The Mother Of It All

The author of The Cut’s Brooding column returns to roll out version 2.0 of “friction-maxxing,” the term that went viral earlier this year and earned her her first Wikipedia page. We talk AI, why she will die on the “turn off location your sharing” hill and the “slurrification” of time to which we are all passively consenting. Plus, the lies we tell ourselves about sleeping arrangements at the AirBnb and new shows, books, and movies!
LINKS:
* Kathryn’s new book, The Story Of Your Life
* In 2026, We Are Friction-Maxxing (The Cut)
* Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother
* Zach Galifinakis’ show, This Is A Gardening Show
* Taskmaster (Sarah’s recommends Series 4)
* Claire Dederer’s Poser
* Adult Braces on audio and the discourse around Adult Braces
* Brawler by Lauren Groff
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You can follow the podcast on Instagram (@themotherofitall).


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As part of a feature series with local bay area radio station KALW, Berkeley-based poet Rachel Richardson joins Sarah and Miranda for a LIVE recording of The Mother Of It All podcast. We talk about the state of the cultural conversation around motherhood in general, whether poetry about motherhood counts as serious poetry, and celebrate our 100th episode.


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Did you hear?! We’re recording our 100th episode LIVE in San Francisco on May 8th as part of a series with KALW (91.7 FM). Get tickets your here! We will be joined by Berkeley-based poet Rachel Richardson, and KALW will be airing excerpts from our show all week long leading up to the live event.
In this episode for our lovely paid subscribers (thank you…

A quick announcement: We will be recording our 100th episode LIVE in San Francisco on May 8th at 7pm. Poet Rachel Richardson will join us for a conversation about the legitimacy of motherhood as a serious topic for artists, academics and writers. We have room for 80 people, and we’d love to have you there. Click here to get your ticket!
In this episode, author Julia Cooke joins Sarah and Miranda to discuss her new book, Starry and Restless: Three Women Who Changed Work, Writing, and the World, and how it made us think differently about maternal ambivalence, the woman’s gaze, and the relationship between work, adventure, and motherhood, as well as bring us much-needed images of raising young children in a world that is rapidly descending into fascism.
Links:
* Starry and Restless by Julia Cooke
* Joan Crillo
* China To Me by Emily Hahn
* Rebecca West
* Martha Gellhorn
* Moms Gone Wild (The Cut)
* Nina McLaughlin Hammer Head
* How It Feels To Be Alive by Megan O’Grady
* Queen Mab by Emily McBride
If you love the work we do, please consider becoming a ✨paid subscriber✨ on substack. Paid subscribers get access to everything behind the paywall, like subscriber-only episodes, book reviews and more. Or, support us by following, sharing or reviewing our show here and everywhere else you listen to podcasts you love. Thank you!
Visit our Bookshop storefront to find all the books we’ve mentioned here and in previous episodes. When you shop there, we get a small affiliate fee (thank you!).
You can follow the podcast on Instagram (@themotherofitall).


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe

Sociologist Nina Bandelj, author of the new book Overinvested: The Emotional Economy of Modern Parenting, joins us for a wonderful, perspective-altering converstation about how and why modern parenthood feels the way it feels. She unpacks for us how raising kids has become a project, how kids became ‘human capital,’ and what it means that parenthood is privatized, economized, and (a new word for us!) “emotionalized.” Turns out, “just wanting your kids to be happy” is a goal that’s perhaps not as laid-back as it seems.
Plus, tons of culture recs, including the new Robyn album, Sexistential, and Sarah’s recently upgraded nail game.
Links:
* Pricing the Priceless Child by Viviana A. Selizer
* Thinking Like an Economist by Elizabeth Popp Berman
* Lenore Skenazy

If you love the work we do, please consider becoming a ✨paid subscriber✨ on substack. Paid subscribers get access to everything behind the paywall, like subscriber-only episodes, book reviews and more. Or, support us by following, sharing or reviewing our show here and everywhere else you listen to podcasts you love. Thank you!
Visit our Bookshop storefront to find all the books we’ve mentioned here and in previous episodes. When you shop there, we get a small affiliate fee (thank you!).
You can follow the podcast on Instagram (@themotherofitall).


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit motherofitall.substack.com/subscribe