First Words Podcast & Community

I binge listened to the first season a few years after it first aired and, as a toddler mom grappling with balancing creative work with parenting duties, it resonated deeply with me. I appreciated hearing about how parents in creative fields have managed their work, or set it aside, while raising kids, and how the guests got very real about what that experience is like. The ADHD episode was particularly helpful as a mom whose ADHD ramped up after parenthood. I also liked the season finale with insider perspectives with their producer and Casey's husband on what the creators thought worked and what they might do differently. Highly recommend it to any new(ish) parent.

This podcast is creative, brave, thoughtful, real, and what the world needs right now. It’s the conversation I've been craving in my ears for so long. Unlike so many podcasts out there, the hosts ask insightful, deeply curious questions that allow the guests to share truthful, practical, revolutionary ideas, as well as selections from their actual works. This podcast makes writers and creatives feel fully seen and whole, making space for both parenting and creative practice and development, an intersection that is invisible in most of our culture. The creativity and heart of the rapid fire at the end took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes. If you are a creative parent, you MUST listen to these conversations — you will feel renewed, seen, and inspired.

The first episode did it. A compelling, curious, and captivating conversation that is able to hold a space where the winding journeys of creative careers interweave and gain depth from the emotional and psychic journeys of parenting. Loved the word association and the questions that open up and lead to frank, friendly chats that feel as though you’ve been invited around a table to talk and ask the big and small life questions.

These are the words I needed to hear in those first crazy weeks/months/years of being a mom. There's so much focus on the baby, not enough talk about how the transition to "matresence" can turn your life upside down. Hormones, newborn logistics, changing priorities and losing your sense of focus and purpose are all real challenges mothers are unprepared for, and it's so helpful to hear about all of those things from fellow creative professionals who are learning to balance new motherhood with other life goals and dreams. Listening to this podcast while having my morning coffee is like meeting up with friends who "get" me.