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Research Guides

Family Care Office Library and Resource Centre

Podcasts

Conception, Pregnancy & New Parents

Pregnancy

  • 40 Weeks Pregnancy Podcast: A resource to support expecting moms (and partners, too!) with evidence-based information to navigate the awesome adventure of pregnancy, birth, and being a new parent. Vanessa Merten provides evidence based info that goes way beyond the typical “pregnancy instruction manual”. Every episode is designed to give you all of the evidence, research, pros, cons, risks, and benefits – all so you decide what the best option is for you and feel confident about your decisions during your pregnancy and beyond.
  • Birthful: Alternating between interviews with perinatal professionals and birth stories with new parents, Birthful will help inform your intuition, whatever pregnancy, birth or postpartum send your way. Every episode, working doula and former journalist Adriana Lozada distills the overload of pregnancy information down to the most relevant and useful stuff.
  • The Birth Hour: Whether you are pregnant and looking for inspirational birth stories through your pregnancy, trying to conceive, breastfeeding, and postpartum; if you're a first time mom or a veteran parent of multiple children, you can learn, laugh and maybe even cry a little at these moving childbirth stories from people willing to share one of the most intimate moments of their lives.
  • Healthy Births, Happy Babies: Healthline calls this the best pregnancy podcast for health -- describing it as a "weekly podcast features health information from providers who specialize in prenatal care, natural childbirth, and pediatric health care. It provides information to support and empower you throughout your pregnancy and beyond. Sample topics include pelvic floor health, depression, and exercise. It also discusses healing therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic, and homeopathy."
  • Pregnancy Confidential: Taking what they’ve learned from their audience and their work at Parents magazine, Pregnancy Confidential walks listeners through pregnancy week-by-week with fun and conversational talk about real feelings – the “joy and annoyances of pregnancy so you never have to experience any of it alone.” The show was produced in 2016, but all of their 20ish-minute episodes – ranging from Week 9 (‘OMG: I’m pregnant!’) to Week 40+ (‘To Induce or Not to Induce?’) – are available online for free and remain relevant.
  • What to Expect: Heidi Murkoff is the mind behind the What to Expect When You’re Expecting series, and she has now branched out into the world of podcasts. What to Expect brings together Murkoff and her daughter, Emma, to cover many of the same topics covered in the series, from conception, to pregnancy, to the first years of parenting. Launched this past summer, the episodes cover many of the major themes facing parents today, and the hosts often invite guests to share their expertise.

New Parents

  • All About Breastfeeding: Lori Jill Isenstadt from All About Breastfeeding is on a mission to normalize breastfeeding. Learn from everyday moms who share extraordinary stories of what life was like behind their breastfeeding doors and get help with concerns such as low milk supply, oversupply, babies who are tongue and lip tied, premature babies, sick babies who are breastfeeding, and babies who have had surgeries such as heart and cleft surgeries. She also conducts interviews with experts such as Dr. Dawn Obrecht, Abby Theuring, Jessica Shortall, Dr. Jack Newman, Maureen Minchin and more.
  • Fourth Trimester Podcast: This podcast provides postpartum care information for the few months following birth – the time period also known as the Fourth Trimester. The episodes feature conversations around the practical, emotional and social support parents and baby require, which help set the tone for the continuing journey of parenting.

Conception

  • Evidence Based Birth Podcast: This podcast from the site Evidence Based Birth has the mission is to raise the quality of childbirth care globally by putting accurate, evidence based research into the hands of families and communities so they can make informed, empowered choices. This show is meant for anyone interested in birth options, from expecting parents to experienced birth professionals.

  • The Fertility Podcast: The Fertility Podcast features fertility experts and professionals who discuss subjects such as miscarriage, male infertility, and mental health. From how to optimise your fertility to get pregnant naturally, navigating IVF, understanding donor conception or surrogacy to how to prepare for a life without children, the podcast is meant for people whose journey to parenthood hasn’t been straightforward.

Podcasts for Kids

Divorce & Bereavement 

Health & Nutrition

LGBTQ+ Parenting

Mental Health & Psychology

Mental Health

  • Dear Sugars: The universe has good news for the lost, lonely and heartsick. "Dear Sugars" is here, speaking straight into your ears. Hosted by the original "Sugars," Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond, the podcast fields all your questions — no matter how deep or dark — and offers radical empathy in return.
  • Happier with Gretchen Rubin: From the author of the best-selling books The Happiness Project, and Better Than Before, Rubin hosts the podcast along with her younger sister, Elizabeth Craft, and shares practical, manageable advice about happiness and good habits. She draws from cutting-edge science, the wisdom of the ages, lessons from popular culture, and her own experiences to explore how we can make our lives happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative.
  • The Happiness Lab: Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos has studied the science of happiness and found that many of us do the exact opposite of what will truly make our lives better. Based on the psychology course she teaches at Yale, Laurie will take you through the latest scientific research and share some surprising and inspiring stories that will change the way you think about happiness.
  • Therapy for Black Girls: The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly chat with licensed psychologist Dr. Joy Harden Bradford about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions you can make to become the best possible versions of yourself.
  • Where Should We Begin?: Step into iconic couples therapist Esther Perel's office and listen as real couples anonymously bare the raw, intimate, and profound details of their story. From infidelity, to sexlessness, to loss, it's a space for people to be heard and understood. It's also a place for us to listen and feel empowered in our own relationships.
  • Managing Back-To-School Anxiety During COVID-19: An experienced general pediatrician, Dr. Sherry Huang discusses what and how parents can do to take care of their children's mental health/anxiety as they are returning to in-person school. She discusses symptoms of anxiety and emphasizes tips that parents can utilize, such as asking open-ended and casual questions to their children about anxiety instead of asking direct questions. The podcast also touches on when to involve pediatrician/mental health professionals, and the idea that parents should familiarize themselves with regional health guidelines regarding school re-open. This podcast offers transcription.
  • Back-to-School Conversations to Have with Your Kid: An expert in adolescent psychiatry, Dr. Neeru Bakshi is a medical director at Eating Recovery Center of Washington and a mother to two elementary-aged children. She offers tips for how to start conversations with children about starting a new school year during the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversation can be about new school rules, changes in learning format, and social anxiety regarding in-person classes and vaccines.
  • How Parents Can Calm Back-to-School Anxiety: The podcast episode features Dr. Avanti Bergquist, a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist, who discusses parental anxiety during the back-to-school season involving the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Bergquist, a mother of two elementary-aged children, emphasizes the importance of being flexible and allowing for changes. She also suggests having honest (age-appropriate) dialogues with children and seeking help from therapists.

Meditation & Philosophy

  • Meditative Story: Meditative Story combines extraordinary human stories with meditation prompts embedded into the storylines — all surrounded by breathtaking music. Each episode can be thought of as an alternative way into a mindfulness practice, through vivid stories, cinematic music and production values
  • Pondercast: Featuring the soothing voice and wisdom of radio broadcaster Laurie Brown and the calming electro-acoustic tunes of Joshua Van Tassel, Pondercast helps listeners take a step back from the hustle and bustle of life and put things into perspective. With guided meditations every Monday, grounding thoughts and explorations on Fridays, and occasional new music playlists, Pondercast episodes provide a multitude of ways to relax and recharge.

Balancing Work & Family

  • Kwik Brain with Jim Kwik: Kwik Brain is a fun, fast-paced show designed to help busy people learn and achieve anything in a fraction of the time. Jim Kwik is the brain and memory trainer to elite mental performers, and in this easy to digest bite-sized podcast, you will discover his favourite shortcuts to read faster, remember more, and ‘supercharge’ your greatest wealth-building asset: your brain. Whether you’re a student, senior, entrepreneur or educator, you will get the edge with simple actionable tools to sharpen your mind, enhance your focus, and fast-track your fullest potential.
  • Women at Work: Harvard Business Review staffers Amy Bernstein, Amy Gallo, and Emily Caulfield untangle some of the knottiest problems that women face during their careers, such as narrowing the wage gap and standing up to interrupting male colleagues. They interview experts on gender, tell stories about their own experiences, and give lots of practical advice to help listeners succeed in spite of the obstacles.
  • WorkLife with Adam Grant: An original podcast from TED, organizational psychologist Adam Grant takes listeners inside the minds of some of the world’s most unusual professionals to explore the science of making work not suck. From learning how to love criticism to harnessing the power of frustration, WorkLife gives listeners another way to look at their job. 

Parenting

Parenting Experts

  • Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Parenting: Journalist Reena Ninan talks with psychologist Lisa Damour – The New York Times Adolescence columnist and author of the bestsellers Untangled and Under Pressure (both available as audiobooks and eBooks through TPL) – to help give parents informed and practical answers to real-life questions and struggles. Damour answers listeners’ timely questions, with a key focus on how families of all ages can get through the pandemic psychologically intact.

  • Creating a Family: Talk About Adoption & Foster Care: Creating a Family is a podcast for individuals who are thinking about adopting or fostering a child, are confused about all the options and wondering where to begin, or who are adoptive or foster parents trying to be the best parent possible. Every week, the hosts from www.CreatingaFamily.org interview adoption experts, physicians, and professionals who address subjects such as infertility, parenting skills, and raising children with special needs.

  • Life Kit: Parenting: From NPR, the Life Kit podcasts combine science and advice from experts to get parents with children of any age through the toughest parenting moments. Episode topics include how to manage screen time, understanding anxiety in kids, and discussing post-secondary options.

  • Motherhood Sessions: Motherhood Sessions provides listeners an opportunity to listen in on emotionally honest conversations between psychologist Alexandra Sacks and mothers who are wrestling with relatable problems and questions. Each episode is like a therapy session that Sacks might hold in her office, as she helps guests work through the challenges of motherhood that can be difficult to talk about – such as parenting through trauma, imposter syndrome, and work-life balance.

  • The Motherly Podcast: The Motherly Podcast brings honest conversations with some of the world’s most interesting mothers — entrepreneurs, actresses, politicians and authors — straight to listeners so they can feel inspired, energized, understood and seen like never before. Their podcast guests are redefining motherhood, courageously sharing their diverse experiences and using their voices to uplift and inspire women.

  • Parenting Beyond Discipline: Host Erin Royer-Asrilant, a mother of 3 who specialized in child development and family dynamics during her master's in Clinical Psychology, covers topics such as self-esteem, development and health, modern parenting issues and education.

  • Pedsdoctalk Podcast: Hosted by U.S. based Pediatrician and mother Dr. Mona Amin, the podcast aims to educate and empower parents in their journey through parenthood. Episodes will include education regarding hot topics in Pediatrics, interviews with experts in the field, conversations with fellow parents, and insight into her experience as a mother and Pediatrician. Content is both evidence-based and experienced-based to give you tips to keep your child healthy and mindful.

  • Respectful Parenting: Janet Lansbury Unruffled: Lansbury is a parenting advisor, author, and consultant whose work informs, inspires, and supports caregivers of infants and toddlers across the globe, helping to create relationships of respect, trust, and love. Each episode addresses a reader's parenting issue through the lens of Janet's respectful parenting philosophy. The Washington Post says "Lansbury’s approach focuses on respect for the child and acceptance of her emotions and development, but allows for firm parental limits as needed... Unruffled offers extremely practical and specific advice for common parenting situations."

  • Balanced Working Moms: Rina Meushaw (M.B.A, C.P.C.) is a working-mom to two girls and is a certified professional coach. Through her website, she offers her own podcast series, blog posts, and resource library. (A free sign-up is required to access her resource library) The podcast touches on practical tips for working-moms regarding no-procrastination, multi-tasking, quick food preparation, bedtime & sleep, and more. She also offers personal Zoom-conversation appointments which is currently only available to US citizens. 

  • Work-Life Equation: Brought to audience by Bright Horizons Family Solutions, a Massachusetts-based provider of child-care and employer-sponsored child-care, this podcast features guests including real parents and professionals in the relevant fields who tell their stories and offer tips for balancing work and parenting. Topics include returning to work, long-distance parenting, holiday advices, parental leave, fatherhood, parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more.

Conversations with Parents

Single Parenting

  • Not By Accident: Not By Accident is a documentary podcast series about choosing to become a single mother and coping with being one. For 5 years, Sophie Harper used her audio recorder like a camera or sketchbook and compiled more than a hundred hours of recordings: her first visit to the insemination clinic, her journey to the hospital once labor was underway, her daughter’s first birthday, and hundreds of conversations with family and friends detailing the ups and downs along the way. The recordings, told across 34 episodes, are the foundation of their story. 

  • The Single Parenting Podcast: The Single Mom Podcast is dedicated to inspiring and supporting single moms. Heather Wells is a single mother of three children (two with special needs) who spent years struggling just to make ends meet. Now she is a successful business owner and is dedicated to helping other single moms find the tools, resources and mindsets to navigate through the stresses of raising children alone. The episodes also touch on mental health, self-care, and relationships.

Teenagers