Equal-ish

Rachel Childs and Kate Mangino
  • 4.8 (21)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

Equal-ish is all about that precise intersection of parenthood, work, and being in a relationship. This funny, wonderful, messy, frustrating process is possible - but not easy! Join Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs every week to help you find your equal-ish household balance.

  1. 4d ago

    Ep 54: REPLAY: The Evolution of Fatherhood: Why Dads Matter More Than Ever. An interview with Dr Anna Machin

    We're taking a break for the summer and replaying some of ours, and your favourite episodes. This week we're revisiting our conversation with Dr Anna Machin. This really was one of our all time favourite conversations. Anna has so much to share about the evolution of fatherhood and dispelling myths about our modern definition of the breadwinner role. Enjoy! In this episode, evolutionary anthropologist Dr Anna Machin challenges everything you thought you knew about fatherhood. From hormone shifts and brain changes to the unique ways dads build attachment, Anna unpacks why fathers are wired to be caretakers, not just breadwinners, and how their involvement shapes resilience, social skills, and mental health in children. Kate and Rachel dive into: The evolutionary roots of fatherhood and why caregiving, not earning, is innate. How dads uniquely “scaffold” children’s growth and prepare them for the world. The importance of secure attachment, sensitive parenting, and playful involvement. Why societal norms and workplace cultures, not biology, often prevent dads from fully engaging. How couples can use pregnancy to prepare for parenthood, maintain relationship strength, and navigate the early years together. This episode is essential listening for any parent, partner, or parent-to-be who wants to understand the science behind equal parenting, and how to put it into practice in today’s world. Meet Anna and explore her books: https://annamachin.com/ Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview.  Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs or email us at equalishpod@gmail.com.

  2. Aug 26

    Ep 53: REPLAY: Our Household Doesn’t Add Up: The Economics Behind the Mental Load. An interview with Dr Corinne Low

    We're taking a break for the summer and replaying our most listened to episodes. This interview with Corinne was one of ours (and your) favourites it the way Corinne uses her behavioural economics lens to how we think about our time, utility and finances as parents. Enjoy!! In this episode of Equal-ish, Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs are joined by economist and author Dr. Corinne Low, whose book Having It All blends rigorous data with deeply human stories about work, love and parenthood. Corinne takes us inside the economics of the modern household — explaining why gender equality at home has stalled, why parenting time has exploded, and why women’s stress and burnout aren’t personal failures but predictable outcomes of a broken system. Drawing on time-use data, labour market research and behavioural economics, she unpacks the myths we still cling to: from romanticising the 1950s household to assuming equality will “sort itself out.” Together, we explore invisible labour, status quo bias, reproductive capital, and the parenting “arms race” that’s making family life feel impossible — especially for working mothers. Most importantly, Corinne offers a practical, empowering reframe: how women can stop trying to “lean in” to a broken system and instead renegotiate work, partnership and parenting on more sustainable terms. If you find yourself asking: Why does this still feel so hard, and what can we actually do about it? This conversation is for you. Find out more about Corinne’s work here: www.corinnelow.com  Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview.  Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs or get in touch with us at equalishpod@gmail.com.

  3. Aug 19

    Ep 52: REPLAY: How Zach Watson got equal-ish with his wife.

    We're taking a break for the summer and replaying a few of your favourite episodes. This week, we're sharing one of the very first conversations we had, with Zach Watson, the reformed 'man-child'. Enjoy! Are men choosing to ignore the mental load because they subconsciously still believe it is women’s work? Rachel and Kate try to answer that question with this week’s guest, Zach Watson.  Zach is a former middle school math teacher turned viral content creator and invisible labor coach for modern dads. Zach’s marriage nearly ended in 2018 because he was in default mode and letting his wife do it all. Now he talks very openly about how that happened, what he is doing to make changes, and why other men might be motivated to take household equality seriously.  Known for his honest, often hilarious take on the mental load in parenting, Zach speaks from real experience. And as a result now has over 120 million views and a growing community of ‘recovering man-children,’ through sharing his practical tools and relatable stories. ⁠⁠Zach Watson Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Zach Watson YouTube Channel ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Zach Watson Facebook⁠⁠ Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview. Find out more about your hosts ⁠⁠Kate Mangino⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Rachel Childs⁠⁠ or email us equalishpod@gmail.com.

  4. Aug 12

    Ep 51: REPLAY: Children change everything! Learning pains and getting to somewhere better with Molly Millwood

    We're taking a break for the summer and replaying our most listened to episodes. Molly was our very first guest on Equal-ish. Whether you've listened to her before, or joined the pod later, this conversation is not to be missed. Molly's insights into relationships through parenthood really are the foundations for everything we talk to. Enjoy! In this conversation with psychologist and author of To Have and To Hold, Molly Millwood, Kate and Rachel explore how reciprocity in relationships can feel so hard to achieve. We unpack with Molly the subtle ways women are socialized to give away power, why women’s “free time” so often includes caregiving, and how unequal dynamics impact both mothers and fathers. Together we reflect the hidden costs for men who disconnect from early fatherhood, and the damage relationships can suffer if these imbalances go unaddressed.   Meet Kate & Rachel here: ⁠https://linktr.ee/equalish⁠ and get in touch with us at: equalishpod@gmail.com Buy Molly’s book, To Have and To Hold: ⁠https://www.mollymillwood.com/book⁠  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might need a little more equal-ish in their life.

  5. Aug 5

    50 Episodes later: What we've learned about equality, parenting & being human

    One year. Fifty episodes. Twenty-seven incredible guests. Hundreds of hours of conversations, editing, voice notes, and learning. In this special anniversary episode, Rachel Childs and Kate Mangino look back on the biggest ideas that have shaped their thinking over the first year of Equal-ish and discover that the podcast has become something much bigger than they ever imagined. We revisit the moments that completely changed how they think about parenting, relationships, gender, the mental load, power, and community. We share the questions we're still wrestling with, why we believe the conversation around equality needs to move beyond household chores, and where we're taking Equal-ish next.  Whether you've listened from episode one or you're joining us for the first time, this is the perfect place to reflect on how far we've come and where we're heading next. In this episode we discuss: The guest insights that fundamentally changed our thinking Why Equal-ish is becoming about more than gender and parenting Individual responsibility versus broken systems Why relationships, not independence, may be the key to lasting change The biggest unanswered questions we're taking into Year Two What we've learned from 50 episodes and 27 expert guests Why your conversations matter more than ever Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs. Contact us with your feedback and future podcast ideas: equalishpod@gmail.com

  6. Jul 29

    Ep 49: The Equal-ish Edit - The hardest part of love isn't doing more, it's letting go

    Over the last four episodes, we've spoken to four very different guests, but one theme kept appearing. What if adulthood isn't about becoming completely independent? What if love isn't about fixing other people's problems? And what if the greatest gift we can give our children (and our partners) isn't rescuing them, but believing they're capable? In this Equal-ish Edit, Rachel and Kate unpack the unexpected connections between conversations with Paige Connell, Nick Shackleton-Jones, Deborah Porter and Dr Stephen Blumenthal. Together we explore: Why we've confused love with doing. The difference between rescuing someone and creating safety. Why curiosity may be a greater marker of adulthood than independence. How stepping back can be one of the hardest—and most loving—things we ever do. Why building an equal partnership starts by examining ourselves, not changing our partner. This isn't an episode about having all the answers. It's an invitation to stay curious, sit beside discomfort, and rethink what it really means to care for the people we love. Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs. Contact us with your feedback and future podcast ideas: equalishpod@gmail.com

  7. Jul 21

    Ep 48: The men we raise, the partners we become: Why vulnerability still feels unsafe. An interview with Stephen Blumenthal.

    From childhood, many boys are taught to be tough, independent and resilient. What is the cost of the lessons they’re taught?   In this episode of Equal-ish, psychotherapist Stephen Blumenthal explores why so many men struggle to express vulnerability, seek help, or even recognise when they're suffering. Drawing on decades of experience working with men, Stephen explains how shame, biology, culture and early attachment all shape the way men experience emotions and relationships. Together, Rachel, Kate and Stephen unpack why fatherhood often feels less clearly defined than motherhood, why talking therapies can unintentionally miss men's needs, and how creating a genuine sense of safeness rather than simply telling people to "open up" could transform relationships. This is a thoughtful conversation about imperfection, intimacy, emotional connection and why equal partnerships aren't built by having all the answers they're built by creating spaces where both people feel safe enough to be themselves. Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview.  Meet Stephen Blumenthal: https://stephenblumenthal.com/ Guardian article: ‘They’re taught that showing feelings is shameful’: eight reasons men don’t go to therapy – and why they should Don’t forget to buy your copy of Kate Washington’s Midstream: A Life Remade in 50 Swims Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs. Contact us with your feedback and future podcast ideas: equalishpod@gmail.com

  8. Jul 15

    Ep 47: The empty nest myth: What happens when they come back? An interview with Deborah Porter.

    Everyone talks about the sleepless nights of having babies. Almost no one talks about what happens when your children become adults. In this episode of Equal-ish, Rachel Childs and Kate Mangino speak with workplace parenting consultant Deborah Porter about one of the least discussed stages of family life: when adult children move back home. Whether it's rising living costs, an impossible housing market, career uncertainty or simply needing a reset, more young adults are returning home than ever before. But while parents often expect life to get easier once children leave, many discover that the mental load simply changes shape. Deborah shares why parents need to stop seeing this as a "failure to launch" and instead view it as an opportunity to help young adults relaunch successfully. She explores why default parenting often continues long after childhood, how rescuing can unintentionally hold children back, and why every birthday should be an opportunity to hand a little more responsibility back to your child. This is a conversation about boundaries, identity, parenting with intention, and learning that sometimes the greatest act of love is stepping back rather than stepping in.  Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview.  Meet Deborah: www.deborahporter.net Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs.

See All (54)

4.8
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

Equal-ish is all about that precise intersection of parenthood, work, and being in a relationship. This funny, wonderful, messy, frustrating process is possible - but not easy! Join Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs every week to help you find your equal-ish household balance.

Information

  • Creator
    Rachel Childs and Kate Mangino
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    54
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rachel Childs and Kate Mangino
  • Show Website
    Equal-ish

You Might Also Like