We Gotta Talk: News, Issues, and Beauty for Women

Where do I even start with Dr. Romie Mushtaq?! This episode is absolutely one of my favorites EVER. Here are the Cliffs Notes on Dr. Romie: No stranger to trailblazing, Dr. Romie was a neurologist when less than 5% of the field was made up of women. Even though she loved her work, the punishing 80-100 hours per week she spent working soon led her to her own health crisis. It was on the recovery be...

Honestly, is it just me or is the month of May absolutely batshit crazy? Talking a little in this episode about all the craziness that comes along with the end of the school year; another staycation with the kids; and, are you a summer camp mom or not? I'm also outlining some beauty products I'm incorporating into my routine this summer, including one that's--TMI ALERT--perfect for back-ne. Go ahe...

Every mom knows that the first few months of motherhood--while amazing--can also be incredibly isolating and difficult. Jen Schwartz founded a blog, The Medicated Mommy, years ago to share her own journey with postpartum depression and connect with other moms who were facing the same difficulties. That blog eventually spun off into Motherhood Understood, an online community where women not only sh...

In this episode I talk with the founder of nfuse, a personal care products company that infuses all their products with magnesium. I started using nfuse deodorant about two years ago, after discovering them at my barre3 studio. Guys, this stuff is a game changer. I've used in nonstop since then. If you use natural deodorants, you know they can be hit or miss. I've tried tons, and always go back to...

When Marisa Bardach Ramel was in high school, she and her family got life-changing news. Her mother had Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. At a time when life is hard enough on its own, Marisa has to learn to manage her own emotions about her mother's illness, all while trying to enjoy what could be her last few months with her mom. In this memoir, Marisa and her mother alternate chapters, each processing...

In this episode of 30 Something with Sonni, I drag on my friend and fellow podcaster, Erika Jarvis. Erika currently works for a major theme park company (cough cough), is a former print journalist, a New York AND Pittsburgh girl (I mean... is there a better combo?), and she and her friend Amie delve into some seriously crazy stuff on their show, Podcast Rewind. Want to know all about bitter people...

In this gem of a solo episode, I lock myself in my closet to rant about all the damage we are doing to our kids by acting like total over-competitive a-holes. Also, meet the Easter Egg Hunt Mom. She is real, and she is horrible. Also, please enjoy the incredible acoustics as a lawnmower slowly rolls past my house as I'm recording! It's a real stream of consciousness extravaganza. Enjoy! Instagram:...

Aaah! I have never been so nervous to interview someone in my whole life! I finally (finally!) convinced my husband Andrew to come on the podcast and boy oh boy, we talk about a lot of personal stuff. Besides him starting off the episode with a cough drop in his mouth (#newbieprobs), he did so well! In this episode we talk about probing and important issues like: + Does Sonni have an anger problem...

This episode is chock full of great health info! Amanda is the founder of Grounding Roots, a juicing company that focuses on blends that help address different health issues. A former marketing executive who's now put those skills toward launching and growing Grounding Roots, Amanda and her husband Jed have become advocates of natural approaches toward healing. In this episode we talk about: + Aut...

Guys. Can we please just talk for a minute about how hysterical Amy Weatherly is? This episode is SO full of laughs I can hardly believe we got through it. I found Amy's writing first--like so many people--on Facebook. Her viral posts touch on things as funny as Chick Fil A and "mean moms," to more serious topics like feeling alone in motherhood and struggling to fit in. I could have honestly talk...

Back in the day (picture me hunched over a cane and with reading glasses perched on my nose while saying this), I used to do this thing called "car camping." When the babies were sleeping in the car, I would fire up a podcast, grab a Dunkin Donuts coffee and a half dozen Munchkins, and just cruise. And most often, the podcast in my ear was Atomic Moms, by Ellie Knaus. Ellie is an actor, a mom of t...

Dr. Julia Nordgren is a pediatrician who did something kinda crazy: One day she decided to put her job on hold and leave to study at the Culinary Institute of America for a year. With her boys and husband on one coast and herself on the other, Dr. Julia learned the art of cooking, and soon she wanted to share that passion with others. Having already spent her career in medicine working with kids w...

We don't shy away from the hard topics on this podcast, and boy oh boy, this episode falls into that category. Writer Jodie Utter went through a public nightmare. After decades of marriage, her husband confessed to an affair; shortly after that, the story went public and he left his job. Talk about big life changes, very, very quickly. Jodie has gone on to compose prolifically on the topic of rela...

Suneera Madhani had an idea that would change the payment processing industry, but when she told her then-bosses, they literally laughed in her face. Just several years later, Suneera heads up her own company, FattMerchant, that handles $2 billion in transactions and has also managed to modernize the entire payment processing industry. In her blast-off to fame within the tech world, she has attrac...

To quote the great Borat, "Wow wow wee wow." Sister friend here put up a post on positive body messaging, and I went viral. It's been a WEEK, guys. And you know what happens when you go viral? The trolls come out to play! Yippee!! I talk all about my viral post on positive body image for young girls, and read trolls' comments from my Daily Mail article LIVE on the pod. It's gonna be a real treat....

It's no secret I'm a major beauty junkie and I'm constantly testing out new products; but there are some that I have on my vanity no matter what. This is the list of my Skincare MVP's! I also talk about a personal story that explains why I became so obsessed with beauty products, but skin care products in particular. A little personal side to all the product rec's. In this episode we talk about my...

Jenna Lee has gone from network anchor star to entrepreneur and trailblazer. Jenna was a reporter and TV news anchor for 15 years before she chose to walk away from FOX News, and immediately after that, she launched SmartHer News--a digital news service that brings you all the big headlines with no spin, to twist, just facts. (You also have to check out her daily Coffee Chats from her kitchen on I...

If you have an internet connection and a pulse, you have seen the name Marie Kondo pasted all over your TV and computer screens lately. The Japanese professional organizer has been promoting her KonMari tidying method for years, but it's gaining major traction these days since the start of her new show on Netflix. Today I tell you all about how I decluttered my own closet, share with you actionabl...

As is the case with major life changes, Kelly Graham's introduction to the world of natural and safer body care began with a giant scare. After battling infertility to finally have her two daughters, Kelly ended up with a host of medical issues that drove her to research what it was she was putting onto her body when it came to personal care products. A deep dive into the benefits of beneficial ba...

Shannon Green has had a long career in journalism spanning both sports and news. Currently a Community Conversations host with the Orlando Sentinel, she's now using her storytelling abilities to tackle issues like felon voting rights and the decline of organized religion with her video series The Bridge. We break it down on what it's like to work as a journalist in a world where information sharin...

PR expert Sara Brady can has worked on some of the most high-profile stories the world has ever seen. From tragedies where the country is asking all sorts of questions that those involved aren't ready to answer, to smaller problems that just need a good answer, Sara takes control with finesse and calm. She talks to me about what it's like to work with people who are dealing with some of the hardes...

"Life is to be lived vibrantly every day." --Indie Lee Ten years ago, Lisa started losing her peripheral vision in her left eye. A visit to the doctor confirmed her worst fears: She had a brain tumor. Her doctor's advice? Spend as much time as you can with your young kids, and hope for the best. Lisa emerged from that surgery not only healed, but also with a new outlook on life. She was going to s...

I'm Sonni, and I'm 30 something. Okay actually I'm 37. ;) (I hate when people don't tell their real age.) In this first episode of my podcast, we talk about what in the world we are going to be covering here, who I am, and why this stage of life is so fun... and so complicated. Let's do this!

Melissa Wiggins is a dynamo. A mom motivated by her son Cannon's diagnosis of neuroblastoma, she is blazing new trails on cancer research for kids with her nonprofit, Cannonballing Kids Cancer. Melissa talks all about new trials for pediatric cancer, pushing research forward with her own grit and determination, and of course how her little guy is doing today.

From pregnancy to birth to the first few years of your child's life, the early years of motherhood can be ROUGH! In this solo 'cast, I talk about all the things I wish I knew about early motherhood before I embarked on this wild, wonderful journey.