Journalist and cultural critic EJ Dickson joins Reshma for a candid conversation about motherhood, guilt, and the impossible standards women are expected to meet. Drawing from her new book One Bad Mother, EJ breaks down how the idea of the “good mother” is a surprisingly recent invention, why modern parenting runs on shame and self-policing, and who actually benefits from keeping women feeling like they are failing.

Follow EJ Dickson on Instagram at @ejdickson. Her book One Bad Mother is out February 10.

You can follow our host Reshma Saujanion Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack. 

Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at  @LemonadaMedia. 

Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe. 

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

Journalist and cultural critic EJ Dickson joins Reshma for a candid conversation about motherhood, guilt, and the impossible standards women are expected to meet. Drawing from her new book <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/One-Bad-Mother/Ej-Dickson/9781668051115">One Bad Mother</a>, EJ breaks down how the idea of the &ldquo;good mother&rdquo; is a surprisingly recent invention, why modern parenting runs on shame and self-policing, and who actually benefits from keeping women feeling like they are failing.
Follow EJ Dickson on Instagram at<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ejdickson/?hl=en"> @ejdickson</a>. Her book <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/One-Bad-Mother/Ej-Dickson/9781668051115">One Bad Mother</a> is out February 10.
You can follow our host Reshma Saujani<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reshmasaujani/?hl=en"> </a>on Instagram at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reshmasaujani/?hl=en">@reshmasaujani</a> and on <a href="http://reshmasaujani.substack.com">Substack.</a>&nbsp;
Stay up to date with Moms First (<a href="http://www.momsfirst.us">www.momsfirst.us</a>) on Instagram at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/momsfirstus/?hl=en">@momsfirstus</a> and with Lemonada at&nbsp; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lemonadamedia/?hl=en">@LemonadaMedia</a>.&nbsp;
Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven&rsquo;t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You&rsquo;ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to<a href="http://lemonadapremium.com/"> lemonadapremium.com</a> to subscribe.&nbsp;
Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows:<a href="http://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors"> lemonadamedia.com/sponsors</a>
To follow along with a transcript, go to<a href="http://www.lemonadamedia.com/show/"> lemonadamedia.com/show/</a> shortly after the air date.

…Is this it? That’s the question our host Reshma Saujani asks herself daily. She’s the founder of two successful nonprofits, she’s married to a great guy, and she’s raising two beautiful children. She’s gotten everything she’s ever wanted, so why does she feel so unsatisfied? Is this a woman’s version of a midlife crisis? She’s determined to figure it out, and with the strength of her group chat behind her, she’s calling in reinforcements. From Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, to Emily Oster and Cheryl Strayed, to experts, friends, authors and more, Reshma’s going to help us all figure out how we stop trying to just get through this time of life… and actually start living it.

…Is this it? That’s the question our host Reshma Saujani asks herself daily. She’s the founder of two successful nonprofits, she’s married to a great guy, and she’s raising two beautiful children. She’s gotten everything she’s ever wanted, so why does she feel so unsatisfied? Is this a woman’s version of a midlife crisis? She’s determined to figure it out, and with the strength of her group chat behind her, she’s calling in reinforcements. From Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, to Emily Oster and Cheryl Strayed, to experts, friends, authors and more, Reshma’s going to help us all figure out how we stop trying to just get through this time of life… and actually start living it.