347 episodes

Love your career? Love your family? Best of Both Worlds is the show for you! Hosts Laura Vanderkam, author of I Know How She Does It and a mom of four, and Sarah Hart-Unger, a practicing physician and mom of two (soon to be three!) discuss work/life balance, career development, parenting, time management, productivity, and making time for fun. Tune in each week for strategies to help you thrive in all spheres of life.

Best of Both Worlds Podcast iHeartPodcasts

    • Business
    • 4.5 • 700 Ratings

Love your career? Love your family? Best of Both Worlds is the show for you! Hosts Laura Vanderkam, author of I Know How She Does It and a mom of four, and Sarah Hart-Unger, a practicing physician and mom of two (soon to be three!) discuss work/life balance, career development, parenting, time management, productivity, and making time for fun. Tune in each week for strategies to help you thrive in all spheres of life.

    Spring Mailbag! Kid bedtimes, household chores, 'split shift' childcare, and more EP 347

    Spring Mailbag! Kid bedtimes, household chores, 'split shift' childcare, and more EP 347

    Today's episode features a fresh crop of mailbag questions! Topics include:


    split shift childcare
    handling the daily household chores with young kids
    different formats for kid activities
    how has work / productivity changed since COVID
    thoughts on digital calendar frames
    retirement plans?
    dealing with kids that have disparate sleep needs
    how to handle the tension between wanting to stay up with teens and having your own morning routine
    the next 5 years of BOBW!

    Thank you to all for submitting questions - keep them coming! You can always find contact info on our websites, theshubox.com and lauravanderkam.com
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 37 min
    The Art of Endings with Emily P. Freeman EP 346

    The Art of Endings with Emily P. Freeman EP 346

    In today's episode, Laura chats with author Emily P. Freeman about endings, and in particular determining how and when to leave a situation that no longer fits.Emily's new March 2024 release is How to Walk into a Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away, available wherever books are sold.In the Q&A, Sarah and Laura discuss their experiences in coming back from recent injuries.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 35 min
    Getting to Know LV/SHU: A Fun Facts Episode EP 345

    Getting to Know LV/SHU: A Fun Facts Episode EP 345

    This episode is a departure from the usual topics + format, and is a chance to get to know Laura and Sarah just a little bit better as they share some very random things about themselves that (generally) have not been discussed on the podcast! From physical characteristics (flexibility + left-handedness) to Meyers-Briggs types to ideal superpower and much more - this is a fun conversational chat, recorded live together in Florida.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 38 min
    Journey to Motherhood with Dr. Meggie Smith EP 344

    Journey to Motherhood with Dr. Meggie Smith EP 344

    Dr. Meggie Smith is a reproductive endocrinologist at Nashville Fertility Center and she shares her journey to motherhood today, from freezing her eggs during fellowship to moving forward with a pregnancy as a solo parent.In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking for advice on handling 1st trimester fatigue and nausea -- with respect to work, exercise, and more -- when she hasn't shared yet about her pregnancy.Meggie's Planner Pad:https://sugarpaper.com/products/family-planning-pad?variant=37715043877014&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&absrc=Google&abid=&abcampid=16881927835&gclid=Cj0KCQiA5-uuBhDzARIsAAa21T9sDxyQt6cxHlwkEwjjZIOuY-1-YafmOOqiha8eF0GcIkmwKlCYplsaApSOEALw_wcB&tw_source=google&tw_adid=&tw_campaign=16881927835&gad_source=1
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 48 min
    Plan Your Summer Now! Ep 343

    Plan Your Summer Now! Ep 343

    Summer in February? No -- but also, yes! Summer episodes often come out in May, but those camp rosters often fill up by March, and summer childcare can be a major pain point for many working parents. Sarah and Laura have experienced this first hand, and so in today's they share strategies for figuring out the pieces of summer that are best planned well in advance of the summer heat. They talk childcare/camp, travel, fun for themselves, and more..In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking about the time and mental load that can come with home ownership.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 37 min
    Quality Time in 3 Dimensions EP 342

    Quality Time in 3 Dimensions EP 342

    In today's episode, Laura and Sarah explore the concept of "Quality Time", one of Gary Chapman's 5 Love Languages. However, they don't limit the conversation to just partner quality time - they also discuss cultivating and deepening quality and connection time with kids and with themselves (with some side tangents about time with friends, too!).In the Q&A, a listener asks for details on Laura and Sarah's daily planning rituals.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 38 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
700 Ratings

700 Ratings

Jen Kay Gee ,

Good content

I like the mix of topics discussed and variety of guest and host-led episodes. I find the topics relevant to my life.

I don’t think podcast content needs to be universally inclusive and find this podcast having a niche audience acceptable. I am in the target audience, and so I find the questions and suggested solutions feasible and give me ideas.

I really like Sarah. I find her a pleasure to listen to. She’s very positive and ambitious, yet very humble. She’s almost like your friend who always does what she supposed to do and makes you feel a little bit bad, but also inspires you to be a better person.

Laura, on the other hand is rude and comes across as really mean. She’s even mean to Sarah and sometimes mocks her. I don’t think she is a bad person, she just seems to have no self-awareness of her privileged position and makes no attempt empathize or acknowledge what others deal with. It’s almost like she never listens back to assess her performance and identify how she might improve.

Overall, I like the content, like Sarah, hope Laura does a little work on how she comes across.

Leo_CA10283 ,

Great content

I look forward to this podcast every week! I’m a working mom of two, and I love Laura and Sarah’s positive approach to having a career and enjoying motherhood, all without guilt. I’ve taken away so many useful tips and really appreciate the community they’ve built for working moms. I particularly love Laura’s career advice - any woman considering part time or making a big career move after having kids should hear what she has to say.

Katherine in MT ,

Good advice to live a joyful fulfilling life with kids & a big job!

I love how Laura and Sarah thoughtfully discuss important and useful topics related to work and family. Every episode has concrete tips as well as the camaraderie of knowing other moms out there have big, fulfilling careers. I feel like this podcast does its part to reduce pop culture/societal bias around “what a mom has to give up.” (As an attorney, former elected official, and now single mom, I am deeply familiar with this bias.) No, in fact we have plenty of time and energy for work and kids!

Top Podcasts In Business

The Dough
Lemonada Media
REAL AF with Andy Frisella
Andy Frisella #100to0
The Ramsey Show
Ramsey Network
The Marketing Architects
Marketing Architects
Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin
Money News Network
Most Innovative Companies
Fast Company

You Might Also Like

Best Laid Plans
Sarah Hart-Unger
Edit Your Life | Simplify + Declutter Your Home, Time, and Mental Space
Christine Koh
The Girl Next Door Podcast
Kelsey Wharton and Erica Ladd
The Mom Hour
Mom Hour Media
Before Breakfast
iHeartPodcasts
The Lazy Genius Podcast
Kendra, The Lazy Genius