Under the Influence with Jo Piazza

Today I'm dropping an episode of Lo Mansfield's show Lo & Behold in the feed. Lo is a former labor and delivery nurse and current birth educator. You can follow her @TheLaborMama. I love Lo's informative, fact-based information about birth, postpartum and all things making babies. This episode is about whether a pain free birth is actually possible. This is something we see constantly on social media now, often posted by people with zero experience in the medical industry and it deserves a real convo. In this episode Lo dives into the complexities and realities of labor pain. No B.S. Listen to all of Lo's episodes here. Follow Lo here. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why does it feel like moms carry a running scroll of everything — the playdates, the vaccines, the permission slips, the damn pile of laundry on the stairs? Sociologist Allison Daminger calls it cognitive labor — the invisible mental work of family life — and her new book What’s on Her Mind shows why women do so much more of it, even in couples who want equality. We talk about what cognitive labor actually looks like, why personality differences are really gender training in disguise, and how we can raise the next generation to share the mental load. Get Allison's book here. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Parenting is the hardest workout of all. Trainer and dad Andre Crews went viral for calling toddlers terrorists who hold their whole family hostage (so damn true), and he’s built a massive following by mixing fitness with brutally honest parenting advice. This episode dives into why motivation is a lie, how discipline actually sticks, and why the real goal isn’t a bikini body but a grandma body strong enough to pick up your kids' kids in twenty-five years. Follow Andre on Instagram here. Join his training community on Ladder here. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we are revisting the second ever episode of UTI! Mom influencing is a multi-billion dollar industry. How the hell did we get here? How did influencing become a job? Why doesn’t Wikipedia mention mom bloggers in their history of women and what does the 19th Century economic philosopher Thorstein Veblen have to do with why we are so enchanted by people who seem wealthier than we are. Consider this your history lesson of women influencing other women to attempt to lead more perfect lives. We start in 1896 with the creation of Vogue, wonder if Lucille Ball was actually the first mom influencer, and scroll all the way to the the beautiful mess of the early Mom Internet. Moms have been commodified since the beginning of moms, the only difference now is who is making the goddamn money. And if past is prologue, will answering all these questions help Jo figure out how to become the influencer of her dreams? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Potty training has been sold to parents as a finish line — three days, one weekend, no more diapers. But what if that’s the wrong way to think about it? In this episode, Laura Birek, co-author of Good to Go: A Fresh Take on Potty Training for Today’s Intentional Parent, explains why potty training isn’t a binary, why “naked weekends” don’t work for every family, and how a rehearsal period can ease kids (and parents) into the process. We talk about readiness, deadlines, daycare pressures, and why social media has made potty training so much harder than it needs to be. If you’re in the trenches — or about to be — this conversation will change the way you think about one of parenting’s messiest milestones. Laura’s new book Good to Go is out October 2, 2025 from Bloomsbury and available for preorder now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

So many women are exhausted by carrying more of the household labor, both the visible chores and the invisible work no one talks about. In this episode Jo and Nick sit down to map out how it really happens in their own home. They talk through who does the laundry, who puts it away, who manages school forms and grocery runs, and who gets stuck with the trash. And then there is bedtime, the nightly ritual that drains every ounce of patience and energy. What starts as a list of chores becomes a deeper look at marriage, parenting, and the hidden labor that shapes family life. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world loves to tell parents—especially moms—that kids and creativity can’t co-exist. Writer M.M. De Voe thinks that’s B.S. and so do I. M. founded Pen Parentis to help writers keep creating after they have kids. In this conversation, we get into what really happens to creativity when you add a baby to the mix: the productivity spurts, the guilt, the comparisons, the shame. And why community might be the single thing that saves your art. Learn more about Pen Parentis at penparentis.org. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patagonia isn’t just an outdoor brand. It’s a company that has quietly shaped how we dress, how we think about the planet, and how business can act in the world. Today we're talking to New York Times reporter David Gelles about his new book Dirtbag Billionaire, tracing Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard’s journey from dirtbag climber to the creator of a brand with outsized cultural influence. Grab a copy of Dirtbag Billionaire here. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stephen and Bret—aka the Broadway Husbands—have spent their careers lighting up the stage, from The Little Mermaid to Billy Elliot. But their most moving performance is the life they’ve built together as husbands and now as dads. In this episode, they join Committed to share their story: how they met in sobriety, fell in love over Christmas parties and theater trips, and eventually tied the knot with a rooftop proposal at the Empire Hotel. They talk candidly about their four-year surrogacy journey, the emotional rollercoaster of becoming parents, and the ways fatherhood has reshaped their relationship, their boundaries, and their priorities. We also get into how they balance Broadway careers, creative projects, and parenting, while still making space for each other as partners. And yes—there’s singing, laughter, and plenty of joy. Stephen and Brett’s love story is not just a Broadway tale, it’s a human one—about resilience, partnership, and building a family against the odds. Follow the Broadway Husbands here. You can see Bret's Go Fund Me here. Binge all the episodes of Committed here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happens when your peak career years collide with your peak fertility years? Journalist Danielle Robay shares her unfiltered story of freezing her eggs—the painful parts no one talks about, the aftermath, and what she wishes she’d known before she started. Listen to Danielle's Podcast Question Everything here. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’ve been sold the myth that entertaining means a spotless house, endless cooking, and perfection. Dan Pelosi—aka Grossy Pelosi—believes the opposite. His new cookbook Let’s Party shows why the best gatherings come from embracing imperfection, celebrating the everyday, and keeping food joyful and easy. In this episode, Dan shares why a good menu is really about confidence, why dips are the little black dress of parties, and how to show up as both a great host and a great guest. Let’s Party is out now—your blueprint for gatherings that feel simple, fun, and full of connection. Order Let's Party here. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, we are sharing my recent interview on the Webby Award-winning daily podcast Totally Booked with Zibby. Hosted by Zibby Owens, Totally Booked delivers interviews with the best, buzziest, and underrated authors to share work that’s truly worth your time. For more episodes, follow Totally Booked with Zibby on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. New episodes are released daily! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most of us don’t know how to put on a duvet cover without swearing, let alone clean a dryer vent before it catches fire. Enter Casey Finn, creator of The DIY Playbook, who has spent over a decade proving that anyone can take control of their home. In this episode, she breaks down the hacks that actually work, the real price tags behind renovations, and why the least sexy chores are the ones that save you the most money. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s episode is part back-to-school survival guide, part summer highlight reel, and part investigation of parenting double standards. We reflect on the chaos and joy of crisscrossing the country on book tour with three kids, what we learned about road-tripping as a family, and why hiking with toddlers is best done with candy. Also why do dads traveling with kids get treated like heroes while moms get judged? Plus: the reality of childcare, the myth of “parenting experts,” and what it really takes to keep all the balls in the air as working parents. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Five years ago, I was a new mom recording a podcast in my closet, wedged between a toddler and a baby who wouldn’t sleep. For the past few months I had been exhausted, leaking milk, hating my husband and endlessly scrolling Instagram, wondering why my messy, chaotic life didn’t look like the linen-clad perfection of the moms in my feed. So I decided to start reporting on the world of mom influencers. That reporting turned into a revelation. Those “perfect mothers” weren’t just moms, they were marketers. They weren’t just sharing their lives, they were selling them. That was the start of this podcast. At the time, mom influencing was still dismissed as fluff. Now it’s a multi-billion dollar industry shaping how we shop, vote, and even think about gender roles. But the mission of Under the Influence has never changed. It has always been to pull back the curtain on the industries and ideologies that tell women who we should be, and to ask what’s really being sold when we scroll. So in celebration of our five-year anniversary, we’re rerunning the very first episode, A More Perfect Mother, the blueprint for everything we’ve built together. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Kate Strickler started Naptime Kitchen in 2015, it was just a way to share the meals she cooked while her baby slept. Now it’s a thriving brand, a sold-out book tour, and a must-follow for anyone who wants real-life motherhood content that’s actually doable. We talk about the evolution of Instagram, reframing how we talk about work with our kids, and the small, practical changes—like showering in the dark—that can change your day. Plus, why “attainable over aspirational” might be your new life motto. Follow @naptimekitchen for everyday cooking inspiration, practical advice, and Kate’s musings on motherhood. Order the book I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen here. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My friend Kristen is a woman in her fifties who has never lost anyone close to her. So her decision to embark on the journey of becoming a death doula could at first seem like a strange one, but when you get to know her it makes perfect sense. Join Kristen as she tackles the universal experience of death with humor, honesty, and sincere introspection. Through personal stories, interviews, and her journey to becoming a death doula she explores how we mourn and how to prepare for life's final chapter. This podcast is for anyone curious about life, loss, and finding laughter along the way. Binge all the episodes of Death Virgin here. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We live in a culture of more. More toys. More shoes. More jumpsuits buried in the back of the closet. But what happens when you try to break free from the endless cycle of buying, decluttering, and buying again? This week’s episode takes you inside a self-proclaimed “low-buy summer,” a real-world experiment in owning less and living with more intention. The first half features Diane Boden of Minimalist Moms on how to reset your relationship with stuff—practical hacks like closet tricks, tiny habits, and the emotional archaeology of letting go. In the second half, we tackle the chaos of kids’ closets with Jackalo founder Marianna Sacks, exploring how fast fashion took over children’s clothing and how parents can push back with sustainability, hand-me-downs, and circular fashion that actually works. Listen to the Minimalist Moms podcast here. Learn more about Jackalo here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The patriarchy is getting a rebrand. From tradwives to “soft girl” culture, conservative influencers are using the language of feminism to sell women a polished version of submission. In this episode, Dr. Nicole Mason, the policy expert who coined the term “she-cession,” explains how this messaging is pulling women out of power and why the left still doesn’t have a strong counter-narrative. The conversation digs into the unfinished business of feminism, why equality feels so hard to sustain, and how younger women are being seduced by curated fantasies of homemaking and “letting men lead.” Nicole also shares insights from her groundbreaking U.S. Women’s Power and Influence Index and breaks down what is really behind the stubborn wage gap. This is a conversation about power, work, motherhood, and the cultural battle over women’s choices and how we can finally stop carrying it all alone. Subscribe to Dr. Mason's newsletter here. Learn more about Future Forward Women here. Follow Dr. Mason on Instagram here. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week I am bringing back one of my favorite episodes of Too Much Money, the show I created with Doree Shafrir of Forever 35 about the ridiculous sh*t that billionaire do with their billions. This one is a delight. What’s the gift that keeps on giving and giving and giving? Immortality of course, and it is the eternal brass ring that so many billionaires are trying to get their grubby hands on. Join us as we tell the tale of centi-millionaire Bryan Johnson’s efforts to reverse his biological age. This real life Benjamin Button takes more than a hundred supplements a day, only eats in the morning and gets injections of his teenage son’s blood. But at what cost? Is living forever worth it when you strip life of all its joys? Binge all the episodes of Too Much Money here. Find Forever 35 here. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices