Mutha Life

This good vibes, high energy, hang with Sabrina Soto is exactly what you need. Sabrina has been host and designer on a number of HGTV shows like The High Low Project, Design Star, Real Estate Intervention and Get it Sold. She was a cast member of TLC's Trading Spaces, a judge on the ABC series, The Great Christmas Light Fight! and so much more. These days you can hang out with Sabrina on her bi-we...

Today we have Betsy Riley, co-Founder of Swehl in the closet. And goddamn I love being surprised by a conversation. Betsy shares so much in this chat - from career perspectives (if people aren't going to lift you up to greatness, go build your own thing and lift up others instead), to life perspectives (every day isn't guaranteed, so make sure you're doing what you really love and that you're spen...

When shit hits the fan, I just want to talk to my mommy. And lucky for me, my mom is Dr. Ellyn Gamberg, a clinical psychologist with 30 years of experience under her belt. We focus on how to support friends and community members impacted by the catastrophic LA fires. We discuss the psychological and emotional impacts of such a large-scale tragedy, symptoms of trauma to watch for, and how to provid...

Come with me to a chic little ADU in Santa Monica where I sip homemade green juice and hang out with standup legend Bobby Collins. Bobby shares his New York upbringing, his early career, and the transformative journey of fatherhood. He reflects on his unique path through the comedy scene, performing alongside icons like Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, and Rosie O'Donnell, while always staying true to hi...

In this special New Year's episode, we are hanging out with our DJ in residence, SOSUPERSAM. It should come as no surprise that this is a sprawling conversation. We reflect on the significance of the New Year and how meh we both feel about New Year's resolutions. Some of my personal highlights from this ep are talking about the school of goal setting, the 'sustainable attainable self development g...

Merry Christmas from your favorite Jewish MUTHA. Today we are going to revisit the 17 conversations we've had since launching the pod 17 weeks ago. I asked AI to write my show summary today because I am a tired mutha trying to survive the holiday season and this is what they came up with. How do you think it did? I say it's mid. But MID IS GOOD ENOUGH THIS WEEK, RIGHT?! Kari dives into shared expe...

Let's hang with Rowe's Macaroons Founder Audrey Rowe. Audrey, formerly an agent at CAA and now epic sweet treat founder, takes us from Texas to California, from entertainment agent to small business owner and so many stops in between. This episode covers so many hot button topics with fresh insight - like how partnerships and responsibilities shift as careers morph and change over a marriage and h...

Wazzzzzzzzupppppppppp (Scary Movie reference. Hope you get it). Let's sit down with legendary director and screenwriter David Zucker, co-creator of iconic comedies like Airplane! and all of the Scary Movies. This hang spans David's upbringing in Wisconsin (and his penchant for mischief), his career breakthroughs in the film industry (and what it's like to direct as part of a trio), and his adventu...

In her first ever podcast sit down, Bette Bentley gives us the REAL Bette. The one with lots of layers. Bette has lived many lives and come out of trauma and into a new chapter of life where she's the boss, quite literally. How does a comedian and actor go from working with Will Ferrell to filing her own patents, inventing her own product and starting her own business, all while being a mutha to t...

Come hang with actor Jill Talley. Jill shares her journey from growing up with her five siblings in Chicago's Southside to being one of the most prolific voice actors working today. If you're a fan of improv and legendary comedians and actors like Chris Farley, Bob Odenkirk, Steve Carrell, Jenifer Aniston - come hear about some of Jill's former co-workers and pals. If you're a SpongeBob super fan,...

This week on the pod we are hanging out with Wired Magazine's boss in charge of it all: Katie Drummond. We talk about growing up in Calgary and her college years marked by straight-edge veganism and an intense work ethic following her mother's sudden death. We also cover her career trajectory from intern to global editorial director at Wired. This chat touches on Katie's approach to work-life bala...

On this episode, we sit down with Paige Port, the president of Dear Media and a mother of two. Paige shares her journey from various internships (shout out Red Sox and fellow intern alum, @AlexEdelman), working for her sister Whitney Port, to her current role at Dear Media. The conversation covers what I like to think of as an 'intuitive trajectory,' one where you go from job to job because you're...

Today we have Dan Cooley in the closet and it's so annoyingly cliche that he happens to be extremely cool. Dan is a seasoned locations manager in the film industry and he shares his career journey, spanning over 60 films and TV projects, including 'Spider-Man 3', 'Milk', and 'New Girl'. Dan discusses the unexpected path to his unique role, the dynamic challenges, and the magic behind some iconic s...

Let's hang with Jeannie Roshar. In this episode, this director and accidental MOMager walks us through her career - from improv and a breakout music video (featuring heavily pregnant, lingerie clad, ladies) to a multi-faceted directing career with Blippi, Life Hacks for Kids and so much more. We cover so much in this episode, having your kids in 'SHOWBIZ', division of labor, expectations around wo...

Marketing guru Lisa Licht says hello from the other side...of parenting. While never taking her foot off the pedal of her career, Lisa's three kids are now all grown up and...still seem to like her! Lisa has been climbing the corporate ladder since college and has worked at so many of your favorite places, guiding marketing strategy and toeing the line of the marketing frontier in fast-changing ti...

TW: Cancer This week, we hang out in the closet with Elissa Kalver. She's a force of nature: a dynamic Mutha who has had many careers, ultimately focusing her high octane energy on the nonprofit she founded, WeGotThis.org , the first-ever nonprofit gift registry for cancer patients. Elissa's drive to squeeze everything out of life is palpable, and while I am certain her metastatic breast cancer di...

In this episode, we talk to director Katie Locke O'Brien. Katie talks about her love of theater, entertaining and creating, and how in many ways that passion through-line has led her to so many key inflection points in her life story to date: ending up at Harvard, meeting her husband, processing the bewildering state of becoming a mutha, and ultimately becoming a director. Every week on the pod, I...

In this episode, we talk to documentary producer, Tracy Aftergood. Tracy talks candidly about her career trajectory, the tragic loss of her best friend, her mom, at an early age, and the work she does to show up for herself, so she can show up for her kids and her relationship. Tracy's latest doc on Diane Von Furstenberg, is now streaming on Hulu (link in show notes) . Every week on the pod, I bak...

In this episode we talk to TV and film writer Kit Steinkellner. She shares her journey through Hollywood, from growing up on the set of some of our favorite shows, attending school on a studio lot, to balancing a creative career with parenting, and the intricacies of personal and professional life. From Kit's childhood on nostalgic TV sets, to her breakthrough TV show 'Sorry for Your Loss', Kit of...

Dubbed a 'cool person' by New York Magazine, Chris discusses his accidental journey to a successful writing career, his move from California to New York, and balancing his professional and personal life. He shares insights about working with major publications like GQ, his love for Muay Thai and the health scare that precipitated a deep dive into the world of wellness, and his commitment to showin...

Polythreat SOSUPERSAM's life is a practice in contrasts. She is mother at the club. She is also mother at home.  Sam shares how her upbringing in a Filipino household that valued both being a (talented) good time at parties AND valued hard work and business acumen came together in an unexpected way in her career. She talks about her commitment to routine, her appreciation for the need, sometimes,...

Costume Designer Queensylvia Akuchie always knew she wanted to work in entertainment AND be a mother. The picture of how those things were going to look, however, she could have never predicted.  Queen shares her career journey as a costume designer for Tyler Perry and others AND her journey as a single mother, finding beauty in the pain of hard life transitions and putting her daughter at the cen...

The Mutha Life podcast is the IRL group chat. Every week we sit down with a different badass parent, in my closet, to talk about parenting and career, relationships, hopes and dreams...and how the combination makes for a heady cocktail. From chefs, DJs, costume designers, actors and more, we all have something in common - we are out on these mean streets trying to raise kids. This is not the place...

Actress Brittany Ishibashi is exactly what you'd expect from a first-born child who grew up in a creative household.  Brittany shares everything from her childhood and career journey to what keeps her up at night as a parent to three kids...and how she and her husband should probably go on a few more dates.  Every week on the pod, I bake for our guests if they come to the closet IRL. For Brittany,...