Taking Care with Lesley and Chelsea

Chelsea & Lesley
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Society & Culture

Two childhood best friends are seemingly living different lives. Lesley, an entrepreneur in Iowa, is raising a blended family of outdoor adventure seekers, tending to her garden, and cooking up new ideas in the commercial kitchen on her property. Chelsea is a lawyer in NYC, renovating her dream house, studying reiki, and hosting dinner parties. While their lives look different from the outside, their 25 year friendship cuts through the superficial differences and reveals the deeper shared experiences of motherhood, marriage, and work in the context of our current political climate. Join Lesley and Chelsea for conversations on taking care of what's important. 

Episodes

  1. Jan 24

    Taking Care of Immigrants

    This week, we just got right into it. We've got our hands full (Arlo makes a guest appearance) but we had to check in about what is happening to immigrants and the people who support them.  Want to help? Call your senators and tell them to vote NO on the DHS appropriations bill which gives ICE $75 BILLION to continue their operations.

    17 min

  2. Jan 9

    Taking care of our postpartum selves, with Jamie Kreiter of Nurture Therapy

    We're back chatting about postpartum life and whether the government could make it easier. Unfortunately, the mom industrial guilt complex is working overtime...and so is Lesley. Chelsea's internet connection is unstable, Lesley's breastmilk spicy, and we both have way too many tabs open. Luckily for us, laughter is the best medicine-- until RFK decides it causes autism. Jamie Kreiter LCSW, PMH-C, CEO of Nurture Therapy, and our best friend of 30 years answers our questions about why motherhood is so hard, what we can do about it, and when to ask for help. Check out our website where you can order a copy of Democracy in Color: Coloring and Activities for Activists. Half proceeds go to Democracy Forward to support their pivotal work. We're also sharing more thoughts on our Substack.

    59 min

  3. 11/28/2025

    Pregnancy, maternal healthcare, and the birth story that made our jaws drop w/ Steph Strauss

    Lesley so over being pregnant, but one addition to her household made it a little easier. Chelsea reveals the lengths she went to bring Lesley a turkey sandwich in the hospital after the first baby. Lesley's OB clears her for a family road trip since pretty much all pregnant women in Iowa have to drive across the state for healthcare anyway. We discuss how midwives could be the solution to the rural access gap, and what initially drove them out of practice. Then Steph Strauss, a professional speaker and empowerment coach, tells us her shocking and inspiring birth story.  Check out our website where you can order a copy of Democracy in Color: Coloring and Activities for Activists. Half proceeds go to Democracy Forward to support their pivotal work. We're also sharing more thoughts on our Substack.

    52 min

  4. 10/13/2025

    Mom rage, child labor laws, & Leila Staton, candidate for Iowa House District 54

    It's the end of summer and gentle parenting is out, emoting is in. Our kids learned to sail and why the patriarchy sucks at summer camp this year. We chat about losing our shit in front of our kids, and how Chelsea fell for liberal propaganda. Then Chelsea rants about GOP-led states rolling back child labor protections. Our special guest Leila Staton swings by to talk about her noteworthy run for the Iowa House--not because she's only 21--but because she is the first democrat to run for the seat since redistricting.  Check out our website where you can order a copy of Democracy in Color: Coloring and Activities for Activists. Half proceeds go to Democracy Forward to support their pivotal work. We're also sharing more thoughts on our Substack.

    43 min

  5. 09/26/2025

    Camping, a new lake house, and why poor environmental policy will poison us all w/ Myles Markey

    Lesley reminisces on a four week camping trip with her family while Chelsea admits she doesn't consider anything a vacation unless there are robes. They discuss whether Chelsea would be useful in an apocalypse and why Lesley can't drink the water in her own home. Safe drinking water might get harder to come by as the Trump administration peels back environmental protections. Chelsea's cousin Myles stops by to discuss what lessons the outdoors teaches kids, and how protecting the environment starts in our own backyards. Check out our website where you can order a copy of Democracy in Color: Coloring and Activities for Activists. Half proceeds go to Democracy Forward to support their pivotal work. We're also sharing more thoughts on our Substack.

    49 min

  6. 09/12/2025

    Being boy moms, converting your husband to a democrat, and the DNC's plan to win male voters

    Lesley chats about her high hopes for her new business while Chelsea admits she got dressed down at a baby shower. Meanwhile, Lesley is about to join the double boy mom club, so we unpack the responsibility of raising sons in this cultural and political climate, and wonder if male Trump voters were just throwing a tantrum because they miss locker room talk. Also, we think we could have saved the DNC $20 million dollars if they had just hired us to talk to male voters because we have a very mild success record of turning male republicans into democrats.  Our special guest this week is Handy Andy, who swings by to talk about being a liberal, feminist man from small town Iowa who can (and will) rearrange a Target display if he has to. Check out our website where you can order a copy of Democracy in Color: Coloring and Activities for Activists. Half proceeds go to Democracy Forward to support their pivotal work. We're also sharing more thoughts on our Substack.

    51 min

  7. 08/15/2025

    Fancy purses, schoolyard hustles, and financial policy with The Fiscal Femme

    This week it's all about money, honey. We revisit our preteen quest for a Kate Spade purse, Lesley shares the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, and we wonder whether tariffs will tank a schoolyard hustle. We also sound the alarm that Republicans have quietly peeled back key parts of legislation that gave women the right to get their own credit cards in the 1970s. Yes, you read that right. Luckily, we have a special guest, Ashley Feinstein Gerstley aka The Fiscal Femme to help us work through it all. Ashley swings by to talk about the intersection of politics, feminism, and personal finance, and gives us some tips on how to make sure our money reflects our values.  Check out our website where you can order a copy of Democracy in Color: Coloring and Activities for Activists. Half proceeds go to Democracy Forward to support their pivotal work. We're also sharing more thoughts on our Substack.

    41 min

  8. 08/08/2025

    Tradwives, excluding moms from Congress, and Mimi's wish for us all

    Can you be a bitchy tradwife? AI thinks so. We chat about overcoming our micro traumas, college dinner parties, Hobby Lobby, and how Republicans are deliberately excluding women from participating in the political process. We also have our first guest Mimi stop by to talk to us about being a tradwife before it was cool.  Snag a copy of Democracy in Color: Coloring and Activities for Activists on our website. Half of proceeds go to Democracy Forward to support their work.  Want a little more? Read this week's Substack post on tradwives.

    48 min

  9. 08/01/2025

    Starting a podcast, Southern Comfort, and what's next

    Our first episode is HERE! We chat about our 30 year friendship and some of our missteps in our wilder days (sorry, Moms). While we still aren't following the rules, nowadays there is less Southern Comfort and more conversations about redefining what success looks like as working moms. We chat about how the obsession with increasing birth rates, protesting for democracy, and how the government is failing to take care of people--something women know a lot about. We also introduce our newest project, Democracy in Color: Coloring and Activities for Activists, which is available on our website.

    38 min

  10. 07/21/2025

    Trailer

    Taking Care with Lesley and Chelsea

    4 min
  • 10 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Two childhood best friends are seemingly living different lives. Lesley, an entrepreneur in Iowa, is raising a blended family of outdoor adventure seekers, tending to her garden, and cooking up new ideas in the commercial kitchen on her property. Chelsea is a lawyer in NYC, renovating her dream house, studying reiki, and hosting dinner parties. While their lives look different from the outside, their 25 year friendship cuts through the superficial differences and reveals the deeper shared experiences of motherhood, marriage, and work in the context of our current political climate. Join Lesley and Chelsea for conversations on taking care of what's important. 

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