Mom Wars

Bethany and Kara welcome in Ericka Andersen , author of the new book Freely Sober,  how a former "Wine Mom" came to the realization that she needed a way out of a habitual and destructive relationship with alcohol.

This week's episode was inspired by a couple of pieces Kara wrote, including " The British Baby Bust " for The Free Press. Bethany's book link this week: Act Natural: A Cultural History of Misadventures in Parenting by Jennifer Traig

Pediatrician Dr Ali Carine rejoins the show where we discuss and break down the new CDC vaccine schedule changes and the controversial updated food pyramid emphasizing meat and whole milk with reduced grains. The Moms and the Doctor are in.

We're back to answer some burning questions, such as "Should you date someone you don't want to marry?", "Is it ok to hate prenatal yoga?" and more importantly, "Did you pick up my keys?" The ladies recap their holiday trips as Kara does "A Pregnant Woman's Christmas in Wales" and Bethany embraces Catholicism for 45 minutes in a back alley in Nazareth on Christmas Eve. Really.

Bethany is packing six kids for Greece and Israel, Kara has just imported sausage rolls via Belgium and sent her husband to Alaska on a whim, and somehow that all leads to… Grandma Jan and the daughters-in-law she tries to leave at home during her family vacay. The moms unpack the viral “grandma camp” reel, mother-in-law drama, and what it’s really like to be a boy mom watching your sons emotional...

In this week’s episode, we kicked things off by swapping midwife horror stories and debated the question every expectant mother eventually faces: to doula, or not to doula? 

In the latest episode of The Mom Wars, Bethany talks us through her weightloss journey with Zepbound, and the girls discuss the latest postpartum body discourse.

Madeline Schultz rejoins the Mom Wars after the birth of her second baby, which she calls redemptive. She dives into her latest piece about Restorative Reproductive Medicine and how it found itself in the culture war up against IVF. Washington Examiner artucle: Why is the Right fighting over IVF?

In this lively and intimate episode, Bethany Mandel and Kara Kennedy are joined by Arden Jamison, a woman she recently bonded with on a homeschooling apple-picking trip — the kind of instant connection that happens when you realize someone else also wrangles a throng of kids. The trio dives deep into faith, motherhood, and autonomy, exploring how religion shapes their choices around family and edu...

"Dad will tell you he believed fixing me was only possible because of my 'intelligence,' but I would counter and say it couldn’t have happened without his love." So writes Leland Vittert, anchor at NewsNation and former foreign correspondent for Fox News. Diagnosed with what we now understand as autism, Vittert was labeled as "retarded" and was bullied throughout his school years. His father quit...

Second-generation homeschooling mom Caitlin Francis ( @MrsCMFrancis on X) joins the program for a wide ranging discussion including what everybody is watching on television - with and without their husbands.

This is a much requested episode about finances for six kids and how Bethany saves and invests for each of them.   We also discuss a very interesting and dramatic longform piece in Wired about surrogacy .  And, of course, gossip about our lives.

Melinda Strauss (@therealmelindastrauss) is a New York-based Jewish content creator and influencer with over 1.6 million followers on TikTok and Instagram. She is celebrated for her engaging and educational content, which explores Orthodox Judaism, kosher recipes, Jewish history, Antisemitism, and Zionism, while sharing insights into her everyday life. Through her blend of cultural practices and m...

This week, Bethany and Kara are joined by Brielle Persun, a beloved book influencer whose passion for reading has built a vibrant community online. Earlier this year, Brielle experienced the sudden loss of her husband—a life-altering tragedy that could have silenced her spark. Instead, she’s chosen to lean into resilience, connection, and the power of story. Together, we talk about the books that...

This week Bethany and Kara are joined by Nicki Neily, the President of Defending Education. They discuss how the madness usually associated with higher ed has now filtered down in the world of K through 12 and what you can do about it. Neily is the President & Founder of Defending Education and Speech First, a national campus free speech organization, and has worked at the Independent Women’s...

Abby Roth, aka, Classically Abby, joins Bethany and Kara to talk about being a "First-Generation SAHM" (Stay At Home Mom) Check out Abby's new Substack at t hefirstgensahm.substack.com

According to the CDC, almost 10% of American women of child bearing age are on SSRIs - Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors - a class of antidepressants that include such medications as Lexapro, Prozac and Zoloft. But are they safe to take during pregnancy? Tracy Beth Høeg, MD, PhD and Senior Advisor for Clinical Sciences in the Office of the FDA Commissioner, joins the show to talk about what...

Kate Johnson, an RN who spent most of her 10-year career working in critical care at a Washington, DC trauma center and who now devotes herself to promoting preventative care and living a healthy lifestyle, drops by to discuss MAHA and the wonders of living in Florida. You can follow her on Instagram at @nursekatejohnson

Bethany and Kara are joined by fellow mom of six and television booking producer Daniella Tasca Taylor. They discuss how to exercise trust in big families when it comes to letting your kids have an independent life, and how that sometimes backfires.

Another TMI episode we hope our husbands don't listen to. Bethany and Kara discuss the unadvertised joys of childbirth and about when Bethany ran into the SLOTUS last weekend. Also, Kara shares some news...  

After being on the road on their summer holidays, Bethany and Kara catch up and discuss how they’ve been keeping their kids entertained in the heat. As always, the conversation soon shifts and Bethany explains the dramatic story of how her and Seth met. 

In the latest episode of the Mom Wars Bethany and Kara discuss sleep training methods and how you should probably just cry it out. Also: the experts are all nuts and the toxicity of mommy spaces.

Bethany and Kara catch up after Bethany's trip to London with five kids and no husband. 

Madeline Fry Schultz, the Contributors Editor at the Washington Examiner talks about the myth of “family planning” and the realities of secondary infertility.

In this episode we discuss Whether families should pay extra for airplane seats together Britain's push to ban all ed tech in classrooms How having babies codes right wing  Also: Bethany's love letter to her menstrual cup (so male listener discretion is advised,)