It is so tough to navigate the college search and admission process -- emotionally, practically, financially. (Eep!) It completely stressed me out, and I'm a pretty Type B mom. So learn from my mistakes! To kick off a new year of Spawned, we're lucky to be getting super helpful tips from Alyse Levine, one of the foremost college counseling experts in the country. She's not only worked with high school students at all levels, she's the former assistant director of undergrad admissions at Washington University in St. Louis. In other words, she's got an invaluable perspective you're going to want ..read more

At the end of such a tough year, we're looking to find all the holiday joy where we can, and make fun for our kids -- but why do moms always seem to be the people behind the fun, and not part of the fun? Liz is joined by Margaret Ables, co-host of the fabulous What Fresh Hell parenting podcast to commiserate, and we're offering smart tips (eg stop trying to make things perfect!), sweet family stories, plenty of laughter, and a lot of compassion for moms feeling overwhelmed right now. Thanks to our sponsor Disney Villainous: Intro to Evil for creating a wonderful screen-free game that's actuall ..read more

We all say we want to raise kids who are happy, healthy, and can be their authentic selves. So what happens when your kid is becoming someone who's really different from what we had imagined? That's the story Kate Brookes tells in the wonderful Transister: Raising Twins in a Gender-Bending World. She's incredibly forthcoming, funny, reflective, and supportive, whether you're raising kids who defy traditional norms of gender and sexuality--or are just individuals in their own way. Really, this is a meaningful conversation for any parent whose kids are on a path to be their own selves, and I'm g ..read more

I have wanted to talk with best-selling author, TED Talk phenom, and "professional troublemaker" Luvvie Ajayi Jones for so long! With the release of her wonderful new children's book, Little Troublemaker Makes a Mess, it's the perfect time. We discuss what it means to make good trouble, tips for talking to kids when they break the rules, and why to teach our children that it's not only possible to recover from big mistakes, it's important not to let those mistakes define us.  Also, be sure to stay tuned for Luvvie's own story about good intentions gone very, very, very wrong. I'm still sw ..read more

One of our all-time favorite guests, Dr. Ken Ginsburg, is back to chat about his newest book, Congrats—You're Having a Teen! and debunk some of the most common myths about parenting teenagers. Dr. Ginsburg's insights and work have changed the way we parent our kids, so let's just say if there's an episode of Spawned to listen to, it's this one. Thanks to our sponsor, Camp Tuku, a wonderful camp for kids located in the beautiful Catskills Mountains. You can learn more about them on their website! Follow us on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Show notes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me ..read more

Prioritizing and organizing your life, your family schedule, and especially your time is something a lot of moms (like, uh me!) can use help with. Take a listen for some terrific tips from Sarah Hart-Unger, host of Best Laid Plans podcast and co-host of Best of Both Worlds. She shares her genius "nested goals" approach, offers advice for list-making, talks organization vs prioritization, gender imbalances in time management -- and even finding peace in the chaos. This is the interview I needed! Maybe you need it too right now. - Liz Follow Spawned on Apple: bit.ly/spawnedshow Follow Spawned on ..read more

We've talked to so many incredible guests in 2022 -- film directors, authors, journalists, political pundits, activists. So we thought we'd share some of our favorite quotes and thoughtful advice in this fun look back at what we've learned over the past year here. If there's one you want to hear more about, you're already on your podcast app! Just click through to the Spawned library, scroll down, and take a listen! Thanks so much for joining Kristen and me this year - as with parenting, we're all in this together and we couldn't do it without you. - Liz Thanks to our sponsor Mylio Photos for ..read more

Moms are so busy trying to make fun for everyone over the holidays, sometimes we forget that we're supposed to be having fun too! How do we do that without adding "have more fun" to our to-do lists? Margaret Ables, co-host of the fabulous What Fresh Hell parenting podcast is joining me to offer smart tips, sweet stories, a lot of laughter, and a lot of compassion for moms Going Through It right now. - Liz Thanks to our sponsor Mylio Photos for offering our listeners 20% off when you subscribe. It's the easiest way to curate, organize, and safely preserve all your photos from all your different ..read more

We've discussed the sex talk on Spawned a few times, however, if your school district is like mine (and many across the country), they are making sex education an optional, home-taught module. That means, we need to be more invested than ever in ensuring our kids are getting comprehensive sex education. That's what Andrea Brand's new book, “Stop Sweating & Start Talking," can help with, and a lot more. *Note, while this episode is marked explicit, it is due to the topics, which are for parents only, not due to questionable language. Thanks to our sponsor Mylio Photos, for helping us o ..read more

Just when I thought I was pretty aware of what I needed to know about teens and sleep, I got my hands on Lisa L. Lewis's book The Sleep-Deprived Teen: Why Our Teenagers Are So Tired, And How Parents And Schools Can Help Them Thrive and I realized there was so much I didn't know. That was all solidified during this episode. Whether you have teens or not, Lisa's research for this book uncovered why sleep is so important for teens (hint: their brains are growing!), why they're not getting enough sleep, and what we can do to ensure that they are getting it, and it is so important for par ..read more