Listen To My Mother

What’s The Point? Media
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Mental Health

Need advice? Ask a New York Jewish mom and her clinically-trained therapist daughter. Shain and Sarah share a fascinating mother-daughter bond, in which they welcome discussions, disagreements, and debates. Bring your questions—any questions—and you’ll get a wide range of guidance, a little tough love, a lot of support, and plenty of humor. Submit your question or any issue you need advice on here. Visit Sarah's website to learn more about her Denver-based couples therapy practice here.

  1. 13h ago

    17: Same Family, Different Childhoods: Did We Really Have the Same Parents?

    This week, Shain and Sarah are joined by Sarah's siblings, Mara and David, to pick up a conversation that began in Episode 15: How can three children raised by the same parents have such different experiences of them? Mara reflects on growing up with a younger version of Shain, while Sarah considers how their different personalities and circumstances shaped the relationships they each developed with their mother. David shares how being diagnosed with cancer at 18 changed the dynamics of their entire family—and especially his relationship with his father. Together, the four of them explore how siblings can remember the same family differently, the ways parents change between children, and how much of who we become is shaped by what happened to us versus how we learned to respond to it.  Their conversation also turns to a bigger question: Do we always need to unpack the difficult parts of our past, or can some things simply be left alone? As Shain looks back on the mother she was and the relationships she now has with her three grown children, the conversation becomes a reflection on what parents pass down, what children carry forward, and what it means to understand each other more fully over time.   Have a question you'd like answered on-air? Submit it anonymously through our Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfQpoAX6aWuI4B-Kjbf5SePSrhc3XyFtS-_v31Bvqos6wm6-g/viewform All submissions are anonymous: even though you sign in with your email address, we do not have access to it unless you purposefully toggle on the option to share it. Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listentomymother

  2. Aug 4

    16: On Boundaries and Aging: Who Do You Want to Be for Your Parents?

    This week, Shain and Sarah respond to a listener who asks a question many adult children eventually face: How do you set boundaries with an aging parent who needs more emotional support than you have the capacity to give? What begins as a conversation about boundaries quickly becomes something much larger. Drawing from their own experiences caring for aging parents, Shain reflects on the regrets she carries, the repair she longed for, and the compassion that only became possible with hindsight. Sarah explores what boundaries actually are—and aren't—and considers how adult children can care deeply for their parents without losing themselves in the process. Together, they examine the complicated intersection of obligation, resentment, identity, and love. They ask what we owe the people who raised us, how our lifelong relationship with a parent shapes the way we care for them in old age, and, ultimately, who we want to be when someone we love needs more than we can give. It's a thoughtful and deeply compassionate conversation about aging, family, and finding a way to care for both ourselves and the people who once cared for us. Have a question you'd like answered on-air? Submit it anonymously through our Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfQpoAX6aWuI4B-Kjbf5SePSrhc3XyFtS-_v31Bvqos6wm6-g/viewform All submissions are anonymous: even though you sign in with your email address, we do not have access to it unless you purposefully toggle on the option to share it. Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listentomymother

  3. Jun 24

    15: "What Do Children Need Most From a Mother?"

    This week, Shain, Sarah, and Sarah’s sister Mara gather in Phoenix to discuss Heartwood by Amity Gaige—a novel that sparked a much larger conversation about mothers, daughters, and the stories we tell about our families. What begins as a discussion of the book’s intertwined mother-daughter relationships quickly becomes a reflection on their own. Together, they explore how siblings can grow up with completely different experiences of the same parent, what children need most from the people who raise them, and the tension between accepting our parents as they are and longing for the parents we wish we'd had. Along the way, Shain reflects on how her approach to motherhood changed over two decades and two daughters, while Sarah and Mara share their perspectives on growing up with the same mother at very different stages of life. Their conversation touches on attachment, expectations, repair, and the possibility of growth on both sides of the parent-child relationship. It's an honest, funny, and deeply personal conversation about family, memory, and what it means to love imperfect people. Have a question you'd like answered on-air? Submit it through our google form. All submissions are anonymous: even though you sign in with your email address, we do not have access to it unless you purposefully toggle on the option to share it. And follow us on Instagram at @listentomymother !

  4. Mar 3

    14: The Staying and The Leaving: Does Sarah Have Abandonment Issues?

    Shain and Sarah start with a conversation about discernment counseling, which is a style of counseling used when couples can’t decide whether to stay married or separate. But as usual, the clinical conversation turns personal. Shain reflects on her own marriage, the fights, the “f* you” that didn’t end it, and the decades it took to reclaim her voice. Sarah shares how a childhood of people coming and going shaped her attachment style and why abandonment doesn’t always look the way you think it does. It’s an honest, funny, sometimes raw conversation about staying, leaving, invisibility, resilience, and the long road to feeling seen. Have a question you want Shain and Sarah to answer on-air? Head to bit.ly/listentomysubmission and send it in. All submissions are anonymous. Shain and Sarah want to hear what you’re navigating!   Stay connected on episodes and more on Instagram at @listentomymother

  5. Feb 3

    13: Grief and Loss: Are We Quitting Relationships Too Fast?

    In this episode, Shain and Sarah sit down for an honest conversation about grief, responsibility, boundaries, and the growing culture of estrangement. Shain shares the reality of losing a close friend and the unexpected emotional and logistical weight of serving as executor. Sarah reflects on her own season of change and shifting relationships. Together, they explore big questions many modern families are facing: Are we too quick to walk away from relationships? Where’s the line between healthy boundaries and disposability? And what does kindness look like in a culture that makes disconnection easier than repair? Do you have questions, submissions, or thoughts on today’s culture of estrangement? We'd love to hear from you at listentomymother.podcast@gmail.com To have an anonymous question answered on-air, submit it at: bit.ly/listentomysubmission And follow us on Instagram at @listentomymother

  6. 11/25/2025

    12: A Digital Timecapsule: "How Did Your Family Relate to Religion?"

    Shain opens up about her “soul friend” in the ICU and what it feels like to be the person everyone relies on in a crisis. With no listener submission this month, Sarah pulls out one of her keepsake journals and asks Shain a question straight from the page: “Were your parents religious when you were growing up?” That single prompt leads to stories about Holocaust-survivor parents, Jewish identity, and the very different versions of “family dinner” they each grew up with. They wrap by reflecting on the best advice Shain ever received — and the advice she wishes she hadn’t. It’s tender, honest, and exactly the kind of conversation Sarah is grateful to have recorded. Have a question you'd like answered on-air? Submit it at bit.ly/listentomysubmission And follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/listentomymother/

  7. 10/28/2025

    11: The Comparison Trap: "How Can I Make Peace with a Path That Didn’t Pay Off?"

    This week, Shain and Sarah respond to a listener who’s struggling to make peace with a career risk that didn’t go as planned—and the sting of comparing herself to friends earning four times her salary. They unpack what it means to redefine success when life doesn’t follow a straight line. Shain applauds the courage it takes to start over and Sarah explores how grief, growth, and comparison intertwine. Together, they offer grounded insight on how to honor the lessons, release the shame, and move forward with purpose. Have a question you'd like answered on-air? Submit it at bit.ly/listentomysubmission And follow us on Instagram at: @listentomymother

  8. 09/30/2025

    10: Friendships in Transition: “Should I talk to her about her boyfriend?”

    This week, Shain and Sarah tackle a listener’s question about a friend who seems to be drifting away. Is it just the natural pull of a new relationship, or something more concerning?  For the first time, mother and daughter don’t quite see eye to eye—Shain doesn't hold back, while Sarah leans into the complexities of grief, boundaries, and what it means when friendships shift. Along the way, they share how to grieve the end of an era, how to stay connected without judgment, and what to do if a friend may be caught in an abusive or controlling relationship. Have a question you'd like answered on-air? Submit it at bit.ly/listentomysubmission And follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/listentomymother/

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Need advice? Ask a New York Jewish mom and her clinically-trained therapist daughter. Shain and Sarah share a fascinating mother-daughter bond, in which they welcome discussions, disagreements, and debates. Bring your questions—any questions—and you’ll get a wide range of guidance, a little tough love, a lot of support, and plenty of humor. Submit your question or any issue you need advice on here. Visit Sarah's website to learn more about her Denver-based couples therapy practice here.

Information

  • Creator
    What’s The Point? Media
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Listen To My Mother