As parents of teens know, it's the college admission season. That's why I am thrilled to welcome back Alyse Levine, one of the most prominent college counseling experts, to help us out. You all loved my interview with her in January about de-stressing college admissions, which is why I invited her for a 3-Part Parent's Guide to the College Admission Process. To start things off, Alyse is sharing insider tips and insights on how parents can help their children identify and develop their passions. You'll find her perspective reasonable, encouraging, and helpful, even beyond the college process ..read more

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

Spawned is back (whoo!) with host Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks and Mom-101. I'm excited to get back to what I love most-- helping us get through the ups and downs of parenting together. Each week I'll be joined by compelling experts, best-selling authors, entrepreneurs, comedians, therapists, and even some big celebrities. I'm thrilled to kick things off with Jaclyn Lindsey, the remarkable founder and CEO of kindness.org. We're talking about what the science of kindness can teach us about raising kind humans. Jaclyn shares what we're doing right, what we're getting wrong, and some super-pra ..read more

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