303 episodes

Hi, we're Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase of CoolMomPicks.com and parents to six kids between us, that we know of. We've got a microphone and more than the two minutes the Today Show gives us, and we're not afraid to use them. Join us (and some awesome celebrity guests) for candid parenting culture discussions, non-judgy (mostly) tips, and a good dose of humor, if we've had enough coffee. Which is always.

Named a top podcast by The Washington Post, Mental Floss, Business Insider and Fatherly; 2016 Iris Award winner for best parenting podcast.

Spawned Parenting Podcast with Kristen and Liz of CoolMomPicks Cool Mom Picks

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.6 • 400 Ratings

Hi, we're Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase of CoolMomPicks.com and parents to six kids between us, that we know of. We've got a microphone and more than the two minutes the Today Show gives us, and we're not afraid to use them. Join us (and some awesome celebrity guests) for candid parenting culture discussions, non-judgy (mostly) tips, and a good dose of humor, if we've had enough coffee. Which is always.

Named a top podcast by The Washington Post, Mental Floss, Business Insider and Fatherly; 2016 Iris Award winner for best parenting podcast.

    A college guidance expert helps de-stress the application process

    A college guidance expert helps de-stress the application process

    It is so tough to navigate the college search and admission process -- emotionally, practically, financially. (Eep!) It completely stressed me out, and I'm a pretty Type B mom. So learn from my mistakes! To kick off a new year of Spawned, we're lucky to be getting super helpful tips from Alyse Levine, one of the foremost college counseling experts in the country. She's not only worked with high school students at all levels, she's the former assistant director of undergrad admissions at Washington University in St. Louis. In other words, she's got an invaluable perspective you're going to want to hear. (Also, she's really nice!) - Liz
    Thanks to our sponsor Premium Prep, the renown college counseling program that's helped guide 93% of their students into one of their top three choices.
    Spawned Listeners: Save up to $1000 on a Premium Prep program through this link, or by mentioning Spawned. (Take that offer, worth it!)
    Follow Spawned: Apple, Spotify, Amazon
    Join: Spawned Podcast FB Community
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    Find Liz Gumbinner: Instagram, Facebook, Substack, Threads
    Find Alyse Levine: Website, Facebook, Instagram
    Shownotes from today's episode: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page
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    • 34 min
    How moms can find holiday joy for themselves:

    How moms can find holiday joy for themselves:

    At the end of such a tough year, we're looking to find all the holiday joy where we can, and make fun for our kids -- but why do moms always seem to be the people behind the fun, and not part of the fun? Liz is joined by Margaret Ables, co-host of the fabulous What Fresh Hell parenting podcast to commiserate, and we're offering smart tips (eg stop trying to make things perfect!), sweet family stories, plenty of laughter, and a lot of compassion for moms feeling overwhelmed right now.
    Thanks to our sponsor Disney Villainous: Intro to Evil for creating a wonderful screen-free game that's actually fun for adults, right along with our tweens and teens. Check out the new Disney100 limited edition, which is a great gift for Disney super-fans!
    Follow Spawned: Apple, Spotify, Amazon
    Join: Spawned Podcast FB Community
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    Follow Margaret Ables and What Fresh Hell: Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Group, Adalyst Media
    Shownotes from today's episode: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page
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    • 25 min
    Parenting kids in a gender-nonconforming world

    Parenting kids in a gender-nonconforming world

    We all say we want to raise kids who are happy, healthy, and can be their authentic selves. So what happens when your kid is becoming someone who's really different from what we had imagined? That's the story Kate Brookes tells in the wonderful Transister: Raising Twins in a Gender-Bending World. She's incredibly forthcoming, funny, reflective, and supportive, whether you're raising kids who defy traditional norms of gender and sexuality--or are just individuals in their own way.
    Really, this is a meaningful conversation for any parent whose kids are on a path to be their own selves, and I'm grateful for Kate's time, her honesty, and her humor through it all. - Liz
    Follow Spawned on Apple: bit.ly/spawnedshow
    Follow Spawned on Spotify: Here
    Find Liz Gumbinner: Substack, Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Post
    Find Kate Brookes: transistermom.com, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon
    Find Cool Mom Picks: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
    Shownotes, links from this episode, info on our Cool Picks of the week: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page
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    • 35 min
    Dr. Devorah Heitner: Keeping Kids Healthy on Social Media

    Dr. Devorah Heitner: Keeping Kids Healthy on Social Media

    When the Surgeon General issued his recent advisory on social media and the health of our kids, I knew author, columnist, and adolescent digital media expert Dr. Devorah Heitner would be the perfect person to ask for guidance and reassurance. And wow does she come through! Here, she offers incredibly helpful, specific tips about what we can do as parents to keep our kids healthy on social media-- and what we should not do (no spying!) -- with Devorah's trademark non-judgmental, common sense, research-based wisdom to help us all navigate some tricky stuff we may not know a lot about.
    Follow Spawned on Apple: bit.ly/spawnedshow
    Follow Spawned on Spotify: Here
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    Follow Liz Gumbinner: Substack Twitter, Instagram, Post
    Find Devorah Heitner: Substack, Instagram, Amazon, devorahheitner.com
    Shownotes, links from this episode, info on our Cool Picks of the week: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page
    Subscribe to get even more Cool Picks of the Week in your inbox once a week: coolmompicks.com/subscribe/
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    • 34 min
    Dr. Lisa Damour on the emotional lives of teenagers

    Dr. Lisa Damour on the emotional lives of teenagers

    Bestselling author, podcast host, and psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour shares her insights and thoughtful advice on raising emotionally connected and resilient teens and discusses the impetus for her newest book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers.
    Visit Cool Mom Picks for show notes, and follow us on social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.


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    • 27 min
    Luvvie Ajayi Jones: Raising "good troublemakers"

    Luvvie Ajayi Jones: Raising "good troublemakers"

    I have wanted to talk with best-selling author, TED Talk phenom, and "professional troublemaker" Luvvie Ajayi Jones for so long! With the release of her wonderful new children's book, Little Troublemaker Makes a Mess, it's the perfect time. We discuss what it means to make good trouble, tips for talking to kids when they break the rules, and why to teach our children that it's not only possible to recover from big mistakes, it's important not to let those mistakes define us.  Also, be sure to stay tuned for Luvvie's own story about good intentions gone very, very, very wrong. I'm still sweating thinking about it! - Liz
    Follow Spawned on Apple: bit.ly/spawnedshow
    Follow Spawned on Spotify: Here
    Follow Cool Mom Picks: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
    Follow Liz Gumbinner: Substack Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, Post.
    Find Luvvie Ajayi Jones: Professional Troublemaker Podcast, LuvvLetter newsletter, Instagram.
    Shownotes, links from this episode, info on our Cool Picks of the week: Cool Mom Pick Podcast Page
    Subscribe to get even more Cool Picks of the Week in your inbox once a week: coolmompicks.com/subscribe/
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    • 25 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
400 Ratings

400 Ratings

tanisirgo ,

Miss the two of you together

I love the podcast and I am grateful for all the knowledge and experiences you and your guests share. I enjoy listening to everyone of your episodes. But I really miss the time when both of you were together in most of the episodes. I liked the chemistry between you two and how enriching the discussions were. I hope you come back to that format. Love you both!

ram0513 ,

Parenting?

More like virtue signaling. No thanks

Keepn-it-real ,

Sanctimommy

Seems like the only purpose of this podcast is for the hosts (esp Liz) to talk about how great and smart and morally superior they and their kids are. The topics are basic and yet they manage to make everything political. Typical coastal elites

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