The Longest Shortest Time

EPISODE #227: Ashley Parker on Raising Girls While Covering the White House

Political reporter Askley Parker opens up about her obsession with birth stories, pregnancy loss, raising girls in the digital age, and a mistake she made as a teenager involving a camera… and boobs.

EPISODE #222: Cyndie and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year

Cyndie Spiegel built a career on optimism — inspiring audiences with messages of hope and positive thinking. But in 2020, as she faced mounting struggles with family and health, she found that the affirmations she once preached were no longer working and she’d have to find a new way forward.

EPISODE #194: One Mom’s Late-Term Abortion

Late-term abortions are extremely rare, except for in political rhetoric. We’ll hear the story behind the headlines from a mom who ended her pregnancy at 29 weeks.

Episode #161: Imaginary Friends & Grown-ups

The imaginary friends you invent when you’re little can be great practice for dealing with hard stuff later on. Plus, a barfing troll and a little egg who raps!

EPISODE #159: A Killer Story

Poet Rachel Zucker is wrestling with the question, “Did I kill my mom… with words?” Tune in for a special Mother’s Day edition of our show.

EPISODE #158: Black Lives Matter for Middle Schoolers

In the novel Ghost Boys, a twelve-year-old unarmed black boy is shot by a white police officer. Jewell Parker Rhodes talks about why she wrote this story for middle schoolers, and why she’s counting on them to advance racial justice.

EPISODE #146: The Parents’ Guide to Affairs with Esther Perel

Couples therapist Esther Perel talks about why people cheat, even when kids are in the picture. Or, sometimes, *because* kids are in the picture. Plus, some practical tools for handling an affair — and preventing one from happening in the first place.

EPISODE #136: Shpitzle’s Secret

Frieda Vizel spent her childhood imagining the world outside of her devout religious community. It wasn’t until she finally left, with her five-year-old son Seth, that she realized she would need to reimagine everything all over again.