Podcast Episodes

Browse and listen to our full episode archive, from oldest to newest. To get new episodes first, subscribe in iTunes.

Episode 1: Chelsea White

RAISED BY A HOLOGRAM

Katie Compa and Raquel D'Apice's first guest is Chelsea White, comedian, host, and producer on MTV’s Girl Code. Chelsea’s known since she was young that she never wants children, yet she continually finds herself defending her decision, or being told, “You’ll change your mind.” She talks with Katie and Raquel about how it affects friendships, dating, and family relationships, and why she’s still sure it’s right for her.

• Keep up with Chelsea on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
• Check out Chelsea's dating podcast, Ghosted Stories

 

Episode 2: Jennifer Dziura

THE M-WORD

Katie and Raquel talk with Jennifer Dziura of GetBullish.com, which provides business and career advice to young women. Jen is also mom to an 11-month-old. We cover “normal” pregnancy symptoms, customized sonograms, “the M-word,” gender expectations, time management, and preparing for a baby in an expensive city– without waiting too long. 

• Check out Jennifer’s work at: 

Episode 3: Melissa Friedman

DUH... THEATER PARENTS!

Katie and Raquel talk with Raquel’s sister-in-law, Melissa Friedman. Melissa and her husband live in New York City, running a nonprofit theater company (EpicTheatreEnsemble.org) and raising their eight-year-old daughter. We talk master plans, only children, improv with a three-year-old, raising a feminist daughter in a sea of pink, handling the teen years (and whether it’s possible), and watching her child develop from an offshoot of herself and her husband into her own person. 

• Check out Epic Theatre Ensemble

 

Episode 4: Leslie Russell

SMUGGLING A BEACH BALL

Katie and Raquel talk with Leslie Russell, Raquel’s sister-in-law’s sister-in-law (we promise this is the last time we interview Raquel’s relatives for at least a while). Leslie is a wedding planner extraordinaire, and a VERY pregnant mom-to-be (since we talked, she’s delivered a baby girl)! We talk about subway etiquette, sleepwalking, relationships with and without kids, having an actual Supermom, and the scariest late-night Google searches. 

Episode 5: Virginia Sole-Smith

MERMAIDS, MATERNITY & MARIE ANTOINETTE

Raquel and Katie with freelance writer Virginia Sole-Smith at her home in the Hudson Valley, where she lives with her husband and their daughter, Violet. Virginia gives us the scoop on 18th-century fertility statistics, endometriosis, and working from home with a kid, and shares her own story of a medical emergency as a new mom. 

• Follow Virginia: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
• Visit Virginia's website and read her work!

Episode 6: Jess Wood

FETAL BABY GIRAFFE

Katie and Raquel chat with fellow comedian Jess Wood, aka “Jess, our friend who got shot in a drive-by." Jess essentially raised herself (…and her mom) among the hippies in Los Angeles’s Topanga Canyon, where she ran with punk-rock kids, deadheads, and L.A. gangs before acting and doing comedy. We go delightfully off-topic as the episode title reveals itself..

• Check out Jess's podcast, Get Wood! 
• Follow Jess on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

 

Episode 7: Selena Coppock

SOMETHING TO DO, SOMEONE TO LOVE, SOMETHING TO HOPE FOR

Katie and Raquel talk with standup comic and author Selena Coppock, who’s firmly in the no-kids camp. The youngest of three sisters, Selena has had to defend that decision to her family and friends (and even work acquaintances) ever since she decided to “go public.” We talk about DINKs, the work world, parenting as an acquired taste, and the philosophy of deciding to decide.

Episode 8: Nicole Cramer

KNOWING YOUR PATH

Katie and Raquel sit down in midtown with high-powered business lady Nicole Cramer, who, when not running worldwide advertising creative teams, is constantly working on her own projects. We talk growing up with the actual Supermom, finding one’s passions (plural), dating (or not) in New York, raising a child in the internet age, and advice for the next generation.

Episode 9: Beth Compa

THE BEGINNING OF FUN

Katie and Raquel sit down to chat with Katie’s younger sister, Beth Compa. A lawyer in New Orleans, Beth has always known she wants kids– from mothering her Cabbage Patch Kids to babysitting. Over the occasional hiss of the air conditioner, we discuss princesses and castles, negotiating career and family, expectations vs. reality, Lionel Messi, and the parents’ impossible dream of drinking coffee and reading the paper, alone, for an hour. 

 

Episode 10: Lauren Fahey

SCHOOL MOTHER

Katie and Raquel talk with Lauren Fahey, New York City schoolteacher and Katie’s current roommate, mere weeks before she leaves to move to London with her fiancé. Lauren tells us about growing up helping with her family’s day care, welcoming her younger sister to the family, and some classic teaching stories, interspersed with lots of discussion about Roald Dahl, Lauren’s grand-mère, and what ostriches and dolphins have in common. 

Episode 11: Asie Mohtarez

NO ROOM IN MY BRA

Katie and Raquel visit with fellow standup comic Asie Mohtarez, who’s expecting her first kid in December. We talk back-fat, boobs, burps, the pill, dating, parallel lives, and how to be a creative *and* a mom in New York.

Episode 12: Maude Bond

ENJOY!

Raquel and Katie talk with college counselor Maude, who tells us all about growing up in small-town Tennessee as the youngest of four children, not joining the family funeral business, Barbie’s Dream House vs. Barbie’s Penthouse, coming around to liking kids (and having a partner who’s “clucky” for one), and building her best life.

 

Episode 13: Shonali Bhowmik

GO FOR IT!

Raquel and Katie talk with Nashville native Shonali Bhowmik, a New York singer, filmmaker, actress, comic, playwright… (seriously, the list goes on). We talk about finding your tribe, defining success, being defensive (in a good way!), parents who listen, who’ll be there for us when we’re old, and each being on our own adventure.

Episode 14: Becky Yamamoto

HALF-ASSED DRAGON MOM

Katie and Raquel chat with Becky Yamamoto, New York City comic and writer. We talk about fake babies, being married, only children, mail-order brides, Octo-mom porn, and hatchback Hyundais.

 

Episode 15: Irene McGee

IRENE V

This week, Katie and Raquel sit down with Irene McGee to find out what happens when people stop being polite— and start getting pregnant. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) The comedian, writer, podcaster and former reality star talks about her great-great-grandfather Ira, Lyme disease, frowny faces, motherhood without marriage, building a one-woman show while pregnant, and her uterus’s favorite hobbies (endometriosis and knitting).

 

Episode 16: Miranda Forster

(YA GOTTA HAVE) FAITH

Katie and Raquel talk with Miranda Forster, who's preparing to embark on the journey of starting a family with her poker-playing sometimes-lawyer wife. We talk babysitting, siblings, George Michael, the search for the perfect sperm, the Real Housewives, and working on loving your dogs less.

Episode 17: Elizabeth Yuko

THE KIDS' TABLE

Raquel and Katie speak with reproductive bioethicist Elizabeth Yuko, Ph.D., who talks about living and studying in Ireland, female Viagra, artificial wombs, different types of motherhood, crowdfunding, Richard Simmons, bridesmaids, and baby showers.

Episode 18: Jason Jude Hill

MODEST DINKITUDE

Raquel and Katie talk with their first male guest: Jason Jude Hill, who founded GrumpyFILMS, inc with his husband and business partner. We talk aspiring to be DINKs, coming out as gay vs. as child-free), caring for a bag of flour, maintaining friendships with your friends who have kids— and building friendships with kids themselves. 

 

Episode 19: Ophira Eisenberg

SURRENDER

This week, Raquel and Katie chat with comedian, author, and host of NPR’s Ask Me Another, Ophira Eisenberg, who’s imminently expecting her first child. We talk being forced to prioritize, primary caretaking, the Finnish birth box, women’s place in society, a destructive idiot vs. a manipulative bitch, Uber births, champagne and oysters in the delivery room, and the Saw movies.

Episode 20: Katherine Williams

F*CKING NEMO

This week, Katie and Raquel talk with NYC comic Katherine Williams, who’s trying for a baby with her comedian husband (of whom we are big fans). Katherine tells us about growing up a shy tomboy, suddenly losing her mom at 14, and her recent miscarriage; we discuss raising a daughter, Murphy Brown, staying in the comedy mix, and the voice in Raquel’s head.

Episode 21: Vicky Kuperman

FEAR, BURDENS, AND OXYTOCIN

Katie and Raquel sit down with NYC comic Vicky Kuperman, whose GYN, upon learning she was engaged, changed her tune to “you’d make a great mom!” We talk baby pushers, therapization, quality of life, happy marriages, pickup and dropoff, Vicky’s #flawless hair and skin, advice for women in their 20s, attachment parents, and things that are *not* our favorite.

 

Episode 22: Bailie & Debbie Slevin

UNPREGNANT PAUSE

UnPregnant Pause
Katie and Raquel sit down with a mother and daughter, Debbie and Bailie Slevin, to discuss Debbie’s new book, UnPregnant Pause: Where Are the Babies? We talk about bad marriages, grandpugs, Sheryl Sandberg, choice moms, passing on dating, unfair biology, asshole doctors, and validating– and celebrating– new generations’ choices. 

Episode 23: Tharanga Goonetilleke

AS YOU LIKE

Raquel and Katie talk with Tharanga Goonetilleke, a soprano opera singer and TED Fellow who’s expecting her second baby. Tharanga grew up in Sri Lanka before coming to the U.S. to pursue her musical education. We hear about her first day of school on September 11, and discuss being a brown person in the opera house, real talk about labor & delivery, being pregnant and caring for a toddler while physically incapacitated and only allowed Tylenol, and living your life as you like.

Episode 24: Margaret Champagne

NOW IS THE ENVY OF THE DEAD 

Katie and Raquel talk with actor and comic Maggie Champagne, who in the past week attended both a fertility doctor appointment and a baby shower, about planning to get pregnant at 40. We discuss escaping her small southern hometown, making it in New York, changing priorities, our deathbeds, and maternal (and paternal) instinct.

 

Episode 25: Sadie Dingfelder

IMAGINARY CHILDREN

Katie and Raquel travel to D.C. to sit down with Sadie Dingfelder, reporter and humor writer for The Washington Post. We discuss earnest six-year-olds, going from zero to grandma, giving birth to kittens, face blindness, rebellion, and kids’ birthday parties.

Episode 26: Michelle Thaller

AN ODD LIFE

This week, Katie and Raquel get to talk with Dr. Michelle Thaller, a NASA astrophysicist and all-around coolest person we have ever met. We talk about growing up learning dairy science, space camp, the human race as a superorganism, equality in parenting, what we can’t not do in our lives, and accepting ourselves.

Episode 27: Blair Koenig

STFU, PARENTS!

Blair Koenig, author and curator of the hilarious blog STFU, Parents, talks with Katie and Raquel about growing up in Atlanta, living the Brooklyn hipster struggle, giving her mom a trophy baby, and how trying for a baby is like “throwing herself into a tornado,” even though she’s always wanted kids. 

 

Episode 28: Adira Amram

BACKUP DANCERS

Katie and Raquel talk with NYC musical comedian/singer Adira Amram about Dutch Sesame Street, home births, growing up on a farm, downloading babies, karaoke, spray-on hair, and a killer quiche recipe.

Episode 29: Caitlin Loughlin

NOT ABOUT YOU

Raquel and Katie chat with Caitlin Loughlin, a former entomologist and schoolteacher, about going through a cancer diagnosis as a teen, dissecting grasshoppers, Jimmy John’s, army ants, day care, and mosquito abatement. 

Episode 30: Tovah Close

NO SCARCITY

Katie and Raquel speak with actor and dialect coach Tovah Close about small-town Oklahoma, the NYC performer hustle, waitressing during the impending apocalypse, nannying, singleton babies, Raquel’s second baby, and story hour for adults.

 

Episode 31: Abbi Crutchfield

WE CAN HAVE NICE THINGS

Katie and Raquel sit down with comic and actress Abbi Crutchfield to talk about being married to another comic, Home Alone, healthy living, confidence, conflict avoidance, and Baby Cobra.

Episode 32: Meghann Foye

ME-TERNITY

Katie and Raquel sit down with magazine editor and book author Meghann Foye to discuss the online melee around her article in the NY Post, the gig economy, women vs. women, freezing her eggs, and being in the right place to have a family.

Episode 33: Emily Flake

MAMA TRIED

Raquel and Katie speak with New Yorker cartoonist and author Emily Flake about the battle for sleep, white lies, Sam Goody, cavities, becoming an aunt at 13, and the wave that waits for all of us.

 

Episode 34: Rebecca Vigil

PRESENCE AND PRESENTS

Musical improviser Rebecca Vigil joins Katie and Raquel to talk about growing up between two families, not talking to her parents, winning $100,000, New York as rehab, Camp Unwanted, rolling the dice on birth control, and the value of a happy childhood. 

Episode 35: Jessica Delfino

THE UNICORN

Katie and Raquel talk with comedian and entrepreneur Jessica Delfino about blind dates, VHS movies, jail, Mary Poppins, Craigslist, nunneries, and points of reference for our lives.

Episode 36: Jennifer Leigh

CALL OPTIONS

Katie and Raquel sit down with Katie’s college friend Jennifer Leigh. For years she leaned against having kids because of a demanding job and genetic concerns, but inspired by her best friends, the pendulum swung the other way; she decided that she wants to be a mom, and froze her eggs— a.k.a. a “call option” on a child.

 

Episode 37: Luke Younger

DADDIES CAN CRY, TOO

Katie and Raquel talk with Luke Younger (only the second man to do the podcast– his struggle is somewhat real) about preparing for two kids under two, the first six months, witnessing the birth of his son, being an older brother, and following your dreams. 

Episode 38: Lauren Maul

STRANGER THINGS

Katie and Raquel talk with Lauren Maul, comedian, composer and cat lady, about managing chronic pain, growing up in small-town Nebraska, sharing privilege, and the clean-up song.

Episode 39: Kat Burdick

A POSSESSED JELL-O MOLD

Katie and Raquel chat with comic Kat Burdick about Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, getting kicked out at 17 with her dog, being a better partner than no one, and getting pregnant an entire generation later than her mother did.

 

Episode 40: Katie and Raquel

THE EPISODE THAT SUCKS

For our first episode back, Katie and Raquel sit down with each other to debrief over a few months’ worth of travel, world political developments, decisions and brand-new humans. (And introducing the new “Live Diaper Change” segment, featuring our special guest host, Raquel’s second baby!) 

Episode 41: Leighann Lord

PERSON WITH PARENTS

Katie and Raquel welcome first post-election guest Leighann Lord, comic, author, podcaster, host, and daughter-on-call. We talk about role reversal, wanderlust, being raised feminist (by a mom who wasn’t), maternal instinct, Golden Girls roommates, our Hogwarts houses, and glass-half-empty living.

Episode 42: Mindy Raf

PLAYING "FUTURE"

Katie and Raquel chat with comedian, author, middle child and Michigander Mindy Raf about hormones, being engaged to a Croatian, handling ambivalence about kids, and nightmares about Mike Pence conversion camp.

 

Episode 43: Heather Fink

A CERTAIN FLAVOR OF LADY

Katie and Raquel sit down with comedian and filmmaker Heather Fink to discuss middle-school makeovers, the meaning of family, women on set, making her own feature film, and the whys/why nots on having kids.

Episode 44: Lauren Vino

CAN I SPEAK TO YOUR MANAGER? 

Katie and Raquel chat with Lauren Vino, comedian and dad blogger (really!) about fighting in public, parents who are still married, her dad’s band practice, babysitting, breaking an engagement, wanting kids, platonic parenting, and her type.

Episode 45: Anita Flores

LET'S NEVER TALK ABOUT KEVIN

Katie and Raquel welcome guest Anita Flores this week to talk panic IUDs, the Miracle of Life video, recovering from surgery, the All About Me doll, rude kids, effortless vomiting, and saying I love you. 

 

Episode 46: Sharron Paul

THE BLACK CUSACKS

Katie and Raquel welcome Sharron Paul, standup comic, actress and cohost of Katie’s other podcast, to tell us about growing up as part of an extended family (including Team Sameface), emergency nannying, thinking with her uterus, cat fights, bologna, and LendingSnatch.com.

Episode 47: Irene Morales

MENTAL YOGA

Katie and Raquel talk with comedian Irene Morales about being from Miami, growing up with an autistic sibling, her prima hermana, therapy, and My Monkey Baby on Netflix.

Episode 48: Pushy Muldowney

DECLARATION OF SELF

Katie and Raquel sit down with Katie “Pushy” Muldowney to talk about roller derby, crows’ feet, grad school, freakout babies, Orange is the New Black, #TheDress, and Baron von Dogpants, dog of science.

Follow Pushy on Twitter and Instagram

 

Episode 49: Michelle D

TOP OF THE ROLLER COASTER

Katie and Raquel chat with Katie’s coworker Michelle, in town after recently moving across the country solo to start a family. We discuss support networks, Kandinsky references, donor interviews, Grade AA eggs, pregnancy, and taking the leap.

Episode 50: LaKendra Tookes

EVERYTHING TAKES A VILLAGE

This week, Katie and Raquel talk with comic, actress and writer LaKendra Tookes (follow her on Instagram, America!) about SNL, Drake, Scary Spice, insta-vestigations, young parents, being a white guy magnet, wanting kids, and being part of the village.

Episode 51: Anonymous

ANONYMOUS

Katie and Raquel talk with their first-ever anonymous guest about speaking anonymously, her career as a doula, psychedelics, relationships, gender, and Duran Duran.

 

Episode 52: Irene McGee, Part 2

LIVING APART TOGETHER

Katie and Raquel sit down for their first follow-up episode with Irene McGee, who’s come a long way since she was a guest on episode 15, to talk about raising her young daughter Renie in New York City with her “nusband.”

Episode 53: Babe Parker

GHOST PARENTING

Katie and Raquel talk with writer and comedian Babe Parker about mean girls, makeup, birth order, babysitting for Slash, boundaries, and unlocking secret cat codes.

Episode 54: Anathea Simpkins

RAISED BY HIPPIES

Katie and Raquel chat with Anathea Simpkins about growing up in Miami and on Cape Cod, raising children in New York, divorce, IVF, bleeding gums, and owning a cabin.

 

Episode 55: Marcella Arguello

REMEMBER WHAT YOU KNOW

 

Standup comic Marcella Arguello once wanted to be a schoolteacher with six children. While helping raise her nieces and nephews and focusing on comedy, she swore off the idea of kids, but decided recently that it could be great. We talk about experience with kids, falling in and out of love, strict parents, being Latina and child-free (so far), Uma Thurman, and how men are dumb.

Episode 56: Laura Norkin

WHAT IN THE SAMHILL

 

Katie and Raquel sit down with Laura Norkin, writer and editor with a focus on parenting, to discuss being raised under a red pen, Thomas the Tank Engine (and Percy), lying to our children, nipple confusion, and inner voices.

 

Follow Laura on Twitter and explore some of her articles here. 

 

Episode 57: Heather Fink

FOLLOW-UP (Episode 43)

Katie and Raquel catch up with comedian and filmmaker Heather Fink, who last spoke with us five years ago (Ep. 43), about moving to (and dating in) Los Angeles, unions, eggs, partnerships, travel and more.

Episode 58: Ophira Eisenberg

FOLLOW-UP (Episode 19)

On this episode, Raquel and Katie get up to date with comedian, author, and radio/podcast host Ophira Eisenberg about switching identities, acceptable risk, her birth story, the obsolescence of toys, and figuring it all out.

Episode 59: Jen Dziura

FOLLOW-UP (Episode 2)

Katie and Raquel catch up with their second-ever Kid/Life Crisis guest, Jen Dziura, about memes, work schedules, boulders in the gas tank, looking at a bird, online preschool, "mom," swear words and feminism. Check out GetBullish.com!

Episode 60: Mindy Raf

FOLLOW-UP (Episode 42)

Katie and Raquel catch up with guest Mindy Raf about the societal bullseye, acceptance in community, non-monogamy, holding in farts, and our evolving longitudinal study. (music: mindyraf.com!)

Episode 61: Abbi Crutchfield

FOLLOW-UP (Episode 31)

Katie and Raquel catch up with Abbi Crutchfield to talk about folding t-shirts, positive touch points, adult ADHD, Mary Poppins, and forging new paths.

Episode 62: LaKendra Tookes

FOLLOW-UP (Episode 50)

Katie and Raquel catch up with comic, actress and radio host LaKendra Tookes about therapy, ghostings, pandemic dating, cohabitating and building a future in an unstable present.