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As a parent, do you ever feel bare and naked? Totally unsure of what’s right or wrong, loaded up with experts’ tips and tricks yet still feeling lost, misunderstood, and (worst of all) alone? We do. Let’s talk.
We’re Milano Buckley and Alanna Leavell, two moms of three and hosts of Bare Naked Moms—a weekly tell-it-like-it-is parenting roundtable of celebs, influencers, experts, and bold everyday carpoolers like us, taking on the messy, uncomfortable moments of modern family life that usually lie between the lines or out of bounds, but always leave us feeling like defenseless emperors without clothes.
We believe that no matter how high-flying you are, at one point or another, you will get stuck in some patch of thorny, tick-infested parenting weeds. Whether you were born rich or poor, whether you had terrific parents or terrible parents, whether you know a lot or a little, whether everyone knows you or no one knows you, whether you’re black or white or green or red, whether you’re married to a woman or a man, whether you identify as He, She, or Furry…parenting doesn’t give a sh*t. It will come for you. And take all your clothes. Whether they come from Gucci, Walmart, or the hands of sheep-sheering monks.
In each episode, we’ll roll up our sleeves for an honest, respectful rumble in which sticky stories and questions are swapped. Through that brave exchange, our hope is that everyone gains some relief and clarity—on how to find more peace, joy, connection, and humor in your lives as parents.
30 Episodes
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Paul Tough’s New York Times Magazine article “Have We Been Thinking About ADHD All Wrong?” really stirred the ADHD pot by calling BS on so much of the collective reasoning around what ADHD is and how to treat it. Is it nature (biology)? Is it nurture (environment)? What does “having it” really mean? And how do you go about “having it” less, or not at all?Milano, who, along with two of her three kids (so far!) “has” ADHD, came away from Tough’s article with a strong thoughts and feelings—a response made all the more complicated by the fact that she’s a big fan of Tough’s work, including his bestselling books How Children Succeed and Helping Children Succeed. Milano had so many questions and counterpoints scribbled in the margins of the article, she asked him to come on the show and get into all of it. Paul and Milano (Alanna is just a producer on this one) unpack so many layers of this incredibly slippery subject. And they offer each other different ways of looking at each one of those layers. Trust - you do NOT want to miss this rich, fascinating conversation that deepens the bigger ADHD conversation and helps explain why the topic—and the response to Tough’s article— is so heated. In This Episode:👉 The symptoms and causes of ADHD👉 Hotly debated treatments for ADHD: biology, environment, or both?👉 Why the glasses metaphor doesn’t work👉 When medication is the right path 👉 Links between ADHD and Trauma🔗 Learn more about Paul📱 Follow us on Instagram @barenakedmoms
Most of us are doing our absolute best when it comes to feeding our kids. But are our well-intentioned choices helping build a healthy relationship with food… or quietly making things harder?In this episode, eating disorder specialist and mom of two Dr. Lauren Ozbolt unpacks the “perfect storm” of factors that can lead to disordered eating in kids and teens. She also explains how family dynamics and cultural messages play a powerful role and what actually makes a difference in everyday life. The result is a grounded, hopeful conversation that replaces fear with clarity—and gives parents concrete tools they can use right away.In This Episode:👉 Why high-achieving, perfection-prone kids can be especially vulnerable👉 How our food histories and past generations shape kids’ eating relationships👉 Why regular family meals matter more than you think👉 Why labeling foods as “good” or “bad” can backfire👉 The most reassuring truth of all: When eating disorders are identified early and treated aggressively, recovery is very possible.==========================📱Learn more about Dr. Ozbolt📱Follow us: @barenakedmoms
Ever plan a family vacation for months only to come home thinking, we could’ve done that better? Between the money, the logistics, and the kids, traveling as a fam can be A LOT. That’s why we sat down with Jacqui Gifford, Editor-in-Chief of Travel + Leisure, to get her smartest, most practical tips for globetrotting with kids. A lifelong traveler—born in Japan and raised in Saudi Arabia and Qatar—Jacqui now lives in New York City and travels the world with her husband and 10-year-old son whenever she can. You may have seen her sharing her expert advice on NBC, CBS, ABC, CNBC, and MSNBC.So listen up and come home with happier kids, great stories, and way fewer “never doing this again” moments.In This Episode:👉 When it comes to vacations with your kids, why Jacqui believes you should go big or stay home (and plan a great staycation). 👉 Last-minute family travel: possible or impossible? 👉 The surprising family travel hack involving European cities. 👉 The best way to use frequent flier miles when traveling with your family. 👉 What this intimidatingly well-traveled mom packs in her suitcase. ===============================📱Travel + Leisure Website 📱Follow Jacqui Gifford: @jacquigiff📱Follow us: @barenakedmoms
After having her first child nine years ago, Adrienne Harper started Bundles of Joy, an incredible organization that provides critical items to families living in poverty throughout New York City and Westchester County. There’s a gap in social services that you don’t know or think about unless you’re caught in it: Even families who receive the benefits of free shelter and public assistance still lack essentials like clothing, diapers, shoes, school supplies, and so on. Bundles of Joy is the leading provider of such essentials—thanks to Adrienne’s vision, passion, and dogged commitment. Adrienne takes us back to how it all started for her, why social work is so important for kids and families to engage in, and actual ways to make it happen for YOUR family.In This Episode:👉 Asking for help takes courage.👉 Rich or poor, motherhood is the great equalizer.👉 The major impact of diapers.👉 What families in need really need. 👉 What volunteering kids and families gain from helping less fortunate families.==========================🎁 Donate to Bundles of Joy📱 Follow Bundles of Joy: @bundlesofjoyny📱 Follow us: @barenakedmoms
What happens when a brilliant Wharton professor who studies household and gender economics looks you in the eye and says, “Hey… you’re not the problem—the system is”? You get one of our favorite conversations with Dr. Corinne Low about her new book, Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours. Consider it your permission slip to set better boundaries, reclaim your time, and finally correct the imbalances at home and at work.In This Episode:👉 Why women literally can’t have it all—and why the feeling of “I’m failing” is baked right into the myth.👉 The train-station-bathroom meltdown that catapulted Dr. Low into a whole new life: ending her marriage to a man, marrying a woman, and creating a family with two kids that is thriving.👉 How using the rules of economics on your home and career can bring more joy than any self-help hack you’ve ever tried.👉 Plus: Official permission to abandon the herb garden you bought during a moment of pure delusion. Consider it… compost.=============================Learn more about Corinne Low and her book. Follow us: @barenakedmoms
Psychotherapist and bestselling author of ALL IS CALMish, Niro Feliciano helps us understand the nuts and bolts of holiday anxiety - why we have it, why it’s so harmful, and how to stop it in its tracks before it hijacks the all season’s good stuff.Some anxiety is inevitable, but Niro gives us simple, practical, insanely doable strategies to manage it and be less surprised by it. Preparing for anxiety and creating a game plan is the first line of defense. But there are so many things we can do to help ourselves during actual moments of intense stress.Niro takes the cumbaya out of practices like meditation, giving, and gratitude as she explains why they’re so effective at reducing stress: they keep us in the present—not in the past or the future, where anxiety likes to hang out. Suffice it to say, the timing of this nourishing conversation—on the eve of Thanksgiving—couldn’t be more perfect. In This Episode:👉 Understanding holiday anxiety👉 Things you can actually do to disrupt anxiety.👉 Positive loops are just as easy to create as negative loops.👉 Saying No can be just as valuable as saying Yes.Follow Niro: @niro_felicianoFollow us: @barenakedmoms
It’s the main concern parents hear about today: rising anxiety in kids. We asked an expert, Dr. Kathy Cosgrove, who is on the frontlines, how to recognize it and how to help. Here’s the twist: Sometimes, the most effective thing you can do is simply listen.In This Episode:👉 What’s a normal level of anxiety in kids and when to worry? 👉 How a seasoned psychologist handles anxious responses in her own kids.👉 Anxiety in girls vs. anxiety in boys. 👉 Moms get anxious, too; the anxieties we’re feeling these days. Learn more about Dr. Kathy Cosgrove and The Counseling CenterFollow us: @barenakedmoms
All the stuff Mitch Henderson has figured out on the job—as a Division 1 basketball coach—has made him a better dad to his three school-age children. He shares his tips for connecting with his tech-native Gen Z players (spoiler alert: it takes more work) and talks about the value in meeting both his players and his kids where they are, not where he thinks they should be. Of course, we also ask him how he approaches sports for his own children, being a college coach and former superstar athlete himself. What he said surprised and inspired us! In This Episode:👉 The parallels between coaching and parenting.👉 How a college coach thinks about sports for his own children.👉 The life-changing power of meditation. 👉 Leadership is about connection more than authority.Follow us: @barenakedmomsWatch us now on YouTube
Alanna and Milano wrap up Season 2—and the school year—with some straight talk about sleepaway camp: Is your child right for sleepaway? How do you know if a certain camp will be a good fit? Can parents trust that their kids will be kept safe? How do counselors handle homesickness, bullying, and other challenges? And what if camp interferes with travel sports schedules?Doug Knight, Director of Camp Tecumseh in New Hampshire, breaks it all down for us. He shares his observations of what happens within (and between) kids when they leave screens, plumbing, electricity, and families behind: self-awareness, self-reliance, collaboration, conflict resolution, and resilience. In other words, GROWTH. A former lacrosse legend in his own right and father of three boy athletes, Doug also lends a unique perspective on the ongoing battle between sleepaway camps and youth sports training camps—and how sleepaway, in his opinion, is a much bigger bang for everyone’s buck. In This Episode:👉 How to determine whether the sleepaway experience is right for your child 👉 Questions and concerns unpacked: homesickness, picky eating, and camper safety 👉 Cost-benefit analysis of sleepaway camp vs. sports training camps 👉 What it means to “make good boys better”Follow us: @barenakedmomsLearn more about Doug and Camp Tecumseh
What’s the difference between your middle-schooler making a dance video and posting it on TikTok? And is an hour of video games the same as an hour-long movie or an hour on Instagram? How does a five-minute work break scrolling Instagram always turn into an hour?In this week’s episode, Alanna and Milano sit down with social media whistleblower, Max Stossel, who explains why smartphones and social media are so powerful and dangerous for kids. He gives us compelling intel about all the strategy that goes into designing these social media apps—because, a decade ago, he used to be one of the people designing them! (Spoiler alert: We might think we’re using the apps and smartphone, but really they’re using us). As Max helps us to understand, addiction to smartphones and social media is as real as any other addition. He shares great tips for undoing the addiction in ourselves and our kids—and seeing every engagement with our phone and social media as a trade. In This Episode:👉 Understanding the trade-offs with smartphones and social media. 👉 Learning how and why social media apps are designed.👉 Why kids below certain ages aren’t ready to handle smartphones and social media.👉 An arsenal of tips for fighting tough battles with smartphones and social media.================Follow us: @barenakedmomsFollow Max: Social Awakening and Center for Humane Technology
Ever wonder about the winding roads that lead us to where we are, especially to the wild, beautiful, and often chaotic journey of motherhood? This week, we're peeling back another layer, but this time, it’s from one of our very own. Milano steps into the guest seat on a different podcast, and we knew we had to share this special conversation with you, our Bare Naked Moms community.In this borrowed episode from "The Pawcast" (Princeton Alumni Weekly), Milano opens up about her remarkable path to and through Princeton University. She gets real with host Liz Daugherty about what it was truly like navigating an Ivy League world with a profoundly unique background: a childhood marked by her mother's mental illness and intermittent homelessness, and being taken in by a true village of good samaritans. It’s a story of resilience, the kindness of strangers (and campus security!), the devotion of family (like her aunt and uncle) and how these formative experiences shaped the mom and podcaster she is today.In This Episode:👉 Milano’s account of her "wild journey" to Princeton against great odds.👉 A candid view of student life, unlike her peers.👉 A story of compassion by Princeton campus security during a vulnerable time.👉 The unexpected chapters after Princeton that led to Bare Naked Moms.👉 Embracing our past, even if unconventional, can positively impact the present.===================Check out the Princeton Alumni Weekly PodcastFollow us: @barenakedmoms
Not everyone affected by it is a mother, but all mothers are affected by it: Menopause. What’s more bare and naked than pulling back the curtain on this inevitable, charged event that’s both personal and universal—and usually takes hold of moms right when their children are undergoing their own huge hormonal shifts (a.k.a Puberty)? After all, if Mama’s not happy, nobody’s happy! In this week’s episode, Alanna and Milano sit down with endocrinologist and mom of four Dr. Gillian Goddard. Also the author of “Hot Flash” from ParentData and the upcoming book The Hormone Loop, Gillian breaks it all down for us: what’s happening, when it’s happening, who we should turn to for guidance, and what we can do to soften the landing. Together, we form a menopause framework and plan, so it doesn’t disrupt our own wellness, or the balance of our family ecosystems.In This Episode:👉 Defining and redefining menopause: the big picture and the smaller pictures. 👉 Clarifying confusion and misinformation from social media soundbites. 👉 A plan of attack: symptoms to look for and how to treat them.👉 Assembling the right health team for this chapter of motherhood.============Follow us: @barenakedmomsFollow Gillian: @gillianmgoddardRead: Gillian’s articles
Conventional wisdom tells us to keep our politics and religion to ourselves. But Ainsley Earhardt, Co-host of Fox and Friends, bestselling author, and single mother to nine-year-old Hayden, couldn’t be more bare and naked—and public—about both. In this week’s episode, Ainsley walks us through her journey with God and how faith has helped her in work, love, life, and parenting. She also opens up about the pros and cons of her transparency and some of the consequences that it has had in her life as a mom.In This Episode:👉 The power of faith, judgment, and curiosity. 👉 The danger of certainty.👉 Fitting faith into modern family life. 👉 Are all faiths created equal?==================Follow us: @barenakedmomsFollow Ainsley: @foxandfriends and foxandfriends.comRead: Ainsley’s books
What if you and your children found yourselves in the middle of a disaster that was captivating the nation? How would you overcome your own despair to support your kids if their home–and their entire community–burned to the ground? Mom-of-two Emily Debevoise faced those questions when she and her husband lost their home in the Palisades Fire this past January. In this week’s episode, Alanna and Milano talk with an everyday mom in the midst of rebuilding her family’s lives after evacuating their beloved neighborhood with nothing but a few garbage bags full of stuff. She shares how she’s finding ways (both big and small) to be there for her 14-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son and how she sees them processing their trauma differently. Emily also opens up about the acts of kindness that are helping them to move forward and what we should all know should we ever face a similar crisis–or have a loved one in crisis.In This Episode:👉 How siblings may process crisis differently 👉 Small acts that make all the difference to kids in crisis👉 What to grab for the kids if you have a few minutes to evacuate your home 👉 How to reach out if a family you know is in crisis Follow us: @barenakedmoms
Bare Naked Moms co-host Milano Buckley had a wild and woolly childhood as the daughter of a mother who suffered from severe mental illness. She only survived thanks to a motley crew of amazing characters who stepped up and took her in–from a family who lived around the corner to her third grade teacher–but her own father was never around. In this bonus episode, Alanna and Milano try to unravel the mystery of who Milano’s father is. As she and her mentally-ill mom struggled to find their way through the world, where was Milano’s dad, what steps did she take to find him, and how has she come much closer to solving the mystery once and for all? In This Episode:👉 What Milano’s mom told her about her dad👉 Her efforts to reach out to him over the years👉 What she now knows thanks to 23andMe👉 Her next step towards solving the mystery Follow us: @barenakedmoms
Do you ever worry that your kids have it too good to be resilient? Do you try to protect them from hard stuff because you want them to be happy? Do you wonder how some kids who experience trauma end up being just fine, while others with placid, uneventful childhoods are hot messes? As parents, it’s so hard to know when to protect our kids from pain or anxiety and when to let them experience it.In this week’s episode, Alanna and Milano have a fascinating discussion with childhood development expert Dr. Tovah Klein about the importance of not shielding our kids from their mistakes, our mistakes, or the unsavory feelings and events of everyday life. Dr. Klein shares what she’s observed in her 30 years as Director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development and what she outlines in her recently published bestseller, Raising Resilience: How to Help Our Children Thrive in Times of Uncertainty: that the key ingredient of success in a child (and human) is resilience—knowing that we can feel and do and see hard things and ultimately be OK. In This Episode:👉 How to protect kids without paralyzing them 👉 The importance of giving children the freedom to fall 👉 Parents as containers and anchors👉 How to talk to our kids about scary things👉 Why “potential” and perfection are nice ideas that totally backfire=================Buy Tovah Klein’s book hereFollow Tovah: @tovahkleinFollow us: @barenakedmoms
What does the bestselling author-illustrator of The Circus Ship, Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee, Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit and If I Built a House know about childhood and parenting? A lot, it turns out! For one, that kids should not be talked down to—in literature or in life—because they’re so much smarter than we give them credit for. And that kids make great writing collaborators because their brains and imaginations are far less cluttered than ours. In this week’s episode, kid lit powerhouse Chris Van Dusen shares wisdom from his own childhood and parenting his two sons—as well as the humbling realization that there was something important he was falling short of as a storyteller: representing and including people of all cultures and backgrounds. In This Episode:👉 Nurturing boredom and curiosity in kids👉 Creating stories that appeal to all ages and minds 👉 Children’s ability to handle darkness👉 The costs and benefits of DEI in stories👉 Reinventing yourself at any age or professional chapter=====================Learn more about Chris: https://www.chrisvandusen.comBuy Chris’s books hereFollow Chris: @chrisvandusenbooksFollow us: @barenakedmoms
Milano and Alanna welcome NBC News anchor and correspondent Vicky Nguyen to talk about her recently published memoir Boat Baby. The New York Times bestseller chronicles her family’s escape from communist Vietnam to America, the rollercoaster ride of growing up with immigrant parents, and her experiences as a mother of three daughters. How is Vicky following her parents’ lead as a mom, and what is she handling differently? For one, she’s an only child who decided to have three kids. Her parents’ hard work and love of travel are qualities that she admires and emulates. The open communication that she enjoys with her own daughters, though, is not something she experienced growing up.In This Episode:👉 The difference between “woman with children” and “mother”👉 An immigrant family’s survival and commitment to the American Dream👉 Different generations and cultures living together under one roof 👉 Grandparents as caretakers for their grandchildren👉 It takes a village: a working mother’s ecosystemBuy Boat Baby hereFollow Vicky: @vickynguyentvFollow us: @barenakedmoms
Have a child who lacks motivation, talks back, lies and steals, and fights you over everything? Given the chance, strong-willed kids would suck the calm and patient right out of Mother Theresa, let alone their actual mother. In this week’s episode, Calm Parenting Podcast host Kirk Martin teaches Alanna and Milano the power of reframing. Shifting the way we think and act with our strong-willed kids—and examining what we as parents bring to the dynamic—can turn the job of parenting them from burden to blessing. He shares brilliantly simple and practical reframing techniques that establish boundaries and expectations without damaging the all-important parent-child connection.In This Episode:👉 How the brains of strong-willed kids are wired.👉 Helping strong-willed kids create new neural pathways and behavioral patterns. 👉 Understanding the role parents can play in struggles with strong-willed kids.👉 The power of language and tone with strong-willed kids. 👉 Tips for navigating strong-willed kids without losing your cool or connection.Links:Learn more about Kirk here.Listen to Kirk’s podcast.Follow Kirk: @calmparentingpodcastFollow us: @barenakedmoms
Did you know the new average age for girls to begin puberty is 9?! Or that if you don’t talk to your kids about porn by the age of 12, it might be too late? In this week’s episode, Alanna and Milano are joined by puberty expert Vanessa Kroll Bennett, co-host of the chart-topping podcast This is So Awkward and co-author of the newly released book by the same title. Vanessa, who is known for flipping puberty positive, level sets our expectations of what we should be talking about with our kids, the ages we should be having these conversations and how they should sound (spoiler alert: it’s not a five-hour kumbaya sesh). Vanessa also helps us understand how different puberty is for kids today than it was for us—and how important it is, because of that, to not project our experience onto theirs.In This Episode:👉 Understanding how modern puberty is different from our puberty.👉 Knowing the conversations you must have with your kids—and when/how to have them.👉 Practical tips for removing the “icky” and “tricky” from puberty talks and moments.=============Learn more about Vanessa here.Listen to Vanessa’s podcast.Follow Vanessa: @less.awkwardFollow us: @barenakedmoms
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