Why Am I Yelling? Musings from a middle-aged, menopausal mom

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In the late ’80s, the bumper sticker said “He who dies with the most toys wins.” Decades, mortgages, kids, funerals, and a whole lot of hot flashes later, we know better.

In this episode, I talk about where we get the “most toys” idea wrong in parenting, in our careers, in our own lives, and in a country that feels like one big scoreboard. Plus four tools you can use this week to walk away inspired and ready to make some change.

🎧 IN THIS EPISODE
 • The guy with the boat (and the ATV) and what I know now
 • Why the highlight reel is not a childhood
 • Why your career ladder might be leaning against the wrong wall
 • What the longest happiness study ever done says actually counts
 • Why the scoreboard feels rigged, and why I’m yelling about it

🧰 THE TOOLBOX
 • The Edge of the Bed (a 10-minute nightly ritual for connecting with your kids)
 • The Enough Audit (figure out what you’re really chasing at work)
 • The Five-Person Check-In (reach out to one person who fills you up)
 • Yell With a Purpose (turn outrage into action).

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Hundreds of working comedians say they've been pushed off SiriusXM's comedy channel, and they want it back.

In April, SiriusXM replaced its long-running Raw Dog Comedy channel with Sebastian Maniscalco's Comedy Radio. Now comics are speaking out, saying the shift cut the roster from hundreds of acts to a few dozen heavy hitters and took away the small royalty checks many rely on between road gigs. SiriusXM stands by the change. Maniscalco hasn't responded publicly yet.

This week on Why Am I Yelling?, comedian Carmen Lagala joins us to break down what happened, what it means for lesser-known comics, and what, if anything, can be done about it. We get into the money, the exposure, Maniscalco's role, and whether the "Bring Back Raw Dog" campaign has a shot.

Note: the roster and royalty figures discussed come from the comics and the nonprofit Stand Up for Standup, not from SiriusXM.

Subscribe for new episodes, and tell us in the comments: should Raw Dog come back?

#WhyAmIYelling #CarmenLagala #SebastianManiscalco #SiriusXM #RawDog #StandUpComedy #ComedyPodcast

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"No is a complete sentence" looks great on a pillow. Saying it to your mother-in-law is another story.

This week on Why Am I Yelling? I'm giving you actual scripts for saying no to your spouse, your kids, your friends, and yourself. No 12-sentence apology required.

Quick preview:
 🍝 "I can't make lasagna this weekend. Let's order in."
 🍬 "I hear that you want it. The answer is no. You can be upset."
 📱 "No. I'm putting the phone down. I'm choosing sleep."

Yelling is what happens to a no that wasn't allowed to be said quietly. 🔥

👉 Full episode at the link in bio.
 💬 Tell me: what are you saying no to this week?

#menopausehumor #perimenopause #midlifewomen #momlife #boundaries #saynotopeoplepleasing #momsofinstagram #womenover40 #mompodcast #selfcaremoms #menopausemoms #podcastclips

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Becoming a parent might be the biggest decision most of us ever make — so why do we talk about it like it's just the next box to check? This week I'm digging into all the different roads to parenthood (natural conception, IVF, surrogacy, adoption), calling out the double standards in how we judge famous parents like Millie Bobby Brown, Sandra Bullock, and Lady Gaga for the exact same choice, and making the case that choosing NOT to be a parent deserves just as much respect.🎙️

#WhyAmIYelling #Menopause #Parenthood #ChoosingParenthood #IVF #Adoption #Surrogacy #MomPodcast #MidlifeMom

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Ever been told you're "too sensitive," "overreacting," or that you need to "just get over it"? This week we're talking about the moments — in relationships, in grief, in the middle of a hormonal hot flash spiral — when other people try to manage our feelings instead of just letting us have them. I'm sharing a personal story, breaking down the four flavors of "you can't tell me how to feel" that show up in midlife, and handing you seven real tools for holding your ground emotionally without losing your mind (or your relationships) in the process. 

If you've ever cried in a parking lot over something "small" — this one's for you. 

🎧 New episode of Why Am I Yelling? Musings from a Middle-Aged, Menopausal Mom is up now. 

#WhyAmIYelling #menoausalmom #mompodcast #menopause #relationships #friendships #parenting #grief 

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Twenty-five years ago, I lived two blocks south of the World Trade Center. I was in my office when the planes hit — my husband watched it happen from our apartment window. For years, I struggled with even calling myself a survivor, since I wasn't standing in my neighborhood at the exact moment it happened. But I lived in the aftermath — two blocks from Ground Zero — for five years after, and both my husband and I are members of the World Trade Center Health Registry. 

On this episode, marking the 25th anniversary, I share my story in full and talk about three things it taught me that I still carry every day: 

🔹 How to actually stay clear-headed in an emergency 🔹 What gratitude looks like when it's tangled up with grief 🔹 Why "you only live once" isn't the reckless idea it sounds like 

This isn't a history recap — it's what came after. 

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 What if the most powerful thing you could do right now — in this country, in this climate — was love the people around you?

That's what this episode is about.

Krista is coming in hot for the Season finale of Why Am I Yelling? — musings from a middle-aged, menopausal mom — and she's not holding back. We're talking about what it feels like to watch hatred be normalized from the highest office in the land, what Hunter Biden said on the Friends Keep Secrets YouTube show that stopped her cold, and why she believes love isn't passive — it's the most radical protest available to us right now.

Plus: we're celebrating ONE FULL YEAR of this podcast. 🎉 And then we're taking a summer break. But we're going out swinging.

💛 IN THIS EPISODE:
→ The State of Things — naming what's happening in this country, plainly
→ Hunter Biden's message: "The best way to protest is to love your family, love your friends, and love each other"
→ Why love is not soft — it's a direct challenge to a system built on division
→ THE LOVE TOOLKIT: 7 real, daily practices for choosing love when the world makes it hard
→ A heartfelt one-year anniversary celebration — and a summer send-off

❤️ YOUR LOVE TOOLKIT FROM THIS EPISODE:
1. The Intentional Dinner Table
2. The Love Letter Practice
3. The Neighbor Practice
4. Your Media Diet (protect your nervous system)
5. Love Out Loud — say the specific thing
6. The Micro-Kindness Practice
7. Loving Across Difference — the brave practice

🎙️ Why Am I Yelling? is a podcast for middle-aged moms who have a lot of feelings, zero patience for pretending otherwise, and a deep belief that honesty is more useful than perfection. Hosted by Krista.

We'll be back in September. Until then — go love somebody. ❤️ 

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New episode of Why Am I Yelling? is live — and this one is called "Don't Blink" for a reason.

We're talking about:
✨ The Milestone Paradox — why you feel grief when you get exactly what you wished for
⏳ Why time literally speeds up the older your kids get (there's actual science behind this and it's wild)
🛑 6 real tools to help you SLOW DOWN and actually be present for the moments that matter

Spoiler: one of them takes 30 seconds a day and will make you ugly cry on your kid's 10th birthday. You're welcome.

This episode is for every mom who has ever stood in a parking lot, or a kitchen, or a school gym... and felt time moving faster than she was ready for.

Link in bio 🎙️💕

#WhyAmIYelling #MomPodcast #MomLife #YoungMoms #Parenting

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 My husband called me on a Sunday afternoon "babe, Elias has a fish hook stuck in his nose, I'm just gonna pull it out." Um...NO!! But you guys...There was a fish hook. In his nose. The barb was in. And somehow — SOMEHOW — I did not completely fall apart. 

In this episode of Why Am I Yelling?, I'm breaking down exactly what happened, why I didn't panic, and the six tools I now swear by when parenting goes sideways fast. We're talking about the difference between being a REACTOR and a RESPONDER in a crisis — and how you can actually build that skill before you need it. Whether your kid has ever had a fishing-related facial emergency or just the regular kind of chaos, this one's for you. 🎣👃

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 — The fish hook. In the nose. I'm not joking.
1:00 — What actually happened (the full story)
7:00 — Reactor vs. Responder: what's the difference?
13:30 — 6 tools for staying calm in a parenting emergency
22:30 — The bigger picture: what we're really teaching our kids
26:30 — Wrap-up, cheat sheet & your listener challenge

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode of Why Am I Yelling? — new episodes every Friday.
💬 Drop a comment: what's the wildest parenting emergency YOU'VE survived?

#WhyAmIYelling #ParentingPodcast #MomPodcast #EmergencyParenting #MenopauseMom #ParentingTips #CalmParenting #RealMomLife #PodcastForMoms #MenopausalMom #MiddleAge #Parenting 

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 It's our SILVER ANNIVERSARY! 🥂✨ Twenty-five years ago, I said "I do" to a man who brought me daisies instead of roses on our first date. And today, I am celebrating the best decision I ever made.

In this special episode, I'm exploring all five essentials from my book — Why Am I Yelling? Because...Relationship! — through the lens of what it actually takes to keep a marriage alive, thriving, and real across 25 years. We're talking about:

💬 Communication — why two different communicators can still build a beautiful life
💕 Intimacy — the kind Hollywood doesn't show you (and why familiarity is actually everything)
🤝 Respect — the non-negotiable that keeps two people growing instead of competing
🚧 Boundaries — the essential that almost broke us... and then saved us
🫶 Support — presence without agenda, and why it's the one you can't fake 

#WhyAmIYelling #MarriageAdvice #Relationships #MenopausalMom #MiddleAge #25YearAnniversary #Love #SupportYourPartner #Respect #Intimacy #Communication