.

Links + Resources:

• Follow Mom's Hierarchy of Needs: Instagram
• Learn more about Moms Hierarchy of Needs: The Book & The Website
• Follow ThatMom: Instagram
• Join the email inner circle: EMAIL

Maria's Style Pick:

One thing helping me simplify life as a working mom? Renting instead of buying.

This episode's outfit is from Rent the Runway.

Try it here with 50% off

If this episode resonated, share it with a mom who has been carrying too much for too long.

And if you're enjoying these conversations, follow That Mom for more thoughtful discussions about motherhood, identity, ambition, happiness, emotional well-being, and building a life that feels aligned with what matters most.

In Part 1 of my conversation with researcher, entrepreneur, and creator of Mom's Hierarchy of Needs, Leslie Ford, we go back to where it all started: the burnout she hit returning to work after her second child, running two teams on 90-minute stretches of sleep, and feeling like she'd missed an important memo about what motherhood would actually demand of her.

That struggle became years of research, and Leslie walks us through the framework it produced: foundational needs (kids, household, work) that are never "done," and aspirational needs (sleep, movement, stress management, connection) that lower cortisol but keep getting pushed to "someday." We talk about why self-care is deeply personal, why moms' real barrier is time, not willpower, and why "ruthless prioritization" and permission to do an imperfect version of the thing beat waiting for the perfect one.

What We Cover:

• The burnout that led Leslie to create Mom's Hierarchy of Needs
• How the framework splits foundational needs from aspirational ones — and why the top keeps getting deprioritized
• Why over 90% of moms' self-care preferences are solo activities they rarely get to do
• The cortisol connection: how parental stress physically affects kids
• Why self-care should be judgment-free, but health-focused self-care lowers stress in specific, researched ways
• Why the real obstacle for moms is discretionary time, not willpower
• Adapting self-care to fit real life: stroller runs, treadmill sessions, imperfect versions that still count
• Reclaiming self-respect by doing what actually feels good to you

About the Guest:

Leslie Ford is a researcher, author, and entrepreneur, and the creator of Mom's Hierarchy of Needs. She is the author of Repair with Self-Care: Your Guide to the Mom's Hierarchy of Needs, drawing on interviews with hundreds of mom experts and surveys of thousands of mothers.

Links + Resources:

• Follow Mom's Hierarchy of Needs: Instagram
• Learn more about Moms Hierarchy of Needs: The Book & The Website
• Follow ThatMom: Instagram
• Join the email inner circle: EMAIL

Maria's Style Pick:

One thing helping me simplify life as a working mom? Renting instead of buying.

This episode's outfit is from Rent the Runway.

Try it here with 50% off

If this episode resonated, share it with a mom who has been carrying too much for too long.

And if you're enjoying these conversations, follow That Mom for more thoughtful discussions about motherhood, identity, ambition, happiness, emotional well-being, and building a life that feels aligned with what matters most.

In Part 2 of my conversation with parenting and executive function coach Nicole Gambino, we get practical. Nicole walks through real, age-specific summer routines she's built with families — down to the exact tasks kids as young as five and as old as middle schoolers can own on their own, no reminders required.

We talk about the difference between "motoring" your kids through their responsibilities and actually empowering them to initiate on their own, why explaining every request too much can backfire, and how to handle the inevitable pushback ("why do I have to do everything?"). Nicole also shares a genius tip for making the back-to-school transition feel exciting instead of dreaded: starting with the workspace, not the work.

If you've ever wondered whether your child is capable of more than you're currently asking of them, this episode will change how you think about routines, chores, and what it really means to raise a self-reliant kid.

What We Cover:

● Why the goal isn't a perfect routine — it's a child who can initiate without being reminded

● The difference between "motoring" (reminding) your kids and building real independence

● Real, age-specific routine examples for an elementary schooler and a middle schooler

● Why over-explaining every request can do more harm than good

● The link between purpose, structure, and reduced anxiety in kids

● A simple, materials-first way to ease the transition back to school

Key Insight:

Nicole’s approach flips a common parenting pattern: instead of moms holding everything together, children are given the structure and responsibility to step up—creating a more balanced, sustainable family dynamic.

Links + Resources:

• Follow Nicole: Instagram + Facebook
• Learn more about her work: NicoleGambino.com
• Follow ThatMom: Instagram
• Join the email list: EMAIL

Maria's Style Pick:

One thing helping me simplify life as a working mom? Renting instead of buying.

This episode's outfit is from Rent the Runway.

Try it here with 50% off

If this episode resonated, share it with a mom who has been carrying too much for too long.

And if you're enjoying these conversations, follow That Mom for more thoughtful discussions about motherhood, identity, ambition, happiness, emotional well-being, and building a life that feels aligned with what matters most.

Nicole Gambino is back — and if her last episode on raising responsible kids resonated, this one's the summer-specific follow-through. The problem isn't your kid. It's that executive functioning (initiating, following through, self-regulating) is treated as something kids should already have, instead of a skill that has to be explicitly taught. Nicole walks through the system: realistic expectations, a 5-minute weekly "huddle," anchoring chores to transitions instead of vague to-dos, and letting kids co-author their own responsibilities so the routine actually survives past week one.

• Why "just remind them" isn't a routine — it's you doing the executive functioning for your kid
• The difference between a chore that sticks and one that never gets done
• How to run a 5-minute "Sunday huddle" that gets kids to state their own responsibilities out loud
• Age-appropriate chores and transition points, starting as young as 5
• Why letting your child write their own chore list creates more follow-through than any parent-enforced system
• How to handle the summer schedule gap (camp days vs. non-camp days) without losing momentum

Key Insight:

Nicole’s approach flips a common parenting pattern: instead of moms holding everything together, children are given the structure and responsibility to step up—creating a more balanced, sustainable family dynamic.

Links + Resources:

• Follow Nicole: Instagram + Facebook
• Learn more about her work: NicoleGambino.com
• Follow ThatMom: Instagram
• Join the email list: EMAIL

Maria's Style Pick:

One thing helping me simplify life as a working mom? Renting instead of buying.

This episode's outfit is from Rent the Runway.

Try it here with 50% off

If this episode resonated, share it with a mom who has been carrying too much for too long.

And if you're enjoying these conversations, follow That Mom for more thoughtful discussions about motherhood, identity, ambition, happiness, emotional well-being, and building a life that feels aligned with what matters most.

What does it actually look like to follow your instincts in motherhood — even when experts, teachers, and society tell you otherwise? In this episode, Maria sits down with Colleen Esposito, daughter of Boston radio icon Candy O'Terry, to talk about the courage it takes to live life on your own terms.

Colleen left a high-powered advertising career after her first daughter was born — not because she had to, but because she knew herself well enough to know it wasn't the life she wanted. From that decision came a decade of intentional choices: staying home, homeschooling her two daughters, starting a free neighborhood flower stand that gave away over 600 bouquets last summer, and co-authoring a children's book series with her mom.

In this conversation, you'll hear:

• Why high-achieving women often struggle most with the "do it all" pressure — and how Colleen opted out
• The moment a doctor told her something she'll never forget about trusting herself over experts
• Why she and her husband pulled their thriving kids out of traditional school — and what happened next
• The science behind why flowers actually make you happier (yes, really)
• How saying no more often might be the most radical thing you do for your family this year

This one is for the mom who has a gut feeling she keeps second-guessing. Colleen's story is a quiet permission slip to listen to it.

Links + Resources:

• Follow Colleen: https://www.instagram.com/colleen_esposito/
• Check out Nelson's Garden on Amazon
• Follow ThatMom: Instagram
• Join the ThatMom Community: EMAIL
• Learn more: That Mom Website

Maria's Style Pick:

One thing helping me simplify life as a working mom? Renting instead of buying.

This episode's outfit is from Rent the Runway.

Try it here with 50% off

If this episode resonated, share it with a mom who has been carrying too much for too long.

And if you're enjoying these conversations, follow That Mom for more thoughtful discussions about motherhood, identity, ambition, happiness, emotional well-being, and building a life that feels aligned with what matters most.

The Myths of Motherhood: Why "Good Mother" Has Never Meant One Thing ft. Dr. Shari Thurer

What if everything you think you know about what makes a "good mother" isn't instinct, isn't biology — it's just the story our culture happens to be telling right now?

In this episode of That Mom, I talk with Dr. Shari Thurer, a psychoanalytically trained psychologist and author of The Myths of Motherhood: How Culture Reinvents the Good Mother. Dr. Thurer wrote the book nearly three decades ago, driven by her own fear (common among working mothers of her generation) that having a career might somehow damage her daughter. That fear sent her on a deep historical and cross-cultural dive — and what she found was that the definition of a "good mother" has never been fixed. It's changed dramatically across history and across cultures, which means the standard we're measuring ourselves against today isn't truth. It's a moment-in-time, culturally constructed myth.

We talk about where mom guilt actually comes from (hint: an impossible ideal, not a personal failing), whether maternal instinct is even real, and the relief that comes from understanding that "good enough" — a term coined by psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott — really is good enough.

What We Cover:

• Why Dr. Turner started researching motherhood: her own fear that working would harm her daughter
• The history of "good mother" standards — and how dramatically they've shifted over time
• The frightening psychological theories of the past (like the "schizophrenogenic mother")
• Whether maternal instinct is biological or culturally learned
• Where mom guilt actually originates: an impossible, unattainable ideal

About the Guest:
Dr. Shari Thurer is a psychoanalytically trained psychologist based in Boston and the author of The Myths of Motherhood: How Culture Reinvents the Good Mother. She has practiced psychotherapy for decades and continues to see patients in Boston today.

Links + Resources:

• The Myths of Motherhood by Dr. Shari Thurer — available wherever books are sold and amazon
• Follow ThatMom: Instagram
• Join the ThatMom Community: EMAIL
• Learn more: That Mom Website

Maria's Style Pick:

One thing helping me simplify life as a working mom? Renting instead of buying.

This episode's outfit is from Rent the Runway.

Try it here with 50% off

If this episode resonated, share it with a mom who has been carrying too much for too long.

And if you're enjoying these conversations, follow That Mom for more thoughtful discussions about motherhood, identity, ambition, happiness, emotional well-being, and building a life that feels aligned with what matters most.

Anxiety, Identity, and Becoming Who You Actually Want to Be (Part 2) ft. Dr. Risa Weisberg

In Part 2 of my conversation with behavioral scientist Dr. Risa Weisberg, we shift from goals and motivation into something almost every mom feels but rarely understands: anxiety. Risa breaks down why anxiety isn't a flaw to eliminate but an alarm system that's actually doing its job — and why motherhood itself rewires the brain to make that alarm louder.

We also dig into identity: why it feels so unsettled in motherhood, how much of who we think we are was actually decided for us in childhood through social comparison, and how — encouragingly — identity isn't fixed. You can change it through your behavior, not just the other way around.

Risa shares her own experience traveling for work while raising two daughters, the fear of the story her kids might tell about her absence, and what she learned instead. We close with her advice for busy moms: pick what you really care about, and let the rest go.

What We Cover:

• Why anxiety exists and why eliminating it isn't actually the goal
• The biology of fight-or-flight, and why it feels so wrong for modern, non-physical stress
• Why moms are biologically wired to be the more anxious parent — and why that's not a flaw
• What "identity" really is, and how much of it was set in early childhood
• How identity can change through behavior, not just dictate it
• Risa's own story: traveling for work, the fear of her kids' story about her, and what actually happened
• Risa's current work, including her new project, Future Self AI

About the Guest:
Dr. Risa Weisberg is a psychologist, behavioral scientist, former digital health executive, speaker, and professor at Boston University. Her work focuses on behavior change, motivation, decision-making, and identity. She also coaches women through major life transitions and is a founding team member of Future Self AI.

Links + Resources:

• Connect or Learn more about Dr. Risa Weisberg
• Follow ThatMom: Instagram
• Join the ThatMom Community: EMAIL
• Learn more: That Mom Website

Maria's Style Pick:

One thing helping me simplify life as a working mom? Renting instead of buying.

This episode's outfit is from Rent the Runway.

Try it here with 50% off

If this episode resonated, share it with a mom who has been carrying too much for too long.

And if you're enjoying these conversations, follow That Mom for more thoughtful discussions about motherhood, identity, ambition, happiness, emotional well-being, and building a life that feels aligned with what matters most.

What if the secret to becoming the person you want to be isn't trying harder — but getting clearer about what actually matters?

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, I sit down with behavioral scientist and psychologist Dr. Risa Weisberg to explore why even the most capable, high-achieving women struggle to follow through on the goals that matter most to them.

Risa has spent decades studying how people actually change their behavior — as a psychologist, former digital health executive, and professor. Together, we unpack the hidden reasons so many moms feel stuck, overwhelmed, and pulled in a hundred directions, and what actually creates lasting change.

From values clarification and motivation to future-self thinking and the surprising role of disappointment, this episode is full of practical, research-backed tools for making decisions that align with who you actually want to become.

What We Cover:

• Why knowing what you want isn't enough
• The difference between your goals and society's expectations
• How to identify what you truly value
• Why high-achieving women struggle to do "just fine"
• The importance of understanding your deeper motivation
• The psychology of your future self
• The surprising connection between motherhood and people-pleasing
• How learning to disappoint others can help you stop disappointing yourself
• Why intentional choices reduce guilt and resentment
• How to prioritize what matters in a season of limited time

About the Guest:
Dr. Risa Weisberg is a psychologist, behavioral scientist, former digital health executive, speaker, and professor at Boston University. Her work focuses on behavior change, motivation, decision-making, and helping people build sustainable habits that align with their values.

Links + Resources:

• Connect or Learn more about Dr. Risa Weisberg
• Follow ThatMom: Instagram
• Join the ThatMom Community: EMAIL
• Learn more: That Mom Website

Maria's Style Pick:

One thing helping me simplify life as a working mom? Renting instead of buying.

This episode's outfit is from Rent the Runway.

Try it here with 50% off

If this episode resonated, share it with a mom who has been carrying too much for too long.

And if you're enjoying these conversations, follow That Mom for more thoughtful discussions about motherhood, identity, ambition, happiness, emotional well-being, and building a life that feels aligned with what matters most.

On this special episode of That Mom, the tables are turned as my friend Marissa interviews me about the story behind the podcast, the lessons motherhood has taught me, and why I believe moms deserve more than validation for how hard things are.

We talk about the realities of modern motherhood, the impossible standards many women feel pressured to meet, and why conversations about the mental load are only the beginning. Because once we acknowledge what's hard, the next question becomes: Now what?

I share the experiences that shaped my perspective—from becoming a first-time mom and realizing I couldn't "achievement" my way through motherhood, to building a podcast dedicated to helping women create lives that feel more joyful, intentional, and aligned with what matters most.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed, stretched thin, or unsure how to prioritize yourself alongside everything else you're carrying, this episode is for you.

• Why I started That Mom
• The missing piece in today's motherhood conversations
• What motherhood taught me about control, achievement, and expectations
• Why validation alone isn't enough
• The cultural pressures shaping modern motherhood
• What ruthless prioritization actually looks like on a Tuesday morning
• Why a confident "no" is only possible when you know your real priorities
• The 5-minute morning practice that keeps me off the hamster wheel
• How to identify what matters most in your current season
• Why you don't actually want to do everything
• The fear of putting yourself out there—and what happened when I did
• How small mindset shifts can create more joy and meaning every day

Whether you're navigating young kids, building a career, dreaming about something bigger, or simply trying to enjoy your life a little more, this conversation is an invitation to pause, reflect, and intentionally create a motherhood that feels right for you.

In this episode, the guest is me.

I'm Maria Woods, host of That Mom, brand marketer, anthropologist-at-heart, legally-trained working mom of two, and someone deeply curious about how we can create lives that feel more meaningful, joyful, and aligned with what matters most.

• Follow ThatMom: Instagram
• Join the ThatMom Community: EMAIL
• Learn more: That Mom Website

Maria's Style Pick:

One thing helping me simplify life as a working mom? Renting instead of buying.

This episode's outfit is from Rent the Runway.

Try it here with 50% off

If this episode resonated, share it with a mom who has been carrying too much for too long.

And if you're enjoying these conversations, follow That Mom for more thoughtful discussions about motherhood, identity, ambition, happiness, emotional well-being, and building a life that feels aligned with what matters most.

On this episode of That Mom, I sit down with attorney, entrepreneur, and self-described "Party Therapist" Jessica Lerner Halprin, founder of Swanky, a platform designed to simplify event planning and help families celebrate life's meaningful moments.

Jessica shares how losing her mother inspired her to build a business centered around connection, celebration, and memory-making. We discuss why so many mothers feel pressure around birthdays and family events, how social media has changed our expectations, and why getting clear on your true intention can completely change the way you plan.

Whether you're organizing a birthday party, graduation celebration, holiday gathering, or simply trying to create more joy in everyday life, this conversation offers practical advice for celebrating without the overwhelm.

• Why celebrations matter more than we realize
• The hidden pressure mothers feel around hosting
• How Pinterest and Instagram can derail your plans
• The question every parent should ask before planning a party
• Why intention matters more than perfection
• How to stop inviting opinions you don't actually want
• Practical advice for working with vendors and negotiating contracts

Jessica Lerner Halprin is an attorney, entrepreneur, and founder of Swanky, a platform that helps families organize events, preserve planning details, and celebrate life's milestones with less stress and more intention.

• Connect with Jessica on Instagram or LinkedIn
• Check out Swanky
• Follow ThatMom: Instagram
• Join the ThatMom Community: EMAIL
• Learn more: That Mom Website

Maria's Style Pick:

One thing helping me simplify life as a working mom? Renting instead of buying.

This episode's outfit is from Rent the Runway.

Try it here with 50% off

If this episode resonated, share it with a mom who has been carrying too much for too long.

And if you're enjoying these conversations, follow That Mom for more thoughtful discussions about motherhood, identity, ambition, happiness, emotional well-being, and building a life that feels aligned with what matters most.