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Some guests make you giddy before they even sit down, and Kirsten Ferguson is one of them. Kirsten is a Peloton instructor, a mom of two girls, a marathoner (Chicago is coming up fast, and she's got a bib for New York too), and now an author. Her story is the perfect blend of the two sides of this podcast. In this episode, Kirsten takes us back to the beginning: from working in the NFL, to a fertility journey that led her to fall in love with fitness during the hardest season of her life, to walking into a SoulCycle audition as the oldest person in the room. Then came the pandemic, a divorce, a dusty Peloton bike, and a post-it note on her "war room" wall that said she wanted to be a Peloton instructor. (Manifesting tip: be specific. She got the job, just not on the bike she was picturing. And she had hated running her whole life.) We talk about: Feeling like something was missing after finally becoming a mom, and why that doesn't make you ungratefulGoing from "I hate running" to hip surgery to the NYC Marathon, and mile 20 (Sam relates far too well)How she makes it all work: weekly family planning sessions, asking for help, letting go of doing it perfectly, and protecting her training time as a non-negotiableHer new children's book, From A to Z, This is Me, which she wrote with her daughters to help girls feel seen and celebrate what makes them different (out November 10, pre-order now!)Why perfection is boring, the Ratchet Moms Club, and her "feel it, drop the story, and keep going" mantraRapid fire: her Saturday morning workout, her holy vs. hood playlist, and breakfast for dinnerIf you've ever felt a pull toward more and didn't know how you'd get there, this one's for you. Pre-order From A to Z, This is Me https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H5Y31X3Q?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback Follow Kirsten on Instagram @iamkirstenferguson Email us at [email protected] Instagram @wswwdpod

This week Sam and Lucy are doing what they do best — catching up on everything, in no particular order. From Sam's viral handstand video and the reality behind "effortless" mom hair, to the real cost of kids' birthday parties (and whether skipping them robs your kids of joy), this episode covers the small, weird, funny moments of motherhood that actually make up most of the day. They also dig into a Dr. Becky post that reframed how they think about saying no to their kids — and why teaching toddlers to hear no now might matter more than any screen time rule later. Plus: eldest daughter energy, executive function in kids, and why "it doesn't get better, but the sleep deprivation does" is somehow the most comforting thing you'll hear all week. Topics covered: stay-at-home mom life, working mom vs SAHM, toddler tantrums, parenting no's and boundaries, birthday party burnout, Dr. Becky Kennedy parenting advice, eldest daughter syndrome, mom guilt, postpartum life, executive function in kids, Brooklyn mom life, motherhood friendship, real talk parenting podcast Email us at [email protected] Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This week, we sit down with Tara Nesser and Lauren Zaleski, founder and partner of Level Up Talent, for their podcast debut. From Tara’s leap into solopreneurship to Lauren’s decision to leave corporate recruiting for more motherhood-friendly flexibility, they get real about what it takes to reinvent your career and navigate a career change. We talk about the identity, mindset, and confidence shifts behind a career pivot, the trade-offs that come with making a big change, the “week without should” exercise, why women often wait until they meet 100% of a job’s qualifications before applying, and how to know whether a career pause is actually the right move. Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom considering returning to work, navigating a career change, thinking about a career pivot, or feeling burned out and unsure what’s next, this episode is packed with practical, real-talk career advice for figuring out what comes next. Contact Tara and Lauren at [email protected] Find them at their website https://www.leveluptalent.co/ and on instagram @Levelup.talent Be sure to check out their Career Clarity Workbook. Link Below https://www.leveluptalent.co/product-page/career-clarity-workbook Email us at [email protected] Instagram @wswwdpod Youtube We'll Sleep When We're Dead Tiktok wswwd.podcat

We are hanging on by a thread this end of summer — Sam takes a Coney Island trip that turns into a full meltdown about how stay-at-home moms are supposed to get anything done with zero uninterrupted minutes, and Lucy relates hard from the working-mom side. We dig into "code switching" between mom mode and work mode, why side hustles feel nearly impossible without a full-time partner in it, and the invisible mental load of teacher assignments, group texts, and dinner fails nobody warned us about. Then Lucy drops her big news: she's officially the new Chief Marketing Officer at Hormbles Chormbles. We talk about the leap, the nerves, and why "hard doesn't mean bad." Plus: Hoosier football szn, Sam's US Open plans, and the great Coney Island vs. state fair debate. Email us at [email protected]

Dr. Sarah Bren, clinical psychologist and host of Securely Attached, joins us to break down what secure attachment actually means (and debunk some of the myths floating around Instagram). We get into why kids act out more with their parents than anyone else, what's really happening in the brain during separation anxiety and back-to-school transitions, and the science behind "restraint collapse" — the after-school meltdown so many of us deal with. Plus: how to tell the difference between normal developmental stress and something deeper, and how to refill your kid's emotional tank (and your own) when everyone's running on empty. Find Dr. Sarah Bren https://drsarahbren.com/ Instagram @drsarahbren Email us at [email protected]

This one's a real-time catch-up episode (no outside guest), covering back-to-school transitions, Sam's Florida trip, Isla's sleepaway camp send-off (lice included), and Lucy's state fair chaos.Sam and Lucy are back from a whirlwind end of summer — Sam's fresh off a Florida beach trip and a kid-free weekend with Kyle, while Lucy is three weeks into the school year grind and still recovering from an ill-advised espresso martini. They catch up on the chaos of morning drop-offs, the never-ending backpack debate, and why New York and suburban school cutoffs are wildly different. Then Sam gives the full sleepaway camp report on Isla — the pride, the growth, and yes, the lice — while Lucy shares her family's disastrous-but-joyful trip to the state fair (bee sting included). A real, unfiltered check-in as summer winds down and school ramps up. Email us at [email protected] Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This week on We'll Sleep When We're Dead, we sit down with Denise Woodard — founder and CEO of Partake Foods, the allergy-friendly snack brand you'll find in grocery stores nationwide. Denise spent a decade at Coca-Cola working on brands like Honest Tea before her daughter Vivian's food allergy diagnosis pushed her to leave corporate America and start Partake Foods from her apartment (she got an eviction notice over the shipping boxes). We talk about what it's really like managing food allergies at school and birthday parties, the exhausting early days of startup life while working full-time and raising a toddler, and why she gave her longtime nanny equity in the business. Denise also shares her honest take on work-life balance as a founder and mom, her non-negotiables for staying sane, and the Partake product — allergen-friendly graham crackers — that almost never made it to shelves. If you're a mom thinking about starting a business, navigating food allergies with your kids, or just need proof that it's never too late to build something of your own, this episode is for you. In this episode: • Denise Woodard's journey from Coca-Cola to founding Partake Foods • Managing food allergies in young kids: school, birthday parties, and building confidence • Startup life as a mom: sacrifice, burnout, and asking for help • Why she gave her nanny equity in Partake Foods • Advice for moms considering entrepreneurship • Rapid fire: non-negotiables, favorite Partake product, and weeknight dinners Find Partake foods @partakefoods and https://partakefoods.com/ Email us at [email protected] Partake Foods | Food Allergy Mom | Female Founder | Startup Story | Working Mom

We're celebrating one year of We'll Sleep When We're Dead the only way we know how — crammed in one hotel bed in NYC, mic passed back and forth, recovering from a 10-mile walk and a Broadway show we knew nothing about going in. This one's a grab bag: the real math behind pulling off a kid-free weekend (spoiler: it took an au pair, two camps, and a babysitter), why texting your co-host can feel a lot like texting your husband, and the sleepaway camp FaceTime that turned Sam into a notebook-style sobbing mess — in the best way. Plus, we're debuting Rate My Week — mom guilt, sleep, marriage, and self-care, scored out of 10 and fully unfiltered — and naming the guests we're dying to book next (dermatologist, RD, pediatrician, and yes, a plastic surgeon). If you've ever needed permission to take the girls' trip, this is it. Know someone who fits the guest wishlist? Email us: [email protected]

Meghann Featherstun (Featherstone Nutrition, sports dietitian, 3x NYC Marathon finisher) joins us to talk fueling — and it's not just for marathoners. We get into why most women are chronically underfueling and don't realize it, the carb-shame we all grew up with, why protein matters more as you age, and how to actually calculate your sodium needs if you're a heavy sweater. Plus: her 4:30am routine, eating graham crackers in bed, and why London is the most fun marathon on earth. If you've ever hit a wall on a run (or just felt "hangry" and didn't connect the dots), this one's for you. Find Meghann at https://www.featherstonenutrition.com/ Follow Meghann on Instagram @featherstonenutrition Email us at [email protected] Follow us at @wswwdpod Watch us on youtube @WSWWD

Motherhood is not for the weak, and this week proves it. Stay-at-home mom Sam survives a lice outbreak at the school bus stop, a poison ivy scare, and a frantic 6:30am sleepaway camp packing disaster — all in one week. Working mom Lucy reacts in real time (mostly gagging) as Sam shares what actually happens when lice treatment, camp packing lists, and parenting anxiety collide during summer break. If you've ever dealt with head lice in kids, sleepaway camp prep, or just the mental load of motherhood in the summer, this episode is your permission slip to laugh instead of cry. Real talk on stay-at-home mom life, working mom life, and the parts of motherhood nobody prepares you for. This episode is brought to you by Hormbles Chormbles⁠⁠⁠ https://hormbles.com/⁠ ⁠⁠Follow on instagram @hormbles Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Meg DeFeo spent a decade at J.Crew and Madewell before becoming a stay-at-home mom of two — and built the "All The Moments" Instagram community around the idea that getting dressed every day can change everything. In this episode, Meg opens up about leaving corporate fashion, the mental load that pushed her to build a tool for moms, and how Atomic Habits reshaped her mornings. We talk working mom vs. stay-at-home mom transitions, the guilt around spending time (and money) on yourself, capsule wardrobe basics every mom needs, and why she thinks being a SAHM is the hardest job there is. Plus: our rapid-fire on the best jeans, the tuck debate, and whether jean shorts are really "out." Topics: stay-at-home mom vs working mom, mom style and fashion, capsule wardrobe basics, mental load of motherhood, Atomic Habits, postpartum body image, mom guilt, self-care for moms, J.Crew and Madewell, building an Instagram community as a mom This episode is brought to you by Hormbles Chormbles⁠⁠https://hormbles.com/ ⁠⁠Follow on instagram @hormbles Find Meg on Instagram @all_themoments OR https://allthemoments.co/

You've seen the post: "I only have 18 summers left with my kids, so I'm making every one count." Sam and Lucy are calling BS. This week they get into the guilt-trippy side of summer content — the curated Instagram stories versus the actual meltdown at the splash pad an hour earlier — and why the "limited summers" panic hits different depending on whether you're home with your kids full-time or clocking in from a desk. They also dig into why so much of what gets posted online is really just someone's insecurity in disguise, the mental load of summer camp logistics gone wrong, and the case for a "90s summer" with less curation and more water balloons. Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This episode is brought to you by Hormbles Chormbles ⁠https://hormbles.com/ ⁠ Follow on instagram @hormbles

Why do so many postpartum moms get told their labs are "normal" when they feel anything but? Nurse practitioner and Postpartum Care USA founder Stacia Scott joins us to break down the real story behind postpartum fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, and weight struggles — and it almost always traces back to one overlooked organ: the thyroid. Stacia walks through a live read of Sam's actual lab work, explaining why standard reference ranges miss dysfunction that's already brewing, what a full thyroid panel should include (most doctors only order one of six necessary markers), and why vitamin D, B12, and blood sugar matter more than you think. We also talk about the postpartum lab gap in women's healthcare, why moms are taught everything about pregnancy and nothing about recovery, and Stacia opens up about her son Cody's battle with stage 4 neuroblastoma and how it's reshaped how she cares for families. A must-listen for any mom who's been told "everything looks fine" and known deep down that it isn't. This episode is brought to you by Hormbles Chormbles https://hormbles.com/ Follow on instagram @hormbles Find Stacia at https://ppcareusa.com Postpartum Care USA and instagram @postpartumcare_usa Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The content of this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and is not a substitute for professional medical care. Always consult your own physician or qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health, medications, or treatment plan. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or We'll Sleep When We're Dead. Lab reference ranges and recommendations mentioned are for general education and may not apply to your individual health situation."

Is the grass really greener on the other side — or does every mom just have a different flavor of chaos? This week, Sam (stay-at-home mom, Brooklyn) and Lucy (working mom, suburbs) get into an honest, no-filter conversation about flexibility, free time, and the invisible load that never makes it onto anyone's calendar. Lucy spent her PTO day getting her hair done, selling things on Facebook Marketplace, and squeezing in a podcast recording — and it sparked a bigger question: do stay-at-home moms actually have more freedom, or is that just a myth? Sam breaks down why zero-to-five years looks nothing like the "flexible schedule" people imagine, and why even now, with kids in school, her Mondays are the only day she can actually breathe. They also talk about the dream scenario (the 3-day work week, the side hustle that might not be worth it) and why the real answer might just be: every season has its trade-offs. If you've ever envied another mom's schedule — or tried to explain yours to someone who doesn't get it — this one's for you. Email us at [email protected] Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Emily is the founder and CEO of Evergreen, the better-for-you frozen waffle brand built on a simple idea: what if your kid's easiest breakfast was also their most nutritious one? In this episode, Emily shares the winding, shoot-your-shot journey that took her from corporate law at Kirkland & Ellis to general counsel at Alinea to accidental food entrepreneur — all while pregnant, then postpartum, then navigating a COVID launch week. We talk about what it really means to be a "mom founder," the specific moment a podcast sparked a business idea (very meta, we know), and why Emily credits her kids — not in spite of them — for keeping Evergreen alive through the hard moments. Plus: pancakes are coming, protein waffles are on the way, and yes, Sam puts cottage cheese on everything. In this episode: Why Emily cold-emailed the founder of Alinea at 10pm — and got a response in 18 minutes The reframe that changed how she thinks about work-life balance (hint: it's "integration," not balance) How being her own core consumer is her biggest competitive advantage Why she hasn't compromised on a single ingredient, even when investors told her to The non-negotiables that keep her going as a working mom and founder "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." — Wayne Gretzky, Michael Scott, and apparently Emily Groden. Find Evergreen at eatevergreen.com or @EatEvergreen on social. Email us at [email protected] Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠