The Motherly Podcast Motherly

Valerie Jarrett is the former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama and the longest-serving Senior Advisor to any U.S. President. Before coming to the White House, Valerie had hired a young Michelle Robinson to work with her in Chicago Mayor Richard Daly’s office back in 1991. Today, Valerie still works with the Obamas, serving as the Senior Advisor to the Obama Foundation, and works with Michelle on a nonprofit called "When We All Vote," whose aim is to spark conversation around our rights and responsibilities in shaping our democracy. She also has a new memoir out called, Finding My Voice: My Journey to the White House and the Path Forward.

Beyond her life in public service, Valerie is first and foremost a mom to her only daughter, Laura. In this episode, Valerie chats with Liz about how becoming a mother changed the course of her career, raising Laura as a single working mom, as well as why she never wants any working mom to hide their motherhood identity.

After their conversation, hear Ella Davis read her essay, “To all the single moms who feel the intensity of being the only parent—I see you” from Motherly’s website.

The Motherly Podcast is hosted by Liz Tenety and produced by Micaela Heck and Samantha Gattsek. Music by The Blue Dot Sessions. 

Thanks to our sponsor, Prudential. 

After meeting in 2015 through a mutual friend, Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin decided almost immediately to start a home organization business together. Today, The Home Edit’s more than 1.2 million followers on Instagram regularly covet their rainbow-colored images of organized closets, drawers, and pantries, and they have also organized the homes of celebrity moms like Gwyneth Paltrow, Kim Kardashian, Lauren Conrad, and Mindy Kaling. And this past March they published their first book, aptly called “The Home Edit”.

In addition to being entrepreneurial organizers, both Clea and Joanna are also moms to two kids each, and we were lucky enough to nab them during their busy book tour to talk about staying organized as a mama.

After their conversation, hear Raschael Ash read her essay, “True life: I'm going to stop apologizing for my messy house now” from Motherly’s website.

The Motherly Podcast is hosted by Liz Tenety and produced by Micaela Heck and Samantha Gattsek. Music by The Blue Dot Sessions. 

Thanks to our sponsor, Prudential. 

Country singer Jessie James Decker first came onto the scene in 2009 when she released her debut album, Jessie James. Since then, Jessie has released several more albums, had a hit reality TV series, “Eric & Jessie: Game On” co-starring her husband, NFL star Eric Decker, launched a clothing line called Kittenish, published a book, and is also at work on her very first cookbook. 

Amid all of this, Jessie is also the mother to three kids under 7 and has been very open with her fans about the joys and challenges of motherhood. We managed to catch her on-the-go to talk about how becoming a mom shifted her life’s focus, deepened her relationship with her husband, and how she keeps her head above water through it all.

After their conversation, hear Colleen Temple read her essay, “True Life: Marriage is feeling lucky + annoyed all in the same day,” from Motherly’s website.

The Motherly Podcast is hosted by Liz Tenety and produced by Micaela Heck and Samantha Gattsek. Music by The Blue Dot Sessions. 

Thanks to our sponsor, Prudential.

Many people remember Christy as the supermodel who dominated the fashion world in the 80s and 90s. But these days, Christy is becoming better known for her work on improving maternal health around the world. Her nonprofit, Every Mother Counts, which she founded in 2010, has been a leader in raising awareness of the issues with maternal health both in the U.S. and abroad. By partnering with grassroots organizations, providing grants and medical training, and pushing critical policies and legislation in the U.S., Every Mother Counts has had a profound impact on the lives of millions of women and their babies. 

In this episode, Christy talks with Liz about the story behind starting her organization, the state of maternal health both in the U.S. and abroad, and her own personal motherhood experience.

Following their conversation is an essay from Jacqui Smith called, “I finally have the strength to talk about my traumatic birth,” from Motherly’s website.

The Motherly Podcast is hosted by Liz Tenety and produced by Micaela Heck and Samantha Gattsek. Music by The Blue Dot Sessions. 

Thanks to our sponsor, Prudential.

Angela Duckworth is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, and founder and CEO of the Character Lab, a nonprofit advancing the science and practice of character development in children.

She is also the author of the New York Times bestseller “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance,” which talks about how the combination of passion and persistence is more important than talent when it comes to succeeding in life. 

Angela’s research and ideas have been groundbreaking in the areas of education and parenting, and in this episode, she and Liz talk about how we can instill our kids with grit, how she personally approaches this with her own daughters, and why even though she’s a psychology expert she herself is far from a perfect parent. 

Following their conversation is an essay from Katie Walsh called, “Raising hard-working children: How swim lessons taught us to persevere,” from Motherly’s website.

The Motherly Podcast is hosted by Liz Tenety and produced by Micaela Heck and Samantha Gattsek. Music by The Blue Dot Sessions. 

Thanks to our sponsor, Prudential. 

If you were young in the early aughts, you probably remember Hilary from her role as the title character of the iconic Disney series, Lizzie McGuire. Today Hilary is better known for starring in another hit series, TV Land’s Younger, in which she plays ambitious young book editor Kelsey Peters. 

In addition to Hilary’s extensive acting and music career, in recent years she’s become well known for being outspoken about the joys and challenges of modern motherhood. She’s spoken publicly about her decision to have a home birth and to give up breastfeeding and has shared the admiration she holds for all the fellow moms to her 12.5 million Instagram followers.

In this episode, Hilary chats with Liz about being a mom in the spotlight, why she wants to be a part of the larger conversation around motherhood, and how she manages to be the best mom she can be to her 7-year old son Luca, as well as her 8-month-old daughter Banks.

After their conversation, hear Emily Glover read her essay, “A Mama’s Job Is Never Done,” — a selection from Motherly's first book, This Is Motherhood, available on Amazon and wherever books are sold. 

The Motherly Podcast is hosted by Liz Tenety and produced by Micaela Heck and Samantha Gattsek. Music by The Blue Dot Sessions. 

Thanks to our sponsor, Prudential.