Shows / Bad Mothers Podcast
Bad Mothers Podcast
Bad Mothers focuses on mother-daughter estrangement from the daughter's point of view, and whether these fractured relationships play a role in our decision to have children of our own. We'll also have a healthy dose of talk about abortion rights & maternal ambivalence. monicacardenas.substack.com
Episodes
Bad Mothers PodcastPolitics Meets Feminism
A bonus episode, featuring Dick Polman of SUBJECT TO CHANGE. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to…
Bad Mothers PodcastIf Donna Berzatto was my mom
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit monicacardenas.substack.comThis essay is adapted from one I wrote for Substack March 2024 and…
Bad Mothers PodcastPsychoanalyst Michaela Chamberlain on misogyny, motherhood & estrangement
Michaela Chamberlain is the author of the new book, On Resisting Women, which examines how individuals become misogynists. She shows how unrecognised misogyny…
Bad Mothers PodcastWhen Asha Dore decided to go no-contact
Asha Dore is a speech-pathologist, editor, and extremely prolific writer. Her essays and reported features have appeared in Vogue, Washington Post, McSweeneys…
Bad Mothers PodcastEp 13: Daddy Issues by Katherine Angel
Welcome to the new edition of the Bad Mothers podcast. In addition to family estrangement, we’ll now include my book club discussions with Tam - Family…
Bad Mothers PodcastS3, E12, My estrangement from my mother was a lifetime in the making
To close out season 3, I’m sharing my essay, It’s better this way, published by The Audacity on October 30, 2024. This essay is about my estrangement from my…
Bad Mothers PodcastS3, E11, When orphans become estranged, with Barbara
My final guest for this season is Barbara, which is a pseudonym. Barbara’s parents died when she was young, and she is estranged from her siblings and…
Bad Mothers PodcastS3, E10: Unpacking complex mother-daughter relationships, with Shelly Sharon
Shelly Sharon helps women who’ve been around the block with healing unpack the way a challenging relationship with their mother still holds them back today, so…
Bad Mothers PodcastS3, E9, Writer and editor Jenny Bartoy on the No Contact: Writers on Estrangement anthology
Last week, the long-awaited anthology, No Contact, Writers on Estrangement, was published. And lucky for us, we have its editor, the lovely Jenny Bartoy, as my…
Bad Mothers PodcastS3, E8, On being a mom after estrangement from parents and younger siblings, with Jaime
This week we hear from another generous person who responded to my call for stories of sibling estrangement. Jaime has been estranged from her younger brother…
Bad Mothers PodcastS3, Ep 7: Sibling estrangement in The Original Daughter, with author Jemimah Wei
I am a huge book nerd, so I am always looking for ways to incorporate books into my work here on the podcast, and on the Bad Mothers substack. Speaking of, on…
Bad Mothers PodcastS3, Ep 6: On walking away from abusive parents and four siblings, with Sharon
I put out a call on a few social media support groups for people willing to share their sibling estrangement stories. I’ve heard from a lot of estranged…
Bad Mothers PodcastS3, Ep 5: Estrangement dynamics in Mother in the Dark by Kayla Maiuri, with Tam
This week, my book club partner and Family Estrangement Substack author Tam and I are discussing the novel, Mother in the Dark by Kayla Maiuri. We read it for…
Bad Mothers PodcastS3, Ep 4: Moving forward after sibling estrangement, with April
This season, we’re taking a closer look at sibling estrangement — how it happens, what it feels like, and how to move forward.When I put out a call for those…
Bad Mothers PodcastS3, Ep. 3: Sandra Ann Miller on transforming anger and shame into happiness
Sandra Ann Miller is a certified Happiness, Relationship, and Health & Wellness coach, and Trauma-Informed Abundance Coach. But she doesn’t like to call…
Bad Mothers PodcastS3, Ep. 2: My dad on having daughters, sibling relationships, and navigating divorce
In keeping with the tradition of inviting one of my family members on the podcast each season, today I’m speaking to my dad. I truly value the trust and…
Bad Mothers PodcastS3, Ep. 1: Dr. Katie McKenna on narcissistic family systems and sibling estrangement
I decided the best way to kick off a season focused on sibling estrangement was to learn the dynamics at play in a narcissistic family system. Who better to…
Bad Mothers PodcastIntroducing Bad Mothers, Season 3
Welcome to season 3 of the Bad Mothers podcast.In the first season of the podcast, I focused on women who are estranged from their mothers and thinking about…
Bad Mothers PodcastThe most moving things I heard from nine different women talking about motherhood
Bad Mothers began as an outlet for me to write about how women can subvert their assigned scripts, particularly around motherhood. I advocate for abortion…
Bad Mothers PodcastS2, Ep. 9: Tam on family communication, parenting styles, and estrangement
Tam is a psychologist, trainee counsellor and PhD researcher whose work centres on family relationships, identity and resilience. She runs the Substack Family…
Bad Mothers PodcastS2, Ep. 8: Dr. Bridgette J. Peteet on how to (dis)Honor Thy Mother
Thanksgiving week is often the start of a difficult time of year for a lot of estranged people, and I hope this interview with Dr. Bridgette J. Peteet is…
Bad Mothers PodcastS2, Ep. 7: Katie Dunn on a happy life after infertility
If you’re a regular listener or reader of Bad Mothers, you know I adopted a puppy this year and it has been A LOT. I think it’s been a lot for me especially as…
Bad Mothers PodcastS2, Ep. 6: Gayle Kirschenbaum on maternal forgiveness
My guest this week is Gayle Kirschenbaum. She is a filmmaker, writer, photographer and coach who recently released a memoir called Bullied to Besties, about…
Bad Mothers PodcastS2, Ep. 5: Kate Muir on How to Have a Magnificent Midlife Crisis
Kate Muir is a women’s health expert, investigative journalist and documentary maker. She created and produced two ground-breaking Channel 4 documentaries on…
Bad Mothers PodcastS2, Ep. 4: Melissa Fraterrigo and The Perils of Girlhood
In this week’s episode, I speak to Melissa Fraterrigo, whose new book, The Perils of Girlhood, is a memoir in essays about how we teach girls to live in this…
Bad Mothers PodcastS2, Ep. 3: Julie on learning how to be a step-mother
Bad Mothers refers to mothers who’ve hurt us, from whom we’re estranged.But it also refers to other kinds of mothers, other kinds of women. I originally meant…
Bad Mothers PodcastS2, Ep. 2: Megan Margherio on healing from a bad mother
This week we return to our roots with a discussion of maternal estrangement, with Megan Margherio.Megan is an author and trauma-informed embodiment coach. Her…
Bad Mothers PodcastS2, Ep. 1: Keltie Maguire on being a childfree dog mom
I’m kicking off Season 2 with a discussion about being a child-free dog mom. How does having a dog — and especially a puppy — help us frame our ideas about…
Bad Mothers PodcastIntroducing Bad Mothers, Season 2
Welcome to season 2 of the Bad Mothers podcast.Last season, I focused only on strained or estranged mother-daughter relationships.One of the things that I hope…
Bad Mothers PodcastEp. 10: Gina interviews Monica, and listener questions
This is the final episode of Season 1 of the Bad Mothers podcast. I want to thank everyone for listening and engaging with the show over the past six months…
Bad Mothers PodcastEp. 9: The burden of maternal lovebombing, with Angel Cassin
Angel Cassin is the Chief Executive of Together Estranged, an international non-profit supporting adults who are estranged from their families. With a…
Bad Mothers PodcastEp. 8: Together Estranged, with Angel Cassin
Angel Cassin is the Chief Executive of Together Estranged, an international non-profit supporting adults who are estranged from their families. With a…
Bad Mothers PodcastEp. 7: Being a 'bad' mother, with Elizabeth Austin
Elizabeth Austin is a writer whose work has appeared in TIME, Harper’s Bazaar, Narratively, and many others -- some of it focused on how she considers herself…
Bad Mothers PodcastEp. 6: Patterns in estrangement and finding validation, with Maggie Frank-Hsu
Maggie Frank-Hsu is a writer based in San Diego. She is the author of a poetry chapbook “A Drop in the Dry Season,” and the Estranged newsletter on…
Bad Mothers PodcastEp. 5: Narcissistic mothers and being child-free, with Kari Bentley-Quinn
Please be aware that this episode includes discussion of suicide attempt, addiction and alcoholism.Kari Bentley-Quinn is an award winning playwright whose work…
Bad Mothers PodcastEp. 4: Conservative Christian women and gender politics, with Dr. Katie Gaddini (bonus)
This episode is a bit different, which is why I’m calling it a bonus. It’s a much shorter interview, and it’s with an academic scholar, Dr. Katie Gaddini. She…
Bad Mothers PodcastEp. 3: The struggle to assert autonomy and defy expectations, with Aarti
I'm excited to share this new episode of Bad Mothers, because it's my first speaking to a fellow child-free person. I've noticed that many people assume that…
Bad Mothers PodcastEp. 2: When estrangement is the only safe option, with Your Own Mother
For the second episode of the podcast, I spoke to an anonymous Substacker called Your Own Mother. In her newsletter, she offers beautiful and insightful essays…
Bad Mothers PodcastIntroducing the Bad Mothers podcast
On the Bad Mothers podcast, we’ll dive deep into our maternal urges, or lack thereof. We’ll talk about the mothers we left, or who left us, and whether they…