Momlife Comics: This Is Personal Podcast

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*Content alert for anyone listening with kids around: we discuss the Santa!!! So you might want to pop on some headphones.

In this month’s very December episode, we delve into Christmas prep—the lists, the logistics, the late-night wrapping, the last-minute gift panic—and of course, the invisible labor that goes into creating the holiday magic that our kids enjoy every year. (As you might have guessed, this is not Ben’s favorite topic, but we go there anyway...

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Ben and I dive into why no one seems to daydream anymore—and how constant scrolling, earbuds, and nonstop stimulation might be stealing our creativity. We talk modern distractions, the chaos of tech-filled days, and why a little intentional boredom might be exactly what we all need.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit marycatherinestarr.substack.com

It’s spooky season, so we’re talking all things Halloween nostalgia — from homemade Ninja Turtle and witch costumes to today’s mass-produced “instant” versions made by Big Costume.

Mary Catherine has some thoughts about (and beef with) the messages these costumes send to girls — hello, patriarchy 👋 — while Ben learns how that same system has messed with his feelings about…his shoulders.

And of course, because this is This Is Personal, the conversation somehow ends up back at sports.

To h...

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We’re back after a 1-month hiatus! And in this episode we’re talking all things September/fall: cool mornings, warm afternoons, the kids’ return to school, and the return of alllll of the fall activities.But first: we revisit Ben’s BJ’s checkout saga as he shares a recent development and reveals his longstanding commitment to seeking out cashiers as opp…

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In this month’s podcast episode, we’re talking about recent simple joys and champagne problems: from Cape Cod beach days to Ben’s love for High Noons, we’re giving you a full breakdown of what’s been making us smile and what’s driving us nuts as of late.

And as usual, we cover all sorts of things, like the evolution of women’s swimwear, COVID water (that…

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It’s [finally] officially summer here on Cape Cod! Today is the last day of school for our kids so in this episode, Ben and I are talking all about how we want to navigate this summer as a family…

As usual, I’m trying to plan ahead to make sure we have some fun adventures while Ben is doing some major negative forecasting. But goshdarnit, we’re going to …

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This month’s podcast episode is inspired by this this comic that I posted a few weeks ago (and the response to this comic!) about how our kids’ school schedules simply don’t fit with our current societal structure.

In this episode we call out the the outdated 9–5 workday, the nonstop school vacations, the expectation that there’s a parent available at …

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In this month’s podcast episode, I come in hot with a laundry list (no pun intended) of complaints related to parenting/running a household/LIFE.

(But also I’m really HASHTAGGRATEFUL because of course I am! We are so lucky in so many ways!)

As a part of this unplanned whining segment we discuss our strong feelings about (surprise, surprise)…laundry! And …

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ICYMI (I hope you didn’t bc I tried to splash it EVERYWHERE): my book came out this week!!!

In this episode, Ben and I talk about the launch event, which was everything I hoped it would be and more; Ben was there, beaming with pride, and had really kind words to say after…but did he disassociate from the content *just a bit* to fully soak in the vibe? W…

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In this month’s episode, we start by unpacking why Ben’s immune system might be weaker than it’s ever been before—is it due to lack of sleep from our new nighttime parenting system? Or maybe it’s because of his departure from government services (LOL)? We break down all of the possible reasons and complain a little along the way (of course).

Then, we di…

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We’re back, baby! And we’re shooting for 12/12 podcasts in 2025…as opposed to the 10/12 that we did in 2024 (Boo! Also, I get this wrong in the podcast—whoops!).

We’re kicking off the new year by going a bit off the rails in this episode, but what else is new? Ben has a bone to pick with robots (aka technology) and the people who prefer robots to “real …

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Welp, we’re a little all over the map in this episode but as usual, we have a blast making fun of each other and discussing random topics like: Why is everyone so obsessed with protein intake right now? Why does Ben have so much animosity towards Vegans? How have things changed around our house over the past year since Ben “separated from government se…

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In this month’s episode, we tackle phone addiction and in particular, what I see as Ben’s excessive phone usage during “family time.” We discuss our relationships with our phones and how we want to be more mindful about our phone usage—especially in front of the kids! And of course we work in a bit of healthy marital ribbing because HOW COULD WE NOT? ;)

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In this month’s episode, Ben takes the reins (aka guest hosts?) and interviews me about all things related to my book, Mama Needs a Minute!, which will be coming out in March, 2025.

Prior to recording, I thought we were going to talk about the emotional side of the process, what the book is about, and how it feels to finally be announcing it’s impending…

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In this month’s episode, Ben and I discuss nighttime parenting, kids who don’t sleep, and the middle-of-the-night relationship/parenting dynamics that leave us feeling angry, confused, resentful, and exhausted. 

If you can’t tell, we were tired of being tired when we recorded this one. I hope you get it but even if you don’t, I hope you don’t think we’re…

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In this episode, Ben and I talk about wisdom teeth (IDK, Ben wanted to talk about it?) and then discuss what happened after Ben FINALLY cleaned up the pile of cardboard boxes at the bottom of the basement stairs...

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In this month’s episode, Ben calls me out for my chicken pickin’ habits and we delve into rap music (we’re both big fans) and why it feels different when women use sexually explicit lyrics vs. when men do (hint hint: it’s yet another double standard and I don’t like it).

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We’ve tackled Ben’s belief that “girls are better” (LOL) and now, we tackle his belief that “moms are better” [communicators / to deal with re: logistics].

I mean, again, duh. But also, UGH. Let’s discuss.

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I’m in Italy right now (Puglia) and it’s INCREDIBLE! Which is also the reason I’m going to keep this short + sweet:

We recorded this episode the day before I left and let me tell you, Ben was IN A MOOD that day…come to think of it, so was I (!), but they were very different moods, as you’ll see when you listen…

So yeah, I hope you enjoy this ridiculous conversation, but as always, #NOW...

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I don’t know how I feel about this week’s podcast. There is still SO much to unpack from our conversation and there’s so much more I want to say to Ben and to all of you about why girls are better (lol) and why I’m worried about our boys AND our girls (I’M WORRIED ABOUT EVERYONE! I’M AN EQUAL-OPPORTUNITY WORRIER!). Basically, everything we touched-on was really just the tip of the iceberg...

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We did it! We’re back, baby! Ben and I recorded our first podcast episode in about 7 years and it’s finally live for paid subscribers. Woo-freaking-hoo!!!

Thank you all for subscribing and being a part of this Substack community. It feels so wonderful to be able to share the return of our podcast with a select group of people who GET IT. I hope you enjoy this conversation!