In this episode, I sit down with Beth Gaskill, the reading and learning specialist behind Big City Readers. We dig into the disservice many schools unintentionally create when it comes to teaching reading - and how that often leads to a “third grade slump” - when children can no longer keep up and we learn that they need a more comprehensive tool box. Beth explains why this happens, and what parents can do to better support their children’s reading journey.

We talk openly about my own experience with my daughter - how her confidence took a hit in kindergarten when she compared herself to friends who’d already had reading tutors - and how that shaped the way she’s embraced reading since. Together, we explore why confidence is just as critical as fluency, and why schools should avoid sharing reading levels with parents or children. Instead, it’s about honoring each child’s unique pace and path toward becoming a lifelong reader.

Beth shares tactical skills, tools, and strategies parents can use right away, including when it might be time for a symbolic “homework bonfire” to push back against cookie-cutter assignments that don’t serve our kids. We also reflect on:

How our own childhood reading experiences can contribute to areas in which we didn’t turn out OK - and how to break that cycle for our kids.

The tension I’ve felt between play-based learning and the pressure to teach kids to read early.

Practical ways to build confidence, foster a love of learning, and keep reading fun.

Whether your child is just starting out or already navigating reading challenges, this episode will leave you with reassurance, perspective, and actionable tools to support them. Beth is the best - follow her! 

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In my first-ever solo episode, I’m sharing something deeply personal — my journey with anxiety, medication, and what it’s been like to come off Zoloft after nearly half my life.

This conversation isn’t the full story of how I got here — that’s for future episodes. There’s a deeper beginning, one rooted in a lifetime of people-pleasing, seeking acceptance, and slowly losing sight of who I really was. But today, I’m starting with the moment I began to question whether I was truly living or just coasting, and the decision that shifted everything: stepping away from the medication I thought I’d take forever.

I share why I made that choice, what it’s been like to feel more deeply than I have in years, and how I’m now navigating life — and parenting — without numbing. This is where the story starts… but there’s so much more to come.

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In this episode, I sit down with Alyssa Blask Campbell - founder of Seed and Sew, host of the Voices of Your Village podcast, and bestselling author of Tiny Humans, Big Emotions and the upcoming Big Kids, Bigger Feelings. A mom of two, Alyssa has spent years researching emotional intelligence in children - only to realize that many adults, including herself, never had the tools modeled for them in the first place.

We talk about what it really means to support emotional development, starting with ourselves. Alyssa shares how regulating our nervous systems isn’t just a self-care buzzword - it’s the foundation for helping kids navigate their own emotions. She walks us through the simple yet powerful practice she used with her students (and now with her kids): checking in with her body cues, modeling emotional awareness, and embracing rupture and repair.

We also dive into why regulation is never one-size-fits-all - why it’s okay to lose it sometimes, and how the true goal is quicker recovery and connection afterward. Alyssa talks about the importance of saying, “That wasn’t about you, that was about me. I’m sorry I yelled,” and how moments like that can rewire relationships and build true emotional safety.

She also shares why she created the S.E.E.D. Certification® (Schools Excelling in Emotional Development) - a new model of professional development for educators that prioritizes emotional support for the adults in children’s lives.

We wrap by discussing Alyssa’s two game-changing books:

✨ Tiny Humans, Big Emotions - A guide to helping kids navigate big feelings like tantrums, separation anxiety, and overwhelm while building a foundation for emotional intelligence from the start.

✨ Big Kids, Bigger Feelings - Available now for pre-order, this is the much-needed next step: a guide for supporting kids ages 5–12 through the emotional complexities of the elementary years—name-calling, meltdowns, cliques, and more.

If you’ve ever wondered how to actually help your child with their big feelings - without losing your own mind - this episode is your starting point.

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Ever wonder how you’ll ever bridge the gap between you and your spouse’s wildly different ways of handling emotions and challenges? Me too. That's why this episode is for you, me, all of us.

In this deeply honest episode, I sit down with journalist Mosheh Oinounou—who you may know as Mosheh of Mo’ News—and his wife, my dear friend, marketing agent Alex Sall. We talk about how they’ve built their relationship from the inside out. From a couples retreat at Kripalu, six months into dating to navigating parenthood with a shared vision, they’ve done the work before the chaos, and it shows.

We unpack how their childhoods—shaped their early dynamics, how they’ve bridged emotional gaps with tools like the Gottmans’ Bringing Baby Home and Eve Rodsky’s Fair Play Deck, and how they hold space for one another in both the everyday and the heavy moments (including Mosheh reporting the news daily).

We talk emotional labor, people-pleasing, breaking generational patterns, and how parenting on the Upper East Side brings its own set of values to navigate. Alex opens up about her journey to stop pleasing everyone and start pleasing herself (with Mosheh cheering her on), and Mosheh shares how he’s learning to listen and validate instead of fixing.

And yes—we also talk about the real difference between protecting kids from the news and empowering them to understand it.

This episode is a must-listen for any couple navigating the emotional push-pull that comes with different upbringings, communication styles, or parenting values. Whether you’re just starting out or deep into raising kids, Alex and Mosheh offer a refreshingly honest look at how to bridge the kinds of emotional and cultural gaps that can quietly make—or powerfully strengthen—a relationship. Their story will leave you inspired to do the work, have the conversations, and build something intentional, together.

Correction: In this episode, Alex references an astrology app when she says “time passages” but she is referring to “the pattern.”

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As someone who believes in letting gross motor development unfold naturally—without rushing babies into positions they can’t get into (or out of) themselves—I’ve always had questions about how we support movement in early childhood. So in this episode, I sat down with the amazing pediatric physical therapist behind Tots on Target, Dr. Allison Mell, to dig into all of it. I’ve followed Tots on Target for years because of the way she breaks down early development in a way that’s clear, thoughtful, and totally empowering for parents. 

We talk about when to reach out for support, what mini milestones really tell us, and how even well-intentioned early classes can place performance expectations on infants and toddlers before they’re ready. Together, we explore the tension between trusting a child’s timeline and knowing when intervention matters—and how to reframe what it means to support a child’s development without pushing them too far, too fast.

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What if the toys our kids play with could help shape them into more compassionate, balanced, and open-hearted ?

In this episode, I sit down with Hart & Hero founders—and fellow moms—Chanie Brod and Musya Eckhaus to explore how toys can do so much more than just entertain. We dive into the quiet power of care, the beauty of duality, and how to bridge the gender play gap in a world that too often puts kids in boxes.

From their origin story to the values behind their thoughtfully designed products, Chanie and Musya share how they’re raising both sons and daughters with the freedom to be strong and soft, nurturing and brave. I share a deeply personal parenting moment that challenged my own assumptions about femininity, reflecting on how easily we pass down gendered expectations—sometimes without even realizing it.

We also explore how the roles kids take on in play can shape the roles they default to in adulthood—particularly when it comes to caregiving and the “default parent” dynamic. When nurturing is only encouraged in girls, we miss the chance to raise boys who are emotionally fluent, capable caregivers too.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that play isn’t just play—it’s practice for life.

We cover:

Why care is one of the most radical, under-celebrated strengths

How to support boys in embracing nurturing roles and girls in stepping into leadership—without forcing either

The impact of representation and inclusive toys on identity formation

How duality helps raise whole, resilient humans

How early play patterns can shape future family dynamics

Whether you’re a parent, educator, or just someone who cares about raising the next generation with intention, this episode will leave you inspired to notice the micro moments—and make them count.

Learn more about Hart & Hero at @hartandhero

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When I tell you that this may be one of the most moving conversations on We Didn’t Turn Out Ok so far, I’m still not doing it justice.

Having Whitney Port on brought me back to growing up what felt like with her—from watching The Hills, where she seemed to live in an alternate world from my "Varsity Blues" suburbs in NJ to following her journey as she began filming for The City, where she carved her space in fashion and seemed to have everything fall into place. She met her now-husband Timmy (then a producer on the show), and began creating what she calls “beautiful things”—both professionally and personally.

But if you’ve followed along with Whitney’s story, you know she’s opened up bravely and publicly—about how things didn’t stay perfectly “in place.” About how pregnancy didn’t feel magical, how her experience of starting motherhood felt really sudden and how she’s now navigating an ongoing six-year fertility and surrogacy journey. Her honesty has been incredibly powerful for those who follow her, they feel connected, seen and supported in her sharing. I wondered what was left to uncover.

It turns out—so much more that we will all connect to— in different ways. 

In this conversation, Whitney shares the feeling when she sees another mom in a moment, how that can feel easy to judge until we then experience the same in her own parenting. She talks about how realized that it’s not about judging anyone else or ourselves, but about awareness and confidence in how we are showing up as a parent. She shares the emotional landscape that’s shaped her: from being one of five siblings in a home where it sometimes felt like her feelings often didn’t have space, to seeing a beautiful example of a marriage in her parents, to the boundaries that were set forth for her and her siblings, to learning what emotional safety really means—first for herself, and now for her son, Sonny.

This is a conversation about permission: to feel, to be unsure, to heal, and to show up—even when it feels like we don’t know exactly how. To be the kind of parent who’s still learning, still healing, still growing.

Spoiler: we both shed tears reflecting on how we were raised, and how that contributed to who we are today.

She’s amazing. This one’s special.

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In this episode, I sit down with Dale and Annabel - the funny, real and deeply honest voices behind We Are More Than Moms, a community and podcast that supports moms in navigating identity, ambition, and the messy in-between moments of modern motherhood.

We talk about the many layers that shift when we become moms - from how we see ourselves to how we compare (to other moms, our pre-mom selves, even our own kids). We dig into the power of recognizing when we’re not OK, and how those moments can actually spark real growth - especially when we allow ourselves to ask for help.

Dale and Annabel also share the inspiration behind their brand-new coaching program - a supportive space designed to help moms reconnect with who they are now and step into their next chapter with confidence, clarity, and self-trust.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re somewhere between who you were and who you’re becoming, just know we’ve all been there - and as Dale and Annabel say, motherhood might just be your 2.0 version… the one where you become your best self, if you can just allow yourself to see it.

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The Conscious Mom, where do I start? Back in 2020, when I was supporting other moms through virtual groups—craving a bit of that support for myself—I stumbled upon Erin Morrison, a.k.a. The Conscious Mom, on Instagram. What started as a digital connection during COVID quickly became a real friendship, even though we had never met in person.

Fast forward five years, countless DMs, and near-misses in Florida (where Erin lives with her two kids, Ellie, 9, and Jonah, 11), and we finally made it happen. Erin flew up, and we got to share this conversation in person—a full hour of heart, insight, and so much truth.

In this episode, we dive into Erin’s brilliant new book, Three Minutes for Mom, which I genuinely think is the only tangible tool every mom should have on their nightstand. It’s like a morning hug in book form—something I reach for before anything else, especially my phone.

Here are some of my favorite takeaways from our conversation:

The culture of over-involved motherhood: We unpack how stepping back and trusting our kids can unlock their creativity, independence, and resilience—not just from boredom, but from life’s bigger challenges.

Discomfort and distraction: We talk about how the emotions hardest to tolerate in our children are often the ones we avoid in ourselves—and how our phones have become quick escapes from that discomfort.

Urgency culture & boundaries: Erin and I are both recovering people-pleasers, learning to protect our mental space with boundaries—turning off notifications, reclaiming quiet moments, and modeling that for our kids.

Loving boundaries: Erin shares a powerful reflection on the boundaries her own parents set that felt hard in the moment—but made all the difference. A reminder that boundaries are love in action.

Weathering the storm: Erin beautifully captures the hardest part of parenting—“You have to withstand the storm of their emotions.” We talk about what it means to hold steady through our kids’ disappointments, big feelings, and heartbreaks—without taking them on as our own.

Chipping away: A theme we kept returning to—how parenting (and personal growth) is all about chipping away at the noise, the pressure, the self-doubt, to get closer to who we truly are and how we want to show up.

Not only is this episode reflective and relatable but it’s a conversation that will stick with you - or at least it has for me—in the moments when you need to access something to help you know you’re doing it right, when you’re setting a boundary and your kids push back, when your kids tell you their bored, when you go to look at your phone first thing in the morning instead of grounding yourself, when you really reflect and “chip away” at the stuff that’s making you think you don’t have it all within you, because you really do. 

Also, buy her book immediately. 

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