Motherhood Sessions
Being a mom is hard—everybody knows that. But usually we only hear about sleepless nights and diaper changes, not the profound identity shift that accompanies becoming a mother. Motherhood is a psychological big bang. And yet it’s rare to find emotionally honest conversations about it. On Gimlet Media’s Motherhood Sessions, Dr. Alexandra Sacks, a renowned reproductive psychiatrist, sits down with mothers and lets us listen in on conversations that are hard to have outside of a therapist’s office. Each episode features a woman struggling with some problem or question—from career uncertainty to sex to ambivalence about even being a mother—and she and Dr. Sacks work it through together.
Episodes
May 18, 2023 • 29 mins
Julia was born in South Korea but was adopted and raised by a white family. Since giving birth to her own children—the first biological relatives she’s ever known—she’s become curious about where she came from, and is on a search to find her birth mother.
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Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan, Molly Donahue, and Lauren Silverman. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanja...
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March 19, 2020 • 31 mins
[Season Finale] Two years ago, Penelope had a baby on her own. To save money and to create a stable environment for her child, she decided to move back in with her mother Rosa. But living together under the same roof has become increasingly challenging. Penelope appreciates her mom's support, but at the same time she's trying to find a way to assert her own independence and establish boundaries.
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Motherhood Sessions is a pro...
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March 12, 2020 • 30 mins
Miranda works at one of the top consulting firms in the country. She also has three young kids. After years of trying to balance the needs of her career with the needs of her family, Miranda is finally at a breaking point. She is physically and mentally exhausted, and worried about what will happen to her kids if she continues to prioritize her career.
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Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced...
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March 5, 2020 • 33 mins
Dr. Sacks introduces one of her favorite podcasts: Love Letters, hosted by the Boston Globe's Meredith Goldstein.
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February 27, 2020 • 14 mins
Last year we met Julia, a woman who was adopted from South Korea when she was just a few weeks old. She was raised by white parents who never encouraged her to explore her roots. However, after having her own children—the first biological relatives she’d ever seen—Julia began an active search to find her birth mother. Dr. Sacks spoke with Julia about this experience in a previous episode (“Rethinking Your Roots After Motherhood”). ...
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February 20, 2020 • 34 mins
When Regina and her husband decided to start a family, she took care to prepare him to be the father of a child of color. But when her daughter was born with blonde hair and light skin, Regina was caught completely off guard. Now, Regina is trying to help her daughter navigate increasingly complicated questions of race and identity, but is struggling to connect with her daughter's radically different experience of Blackness.
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February 13, 2020 • 31 mins
Harper met her second husband through a Facebook group called “Young, Widowed, and Dating.” The two connected through their shared grief—she’d lost her first husband in a car accident, and he’d lost his first wife to brain cancer. Now Harper is helping to raise her new husband’s five year-old daughter, and is struggling with the sense that she is an imposter in this family. Harper is afraid that she will always be overshadowed by t...
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February 6, 2020 • 27 mins
Cassie and Ray haven't had sex since the birth of their son, who's now two years-old. But becoming new parents has thrown their sex life into a brand new kind of turmoil. Now, they're trying to find their way back to one another—and to seeing themselves as individual sexual beings rather than just Mom and Dad.
CREDITS
Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet and Spotify. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Kimmie Regler. Our ed...
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January 23, 2020 • 34 mins
When Audrey was pregnant for the first time, she asked a doctor about genetic testing; he told her it wasn’t necessary. But after giving birth to her second son, she learned that she’d passed a rare genetic disease down to both her children. Now, she’s wracked with intense feelings of guilt, and trying to figure out how to be the best mother she can be for two kids with special needs.
Show transcript: http://bit.ly/383unwO
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January 16, 2020 • 38 mins
When Tom and Sandra got married, they both came with complicated personal histories. Tom brought three kids and a contentious relationship with his ex-wife. Sandra brought long-simmering feelings about her own parents’ messy divorce. Now, they are trying to navigate their complex dynamics of this new family, and trying to make sure their children are protected from the tension and conflict.
Show transcript: http://bit.ly/35NPK3N
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January 9, 2020 • 31 mins
Dee grew up in a low-income neighborhood in Kenya, where her family struggled to make ends meet. After racial violence flared up in her hometown, she came to the U.S. seeking asylum. Now she lives in a middle-class suburb of D.C. with her husband and her two year-old girl. But she’s unsure of how to raise a daughter in an environment so different from the one she grew up in. She’s worried that her daughter will become spoiled, and ...
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June 27, 2019 • 27 mins
When Joni was 40 years old, she was financially independent, enjoying her life as a single woman, and feeling strong enough to have a baby on her own. But now that her daughter is seven months old, Joni is struggling with intense loneliness. She feels like a failure, and is surprised and embarrassed by her longing for a partner.
CREDITS
Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan. Our editors...
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June 20, 2019 • 27 mins
Mia and Laura had always imagined they would each carry one of their children. Laura delivered their first child, but as they approach planning for their second child, Mia—who presents as masculine-of-center—is afraid of how pregnancy will disrupt her body and her sense of self. She wonders if it even matters if she has a biological relationship to her child.
CREDITS
Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produce...
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June 13, 2019 • 32 mins
Camilla was a PhD student struggling with a feeling that she didn’t belong in academia. Then she got pregnant. Seven years and two children later, she’s never finished her dissertation. She’s feeling frustrated as a stay-at-home mom and angry at herself for abandoning her professional aspirations.
CREDITS
Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Molly Donahue. Our editors are Devon Tay...
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May 30, 2019 • 29 mins
Brittany has always had a troubled relationship with her father, and the two have been estranged for years. After the birth of her daughter, he reconnected and is pushing to spend time with his grandchild. Brittany’s unsure if she should continue to maintain her distance from her father, or consider a new beginning.
CREDITS
Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan and Lauren Silverman. Our...
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May 23, 2019 • 26 mins
Margot and her wife always imagined having more than one child. But Margot’s first pregnancy was physically and emotionally exhausting, and she’s not sure she can go through it again. Now she’s afraid of disappointing her wife.
CREDITS
Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan, Molly Donahue, and Lauren Silverman. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Mixing and music by Emma...
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May 16, 2019 • 31 mins
Cari gave birth to twins when she was only 23 weeks pregnant—the edge of viability for newborns. Four years later, the kids are still dealing with medical complications, and Cari and her husband Jay are struggling with residual guilt and an ongoing sense of helplessness. They wonder if parenthood will ever feel “normal.”
CREDITS
Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan, Molly Donahue, and ...
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April 25, 2019 • 29 mins
Weeks before the birth of her second daughter, Leigh is counting down the time she still has alone with her firstborn. She's feeling guilty about how the arrival of a new baby will impact her relationship with her older daughter.
CREDITS
Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan, Molly Donahue, and Lauren Silverman. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Engineering and music ...
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April 18, 2019 • 33 mins
Anne never wanted to be a mom. Now that she actually has a kid, she’s worried that she made a mistake. Her guilt and perfectionism is getting in the way of having a motherhood experience that might leave more room for herself.
Credits
Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Lauren Silverman, Peter Bresnan, and Molly Donahue. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Music and mixing by Emma ...
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April 11, 2019 • 45 mins
Zoe recently separated from the father of her two-year-old son, and now she feels stuck. She’s struggling to get past the anger she feels toward her ex and her shame about being a single mom.
Credits
Motherhood Sessions is a production of Gimlet Media. It’s produced by Peter Bresnan, Molly Donahue, and Lauren Silverman. Our editors are Devon Taylor and Nazanin Rafsanjani. Engineering and music by Emma Munger. Music by Emma Munger....
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