News and Happenings

After a kidney doctor told her to simply “lose weight” to resolve an ongoing, undiagnosed medical issue, comedian and writer Jen Curran decided it was time to get a second opinion. A kidney biopsy, a bone marrow biopsy, and countless phone calls later, Jen finally had her answer. “My brain immediately started going to the videos I’m going to have to make for [my daughter] to watch when she’s 16 and 30 and graduates high school. I’m going to have to sit down and write so many letters for her to open on different birthdays. I’m just imagining that I’m not going to live much longer.” Jen talks about what it was like in her first year after diagnosis, raising a newborn baby and going through treatment at the same time.

Comedian Jen Curran tells the story of how her seemingly normal pregnancy turned into a “really scary situation” overnight. After doctors detected abnormally high levels of protein in her urine and her baby started measuring small, Jen was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a not-too-uncommon condition that’s supposed to “magically” go away after birth. But after her daughter Rose was born, and the high levels of protein were still there, it soon became clear that there was something much more serious going on.

Actor Jay Ellis takes us back to his childhood – moving all around the country, going on adventures with his imaginary friend, and dreaming of being an FBI agent/karate master/football champion one day. He tells the story of one of his first interactions with the police, when, after toilet-papering a classmate’s house with best friend Joe, the pair are detained and berated by cops for more than 30 minutes.

Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, freelance journalist and outdoor enthusiast, shares her expert advice on getting your kids outside this winter. She gives tips on what clothes to wear, what snacks to pack, and how to get your kids off the couch when they’re just not feeling motivated. “We don’t want to be locked away all winter. We want to make sure that the kids can get out and still enjoy all that they love to do outside and see some friends and socialize a bit while they’re at it.”

Santa Claus is gearing up his sleigh to deliver an early Christmas present – this special holiday episode of Good Kids. He’ll admit, 2020 has been a rough year for everyone, even Santa. “I’ve talked to millions of children behind plexiglass in outdoor arenas because the poor malls can’t open. Rudolph is once again being shunned by the other reindeer! But this time he deserves it. He won’t wear a mask.” But something that’s made Santa’s year a little brighter has been listening to all of his favorite podcasts. He shares some words of holiday cheer from his favorite podcast hosts, including Andy Slavitt, Julián Castro, Kulap Vilaysack, SuChin Pak, Nzinga Harrison, Jaime Primak Sullivan, and Stephanie Wittels Wachs.

Yumi Shim always knew she wanted to have kids. But after a muscular dystrophy diagnosis in her early 20s and a frank conversation with her doctor about parenting with a progressive muscle disease years later, Yumi’s hopes of becoming a mom were waning. “So we left that appointment and we got in my car and I cried and I cried and I cried.” Now, ten years after that appointment, Yumi is the proud mom of two kids. In this episode, she shares the challenges, triumphs, and joys of raising two able-bodied children as a mom in a wheelchair.

Hillary Frank, author and host of the award-winning parenting podcast The Longest Shortest Time, takes us on a journey to the wonderful world of weird parenting. You won’t find any of these tips in a traditional parenting book. Instead, Hillary says, weird parenting is real advice from real parents born out of moments of sheer desperation. “One of my favorites is a game called ‘What’s on My Butt?’ You lie down face-down on the couch or on the floor, and then you tell them to get some random object and place it on your butt. And then you have to guess what the thing is and the longer it takes you to guess, the longer you get to lie down.”

Kati Morton, YouTube star and licensed marriage and family therapist, talks about how our mental health has changed during the pandemic. She offers practical, usable advice on how to release the anxious energy that’s been building up inside of us these past 9 months.

This Thanksgiving we’re throwing it back to the very first episode of Good Kids featuring writer/producer/podcast host Jaime Primak Sullivan. She reflects on an impulse decision she made years ago to trash her kids’ ice cream at a Dairy Queen in an effort to teach them gratitude and the importance of human connection.

Kulap Vilaysack and SuChin Pak, hosts of the new Lemonada Media podcast Add to Cart, talk about what they’re adding to their metaphorical shopping cart when it comes to raising good humans: hope, surrender, and forgiveness. Kulap reflects on her complicated relationship with her mother, and opens up about her struggle to become a mother herself. SuChin talks candidly about her experience with self-inflicted mom-guilt.