Bad Mothers Podcast

Monica Cardenas
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Relationships
  • Updated Monthly

Bad Mothers focuses on mother-daughter estrangement from the daughter's point of view, and whether these fractured relationships play a role in our decision to have children of our own. We'll also have a healthy dose of talk about abortion rights & maternal ambivalence. monicacardenas.substack.com

  1. May 28

    S3, E12, It's better this way

    To close out season 3, I’m sharing my essay, It’s better this way, published by The Audacity on October 30, 2024. This essay is about my estrangement from my mother, my late effort to understand her as a human separate from her role as mom, and of the resolve my sisters and I shared throughout our lives. I focused on sibling estrangement this season because I wanted to understand it better. I feel very lucky that the break with my mother strengthened my connection to my sisters rather than breaking it. That is not always possible, as we’ve heard this season. I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of my guests this season, who shared such personal and emotional stories in the hope of helping others going through estrangement from family. I am so grateful for their trust in me, and in you, to listen with care and compassion. Bad Mothers will be back in the autumn with more stories from women, but with a bit broader scope. More on that soon. In the meantime, I hope you’ll join me and Tam from Family Estrangement to talk about Virginia Evans’ novel, The Correspondent, on June 23. Details are available on the Bad Mothers Substack and linked in the episode notes. Get full access to Bad Mothers at monicacardenas.substack.com/subscribe

    17 min

  2. May 22

    S3, E11, When orphans become estranged, with Barbara

    My final guest for this season is Barbara, which is a pseudonym. Barbara’s parents died when she was young, and she is estranged from her siblings and step-mother. Her unique circumstances make it a bit more complicated for her to share her story or even be honest with some people in her life about members of her family who have some notoriety. Together, we decided to share her story anonymously. Please note there is mention of sexual assault in our discussion today. As a reminder, our next book club is June 23, and we’re reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. We’ll meet on Substack Live with Evolving Family at 7pm BST/2pm EDT. Join in to watch and share your thoughts in the comments. The recording will be available to paid subscribers of either Bad Mothers or Evolving Family. Get full access to Bad Mothers at monicacardenas.substack.com/subscribe

    54 min

  3. May 14

    S3, E10: Unpacking complex mother-daughter relationships, with Shelly Sharon

    Shelly Sharon helps women who’ve been around the block with healing unpack the way a challenging relationship with their mother still holds them back today, so they can thrive in their life and career. Shelly is a trauma-informed, certified Hakomi therapist. After a childhood marked by neglect and abandonment, she turned her story on its head and built a life of purpose and healing, where she’s committed to helping women to heal their mother wound. She joined me on the podcast to discuss her own experience with sibling estrangement, what it was like growing up in an isolated, small family unit, and about her practice helping women thrive after unpacking complex mother-daughter relationships. You can learn more about her work from her website, https://www.shellysharon.com Get full access to Bad Mothers at monicacardenas.substack.com/subscribe

    49 min
  4. S3, E9, Writer and editor Jenny Bartoy on the No Contact: Writers on Estrangement anthology

    May 7

    S3, E9, Writer and editor Jenny Bartoy on the No Contact: Writers on Estrangement anthology

    Last week, the long-awaited anthology, No Contact, Writers on Estrangement, was published. And lucky for us, we have its editor, the lovely Jenny Bartoy, as my guest for this episode. Jenny and I talk about her own estrangement story, as well as her vision for this anthology and the process of compiling and editing a wide variety of essays on the experience of estrangement from all sides. Jenny Bartoy is a French American editor and critic. Her writing appears in several anthologies and in such publications as The Boston Globe, The Seattle Times, Under the Gum Tree, Chicago Review of Books, The Rumpus, and others. She holds a master’s degree from Columbia University and lives in Tacoma, Washington. Along with the anthology, Jenny has written recently for Literary Hub with a reading list on estrangement, and Open Secrets with her own estrangement story. No Contact, Writers on Estrangement, is available now from Catapult Press. Get full access to Bad Mothers at monicacardenas.substack.com/subscribe

    39 min

  5. Apr 30

    S3, E8, On being a mom after estrangement from parents and younger siblings, with Jaime

    This week we hear from another generous person who responded to my call for stories of sibling estrangement. Jaime has been estranged from her younger brother, sister and both parents for several years. As she explains here, she learned from these relationships how to be a better mother to her daughter. Get full access to Bad Mothers at monicacardenas.substack.com/subscribe

    43 min

  6. Apr 22

    S3, Ep 7: Sibling estrangement in The Original Daughter, with author Jemimah Wei

    I am a huge book nerd, so I am always looking for ways to incorporate books into my work here on the podcast, and on the Bad Mothers substack. Speaking of, on Tuesday April 28, you can join the book club chat for Katherine Angel’s Daddy Issues live on Substack. I think books — including and maybe especially novels — have the power to teach us so much about ourselves and the world around us. They help us begin to understand what it’s like to be in another’s shoes. And I think this can be true when we’re experiencing estrangement, too. I was entranced by The Original Daughter, by Jemimah Wei. It’s set in Singapore in the very recent past and centers on a small family, in particular two sisters who become estranged. I’m delighted that I got to speak to Jemimah about her beautiful novel, which is now out in paperback so if you haven’t read it yet, go get it! We avoid spoilers here as best we can. Buy The Original Daughter. Jemimah Wei was born and raised in Singapore and splits her time between Singapore and the United States. She is a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree, winner of the William Van Dyke Short Story Prize, and formerly held the Wallace Stegner Fellowship and Felipe P. De Alba Fellowship at Stanford University and Columbia University respectively. The Original Daughter, debuted at #1 on The Straits Times bestseller list, is a Good Morning America Book Club pick, and a New York Times Editors’ Choice. The Original Daughter won the Country Award for the Chommanard International Women’s Literary Award, was longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, and named a Best Book of Spring by TIME, Foreign Policy, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Vogue, and more. Get full access to Bad Mothers at monicacardenas.substack.com/subscribe

    58 min

  7. Apr 16

    S3, Ep 6: On walking away from abusive parents and four siblings, with Sharon

    I put out a call on a few social media support groups for people willing to share their sibling estrangement stories. I’ve heard from a lot of estranged adults, and read plenty of stories. This one is similar to in many ways — we can always see patterns in abusive and neglectful families — but Sharon’s story also feels especially cruel. Her resilience and thoughtfulness about this experience is truly inspiring. I’m grateful to everyone willing to share their stories in the hope that it helps even a single listener to feel less alone. Please be aware that this episode contains discussion of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Listen with care. Get full access to Bad Mothers at monicacardenas.substack.com/subscribe

    42 min

  8. Apr 8

    S3, Ep 5: Estrangement dynamics in Mother in the Dark by Kayla Maiuri, with Tam Stevens

    This week, my book club partner and Family Estrangement Substack author Tam Stevens and I are discussing the novel, Mother in the Dark by Kayla Maiuri. We read it for the Estrangement Book Club, and since it includes parental and sibling estrangement, I thought it would fit nicely with this season. The novel was published in 2022 and is narrated by a twenty-something living in New York City, who has been out of contact with her parents and younger sisters for several years. When she gets a call because something has happened back home, she recalls a troubled childhood and struggles with whether to return the call or stay away. *This discussion is focused mainly on the estrangement dynamics at play within the novel, and we tried to avoid any major spoilers, but there are some included in this conversation. Tam and I will discuss Daddy Issues by Katherine Angel on April 28 — live on Substack at 2PM EDT/7PM BST. Get full access to Bad Mothers at monicacardenas.substack.com/subscribe

    45 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Bad Mothers focuses on mother-daughter estrangement from the daughter's point of view, and whether these fractured relationships play a role in our decision to have children of our own. We'll also have a healthy dose of talk about abortion rights & maternal ambivalence. monicacardenas.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Monica Cardenas
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Monica Cardenas
  • Show Website
    Bad Mothers Podcast

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