Moms Just Want (Deserve) to Have Fun

Moms Just Want (Deserve) to Have Fun

Author: Jo Piazza January 27, 2026 Duration: 43:40
No one is going to check in with you to make sure you're enjoying your life. What if fun—not self-care, not optimization, not doing more—is the thing missing from modern motherhood? This week on Under the Influence, we’re talking about why moms feel guilty for wanting joy, adventure, and pleasure that doesn’t serve anyone else. Our guest is Kelly Conroy, the creator of Your Mom Races Rally (YOMO), who went from feeling invisible and depleted in early motherhood to learning how to race rally cars—yes, actual rally cars—on dirt tracks at high speed. This episode is about the lies we’re told about motherhood: that it should fulfill every need, that good moms are selfless, and that fun has to be earned, justified, or monetized to be allowed. We talk about why women feel pressure to prove the “ROI” of their hobbies, why dads are never asked to account for their leisure time, and how reclaiming adventure can radically change how we parent, partner, and exist in our bodies. Kelly shares how racing became a form of deep presence, confidence-building, and community—and why modeling joy, risk, and selfhood for our kids might be one of the most important things we do as parents. This conversation is about identity, autonomy, and why choosing fun isn’t frivolous—it’s revolutionary. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER The Parisian Heist here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Under the Influence with Jo Piazza, journalist and mother Jo Piazza pulls back the curtain on the multi-billion dollar world of social media influence. This isn't just another show about viral trends; it's a critical exploration of the aspirational marketing that haunts our feeds, where perfectly posed lives in spotless homes mask a complex economy. Jo examines how this ecosystem fundamentally reshapes our culture, our families, and our personal sense of self, especially for parents and kids navigating this curated reality. Each episode of this podcast digs into the forces that brought us here, asking what it means to live, parent, and consume under this constant, monetized influence. You'll hear specific stories and analysis that connect the dots between the content we scroll past and the larger societal machinery at work. The conversation naturally extends beyond the screen to question the real-world impact on our journals, our relationships, and our understanding of value. Under the Influence with Jo Piazza provides the context often missing from the comments section, offering a necessary perspective for anyone who has ever scrolled and wondered about the true cost of that airbrushed perfection.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Under the Influence with Jo Piazza
Podcast Episodes
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Today I'm dropping an episode of Lo Mansfield's show Lo & Behold in the feed. Lo is a former labor and delivery nurse and current birth educator. You can follow her @TheLaborMama. I love Lo's informative, fact-based info…
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Sunday Nice Things: Women's Work [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:12
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The Messy Truth About Potty Training [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:10
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How We Divide Household and Parenting Labor in Our House [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:29
So many women are exhausted by carrying more of the household labor, both the visible chores and the invisible work no one talks about. In this episode Jo and Nick sit down to map out how it really happens in their own h…
Can Creativity and Motherhood CoExist? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:11
The world loves to tell parents—especially moms—that kids and creativity can’t co-exist. Writer M.M. De Voe thinks that’s B.S. and so do I. M. founded Pen Parentis to help writers keep creating after they have kids. In t…
How Patagonia Rewrote the Rules of Influence With David Gelles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:10
Patagonia isn’t just an outdoor brand. It’s a company that has quietly shaped how we dress, how we think about the planet, and how business can act in the world. Today we're talking to New York Times reporter David Gelle…
Sunday Nice Things: Broadway Husbands [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:21
Stephen and Bret—aka the Broadway Husbands—have spent their careers lighting up the stage, from The Little Mermaid to Billy Elliot. But their most moving performance is the life they’ve built together as husbands and now…