Under the Influence with Jo Piazza

What do writing a thriller, running a marathon, and raising small humans have in common? At some point, you’re convinced you’re doing it all wrong. This week on Sunday Nice Things I down with bestselling author Andrea Bartz (The Last Ferry Out) to talk about the messy middle of any creative process—when everything feels like garbage and your brain is screaming “just quit.” If you've ever felt stuc...

We were told there’d be a village. A built-in crew of support, solidarity, and sanity that would show up the minute the baby did. But what if the village never comes? In this episode, Jo talks to Melissa Wirt—mother of six, founder of Latched Mama, and author of I Was Told There’d Be a Village—about what it means to build connection in a culture that isolates mothers by design. They dive into the...

What happens when you're not 100% sure you want to become a mother—but you go ahead and do it anyway? In this episode, we explore the space between certainty and regret, love and ambivalence, and what it means to mother without a clear road map. Host Jo Piazza sits down with journalist and author Ruthie Ackerman, whose new book The Mother Code unpacks her own winding path to motherhood—through egg...

If your kids are into listening to podcasts (mine are...we are massive Greeking Out stans) then you are going to want The Ten News in your rotation. The Ten News podcast explores topics that kids care about most including events, sports, science, gaming, pop culture, entertainment, and more! With new episodes bi-weekly on Wednesday, it’s a great way for you and your family to stay connected with w...

What do a novelist, an Olympic triathlete, and a healthcare entrepreneur have in common? In some families, they share a childhood. Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Susan Dominus joins us to talk about The Family Dynamic, her riveting new book on how multiple high-achieving siblings emerge from the same home—and what that means for the rest of us. We talk about the science of sibling influence, th...

What happens when your kids start asking the Big Questions—about death, morality, and the meaning of life—and your only answer is... "I don't know"? This week we sit down with the anonymous duo behind The Family Skeptical podcast—two parents raising their children without religion in a world where Christian values are increasingly entangled with politics, community, and parenting culture. They div...

Dropping an episode of The Family Skeptical in your feed today. It's a show by a married atheist couple talking about raising kids in non-belief. They talk about navigating the challenges and joys of raising open-minded, compassionate kids in a world where religious beliefs often take center stage and dive into topics such as teaching critical thinking, fostering empathy, celebrating diversity, ha...

What does it really take to ask for what you want—and actually get it? Jenny Wood, former Google executive and author of Wild Courage, breaks down why fear of judgment, failure, and uncertainty keep so many people stuck. This episode dives into the surprising science of ambition, why women are still penalized for being "bossy," how guilt and comparison steal more from us than failure ever could, a...

What do Britney Spears, American Pie, Girls Gone Wild, and the rise of trad wives on TikTok all have in common? More than you think. In this episode, we dive into the cultural stew of the late ’90s and early 2000s with Atlantic critic Sophie Gilbert, author of Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves. From foam fingers to foam parties, we unpack how the sparkly...

Dropping a great new podcast in your feed today. Normal Curves is a podcast about sexy science & serious statistics. Ever try to make sense of a scientific study and the numbers behind it? Listen in to a lively conversation between two stats-savvy friends who break it all down with humor and clarity. Professors Regina Nuzzo of Gallaudet University and Kristin Sainani of Stanford University discuss...

What do you want to be when you grow up? For Gen Alpha, the answer might just be: a brand. This week, we enter the world of the Sweet Sisterhood—a so-called “content house” made up of girls aged 8 to 12 with a combined following in the tens of millions. Think ring lights, sassy videos, and moms-turned-managers. But behind the sequins and smiles is a bigger, messier question: Is this the future of...

Ten days. Six bags. One baby screaming about her missing keys, her cell phone and how much she hates shoes and pants. Spring break in Vegas, Zion and Bryce had it all—drunk fairy godmothers in Vegas, kids veering dangerously close to canyon edges, and a toddler who staged daily protests against wearing pants. These are our lessons learned and a survival guide to chaotic family travel: overpacking...

This week, we're asking the question on the Internet's bitchy lips: is Meghan Markle a tradwife? To get to the bottom of it, I'm dropping in a special crossover episode with Off With Their Headlines where I try to answer that very question. We unpack what “tradwife” actually means, why Meghan’s branding is smart (not submissive), and how capitalism, feminism, and influencer culture collide in unex...

Why does Bridget Jones still hit us right in the feelings—decades later? Because she’s all of us. A little messy, a little lost, and still trying to figure it out. This week, we’re diving into the joy, the grief, the chaos, and the sexy normalcy of the new Bridget Jones movie—and why romantic comedies are finally having a moment again (and thank God for that). It’s a full-on love letter to the rom...

Today I'm dropping an episode of These Packs Puck.   Anyone who's a parent knows how chaotic life with kids can be — but being a professional athlete and a parent comes with its own unique challenges. On their podcast, These Packs Puck, Madison and Anya Packer, professional hockey players and moms-of-two, speak candidly about their life on and off the ice. This episode happens to feature Jo talkin...

What happens when your life falls apart—and the Internet is watching? Jessica Turner had the husband, the kids, the career, and the perfectly curated feed. But when her husband came out as gay, everything she thought she knew about her life, her marriage, and herself shattered. In this raw and deeply honest conversation, Jessica opens up about what it really looks like to rebuild from the ground u...

Most of us think we understand our menstrual cycles. We track them with apps. We count the days. Maybe we even know when we’re ovulating. But what if everything you think you know is either oversimplified—or totally wrong? And what if the tools you're using to "know your body" are collecting your most intimate data... and selling it? In this episode, Jo talks with Laura Federico and Morgan Miller,...

Online spaces and societal expectations are radicalizing young boys at an alarming rate. The haunting TV drama "Adolescence" depicts a 13-year-old boy arrested for murdering a female classmate—a fictional story that reflects real concerns about how toxic internet communities are shaping vulnerable minds. Reverend Angela Denker, author of "Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Bo...

You've earned the degree, landed the job, and crushed your first assignments—so why aren't you moving up? The shocking truth: it's not you, it's the system. "For every 100 men at the entry level that get that first big promotion, only 81 out of 100 women make the same leap." Join us as McKinsey senior partner Lareina Yee, co-author of "Broken Rung," reveals why the first step on your career ladder...

In this deeply personal episode, we sit down with extraordinary mountaineer Melissa Arnot, whose achievements include multiple Everest summits including one without supplemental oxygen. But this conversation goes far beyond climbing mountains. Melissa's new book explores the universal struggle many women face: never feeling like we're enough despite accomplishments that prove otherwise. From her t...

From wine windows that went viral during the pandemic to churches becoming TikTok sensations, we unpack how influencer culture is changing the way we experience historic and cultural sites all over the world, but particularly in Italy. Plus, we tackle that other burning question: with so many Americans dreaming of escaping to Italy, is it actually feasible? And would those same people just become...

Today on Sunday Nice Things I'm dropping in an episode of the show Too Much Money that I made with my friend Doree Shafrir. The show is a wild ride through the crazy ways that billionaires spend their money. And now that we live in a world with a billionaire ruling class it's a more interesting listen than ever. This episode is about why billionaires love to buy media properties and then ruin them...

The misinformation about birth control and women's rights on social media has reached a fever pitch. The other day I was served a reel telling me that taking birth control will both give me cancer and make me more attracted to my cousin. How can we fix this? With information. Can a report card help save reproductive rights in America? This week, I'm chatting with Jennie Wetter from ePROs Fight Bac...

Professor Katherine Phelps is shattering the stereotype that social media is purely destructive for young girls. After spending a ton of time with these young women and interviewing them about their online habits for her new book Digital Girlhoods she's discovered that social media plays a valuable role in community building and identity formation. Katherine discusses the complex dynamics of onlin...

Today we're talking to Susie Shaw, a mother who bravely shares her journey through the devastating loss of her child, William. Susie recounts the harrowing day William went missing during a family ski vacation and the aftermath of that tragedy. Our conversation delves deep into the challenges of grieving, the dire need for better bereavement support, and the role of grief influencers online, both...