The Mental Load of Family Life: The Work You Can’t See But Always Feel

The Mental Load of Family Life: The Work You Can’t See But Always Feel

Author: Jo Piazza September 25, 2025 Duration: 40:48
Why does it feel like moms carry a running scroll of everything — the playdates, the vaccines, the permission slips, the damn pile of laundry on the stairs? Sociologist Allison Daminger calls it cognitive labor — the invisible mental work of family life — and her new book What’s on Her Mind shows why women do so much more of it, even in couples who want equality. We talk about what cognitive labor actually looks like, why personality differences are really gender training in disguise, and how we can raise the next generation to share the mental load. Get Allison's book here. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU 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
Breaking the Cycle of More [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:31
We live in a culture of more. More toys. More shoes. More jumpsuits buried in the back of the closet. But what happens when you try to break free from the endless cycle of buying, decluttering, and buying again? This wee…
Sunday Night Things: The Billionaires Who Want to Live Forever [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:59
This week I am bringing back one of my favorite episodes of Too Much Money, the show I created with Doree Shafrir of Forever 35 about the ridiculous sh*t that billionaire do with their billions. This one is a delight. Wh…
Sleep Is Not Self-Care (It’s Survival) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:41
Sleep is not a luxury, a reward, or a wellness trend. It's a biological necessity. In this episode, writer and sleep coach Lindsay Scola shares her journey from high-functioning burnout to a late-in-life narcolepsy diagn…
Sunday Nice Things: Starter Marriage [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:59
Rain on your wedding day is supposed to mean good luck, but for Allison and John, it meant they were about to have the worst year of their lives. From John experiencing a life-changing set-back in his career, to Allison…
Can Plastic Surgery Keep Up With AI? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:30
What happens when filtered faces look more real than real ones? This episode dives into the strange collision of plastic surgery, social media, and AI. Why are celebrities suddenly confessing to nose jobs and boob lifts?…
Gwyneth Paltrow: First Influencer or MAHA Godmother? With Amy Odell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:23
What if the entire wellness internet—bee venom facials, jade eggs, raw dairy—could be traced back to one woman? Gwyneth Paltrow didn’t just win an Oscar and marry a rock star. She built Goop, turned luxury wellness into…
Sunday Nice Things:  LEAD [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:22
So many of us are wondering why our government is not working for us today. Why our representatives are so ineffectual - simple bills that would protect so many vulnerable children from lead exposure like The Lead Paint…

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