It's a Lot

Teacher, artist, and queer badass Lanni Maszerowski (they/them) joins host Emily Hessney Lynch for a fun book chat about Baby Blue by Bim Eriksson. Baby Blue is a queer, dystopian graphic novel about a fascist state that polices negative emotions and one twenty-something girls' journey to find her people and a place to belong. We found the novel surprisingly campy (the Peacekeepers are basically a...

Robin Wilt, a mom who is running for Congress, joins host Emily Hessney Lynch for a thoughtful, honest conversation about how her experiences as a mom have shaped her political views. We talk about her adult children and how proud she is of them, the painful years-long legal battle her family endured in an effort to hold her son's school accountable for their poor handling of racist harassment and...

May 27th is the one year anniversary of It's a Lot ! Thank you so much for our support throughout our first year. It means the world to us. Check out Emily's Instagram this week for celebrations, reflections, and a fun giveaway! You can always support the show by leaving a review on your favorite podcast app or sending a one-time or recurring tip . Author Kristina Ten joins host Emily Hessney Lync...

Are we doomed to traumatize our kids? Host Emily Hessney Lynch sits down with Dr. Kenya Malcolm, PhD, a clinical psychologist and the Director of Infant and Early Childhood Initiatives at the University of Rochester Medical Center's Department of Psychiatry, for a conversation about exactly that. We explore how our trauma shows up as parents and how our anxieties can impact the environment our kid...

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of losing a loved one to suicide. There are no graphic details, but we do talk about grief at length in the second half of the show. Please take care while listening. Content creator, librarian, comedian, and mom Hayley DeRoche (they/she), the creator of the viral 'Sad Beige' phenomenon, joins host Emily Hessney Lynch for a conversation about algor...

If you read and loved the Dear America books as a tween in the late 90s/early 2000s, then this episode is for you! Author Ella Dawson joins host Emily Hessney Lynch for a fun conversation about everyone's favorite Dear America book, Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady , by Ellen Emerson White, which came out in 1998. We discuss what held up well in our reread, whether or n...

Journalist and toddler mom Fortesa Latifi joins host Emily Hessney Lynch for a conversation about why we need more nuance in our conversations about mom influencers. In the first half of the show, we discuss how influential influencers truly are (and how much money is involved in the industry), how many mom influencers come from vulnerable backgrounds, and where Fortesa personally draws the line w...

Content warning: This episode contains a mention of miscarriage that is described in some detail. Please take care when listening; if you'd like to avoid that part, it starts around 41:15 and ends by 42:10. When Rachel Kramer Bussel took a break from law school, she started trying different things. She worked as an admin assistant, wrote erotica on the side, and started a cupcake blog that landed...

Content warning: This episode contains a brief mention of suicidal ideation (it is not discussed in detail). Please take care while listening. In this special crossover episode, Magnus Champlin of the Mind of Magnus podcast joins host Emily Hessney Lynch for a fun, collaborative interview with photographer Adam Eaton! We discuss the healing power of creativity, Adam's gift for seeing the beauty in...

Tyler Lima-Roope, a content creator and advocate from LA, joins host Emily Hessney Lynch for the second episode in our Rare Disease Month mini series. In this conversation, we talk about what it's like living with a disability, when Tyler first knew he was different from other kids, meeting his wife online thanks to going live on TikTok, health anxiety, what he's lost as his SMA progresses, and th...

The first in our two-part series for Rare Disease Month, child neurologist Sam Mackenzie, M.D., Ph. D. joins host Emily Hessney Lynch for a conversation about his career path, research interests, spinal muscular atrophy, gene therapy, and his hopes for a better healthcare system. In the second half of the show, Sam shares his experiences as the dad of three kids, how he feels like a 75-year-old at...

In today's mini episode, host Emily Hessney Lynch is joined by her producer, Chris Lindstrom, who is also the host of Food About Town and co-founder of Lunchador, for a casual chat about how things are going with the podcast, our favorite episodes so far, the 2016 trend and how different things were back then, and how we've become more ourselves over the past 10 years. We also discuss how we've en...

Content warning: This episode contains mentions of suicide attempts (they are not discussed in a detailed or graphic way, but they are mentioned briefly). Please take care while listening. Author, educator, mental health advocate, and mom Leanne Toshiko Simpson joins host Emily Hessney Lynch for a thoughtful and funny conversation about her chaos whirlwind life. Leanne talks about living with bipo...

Content warning: this episode contains discussions of depression and suicidal ideation. Please take care when listening. The Trans Lifeline and 988 Lifeline are available if you need someone to talk to. Chloe Corcoran joins host Emily Hessney Lynch to talk about the it's a lot-ness (and the hope and joy!) that's part of coming out, transitioning, and navigating daily life as a trans woman. We talk...

Toddlers love snacks. Adults love snacks. But do grownups love toddler snacks? We taste test 24 different snacks for little ones and share our analysis and hot takes! Host Emily Hessney Lynch is joined by Chris Lindstrom, producer of It's a Lot, host of Food About Town, and co-founder of the Lunchador Podcast Network, as well as her husband, Tim Lynch, owner of Tenderchomps Art. In the first half,...

In this follow-up episode, business owner and mom Kat Eddy returns to chat with host Emily Hessney Lynch about the reality of life with two under two. We play back some clips from our first interview about her expectations for two under two throughout this conversation; it's definitely worth listening to part 1 if you haven't yet, but you can totally listen to part 2 as a standalone episode! We di...

Content warning: this episode contains discussion of infertility, miscarriage, and IVF. If those are sensitive topics for you, please take care while listening. If you'd like to skip that part, I recommend only listening to the first half of the episode, which ends around the 26 minute mark. Eboni Jones Stewart, a librarian, professor, and bonus mom, joins host Emily Hessney Lynch for a conversati...

Author, podcaster, and sex & culture critic Ella Dawson joins host Emily Hessney Lynch for a conversation about all the highs and lows of publishing your debut novel, the mental health impact of the post-publication adrenaline crash, and doing the work to process all those big feelings and keep moving forward. We also chat about Ella's podcast, Rebel Ever After, and the fun and fulfillment she...

Recorded LIVE in front of an audience during The 2025 Rochester Fringe Festival, Pauly joins a panel of fellow Lunchador podcasts Matt Austin & Chris Lindstrom (Lunchador Founders), Emily Hessney-Lynch (It's A Lot), and Mike Huntone (Punches & Popcorn) for a fun-filled hour of ranking banter. Mentioned in this episode: Punches & Popcorn The masters of Couch Potato style Mike Huntone, Jason...

Note: This is part two of a special two-part crossover episode! You can listen to the episodes in whatever order you like. Make sure to check out part one, Pauly's interview with Emily about her journey as an entrepreneur, on The Pauly Guglielmo Show . The episode should be available for you to download right in the It's a Lot feed! Content warning: this episode contains discussion of infertility,...

Pauly and Emily are both podcasters on The Lunchador Podcast Network, and also both entrepreneurs raising young families and juggling.. a lot. In this episode, you'll hear the first half of a conversation between Emily and Pauly in Pauly's style (interviewing Emily mostly about her entrepreneurial journey). Then, the episode fades and you'll be asked to switch over to the It's A Lot podcast (which...

Photographers, gallery co-curators, and dads Richard Colon and Quajay Donnell join host Emily Hessney Lynch for a conversation about photography, Rochester, community, and fatherhood. In the first half of the show, we discuss how photographing different parts of Rochester helped them get to know the city, their goals of prioritizing community over competition and uplifting underrepresented artists...

Social media marketer and author Jon-Stephen Stansel joins host Emily Hessney Lynch to discuss his journey as a social media marketer, from government and higher ed days to his current work as a social media consultant in the entertainment industry working with brands like Invincible, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, Hazbin Hotel, Sausage Party: Foodtopia, and Avatar: The Way of Water. We chat a...

In this wide-ranging conversation, host Emily Hessney Lynch talks to Brendan Dabkowski, a freelance writer & editor, adjunct professor, and father of two. We explore what it was like for Brendan and his wife to have their second child during the COVID pandemic after moving to a new city, childcare struggles, screentime shame, and parent guilt. We also discuss joyful things like taking long bik...

Freelance social strategist and LinkedIn influencer Jayde Powell joins host Emily Hessney Lynch for a conversation about how her digital identity has evolved over time, the decision to pivot from social media management to strategy, forging her path as a freelancer, and getting her start as a LinkedIn influencer. We dive into the intricacies of brand deals, the frustrations of the limiting box of...