The Paula Faris Show

The reality is that 95% of us will be with our families over the holidays. So, how do you determine whose house you’re going to? And, how do you navigate the in-law relationships, particularly the one with your mother-in-law? I’ll be honest… I overheard some women at my local gym talking about the stress of navigating holiday travel and their in-laws, and I thought to myself, “We HAVE to talk abou...

Parents would make incredible hostage negotiators. After all, we’re negotiating all day, every day, with our kids, partners, and co-workers.  Because we’re in countless negotiations (and maybe we don’t even know it), I’ve invited former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss to the show to help us effectively negotiate with our kids, partner, and co-workers.  This guy is legit. He’s even done a masterc...

The moms from the Birds & Bees are back to answer all your thought-provoking questions about how to talk about sex and our bodies with our children.  When should they stop bathing together? How do you talk about sex when they’re older? Should your kids see you naked? How do you have these conversations with your special needs kids? We’re leaving no stone unturned.  We’re even discussing when and i...

I don’t know of any parent that says, “I can’t wait to have the sex talk with my kid!” So, I’m gonna have the moms from Birds & Bees on the podcast to help us navigate all that discomfort.  They’re going to tell you this: you’re not alone in your dread. But they’ll also share why and how we need to take the pressure off of having ONE BIG TALK.  This conversation is going to be so helpful for you a...

Do you think we need to agree with people in order to respect them or befriend them? Maybe you’ve been unfriended by someone who doesn’t see eye to eye with you politically, or your kid has come from school saying disparaging things about another kid’s family because of who they’re voting for. (That’s the worst…and I’ve been there.)  And why can’t we have conversations about politics at the dinner...

John and I have a wide-ranging conversation about Why Parenting in America is So Tough.  We talk about our big struggles as parents, how parenting is “hazardous to your health” per the Surgeon General, plus we check in with our friend Stephanie May Wilson (Mom and Podcaster), who recently moved from Tennessee to SPAIN, mainly because parenting in America is such a struggle.  You’ll love to hear he...

We’re having fewer and fewer kids in the U.S. In fact, we’ve reached record-low numbers. But here’s the question: should we care? I am talking to sociologist Dr Jennifer Glass to explain the trend and reveal the most puzzling piece about it all.  Dr Glass is a Sociology Professor at the, University of Texas and the Executive Director at the Council on Contemporary Families. This is her life work....

I get so fired up talking about this issue. We talk a lot about how we’re pro-family in this country. But, when it comes down to it, do America’s policies actually support families?  We’ve made this political.. And that’s where we’ve gone wrong because this is an ECONOMIC issue. Yes, you heard me right, this is all about the economy. As Australia’s former Prime Minister, Scott Morrison will tell u...

We’re talking hot topics throughout Season Three of The Paula Faris Show and one of the hottest topics is this: Women are leaving the workplace because it simply doesn’t work for them. 1 in 3 women are planning on “pausing” and nearly half are considering downshifting, to lean into family life.  What’s behind this trend? And, how can we support women throughout their entire journey of kids and car...

I AM DONE COUNTING CALORIES.  The majority of your questions throughout this series have been about nutrition and exercise, so, let’s talk about how we can best prepare our bodies for this time in our lives, beginning in our 30’s. The pursuit of skinny is killing us. We need to be STRONG.  I somehow convinced my husband John to be part of this conversation–I can’t wait for you to hear his take. It...

You’re going to want to take a lot of notes because Dr Mary Claire Haver is back and she’s answering all YOUR questions about perimenopause and menopause.  She’ll tell you where you need to start, how to find the right doctor, and what tests to ask for so that you can be armed and ready to get the help you need. Plus, she shares the TWO questions you must ask your doctor.  This is part of our mont...

There’s a reason why your symptoms are getting dismissed, why you’re told: “Don’t blame it on your hormones.” Maybe you’ve been called “lazy” or been told that “it’s all in your head.”  Today’s guest, Dr. Mary Claire Haver, is THE leading voice on menopause and wrote the #1 New York Times bestselling book, The New Menopause.  Dr. Haver will join us for two episodes, including next week’s, in which...

I haven’t felt like myself in almost 15 years. In my 30’s, I started noticing significant changes to and in my body, yet I’ve been told by just about every doctor that my blood work is normal and I’m “fine”. Here’s the thing: I don’t feel fine.  And I bet you don’t, either.  This is my most requested series to date: a conversation about menopause, perimenopause, and not feeling like ourselves anym...

I can’t think of a better way to close out our college series than with a conversation about WHO our kids want to be rather than WHAT they want to do. Our kids are more than their college degree if they even choose to go to college.  Let’s face it: the conversation about college wasn’t even a thing until roughly 150 years ago.  You’ve probably heard me share through this series that my mom didn’t...

It wouldn’t be a series on college if I didn’t invite my high schooler to the conversation, along with a former Ivy League Admissions Director.  Caroline and I are joined by Becky Sabky, who spent years as Dartmouth’s Director of Admissions and explains why she’s a fan of the gap year.  Becky shares her insider insights into the admissions process (and how it’s gone mad), plus answers your questio...

Every year around this time, we see or hear about parents dropping their kids off at college. Not sure about you, but it DOES ME IN.  In this month-long series about college, I’m covering it from many angles, including  whether or not it’s worth it, where to start and if it’s right for your kid, plus answering all the questions you sent me.  This week, we’re getting a little levity with comedian C...

Season 3 of the podcast is here and I’m honestly more excited about this season than any other. Because every single episode is a topic/conversation that YOU requested.  We’re kicking it off with a month-long series on COLLEGE, where we’re talking to experts and parents about what one college specialist has called “The most emotionally fraught decision many families will ever make.” How do you kno...

We’re wrapping our “School’s Out For Parents” series on a comedic note, with comedian Trey Kennedy. John and I had the chance to see Trey perform on his comedy tour and so much of his material is about being a new dad. We’re recapping what Trey says about how fatherhood has changed his life, what it’s like marrying your opposite and how impossible baby gear is to assemble (we’ve all been there!). ...

John has been a Jesse Palmer fan for a long time and can testify to what a great human being he is. I worked with Jesse during one of his many TV stints (he worked at Good Morning America while I was there), and he’s genuinely one of a kind…he’s also a new dad. We’re bringing you our favorite part of this Season One episode, where Jesse talks about those first-time dad jitters, plus how he’s becom...

One of John’s all-time favorite books is Atomic Habits, by James Clear. And, he says it wasn’t until my conversation with James from Season Two that he realized how those principles translate to parenting. Want your kids to be on fewer screens this summer? We’re bringing you our favorite parts of that episode and how you can build strong habits (and mindsets) in your kids this summer.  E3 James Cl...

John can testify firsthand how far Whoopi Goldberg and I have come in our friendship. Rocky, at first, we were dear friends despite our many differences. But our most memorable part of this conversation with Whoopi is when she talks about the many odd jobs she worked to get her break in acting, her journey as a single mom, and how she got the nickname “Whoopi.”  E2 Apple Podcasts URL (link to orig...

John and I are recapping the very first episode of this podcast, with MatchBox 20’s Rob Thomas, where he talks about his son (yes, he has a kid!), how they came up with the name MatchBox 20 and according to him, his “best life advice, but worst parenting advice.”  Episode1 Apple Podcasts URL (link to original episode): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rob-thomas-on-matchbox-20-parenthood-and-...

John and I are back to answer your questions, which ranged from how we got through our tough times to why we moved from NYC to small-town South Carolina and how we disagree in a healthy way.  As always, we’re talking about the things YOU want to talk about.  Listen in to learn more:  (00:00) Navigating Family Disagreements and Life Transitions (11:05) Handling Marriage Challenges and Building Unit...

John is always surprised by how many questions we get when we do these ask us anything episodes. And not just that, they’re almost always our most popular episodes!  So much so, that we are doing a two-parter!  Today, we’re answering your questions about toxic work environments, whether we’re done having kids, our best life advice for our kids and what is SAVING US THIS SUMMER as our children are...

This was such a fun conversation catching up with Olympic Gymnast Shawn Johnson and her husband, Andrew East, as we talked about The Olympics, life with littles, and youth sports.  Because the Olympics start NEXT MONTH, we had to park there for a bit and Shawn shared something about the Olympics and the athletes that truly shocked not just me, but Andrew, as well.  It’s so much fun for me to talk...