When author and podcast host Nora McInerny found herself forming a blended family with a new partner not long after the death of her first husband, she had to leave behind any plans she thought she had.
As a young actor in Hollywood, Jenifer Lewis never planned on starting a family. But since then she’s played some of the most influential mother roles on TV and in movies. Along the way she’s found many different ways to mother.
In many ways, Drag Superstar Sasha Velour’s Drag Mothers were her grandmas, who encouraged her exploration of drag at a young age. The lessons she learned from them inform her approach to mentoring other drag queens today.
ESPN host Elle Duncan planned her two pregnancies meticulously, just like she planned her career as a sports anchor. But, health complications with her second child forced her to confront the inescapable uncertainty of parenting.
When the desire to have kids never kicked in, sociologist Dr. Amy Blackstone thought there was something wrong with her. When she turned to her profession for answers, she learned that “maternal instinct” is largely a myth.
Comedian Negin Farsad’s parents never pressured her to have kids. But when her dad told a story about her own birth that she’d never heard before, she felt a surprising sense of duty to continue her family’s line in America.
For most of his life, Hank Green, the Internet’s science teacher, didn’t know how to hold a baby, let alone raise one. Now that he’s a dad himself, it’s the small moments that make him feel like a pro.
Content creator Jessica Rose built a brand around talking about motherhood online – specifically the parts she doesn’t like about it. And she’s come to realize that regretting parenthood doesn’t necessarily make you a bad parent.
Author Elizabeth Gilbert thought motherhood was inevitable. But one night at a friend's dinner party, she realized it didn’t have to be that way… and that she’d have to make some big changes if she wanted to rewrite her future.
Sexologist Shan Boodram did not want a second child. So when she found out she was pregnant again and her feelings about it were not entirely positive, she had to reckon with the imperfect parts of herself.
Chasten Buttigieg always wanted to be a father, but wasn’t sure it was possible for him as a gay man. After his husband Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign ended, they embarked on another challenging journey: adoption.
After seven years of marriage, activist and author Austin Channing Brown was pretty sure she didn’t want children. But a conversation with a friend made her wonder if she was following her desire… or her fear.
Writer Roxane Gay and her wife Debbie still haven’t decided if they’ll have children. But instead of feeling pressured by the choice (or by the clock), Roxane finds freedom in their options and sees many ways to parent.
Ashley C. Ford is 36, married, and trying to decide: should she have kids? On the fourth season of Going Through It, Ashley talks to 13 noteworthy guests about how they made the choice and what creating family looks like for them.
Margaret Cho grew up watching Joan Rivers perform standup on TV. When Margaret became a comic herself, Joan supported her with words, actions, and jokes.
In a family filled with strong women, the spirit, wisdom and love of Tia Mowry’s grandmother endures.
When Fawzia Mirza was 18, her mom enlisted her to smuggle her mom’s favorite fruit, Pakistani mangoes, from Canada to the US. Now, as a queer Muslim fimmaker, she still values the mango as a way they still connect.
Any successful partnership—business, romantic, or creative—starts with a meaningful connection between 2 people. Partners is a podcast about the people whose journey together led to the creation of something extraordinary.
Cultural constraints kept Alexander Chee’s grandmother from pursuing Chinese Calligraphy until late in life. Alex created the Yi Dae Up Fellowship in her name to help give women writers of Asian descent the chance she didn’t get.
When Franklin Leonard found himself out of his big-wig Hollywood job, he wanted to mope. His mentor, the legendary Hollywood attorney Nina Shaw, wasn’t having it.
The late actor Michael K. Williams and Aunjanue Ellis’s grandmother had one thing in common: neither needed words to tell Aunjanue how to follow her calling and be her truest self with confidence.
Zohran Mamdani’s college road trip through East Africa with his dad and uncle was a blissful tour of his heritage. Then he got his report card back.
When Sasheer Zamata enrolled at her university, she didn’t know where she was headed. A staging of a play by the school’s brand-new theater professor helped her find her purpose, her identity, and the confidence to try anything.
At 15, all Melissa Proctor wanted was a job at the local mall. Instead, advice from her mother helped her make history as the Miami Heat’s first ball girl.
As a teenager, Ijeoma Oluo thought male attention would validate her as a person worth knowing. A late night proclamation from a friend’s older sister snapped her back to reality.
Chani Nicholas first learned of astrology and healing from her step-grandmother. Although they didn’t remain close, Chani still honors her influence by trusting her own inner voice.
Being a leader in a field is hard. Being a leader in theoretical physics as a Black woman is a unique battle. When the weight of being one of the first became too heavy, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein turned to her mom for perspective.
When Randa Jarrar started her MFA program, she thought she was taking the next step on the path to success. That is until her professor, Leslie Marmon Silko, told her to drop out.
Lorena Borjas taught Chase Strangio many things over their decade of working together, including how to show up and fight for trans people in New York City. Her most important lesson? There’s always something to celebrate.
When Kelly Marie Tran was in middle school, a simple question from her dad – an immigrant to the US from Vietnam – changed the way she understood class, race and success in America.
