Do you want the truth?

Send us Fan Mail Economist Emily Oster transformed parenting literature by applying data analysis to decisions most books treated as black-and-white rules. After becoming pregnant in 2010, she found herself frustrated with pregnancy recommendations that came without explanations—why no sushi? Why limit coffee? As someone trained to evaluate research, she began investigating the evidence behind the...

Send us Fan Mail Marriage and money—two topics that individually carry enough weight to sink a dinner party conversation, and together create one of the last true taboos in our social discourse. When Sam shared her experience spending $1,650 on Daxxify without discussing it with her husband first, she found herself at the center of a social media firestorm, with commenters quick to label her marri...

Send us Fan Mail Pre-order DeeDee's new course for parents here When DeeDee Moore discovered she was becoming a grandmother, she searched everywhere for guidance on doing it right. Finding few resources to help support her grandparenting journey, she created her own – and now shares grandparenting wisdom with over 40,000 Instagram and 15,000 TikTok followers. DeeDee's approach cuts throu...

Send us Fan Mail Use code TRUTH20 for a 7-day free trial and 20% off an annual subscription to the Solid Starts App . Does not apply to purchases made in the Apple App Store or Google Play store. Parenthood transforms mealtimes from moments of nourishment and connection into battlegrounds of tears, tantrums, and untouched plates. In this raw, honest, and solution-focused episode, we dive deep with...

Send us Fan Mail Neha Ruch—founder and author of The Power Pause, formerly known as Mother Untitled and recent guest on The Drew Barrymore Show—joins Sam and Zara to talk about one of the biggest third-rail topics in motherhood today: what happens when ambitious women choose to pause their careers. They cover everything from postnups and financial planning to the emotional rollercoaster of second...

Send us Fan Mail "Pick a niche." "Stay in your lane." For women entrepreneurs, this limiting advice seems inescapable—unless you're KJ Miller, who's built an impressive career by doing precisely the opposite. KJ joins us for a fascinating conversation about her refusal to be confined to a single identity. As co-founder of multimillion-dollar beauty brand Mented Cosmet...

Send us Fan Mail Do you want the truth about c-sections? Because this week, you’re getting it. Jen and Beth — the brilliant, brutally honest minds behind The C-Section Experience podcast — join us for a conversation that’s part group therapy, part birth trauma confessional, and part roast of the word “birth plan.” Between them, they’ve had more abdominal surgeries than a Grey’s Anatomy cast member...

Send us Fan Mail Amanda Anderson @commonthreads is a stay-at-home mom of four, a former boutique owner, and a full-time reseller who’s grown a thriving Whatnot business—pulling in up to $3,000 in a single show and $26k in just one month on Whatnot and $15k on TikTok Shop. In this episode, she talks candidly about the mental load of motherhood, religious deconstruction, parenting on one income, and...

Send us Fan Mail After giving birth to her daughter, Ayana Lage felt euphoric—until everything unraveled. Ten days postpartum, she was hospitalized with postpartum psychosis, experiencing delusions, paranoia, and hallucinations. In this unfiltered conversation, Ayana joins us to share what really happened, how she got help, and why she’s choosing to speak out. We talk about the terrifying reality...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Brittany Ouyang shares her story of parenting a toddler while navigating the mental load of a dual-income household. As a brand marketing manager at Cruise and former ballet dancer, Brittany reflects on the coordination, effort, and unexpected joys of raising a family while balancing career ambitions. Her relatable insights and practical advice will resonate with...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we’re sitting down with Blake, a Meta copywriter and creative director and TikTok sensation, best known for his "This Week in Fatherhood" series. We'll explore the nuances of sober parenting, the impact of COVID-19 on family dynamics, and the hidden challenges and joys of raising children. Blake opens up about losing his mother to cancer, career ins...

Send us Fan Mail What do you do when your birth plan starts to fall apart, and how do you advocate for yourself? In today’s episode, we dive into the often unspoken realities of childbirth and maternal mental health with our guest, Valerie. She shares her raw and powerful story of a traumatic birth experience, lack of paid leave and her journey of resilience and healing. Together, we explore the i...

Send us Fan Mail Laid Off, Logged On: Parenting Through the Unpredictable Job Market In this episode, I’m joined by an incredible panel—Valerie Oresko, Blake Kasemeier, and Brittany—to talk about the curveballs life throws at working parents, especially when job security takes a nosedive. We dive into the raw and real experiences of being laid off, navigating identity and stability, and balancing...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we chat with Jon Fogel—known to many as @wholeparent on social media—to challenge everything we think we know about parenting, discipline, and the role of punishment. Jon brings a unique blend of lived experience as a pastor, foster parent, and neuroscience-informed educator. Together, we dive into how authoritarian parenting patterns mirror broader societal dynamics an...

Send us Fan Mail In honor of Pride month, this is an encore release of Bret Shuford (of @Broadway Hubands fame) episiode.  Bret Shuford, renowned for his performances in Broadway hits such as Wicked, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King. Bret shares his personal journey to parenthood through surrogacy thanks to one of his friends, offering a heartfelt glimpse into the challenges and triumphs they...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered what really goes on behind the Instagram-perfect scenes of modern motherhood? In this episode, we’re joined by Ellie Rineck—mom of two, host of A Day in Her Life podcast who is unapologetically real about the highs and lows of parenting.  When she’s not recording conversations with women across all walks of life, Ellie works as a project manager and implementation le...

Send us Fan Mail In this deeply moving and empowering episode, we're joined by Dr. Jessica Zucker, the trailblazing psychologist and author behind the “I Had a Miscarriage” movement. Jessica shares the deeply personal story that reshaped her career and advocacy: experiencing a miscarriage at 16 weeks, alone at home, and the aftermath that followed. What began as a clinical interest became an...

Send us Fan Mail After 40 episodes, your co-host Sam Strom is sharing her birth story.  Sam flips the roles and sharing the deeply personal story of how she became a mom—despite being sure she never would. Growing up with financial instability and watching the emotional toll motherhood took on her own mom, Sam was convinced kids weren’t for her. But life had other plans. In this conversation with...

Send us Fan Mail In this special re-release, we are officially introducing a past guest as our new co-host. Learn more about Zara's story in this episode, and tune in next week for part two of her story.  Why does parenting in America feel so much harder than it should? Today, we’re joined by Zara Hanawalt, a freelance journalist who has spent nearly a decade covering parenting, motherhood, w...

Send us Fan Mail In part two of this powerful conversation, Paige Connell returns to share the deeply personal story of what happened after the breaking point—the day of the diaper pail and the dishwasher. What followed wasn’t the end of her marriage, but a hard-won beginning. We talk about the real work of rebuilding a partnership after years of resentment, mental overload, and feeling like the d...

Send us Fan Mail Well, the time has come. You’ve heard her voice, you’ve heard her hot takes, and now you’re getting the whole story . In this episode, I turn the mic toward  Paige Connell aka @sheisapaigeturner. We get real real. Paige walks us through the beautiful, messy, emotional tornado that has been her path to motherhood—starting with a teenage AIM love triangle, through pregnancy losses,...

Send us Fan Mail 🔗 Follow the Guests: Chanel Wolf TikTok: @ChanelWolf New wellness & healing products dropping soon in the TikTok Shop! Jaime Fisher TikTok: @HeyJamieFish YouTube: JFisher Channel Long-form content + exciting TikTok Shop updates on the way! Support the show Website:  https://www.doyouwantthetruthpod.com Connect with Sam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/samanthastrom TikTok:...

Send us Fan Mail “I moved in with another single mom… and people had so many questions. But the truth is: I needed community more than I needed space.”  What if healing from betrayal meant rewriting everything — including how we mother, how we live, and who we let in? In this heartfelt and deeply honest episode, host Sam Strom and Jaime Fisher (@heyjaimefish) sit down with Chanel Wolf (@mamachanel...

Send us Fan Mail Meghan Markle, postpartum preeclampsia, maternal health, cultural perceptions, parenting, surrogacy, fertility, celebrity news, public scrutiny, women's health Summary In this episode, Sam Strom and Zara Hanawalt discuss various topics surrounding motherhood, health, and societal perceptions. They delve into Meghan Markle's recent revelations about postpartum preeclampsi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Do You Want the Truth? Pop Culture Hour , Zara and Sam dive into Kylie Kelce’s refreshingly honest postpartum podcast episode—and why it should be required listening for anyone interacting with a new parent. We break down some of the most frustrating pieces of advice new moms get (looking at you, “sleep when the baby sleeps”), and reflect on how celebrity cultur...