The Longest Shortest Time

EPISODE #250: When Rumors Spread Like Wildfire About the Fire Commissioner

Laura Kavanagh knew she would encounter challenges as the first female fire commissioner of the FDNY. But she didn’t anticipate the false rumors that she slept her way to the top — or the nastier rumors about her supposed pregnancy. Now, for the first time, she shares what was actually going on in her reproductive life when she ran the fire department.

EPISODE #247: One Woman, 3 Kids, 15 Rounds of IVF

Holly Schechter always knew she wanted to be a mom. But life had other plans. A car accident, two major spine surgeries, and then infertility. Today, Holly shares her remarkable story of IVF… with a hopeful ending.

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.